Hugo opened his mouth but closed it a moment later. He looked as if someone had hit him. His eyes went from Mina to Jayden and back.
Mina’s petticoat fluttered because of the wind, and she shivered. Jayden put an arm around her shoulders.
“My father did what?” Hugo finally asked.
A little magic crystal was above the house’s door. Jayden pointed at the dark stain of blood on his white shirt. “I took her to a Fire Church to cure her wound.” Hugo looked at Jayden’s shoulder, where the stain was, and frowned. “Mina is cold; if you still want to talk to her, we should enter,” Jayden said.
The Commander opened the door, and Mina entered a spacious entryway with a wooden floor, a thick rug, and a table with a vase of wildflowers. The interior of the house was warm, and Mina stopped shivering.
A man with ash brown hair and hazel eyes, dressed in long brown pants and a beige shirt, came out from a room.
“Commander, you are back!” the man said. “And you brought guests!” He sounded excited.
Jayden stood next to Mina. “Caesar met my betrothed, Dutchess Mina. She will live here from now on. And this is Duke Hugo, her cousin. Did an errand boy bring some boxes with clothes?”
Caesar’s eyes met those of Mina. “Nice to meet you, my lady! The Commander told me about you. Duke Hugo, welcome!” He looked at Jayden next. “Yes! I took the boxes to your room!”
“Is dinner ready?” Jayden asked next. Caesar nodded. “What did you cook?”
“Lamb with roasted vegetables,” Caesar said, and Jayden started laughing. The man tilted his head. “Is there a problem with dinner, Commander?”
Mina glared at Jayden while Hugo frowned.
Jayden stopped laughing and looked at Mina. “Just perfect! Looks like tonight I am going to eat a little lamb. We should go to the dining room! Hugo, you are invited to dine with us.”
A six-person table stood in the middle of the dining room, and a white tablecloth covered it. Under the table was an oval rug. A big fireplace stood across from the door, and on the wall next to it, a cabinet for plates, bowls, tureens, silverware, and others. Thick red curtains covered the windows. Close to one of the windows was an old grandfather clock.
Jayden led Mina to the table, pulled the chair that was at the head of it, and helped Mina sit. Jayden sat to Mina’s right, while Hugo sat to her left.
Caesar started setting the table for three.
Hugo put his elbows on the table and looked at Mina. “Care to explain what you said earlier? That my father hit you.”
Mina put her left hand on the table, and Hugo eyed the bracelet but said nothing about it. She had always been honest with Hugo. Mina was not about to keep a secret from Hugo about what her uncle did. She waited until Caesar left before talking. “As you know, Jayden asked me to marry him, and I accepted. The King already gave us his blessing. Well, this morning, I approached my uncle, asking him for money to purchase things for my dowry,” Mina started explaining. Jayden frowned and folded his arms, and Mina kept talking. “When I explained to him I was to marry, he got angry, accused me of betraying him, and hit me so hard I fell and hit my head. Like I said before, Jayden saved me from another slap. I do not wish to return to the estate.” Mina looked at Jayden. “I feel safe with the Commander.”
Caesar returned with the food. He put the tray on the table and served the food. Lastly, he poured wine before retiring.
“Prepare a room for Mina and take the boxes there!” Jayden said before Caesar got out the door. He started eating. “This lamb is absolutely delicious!” Mina stared at him, but the Commander kept eating while smiling sweetly.
Hugo drank from his glass. “Mina,” he said, and she turned her attention to him, “my father said that a bastard entered our house, broke his arm, and took you by force. Damn, I should have been home! Then none of this would have happened!”
Jayden grabbed his goblet and drank. “Your father should be grateful I didn’t break both his hands for touching Mina!”
Mina started eating. “Where did you go this morning?” she asked Hugo.
Hugo mumbled something, drank all the wine from his goblet, and tried to pour some more, but Mina stopped him. “For Inoss sake, I was in the port! Happy?” he asked in an angry tone.
Mina knew why Hugo went to the port; he went to drink at Oviella or the Red Lantern—the biggest brothel in Athea. “Hugo, you can’t keep going like this. You need to—”
“I am fine!” Hugo said stubbornly. “Besides, you can’t remain here!”
