Rogue and Riveting

Chapter 4 Finally

The newlyweds found it hard to sleep that night, especially Adelia, who was still in shock of what she heard a while ago. Enoch seemed to be hiding something from her. That was at least what she gathered from that supposed-to-be-private conversation between him and his sister, who was called Ester. Adelia did not even know what Enoch's sister looked like before, but now that she finally saw her (albeit without the woman's knowledge), all she could say was that Ester was as pretty as Enoch. She was almost identical to Enoch, like his female version. But Adelia was not surprised by this. She had read somewhere before that Romeodel's royal family has always been this gorgeous-looking, and that their children are usually twins. For Adelia, their unparalleled beauty is a little bit too good to be true, and for some reason, something in their perfect looks scared Adelia.

Maybe it was the feeling that they are probably the most revered and most admired royal family in the world, and she happened to marry the king. Anyone who would suddenly get into their family will get intimidated, right? And Adelia is no exception. She might be royalty in her own right, but she knew that she was not in league with these people. They're just famous, intelligent, mysterious... Perfect... Adelia could not even still believe that King Enoch agreed to marry her for the sake of their country. It was mind-blowing to her at first, and then their wedding was like a blur, and she was nowhere in their country inside their palace and she was already a member of their royal family. She would have felt more homesick than scared if not for Ester's strange concern for her a while ago, and now she was nothing but anxious and paranoid.

But that was hours ago. Right now, Adelia was in a huge bedroom, in the bathroom to be exact. She was nervous because her husband is just outside, probably waiting for her in bed. All the posh and aesthetic ornaments and furniture that showed how rich this country was did not make Adelia feel any better. It was almost like she was having cold feet again. But it was too late for that, she reminded herself. She was Romeodel's new queen right now. And her king is outside, probably waiting for her to come out.

"Adelia? Are you alright there?" Enoch's voice just outside the door almost made Adelia's heart literally leap out from her chest. The sudden presence of her husband near her made her more nervous than necessary. She can't even still wrap her around the idea that Enoch was now her husband, and right now he is acting like one. It baffled her.

"I'll be there in a minute," Adelia made sure to sound calm, but her throat was not cooperating with her right now. "I am just w-washing my face." She did not know why she still lied when she could sense that Enoch knew what was going on with her right now.

But the good thing is that it seems like her husband is considerate enough to let her be, letting everything sink in her mind right now. 

"Alright, just come to our bed when you're done," he said in a rather surprising sweet tone that for that one moment Adelia forgot what it meant--- a man waiting for her in their bed. But when she did, she almost wheezed in surprise when she realized that probably Enoch wanted to do 'it' with her tonight. That's probably why he is waiting for her to come out. Of course, as husband and wife, they are now allowed to do that! 

That's the only explanation that she could think of, as Adelia had expected the opposite from Enoch. Based on their earlier conversations, she had expected him to act business-like around her, even when they are just the two of them in a room, just like what is happening right now. They barely know each other before they got married, and she did not even know what he looked like before this fateful day. So everything was new for Adelia, but right now, she knew that hiding in the bathroom doesn't look good on her image, as a royalty, as a wife, and as someone who agreed about the marriage.

So she mustered enough courage to get out of the bathroom and despite her flustered face and red cheeks, she managed to get into the bed where her husband was sitting on the edge and was waiting for her. She stopped when she saw his masculine figure in the half-light. He was extremely handsome that it was making Adelia's heart beat wildly. And seeing him in white clothes that he wears in his room, made him look sexier and appealing for Adelia. 

"Oh, you're here." A huge, heartwarming smile was on his face as she approached him, and that somehow calmed her down. She was so nervous because she knew what exactly happens when a man and a woman get married. She was not that naive even though she never had a boyfriend before. The closest thing she had to a lover was her childhood best friend, Clarence, who was the son of her former caretaker. But that's it. Clarence was not her lover, so Adelia does not really have experiences with men. 

And when she reached the edge of the bed in front of her new husband, Enoch stood up and suddenly hugged her. It was not a scary nor a threatening kind of hug that she was expecting, but just a normal hug. Several bad images had been swirling inside her mind ever since she realized that this might be the moment that their marriage will be consummated, but nothing of that sort happened. At the back of her mind, she was cursing to herself for thinking that Enoch will force her to do it, hence her surprise when she felt his gentle and warm hug. To Adelia, it just felt like a normal hug, although she could feel Enoch's breath on her nape, and that sent her a million, little bolts to her body. 

"My dear wife," he whispered to her ear. "Are you still scared of me?"

Adelia shook her head, and Enoch removed his head from her shoulder to face her so that they can talk earnestly. "I-I'm not scared of you, E-Enoch..." It was all that she could say as she could feel the intensity of his stare at her face, although that was just her assumption as Enoch was not really trying to intimidate her. Maybe his towering height over her made him more intimidating for her, but Enoch was really trying to become the nicest husband for her right now. 

"So what is it? Are you not feeling well?"

Adelia shook her head. "I'm just clueless. I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do now that we... now that we are married, I guess?"

Enoch gave her a smile. "I understand. You don't need to apologize. And I appreciate your honesty, my wife. But please, you don't have to be scared or get pressured by our marriage. I'm not expecting anything from you. I did not marry you to be my follower or to act for my liking. Just be who you are."

That was the nicest thing she heard from him so far. And it looks like Enoch is really a kind, sensible man. He even calls her, 'my wife,' something that she never expected from someone who did not know her before to call her. But she would give it to him though. She's impressed and somewhat charmed by his attitude towards her especially how he acts like he has known her all along when clearly, that is not the case. This was the first time that they were together, but Enoch was making it feel like they were more than acquaintances.

"You really are beautiful, Adelia. I'm so glad that you are finally my wife," he whispered to her again and he tucked her hair behind her ear, something that made Adelia's knees feel like jelly. But she could not understand what Enoch said to her, and that took the giddy feeling away. 

"Finally? What do you mean by that?" she asked, but Enoch, her husband, did not respond to that. Instead, his face went closer to hers, and then he kissed her.