[29]

Miya had never ridden a horse before. Although Miya was very curious, her fear and nervousness were also big and dominating. Making her hesitant to sit on Orion's back.

“Your guide will be watching over you, Miya. Don't be afraid,” Marcus said as he patted Miya's shoulder. “Be confident.”

“But if I fall off?”

“You might get a pretty deep cut on your head if you hit a rock, or you might have mild cases of concussion,” Victor said casually.

That remark made Miya turn her head and give the brown-haired man a disapproving look. “I'm not talking to you, Mr. Victor.”

That made Marcus giggle excitedly. “Oh, come on. You guys are just like dogs and cats who are always fighting.”

Miya rolled her eyes in annoyance. “I've never started a fight with the owner of the university where I got my education.”

Marcus laughed even more, while Victor clucked in disgust at the blonde girl standing not far from him. But Victor seemed to be leading Orion out of his cage.

“Come on, hurry up. You mustn't slow us down, Miya. The tent for us to spend the night by the lake has already been set up but why are we still here?"

“Tents?” asked Miya in astonishment. “We're going to spend the night in tents?” Miya looked at Marcus for a much more reasonable answer. Because talking to Victor would only make her feel annoyed. Miya had to work on her patience when Victor was around.

“Yes. We'll hunt and enjoy the game in the tent. You know, roasted wild boar is better when eaten right away.”

Miya gaped. “Hunting? Is there a forest around here?”

“Hurry up,” Victor ordered immediately. Orion's back was equipped with a comfortable saddle so Miya could keep up with Orion's large body. “Can't you see over there?” the man pointed, chuckling. “What are you doing in this house? Never look around if there's a forest over there?”

Miya scowled.

“Never mind.” Marcus patted Miya's shoulder. “Come on, hurry up. We don't want to get nothing during the hunt.”

“But I've never hunted, Mr. Marcus. And riding a horse? Oh my!” Miya was getting more and more nervous as Orion was in close proximity to her.

“You'll be safe.” Marcus extended a hand to help her mount. “You just need to stay beside Victor. I'll show you my hunting skills which are at 1000%,” he said proudly.

For some reason Miya felt so worried because her companion was Victor.

“I won't make you fall, Miya.” Victor clucked again. “Hurry up. I don't want to miss the important part of the hunt.”

There was nothing Miya could do but obey their wishes. Miya tried to sit on the saddle where it was her first time sitting on the back of a horse. If it had been a small horse perhaps Miya would not have been this nervous. But this was Orion, a Quarter Horse that made Miya feel like she was floating in the air.

Meanwhile, Victor and Marcus were already on their chosen horses. On their backs were long-barreled rifles. Their appearance also looked unusual, making Miya frown even more worried.

“Is it okay if we go?” Miya asked nervously. She glanced down and it looked horrible. Her feet were too far from where she had been. It's true what Victor said, if she slams down she's sure to get a few stitches in her head. Or... mild brain shock.

Ugh! How horrible.

“Why should it matter?” Marcus grinned slightly. “You ready, Victor?”

An annoyed snort escaped Victor's mouth. The handsome man fixed his hat and began to spur the horse he was riding to be at Miya's side. “Come on, don't be late.”

Miya could only surrender and pray a lot, hopefully not receiving stitches in the head or experiencing a mild concussion.

***

“Shall I refill your wine glass, Miss Miya?” asked one of the waiters offering wine to Miya. By the lake in the middle of the forest, three tents stood firmly. Several servants whom Miya recognized as working at Damian's mansion were busy arranging things. Including the dinner that had been prepared at a table located in another corner.

“It's okay. I don't want to get too drunk,” Miya said with a faint smile. Then her eyes focused on the two men who were still scrambling to roast the game. A wild boar and some rabbits were brought as souvenirs of the game they were proudly talking about over and over again.

“Alright. Tell me if you need anything.”

Miya nodded slowly. In her mind, pitching a tent, spending the night in the middle of the forest, and enjoying grilled meat seemed like a new and exciting experience. But apparently, she had to shift her expectations a bit because of the many servants taking care of them.

If Miya were to be honest, they had just moved from sleeping in a comfortable bed in their room to sleeping in a tent in the middle of the forest. The facilities inside the tent also looked cozy and quiet enough to spend the night. Even so, Miya felt there was something strange about their activities today.

“Miya,” Marcus called, waving his hand excitedly. “Come here. I've separated your portion and will eat it soon. Aren't you hungry?”

Miya just remembered, she missed the sweet treats in the library that had been tempting her since she entered there. And this afternoon, she had also eaten nothing but a few pieces of apple. It was all because her nervousness had completely made her lose her appetite and hunger.

“Come here quickly, Miya.” This time it was Victor who spoke. “I don't want to get any complaints if you suddenly get sick while we're camping here.”

Miya immediately approached Victor with an annoyed face. “You are so annoying, Mr. Victor. You know, this is my first time riding. And why should I have a companion like you?”

Victor didn't pay much attention to Miya's whining. Instead, he was busy cutting the smallest piece of the roast in front of him. Arranging it on a plate not far from where he was sitting, he handed it to Miya. “I don't want you to leave one piece of this meat, Miya.”

Miya was stunned. She looked back and forth at the plate Victor had just handed her as well as the man who was now refocusing his attention on the grill.

“Enjoy your meal, Miya,” Marcus said with a chuckle. “It's rare that Victor shows his concern.”