Jayden ate a piece of lamb. “Why not? Do you think I can’t take care of her? I assure you, Mina is perfectly safe with me!”
Hugo glared at Jayden. “She is an unwed woman living in a single man’s house! Do you have any idea what people will say?”
Mina ate in silence while looking at the two men.
Jayden ate more lamb while Hugo stared at him.
“I am tired of hearing the same things,” Jayden said. “Besides, Mina is my betrothed. My future wife. But tell me, Duke, what are you really afraid of? That I will fuck Mina before our wedding night?” Mina choked on a piece of vegetable. “Is showing a damn white sheet with her virginal blood to the family after the wedding so important? Because I have no one to brag about my wife’s virginity on our wedding night. My mother is dead, and as for my father,” he shrugged. “I only have my men, but they don’t care about Mina’s virginity, nor would I show them a damn sheet!”
“Yenge is a very important tradition in the Nordor Kingdom! You were not born in the high class, and there for you do not know what’s expected of Mina!” Hugo said.
Mina slammed her palm on the table. Both men looked at her. “Stop it, Hugo! I know you care deeply for me, but I assure you that Jayden has acted as a gentleman throughout the day! I am sure he will respect me until we are married!” she said, her tone strong.
Hugo’s shoulders dropped. “A lady-in-waiting then. If you insist on living here, you need a lady-in-waiting.”
Mina groaned. “Gods! All I need is an old hag watching me like a hawk all day long.”
Jayden stared into Hugo's brown eyes. "We don't need a lady-in-waiting." Hugo muttered something. "Her virtue is safe with me," Jayden said. "My wolves will protect Mina when I am not around."
Hugo’s eyebrows went up. “Your wolves? How many do you have? And how can you think about letting them near Mina? They are nothing more than wild beasts!”
Jayden’s lips twitched with amusement. “A few wolves. But they are tamer than most humans I know.”
Hugo looked at Mina. “Is there a way to convince you to return home? Until you get married, at least?”
Mina shook her head. “I am sorry, Hugo, but I do not wish to see my uncle. At least, not for the moment.”
Hugo sighed. “Very well. Then I shall visit you as often as I can.”
When they finished dinner, Hugo left, and Jayden took Mina to her room while Caesar cleaned the dining room.
“Does Caesar need help?” Mina asked, looking over her shoulder at the hallway.
“He is fine!” the Commander said.
Jayden opened the door to a room. It was larger than Mina’s former room. A big bed was on the wall left to the door. Right to the door was the bathroom and the wardrobe. Across from the bed were a coffee table and two armchairs. Next to the coffee table were two glass doors that led to the garden.
Caesar had put Mina’s boxes on the bed.
Mina entered the room and Jayden followed her.
“Your room,” Jayden said. “Any changes you want to make, let Caesar or me know.”
Mina thought the room was lovely as it was. She liked the armchairs close to the garden and imagined herself sitting in one of them while she did cross-stitching. “I think it is perfect! And I can go out to the garden whenever I want.”
“About the garden,” Jayden said. “It is best if you don’t go out during the night. The wolves are restless right now and—stay inside during the night. You can go to the garden during the day. Once we are married, you can use the garden as you see fit.” Jayden pointed to the door. “You have the key in the door, so you can lock it if it makes you feel safer.” He looked at her for a long moment. His eyes turned gold. “You should lock it!” He went to the door. His eyes were blue once more. “I will let you rest,” Jayden said before leaving.
When the Commander closed the door behind him, Mina locked the door. She pressed her back on the door and sighed. Some howls came from the garden, and Mina looked at the glass doors, but she couldn’t see anything.
Mina went to the bed, opened the boxes, took out the dresses, nightgowns, undergarments, and other things Jayden had purchased and put them in the wardrobe. Once she put away everything, Mina went to the bathroom and took a long, warm bath. When Mina got out, she dried her hair, brushed it, and braided it. She put on a nightgown and went to the wardrobe. Despite Jayden’s warning to stay in her room, Mina was curious about the garden. She grabbed a shawl, put it around her shoulder, went to the glass doors, and studied the garden for a long time. The wind was blowing softly, rustling the leaves of the tree. When Mina didn’t hear the wolves, she lifted the hatch, opened one glass door, and stepped outside. She didn’t go too far, just a few meters away from her room, and looked around the garden. The lights coming from the house were enough to illuminate part of the garden and Mina could see flower beds, trees, and some bushes.
