Richard's jealousy seemed out of place, but Pearl didn't argue since he was clearly upset. She quietly put up with the painful bite and thought to herself how much it hurt.
"Don't comfort him anymore. If he can't move on, that's his problem," Richard said, his eyes reflecting his unhappiness even in the darkness.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Con, don't be like that. He's your brother, and I'm his sister-in-law. How could I just watch him struggle?" Pearl tried to reason with him.
Richard seemed to relax a bit at her words. "I get that he sees you as his sister-in-law, but you two should still keep sdistance," he said, reminding her that even family members need their boundaries.
"Alright, I understand. Let's head back. It's late, and we should get ssleep," Pearl suggested, wanting to end the conversation on a positive note.
Richard nodded, and they walked back to the house hand in hand.
Feather and Hanzel had left earlier since they didn't live there. Hanzel was visibly annoyed when he found out Pearl was using his room, but his complaints fell on deaf ears, especially with Feather pulling him away, amused.
Pearl couldn't help but notice the change in Hanzel. Once a calm person, he now seemed more lighthearted and silly around Feather, which Pearl found both amusing and endearing. He had also influenced Feather, making her livelier.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIt was nice to see both of them influencing each other positively.
* The next morning, Richard was up early, pushing Pearl to start her day.
Back when she was at Waldorf Residence, Pearl had the luxury of sleeping in, but now things were different.
Richard walked into her room without a second thought, finding her bathed in the morning sunlight looking peaceful and even more attractive than usual. Unable to resist, he leaned in and kissed her, waking her up. Startled, Pearl opened her eyes to Richard's close presence and screamed in surprise. "What areyou doing?" she exclaimed, caught off guard by his sudden kiss. S Richard, realizing he might have overstepped, awkwardly stepped back, trying to act as if he was just fixing his clothes.
"Why are you kissingsecretly in the morning? Who said you could cinto my room?" Pearl, still adjusting to her new surroundings, was both annoyed at being woken up and flustered by the intimacy. "Do you think this is inappropriate for us?" Richard asked, slightly amused by her defensive reaction. Realizing the underlying issue, Pearl remembered they were married. "Ah, right. We're married, aren't we?" "So, you remember," Richard noted, with a hint of relief.
"I'm sorry. I'm still not used to this," Pearl admitted, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden change in her life.
Sensing an opportunity to deepen their connection, Richard suggested, "How about we sleep together and do what married couples do?" Pearl, taken aback by the suggestion, hesitated. "Isn't it too early for that?" Richard looked disappointed. "Why do you think so?"