Ch. 446..450: Forbidden Heat R18 Chapter 446-450

Chapter 446: Reiner - Symbol of Love

“Who should go first? I’ll let you decide...” Reiner said as he reached for my hand.

His fingers intertwined with mine before he held my hand tightly in his much larger one. I was too scared and nervous to think straight. I didn’t care who went first. I just didn’t want to go through with all this. Why did things have to be so difficult for us?

“You can do it, Natalia. Be brave. It’ll be over very very soon,” Reiner told me as his hand squeezed mine.

Brave indeed. Brave in every sense of the word.

Again and again, I was unfortunately reminded of the old man’s words. If I wanted to be with Reiner, I had to be brave.

“Can you go first? I’ll try to stay very still...” I said softly after taking in a huge and long breath.

“Sure. Stay calm and still. It’ll just feel like a paper cut and I promise that it won’t leave a scar,” Reiner promised.

“Yes, I am sure that Knight is very skilled with a knife. You don’t need to worry, Natalia,” Kuman chimed in at the perfect moment.

I didn’t doubt Reiner’s skill at anything, and I wasn’t that worried about the pain. The hardest part for me would be when it came my turn to carve that symbol on him.

Reiner took my left wrist in his hand and lifted my arm up.

“The knife is sharp enough. It won’t hurt...” Reiner said confidently.

I didn’t know if I should watch or look away. Reiner’s hand round my wrist tightened as he slowly positioned the tip of the knife against my skin. I took in a deep breath and held it; however, my eyes refused to look away. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as dramatic as I had imagined it and it was mostly due to the fact that everything happened so quickly that it was over before I knew it. It wasn’t a lie when Kuman said that Reiner was very skilled with a knife. He was done carving a small version of the symbol into my skin before I could feel the slight stinging pain.

When the knife was removed, I got a full view of the result of his handiwork. True to his words, it didn’t hurt more than a papercut and it took a few seconds for my blood to slowly seep out from the cut. I caught sight of the symbol dyed in the red of my blood for only a few seconds before Reiner quickly wrapped a white bandage around my arm. The way he looked so concerned as he applied pressure to stop my bleeding felt very funny to me. It didn’t hurt and I wasn’t bleeding so much that I felt like I deserved this much attention.

“I’m fine. You were right. It didn’t hurt...” I mumbled.

“Sorry if it was scary for you. You did well,” Reiner replied as he finished up the final touches on the bandage around my arm.

I smiled up at him before he pulled me into a loving hug. His strong arms around my body felt like the safest place on earth. I closed my eyes and hugged him back tightly.

“The second half of the ceremony, if you please...” the old man safe after coughing slightly to get our attention.

Oh, right. We’re only half done and now the part that I dreaded the most was upon us. I need to somehow carve that symbol into Reiner’s arm. Maybe if I faint now...

Be brave!

The pressure was so great that I was scared and intimidated by the situation. My hands were shaking so hard that they felt useless. I had zero confidence that I could control my hands by that point, and using a knife seemed to be out of the question.

“I don’t think that I can do this after all...” I confessed guiltily as I pleaded to Reiner with my eyes.

“I’ll hold your hand,” Reiner replied.

His hands held mine firmly in his so that my hands would stop shaking. I bit my lower lip and closed my eyes to steady my nerves.

“There’s no way that I can do this the way you did it for me. It’s going to hurt and it’s going to be so messy...” I said while sounding very upset.

Reiner didn’t seem to mind at all but that didn’t mean that I didn’t.

“I’ve been through worst, trust me. Now hold the knife firmly in your hand,” Reiner said as he reached for the knife and handed it towards me.

I should faint now...seriously...

Regardless of what I wanted, I forced myself to reach out for the knife. The knife felt lighter than I had imagined but that didn’t make my heart feel any lighter about what I was about to do.

“You can hold her hand,” Kuman repeated encouragingly.

Reiner quickly rolled up the sleeve of his shirt all the way up to his elbow, exposing the skin of his arm to me. He flashed me a smile before his hand reached out at lightning speed and grabbed the hand that was holding the knife. Instinctively, I began resisting.

