Chapter 145 - Beloved Child

"Actually, he's my husband…"

There was the proverbial silence following Suzuki Ara's announcement as everyone stared at her then at Homura Ryuu with their mouths agape.

"Well, at least not until tomorrow," Ara continued, and she felt Kou's hold on her hand tighten.

She looked up to him in time to see her own happiness reflected in his eyes. Another lump of emotion clogged her throat as unexplainable warmth filled her chest. The two of them shared an unfathomable, yet very special connection at that very moment.

"Oh my God Ara, that's great news!"

It was Rin who reacted first. She had her hands clasped together, her face dreamy and happy at the same time.

"Congratulations!" the others followed in their greetings, looking genuinely happy for the two.

"Kou, this is Rin, Miharu, Midori, and Sonoda, her boyfriend."

Homura Ryuu already knew who they were, but Ara still introduced them formally this time. When Sonoda and Ryuu shook hands, Rin giggled.

"What's funny?"Sonoda Hiroaki asked Rin, and everyone waited for her explanation.

"I was just thinking that the rumored rivals in love finally meet."

Ha?

Miharu and Midori laughed then too, while Ara rolled her eyes in exasperation. What a good timing to bring that up.

"Oh please, there was no contest," Ara said in mock shock making everyone laugh harder.

"Don't spread rumors. You want me to get beaten up again?"Sonoda retorted in mock horror, making his girlfriend bend over as if her tummy hurt from laughing.

The others, however, looked confused.

"What do you mean?" Ara turned to Ryuu. "You had someone beat him up?" she asked her fiancé who of course shook his head.

Midori's laughter became louder as she saw Ara's clueless face. "Ara, why are you asking Kou? Weren't you the one who beat Hiroaki up?"

With this, Ara did remember slamming the boy on the floor the first time she saw him in person and she smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, right," she said, making people's mirth last longer.

"How did you beat him up?"Ryuu was curious.

Sonoda Hiroaki was not only bigger than Ara, but he was also the vice-captain of the judo club.

"She has some mad fighting skills," Sonoda offered the information, making Ryuu's frown deepen, and Ara glared at Sonoda and his big mouth.

"It's because you're a muscle head," she said hurried as she started pushing Kou back into the house. She couldn't afford to let Ryuu know about her strength yet. "We shouldn't stay standing here outside. Let's go in."

Before anyone could say a word, Ara had ushered everyone towards the receiving room. The servants had arranged some snacks and refreshments for them inside as soon as they were all seated. Ryuu, however, didn't join them. Ara looked at him in question when he remained standing by the screen door.

He smiled at her warmly. "I'm going to do some work. I'll leave you here so you all can catch up comfortably," he told her and he said goodbye to all of them.

"Oh gosh, Ara, your man is so sweet," Rin commented as soon as Ryuu left.

"That's right. He was so considerate of us, letting us alone so we can talk without minding about him," Midori continued, and Miharu nodded in agreement.

"He's such a good man. You are lucky to have him as your husband," Miharu added as she reached out to give Ara a pat on her hand.

"Are you really going to get married tomorrow?"Rin asked, her eyes twinkling in curiosity.

Ara nodded. "We are going to register tomorrow, yes. We will not have a ceremony yet – at least not until I graduate from university."

"Why not? What's the difference between having the ceremony now than later? Wouldn't it be the same? You're still going to get married."Sonoda looked totally clueless, and Midori hit his head.

"It's because of Kou's status, dummy. If they have a ceremony now, then the Homura House wouldn't have a choice but to announce the union of the Koutaishidenka and Ara."

"So?"

The athlete still looked clueless. It was Miharu who explained things clearly to him.

"If the Homura House announced the wedding, their wedding picture will be shown to the public. They will become the feast of the media, and people will recognize Ara's face easily. She won't be able to have a normal life if that happens. She will be like a celebrity but with a more complicated background as she will also attract a lot of people who are going to try and use her to get close to Homura International. Also, the possibility of kidnapping will be bigger, so Ara will naturally have no choice but to forget attending university and consider homeschooling."

Ara felt exhausted hearing that. When she agreed to marry Ryuu, the aftermath never really crossed her mind. The truth was she was wondering why they wouldn't get married for real with all the shebang. She hadn't thought that it was because of these reasons.

With this in mind, and remembering Kou's words about giving her freedom, Ara couldn't help but feel touched once again. Her fiancé, even if he totally messed up before they formally met, was really taking care of her this time around. They hadn't even married yet, and he was already fulfilling his promise of being a good husband towards her. How lucky was she?

She now wondered if her life could still be considered tragic. She had been betrayed and she had died because of it, and yet, she was sent here in this world to be taken good care of like this. The tragedies of her other life seemed totally like a lifetime ago. If only her brothers had also survived like her, then her life would be considered totally the best. But she knew that was asking too much.

Ara wondered if she had done something very good in her past life for her to be blessed by Perun in this life. "I feel like I'm Perun's beloved spoilt child," she muttered to herself and shook her head at the silliness of the idea.