Miya scowled. “Still, he's a pain in the ass. Several times I almost fell off Orion. Sometimes he'd pull out his rifle not far from me. I always wondered if he was showing off and scaring me even more?”

Marcus laughed again with excitement. “That's our Victor.”

Miya frowned even more. “You're the same way. Why wasn't I guided by the Orion guard earlier? He seems to be more humane than you guys.”

“Hey-hey-hey, you're breaking my heart, Miya-miya. I still have human feelings. But if we're talking about Victor, let's just say he's a creature from another planet.”

“I hear you,” Victor said, raising his grill. “Don't talk nonsense!”

Marcus still wouldn't stop laughing. “Eat up, Miya-miya. Enjoy the night because it looks like the sky is clear.”

“Um... but, Mr. Marcus,” Miya said which seemed to make Marcus' steps stop. Miya was sure that Marcus' original intention of leaving the portable dining table was to approach Victor. They were often seen talking in hushed tones and with serious looks. As if something important had happened.

But Miya did not dare to ask what was wrong. There was only one question that had been bothering Miya ever since.

“Where is Mr. Damian? Didn't he come camping?”

Meanwhile at the mansion, since Rebecca was allowed inside, the woman did not waste her time. Including continuing to follow Damian wherever the man went. No matter if her husband always displayed an expression of dislike and was also coldly untouchable, even when Rebecca complained of being tired because of the journey to this mansion, Damian did not care at all.

Rebecca's trusted assistant was asked to go around and find information about who lived in the mansion. No matter how little information Kate got, there had to be something that could make Rebecca believe that her husband was hiding a woman here.

“Can I stay here for a while?” asked Rebecca trying to be as relaxed as possible enjoying the dinner that was served in front of her. For the first time, even though Damian ignored Rebecca, her husband didn't say anything that made her heart ache. In fact, Damian tended to be silent even though his cell phone rang occasionally, and then his husband was busy doing his work.

“Do what you want,” said Damian who only tasted a little of his dinner. “I have no appetite, Rebecca. Finish your meal and make sure you get what you want.”

Rebecca swallowed nervously. “I'm not looking for anything here, darling.”

Damian grinned slightly. “Could you be less sarcastic?” He took a sip of the wine that was served to him. “You think I don't know what you're doing here?”

Rebecca looked down with her hands clasped together. Damian's words just now sounded so domineering, making Rebecca dare not even look her husband in the eye. Let alone to answer the question just now.

“You're just doing nothing here, Rebecca. I'll cut you some slack today, but if you still want to find out about what I'm doing, you'd better prepare yourself to go back to your parents' house.”

“You can't do that to me, Damian!” Rebecca screeched in a trembling tone. She held back the tears that were about to break as Damian's words pierced her heart.

“Why can't I do that?” Damian put down his wine glass. This time, the dark eyes of the night were only focused on the woman sitting in front of him. “You can do whatever you want. You barged into one of the assets being auctioned off. Made some noise in both the right and left wings of the mansion. Some of the workers seemed uncomfortable because of your actions, Rebecca.”

“But this is your house, right? I just want to find out who the woman you're hiding is!”

Damian grinned faintly. “So... what does that have to do with you?”

“In case you forgot I was your wife, Damian. I am still your wife.”

Damian sighed softly but then, he shifted his chair and moved closer to Rebecca. His eyes continued to stare at his wife intently. It could be seen that Rebecca was getting scared and worried, and wondering what Damian was going to do to her. The man sat down on the table directly in front of Rebecca.

“What... what are you doing?” Rebecca grew more frightened and wary.

Damian's hand immediately gripped Rebecca's face, not too tight but it had a dramatic effect on Rebecca. He slightly lifted the face of the woman who was still his wife so as not to shift her gaze anywhere but only on Damian.

“What did you say?” asked Damian in as quiet a tone as possible. “My wife?”

Rebecca swallowed hard again. Damian's eyes looked terrifying but Rebecca couldn't take her eyes anywhere else. Even just glancing the other way was very difficult for her.

“If you are indeed my wife, you will never betray me, Rebecca. Just remember one thing.” Damian moved closer, a puff of his breath deliberately released right on Rebecca's face. Not caring if the woman looked like she wanted to cry out of fear, all Damian cared about was giving Rebecca one stern warning. “Tell the person who told you that ridiculous lie about the other woman in the house I'm going to auction off. Find out about me not just that. So... you can get clear information.” He also released his grip from Rebecca's face rather violently.

This made Rebecca let out a sigh of relief, time and time again.

“And you should also remember, I don't like your interruptions today.” Damian glanced at the clock encircling his hand. “You made a day that was supposed to be fun for me, a mess. And you're going to pay for it, Rebecca.”

“Da-damian... you can't do this to me,” Rebecca whined. She immediately blocked her husband's departure by holding the hand that had gripped her face. But Damian had already left. This made Rebecca fall from her seat. Kate immediately approached with a stifled screech because Rebecca had just fallen.

Did Damian care about that?

Not at all. The man only gave a glance but did nothing to the figure of his wife who was sitting on the floor. Instead, he stepped further away leaving Rebecca who sounded hysterical at being abandoned by him.

“Make sure that woman leaves this mansion now. I don't want her here for too long. And tidy up Miya's things. Take them to the address I'll give you,” Damian said through the phone that was connected to one of the workers in this house.

And then... he was off to the place where Miya was. “I'm so late,” he grumbled.

***

Starting this week, the Miya-Damian story will be updated on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) because I'm still writing the Helena-side story of Wilna and Thomas.