“Don’t resist, Natalia. Relax. If it bothers you, you can close your eyes. You don’t have to do anything, just relax your arm and I’ll do the rest,” Reiner instructed sternly.

Even if he says that...it’s not as easy for me to do exactly what he wanted me to.

“R...please...” I whimpered softly as tear started pooling in my eyes.

“It will be over before you know it. Ok?” he said before smiling patiently at me.

Not knowing what to say and afraid that I would start wailing like a baby, I just nodded my head once. I bit on my lower lip and closed my eyes tightly when Reiner pulled my hand closer to his arm.

“It’s going to be ok,” Reiner whispered.

When my hand moved based on his guidance, my eyes snapped opened to see what was going on. The suspense was clearly getting to me, and I couldn’t bear not to now what was happening. Reiner smiled a little at me before he continued to guide my hand as the knife continued to carve the symbol into his arm. Reiner’s movements were extremely precise and soon the symbol was completed.

Chapter 447: Reiner - Finally His

When Reiner let go of my hand, I immediately dropped the knife and that made me realize that my hand had been shaking like crazy. Reiner pulled me to his side just as the knife landed on the floor with a loud clang.

“Are you ok? Natalia...Natalia!” Reiner asked as he shook my body a little.

“Umm...yes...I’m so sorry...” I whispered as I snaped out of my shock.

I could feel Reiner’s eyes on my face and when I looked up into his eyes, I could sense his worry before he let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry...” I mumbled again.

“It’s ok. I’m just glad that you’re alright. You need to be more careful,” Reiner said as he patted the top of my head with his large hand.

“Ok...” I murmured.

I saw from the corner of my eye that someone was putting the knife away. Kuman approached us as if to check that I was alright. I smiled a little at the old man and he smiled back.

“Oh...your arm...” I said in a panic when I realized that Reiner hadn’t bandaged his arm.

That was probably my fault. If I hadn’t dropped the knife...

“It’s ok. Stop overreacting,” Reiner said calmly.

“Let me help you. I guess even I can do this much...” I offered.

Reiner nodded and I was allowed to do what I wanted at last. Reiner’s wound bled a lot more than mine and I wondered if that was because my hand was shaking so badly. It probably was...

“I hope that wasn’t as bad as you had feared. Now for the last part,” Kuman said as he stood next to us.

I was quite satisfied with the outcome of my effort at bandaging up Reiner’s arm. He thanked me and I smiled up proudly at him while I prayed that we wouldn’t have to go through something like that ever again in this lifetime.

Kuman’s words caught our attention and we quickly turned to him. At the gesture of his hand, his assistant brought in a tray with flowers. After Kuman lifted the flowers off the try, I realized that the flowers had been joined together on a string.

“This is for you both. Congratulations on getting married. I wish you a life long of happiness and love. I beg you to be patient and understanding towards each other. If every you face a time of hardship, may you recall the happiness that you shared on this special day,” Kuman said formally.

Reiner bowed down a little and Kuman placed the ring of flower around his neck. Then it was my turn, I bowed down a little and the ring of flower was placed around my neck. The smell from the white flowers filled my nostril with a sweet smell that made me smile. The wound in my arm didn’t hurt and slowly, I was recovering from distress.

...

“What happens now?” I asked Reiner when we were finally alone in the car together.

After successfully completing the nightmarish task of carving the sacred symbol of love into each other’s skin, we were officially married under the customs and rules put in place by Reiner’s father. It still felt a little unreal for me that Reiner is now my husband, and I was now his wife. Nothing about the marriage ceremony was standard. Although I would say that I would have preferred for an easier and smoother journey, I didn’t regret going through all that because I now had the man that I wanted for my life partner.

After heading back to gather our things on the private beach, we were on the way back. I remembered that I was super excited on the way here because it wasn’t usual for Reiner to ask me out on a date. At that time, I never dreamt that I would be his wife by the time that he drove me back. It was a funny thought and I had to stop myself from giggling out loud.