Moving as silent as she could, Mina went to see some flowers. She crouched to take a better look at them.
“What are you doing out here?” Mina suddenly heard a masculine voice coming from behind her.
Mina stood as fast as she could and spun around. In front of her stood a tall man, taller than Jayden. He was well built. His black hair reached his shoulders while his brown eyes looked at her with anger. He was wearing only a pair of black pants.
The man scared her.
Mina’s mouth went dry. “I live here.” Her voice trembled.
“I know that!” the man snapped. “I thought the Uzgaia told you to stay inside!” he said and grabbed Mina by her arm.
He started dragging her after him, away from her room. Mina fought him, trying to escape him, and bit him as hard as she could. The man let go of her, and Mina ran in the opposite direction into the shadows.
“Wait!” he yelled after her. “If they smell you, they will chase you!”
But Mina didn’t stop. She hoped to find a place to hide from the man until it was safe to return to her room.
“Andarra, return!” Mina heard the man yell once more. She ran faster.
Wolves howled close to her, and she put her hand against her mouth. She should have listened to Jayden. Fear crept inside her heart.
Mina saw some tall bushes, she hid behind them and prayed the man wouldn’t find her.
Someone stopped next to where Mina was hiding, and she held her breath. Her heart was beating so fast she prayed the man wouldn’t hear it. Mina crouched and started touching the ground with her hands, hoping to find something to use as a weapon. She grabbed a stick at the same time someone grabbed her and pulled her out of the bush. It was the man from before. Mina lifted the stick and hit the man across his right shoulder. He grunted.
“Andarra, stop!” he said.
“My name is not Andarra,” Mina said and lifted the stick again.
The man grabbed her right hand, stopping her from hitting him again. “Andarra, it’s a title, not a name!” he said.
“Let go of me!” Mina said.
She tried to pull free from his grasp, but he was stronger than her and forced her to walk towards the house.
“What in the name of the gods is going on here?” Mina heard Jayden’s voice when she and the man were close to the house.
“Uzgaia, I found Andarra in the garden. I was only trying to take her back to the house.”
“Take your hands off her!” Jayden growled. He sounded furious. The man let go of Mina and took two steps backward. “If I find another one of you touching her, I will cut your hands!” Jayden yelled. “Do you hear me?” Wolves howled close to Mina, and she moved closer to Jayden. “Return to the estate!”
“Uzgaia—” the man said, but Jayden growled even louder.
“You too!” Jayden said and went to Mina and put a hand around her waist. “Let’s go!” he said to her.
“I was only trying to protect her!” the man said.
“I know, but I don’t want anyone to touch what’s mine!” Jayden didn’t stop walking.
Mina pulled the shawl closer around her shoulder. Her heart was beating fast.
“I told you to stay inside!” Jayden said in an angry tone. “Didn’t you listen when I told you it’s not safe for you to go out during the night?” He growled so hard his chest vibrated.
“I am sorry,” Mina said. “I just wanted to see some flowers, but that man appeared out of nowhere and scared me.”
“Next time I say something, listen!” he said in a softer tone.
Jayden took her back to her room.
Mina looked at him for a few seconds. “What do Uzgaia and Andarra mean?”
“Uzgaia means leader, and Andarra is the tile of the Uzgaia’s wife.”
Mina looked at her feet and was glad she didn't lose her slippers while running. "Who was that man?"
"My right hand," Jayden said. "He would never harm you."
Mina bit her lip. “I thought you said your wolves are tame.”
“They are, but the upcoming festival makes them act like wild wolves!”
“Why?” Mina asked. She was curious to know more about his animals.
Jayden's eyes turned golden. “Because the Yetlane Festival is a time for finding a single female and mate!” His tone was calm.