“We’re married now so maybe it’s time that I take you home,” Reiner replied.

“As in...like...back to the mansion?” I asked to make sure that I understood him correctly.

“That’s right. You should at least tell my parents that you married their only son, right?” Reiner asked, teasingly.

Right, I guess I did have to tell them. Wait...

“I have to tell them? Me?!” I cried out in shock.

“Who else...?” Reiner replied with a chuckle with his eyes still on the road.

“You. You can tell them. They’re your parents!” I quickly argued.

I wasn’t sure if Reiner was serious about this, or he was just teasing me because he started laughing louder. While I was starting to stress out, he seemed to be having the time of his life. If I had my facts down right, King probably still thinks that Reiner is engaged to Rachael and that he’s supposed to marry her sometime soon. So, how would he react when he finds out that Reiner married me instead?

As Reiner continued to laugh in the car, a sense of unease started bubbling up inside of me. We did go through all of that according to King’s chosen custom. That man better be satisfied...

“I still think that you should tell them. Please at least do that for me...” I whispered pleadingly.

“I’ll think about it,” Reiner replied as he tried to control his laughter.

I looked out of the window as my mind busied itself with disturbing thoughts. Sure, I was over the moon happy that I was now married to Reiner. In fact, I was too busy to think things straight. Now that we had some down time in the car, my mind was reminded of the many things that we probably had to deal with now that we were married. King was probably the hardest person to deal with and I had absolutely no idea how he would react to this news.

My mind wandered next to Rachael. I glanced at Reiner who seemed super relaxed behind the wheel as I wondered if he ever got the chance to break it off completely with Rachael and then I was quite certain that he hadn’t done that yet. Great. Even more complications.

Chapter 448: Reiner – Breaking the Big News

The ride back to the mansion was too short and by the time that we arrived, I wasn’t at all mentally prepared to break the news of our wedding to his parents. How things worked on this island was obviously quite different compared to what I was used to. Normally, you would tell you parents before you got married and not the other way around. Not that there was anything seriously wrong about what we did on normal standards, but it was just unusual.

I remembered that Reiner did mention that we didn’t need his parent’s permission for us to get married. Although I trusted that that was the truth, what would happen if they disapproved. I was definitely on good terms with Queen, and I was beyond thankful for all that she had done for me. However, that didn’t mean that she wanted me as her daughter-in-law. As for King, well, I didn’t even know where to start.

“We’re here. It’s been a while since you were last here, right?” Reiner said casually as he parked the car right in front of the mansion.

Seeing the mansion brought back so many memories. I could vividly remember the first day that I got here and how desperate Reiner was to send me back on the first flight home on the following day. Many things happened since then. I also recalled the day that I moved out of this mansion and how I ran into Reiner and Rachael. Those were the crazy rollercoaster ride days. I sighed softly to myself when I noticed that those crazy days were probably not over yet.

“I guess it’s good to be back...” I mumbled softly.

My body froze and that cemented the fact that I wasn’t at all ready for this. The door to my side opened and I saw Reiner standing there as he bent down and offered me his hand. Time to get out of the car now. Shit.

“Thank you...” I whispered as I placed my hand in his.

He helped me out of the car, but I hesitated to take a step forward towards the mansion. Although I promised Queen to visit her at the mansion, it didn’t really work out. Sadly, I had to admit that I didn’t think that I would get to return here to this place the day that I left. I never imagined that the next time that I came back here, I would be with Reiner nor that I would come back here as his wedded wife.

“Ready?” Reiner asked as he placed his hand at the small of my back.

I knew that he could sense my hesitation and that I was probably causing him to worry about me again.

“I’m not ready but I guess I have to be...” I replied honestly.

“We’ll get through it. At least you’re not carving out lumps of my flesh with a knife...” he teased.

“Was that what it felt like for you?!” I asked in shock.

Maybe he was just putting on a brave front. Did I really cut him that deeply while my hands were shaking?

“I’m joking. Let’s go,” Reiner said before his large had ruffled my hair adoringly.

“Its not funny. It’s definitely not funny! Stop pulling on my arm!” I cried out in protest.

...

“Is King and Queen home?” Reiner asked one of the maids who happened to be cleaning around the living room at that moment.

With everything that had taken place, it was probably right around dinner time when we arrived at the mansion. For some reason, I found myself silently wishing wistfully to myself that King wouldn’t be home.

“They’re both here. Umm...I guess they’re probably in the dining room by this time. The kitchen staffs finished the dinner preparation a little while ago,” the maid replied before she turned to bow slightly at me.

I didn’t recognize her, but her reactions told me that she remembered me from my time here at the mansion.

“Thank you. Let’s go, Natalia,” Reiner said as he pulled on my arm for me to follow him.

“Umm...should we shower and get changed first or something...” I suggested weakly.

Of course, I wanted to look more presentable to his parents. The white linen dress that I had on didn’t really put me in any type of advantage. Also, a part of me wished to have more time to mentally prepare myself for what was the come.

“Let’s not put this off more than we need to,” Reiner replied knowingly before he grinned wryly at me.

Sometimes, I just hated how well he knew me and what I was thinking.

“Well, if you say so...” I mumbled as I followed after him towards the dining room.

Before entering the room, I pulled on Reiner’s hand. Reiner immediately turned to me with a curious look on his face.

“Umm...do I look...ok?” I asked nervously as I ran my fingers through my hair.

I didn’t have any make up on and I didn’t even have a chance to properly comb my hair. Undoubtedly, I looked like a little mess. Not to talk about the fact that I haven’t taken a shower since yesterday. To put it simply, I didn’t feel very comfortable and confident in my own skin right now and I’m about to meet my in-laws. Have mercy on me please!

“You look beautiful...always...” Reiner replied without hesitation.

Reiner bent down and kissed my forehead softly. The warmth of his lips seemed to reach my toes as I radiated from his love. My heart skipped a beat as if it wasn’t used to this after all this time.

“Don’t I stink?” I asked a little seriously.

“A little...” he replied before winking at me.

I hated him...a little. Although I knew that it was partially my fault for asking. At least, he was being honest.

Before I could think of another protest, Reiner wrapped an arm around my waist before he smiled at me. I felt a slight push against my back as he opened the door with his other hand. Suddenly, I felt like an unprepared actress being thrusted on stage and then the spotlights were on me. I should have rehearsed my lines!

Chapter 449: Reiner - King’s Verdict

Reiner walked unceremoniously into the dining room while his large hand at the small of my back kept me effectively from escaping. The maid was right, King and Queen were seated at the dining table, and it seemed like we had arrived right on time for dinner.

“Knight! Welcome back...” Queen said excitedly as she looked up from the dining table towards us and then her voice trailed off when her eyes fell on me.

“Natalia...wow...” Queen said as her eyes widened and she rapidly stood up from her seat and walked over to us.

“Hi...” I greeted her a little shyly.

It had been a while since I met up with her and I realized that I did miss her company. Queen smiled brightly at me, and I could tell that she probably felt the same way.

“Welcome back. It’s been too long...” Queen said as she pulled me into a hug.

Everything about her seemed the same including the perfume that she wore. Her hug reminded me of all the times she helped me out and comforted me especially when I was all alone when I first arrived on the island. I’ve always wondered where I would be right now without her help and then I realized that I probably didn’t really want to find out.

Queen let go of my body, but she continued to beam her supermodel smile at me. My body froze when I felt King’s eyes on me. The intensity of his stare made me shiver in fear and I wondered if he had already figured out our story.

“Did you marry her already?” King asked and his voice wasn’t warm and welcoming.

Queen’s eyes widened even further and then she nodded a little as her eyes swept over my body. That’s right, we were in our ceremonious clothes that Kuman provided. Our outfit probably told the story of what we had just been through better than our words. King’s cold blue eyes were on us as he waited for his answer.

“Yes. We started the ceremony yesterday and completed it with Kuman today,” Reiner said, and my hand instinctively went to the white bandage that was still wrapped around my arm.

“Oh my...congratulations to you both. This is just...amazing! I’m so happy for you both. Natalia...I’m so glad to have you back...” Queen said as she started smiling and crying at the same time.

She pulled me into another hug before she turned and pulled Reiner into her arms and hugged him tightly. Reiner made a slightly embarrassed face as he patted his mother a little with his large hand as if to comfort her. Queen’s outright display of her joy was a stark contrast to King’s reaction as he narrowed his eyes at us suspiciously. It wasn’t like I hadn’t expected this.

“You must be so tired from the ceremony and all that. Why don’t you come with me and we can fix you up? We can leave the boys to do the talking...” Queen suggested brightly.

“No one is allowed to leave until I get to the bottom of this. Sit down, all of you,” King’s cold voice cut through and killed all the joyous emotion at the scene.

Queen smiled at me comfortingly as she patted the back of my hand before obediently returning to her seat next to King. Reiner took my hand in his and guided me to my seat before he took his seat next to me. I felt a strong sense of déjà vu as I sat opposite the dining table from Reiner’s parents. If my memories didn’t fail me, we had a poor attempt at a dinner like this when I first arrived on the island. The result of that dinner was quite memorable in a devastating way. It wasn’t hot but I was sweating like I had a really high fever.

“Explain yourself, Knight,” King commanded coldly.

“There’s nothing to explain. Natalia and I got married. We completed all steps as required in the wedding ceremonies so now Natalia is my wife,” Reiner replied just as emotionlessly.

I had to say that it was quite impressive how this pair of father and son could have such a seemingly detached conversation with each other when there was clearly so many emotions being suppressed that it felt suffocating to the audiences. Queen listened silently but occasionally she would flash me an encouraging smile.

“Is this the answer that you’ve chosen?” King asked, sounding completely unimpressed.

“Yes, it is,” Reiner replied without hesitation.

“The vows of marriage especially taken under the sacred ceremonies that I’ve chosen are not to be taken lightly. I will not forgive or let anyone go unpunished for abusing the ceremonies for personal gains and foul play...” King said as his tone and face darkened visibly.

Although I knew that King didn’t particularly favor me as a candidate for his daughter-in-law, I was still very surprised at how suspicious he seemed. His words, if I wasn’t wrong, implied that our marriage wasn’t sincere or genuine. Foul play...that’s just...

“Time will tell,” Reiner replied confidently.

“Indeed...” King agreed and for the first time he showed emotion by smirking at his son.

A chill ran through my body as silence settled all around us. I was so nervous that I didn’t dare to breathe, afraid that the sound of my breathing would break the silence.

“King, we always follow protocols...” Reiner stated as if he was trying to remind his father or something that I had no idea about.

Protocols? What does he mean by that?

“We do,” King replied matter-of-factly.

King turned his head and his blue gaze focused on my face. I wished that I could look away but that would just be completely rude, so I was forced to look back into his eyes. His blue eyes resembled the ones that Reiner has, and it was clear where Reiner inherited his beautiful eyes from.

“Welcome to the family, Natalia,” King said.

Although his tone wasn’t particularly warm or welcoming, his words alone and the way that he looked straight at me was more than enough. Even if it was just formalities at this point, I was overjoyed that King seemed to have acknowledged me a little.

Chapter 450: Reiner - New Family

I knew that I had a long way to go to live up to his expectations, but this was a start much better than I could have hoped for. After all, he didn’t throw me out or off the island.

It seemed like I wasn’t the one who was shocked at King’s unexpected words, Reiner and Queen seemed surprised as well. After a few seconds of staring speechlessly at her husband, Queen finally snapped out of her trance by clapping her hands together.

“Well then, shall we start with dinner?” Queen suggested diplomatically.

...

As if he knew what his father had in mind, Reiner did not get up from his seat when dinner was over. Queen quickly came to my side and asked me to follow her. The two of us left the dining room silently, leaving the two men to have their private talk. I took one last glance back at Reiner and I had to admit that I was very worried about him.

“Don’t worry. They’ll just talk...” Queen said as if she could sense my worry.

“I see...” I replied vaguely.

Of course, I had a pretty good sense of what they would be talking about. King probably hadn’t expected for his only son to get married so suddenly and to a woman that wasn’t on his list of potential marriage partners. Reiner casting Rachael aside by breaking up the engagement with her for the second time probably added scandalously to the whole mess.

“Congratulations, Natalia. I can’t say it enough times. I’m just so happy and happy for you two. I thought you would never come back when you left, and my son was acting like such a big fool. I was honestly very depressed for a long while...” Queen confessed followed by a soft laugh.

I followed her along a familiar hallway before she proceeded to lead me up the stairs to the second floor. If I took a turn here, I would be heading to the guest wing where my room used to be. However, just when I was about to make that turn, Queen caught my wrist in her hand.

“Where are you going? You’re no longer a guest here...” Queen said before smiling teasingly at me.

I’m no longer a guest...

I cocked my head to the side as I tried to get used to this new idea in my head.

“You heard King, didn’t you? You’re family to us now...” Queen repeated kindly.

“Sorry, I...” I mumbled as I tried to turn away to hide my tears.

Having been on my own for a while after leaving the Rosenhall family behind, I had been more than a little lonely and insecure at times. Now, it seemed like I have found myself a new family. Although this family clearly wasn’t a normal one, I was looking forward to making the best of my time here. Things would turn out fine as long as I had Reiner by my side.

“Come this way...” Queen said as she dragged me along a hallway that I haven’t entered before.

...

“You should shower and clean up well before bed. I’m sure things have been tough for you with the ceremony and all...” Queen said like she truly understood.

That was probably because she truly understood. After all, according to Kuman, Queen also went through what I did when she married King. I was starting to see Queen in a different light, and I found myself respecting her even more than before.

“Yeah...it wasn’t easy,” I admitted honestly.

“Everything will turn into a pleasant memory. I’m sure Knight did a great job, and the wound won’t leave a scar on you. I definitely don’t have a scar on me from the ceremony,” Queen said as she showed me the flawless skin of her arm as proof.

“I wouldn’t actually mind even if it did leave a scar...” I replied softly.

“Well, I’m sure that Knight would. It’ll probably make him feel a little more than guilty,” Queen said with a laugh.

“Thank you, Queen,” I said as she herded me into a room.

“You can rest here for now and take a relaxing bath. You can call the maid if you need anything by pressing the button there. Let’s catch up tomorrow and you can tell me everything that I’m dying to know. It’s been a long day for you, so I’ll leave you for now,” Queen said before she waved at me.

“Ok...thank you again...” I thanked you as I tried to keep my tears from spilling over.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll tell Knight that you’re here. He’ll pick you up when he’s done dealing with his father...” Queen said reassuringly.

“Good night,” I said with a shy smile.

“Good night, Natalia...” she replied before heading out of the room.

...

The warm bath along with the rose-scented bath oil was the perfect experience that I needed after the strenuous activities that I had been through within the past 48 hours. I sighed softly as I closed my eyes and relaxed in the bathtub. The scent of roses filled my nostrils as I took in a deep breath before letting it out. My body felt at peace but the same didn’t quite apply to my mind.

What is taking Reiner so long?

I wondered if everything was going well and smooth with King. Hopefully they were not engaged in a heated conversation, and hopefully, Reiner wouldn’t face any punishment for breaking off his engagement with Rachael for the second time.

I sighed again but this time it was out of worry rather than relief. I haven’t been apart from Reiner for that long since I left dinner, but it already felt quite strange that he wasn’t by my side. It did occur to me a couple of times that I had probably grown too attached to Reiner.

To distract myself from my thoughts, I scooped up some water in the palms of my hand. Just when I had sucked in a long breath to savor the smell of roses, there was a firm knock on the bathroom door.

“It’s me...”

Reiner?

“R? Come in...” I said invitingly when I realized that Reiner was the one at the door.

“You didn’t lock the door?” Reiner asked with slight concern when he came in.