The Devil's Betrothed-Chapter 730: Hiding Behind Cold Mask

Rowan and Erin stepped out onto the porch of the cottage. There was a cushioned wooden couch and a few chairs placed for anyone to sit and enjoy the view of the forest and river ahead. Erin’s gaze immediately found Lucian, who was bringing the cleaned game, ready to be cooked.

"You’re really fast with these things, Lucian," Arthur commented.

Lucian said nothing, simply handing the game to Arthur, while Nathaniel added, "He’s spent most of his life in the forest, so he’s familiar with the ways. It’s made him incredibly strong."

Rowan guided Erin to sit on the couch, while Lucian glanced at her. Brother and sister sat on the couch, which Rowan had moved to face the men working ahead. He covered them both with the blanket.

"Are you feeling cold?" Rowan asked.

Erin shook her head. "Not much."

Rowan draped his arm around her shoulders, letting her rest her head against him for warmth. "Better?"

She nodded.

"How long are you going to take to prepare the meal? My little sister and I are hungry," Rowan called out.

"If you come over here and help, it’ll be faster," Nathaniel replied.

"Someone needs to keep my sister warm, so my apologies," Rowan said with a smug smile, clearly having no intention of helping.

"Brother, I’m fine," Erin spoke softly.

"No, you’re not," Rowan smiled at her. "You need to stay warm."

Thud!

Their attention was drawn to a sudden noise. Lucian had placed a large iron pot filled with burning coal near Erin to keep her warm. He looked at Rowan and said, "This should be enough to keep her warm. You don’t need to trouble your shoulder."

Rowan responded with a playful smile, his gaze mocking Lucian. "Thank you so much, Lucian, for being so thoughtful toward me. But my shoulder can handle the weight of my sister’s tiny head," he said, then glanced at the coal pot. "Care to shift it a little closer to me as well?"

Lucian, suppressing his displeasure, moved the pot a little closer to Rowan while Erin instinctively shifted away from her brother. "I think I’m really warm now," she said.

Rowan didn’t insist but couldn’t help grinning at Lucian’s apparent jealousy. This blockhead finally has some emotions left in him, he thought.

"Lucian, you seem to be a man of many skills, quite worthy of any woman," Rowan remarked. "How about I bring a marriage proposal from my cousin for you? She’s really—"

"Do not bother," Lucian interrupted, his cold glare meeting Rowan’s playful one. "I’m not going to marry just anyone," he added, his gaze briefly passing over Erin, who happened to be looking at him as well, before walking away.

Did he just imply I’m ’just anyone’ and not special enough for him to marry? Erin thought, feeling as though she had just swallowed something bitter. That’s his opinion. I don’t have to feel bad about it. I’m special to my brothers, and maybe I’ll be special to Aron as well.

Rowan looked at Erin. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," Erin replied, shaking her head.

She did her best not to look at Lucian, but he would glance at her from time to time.

"I smell tasty food," a sweet voice interrupted their thoughts as Rina stepped out onto the porch.

"Done with your sleep, Rina?" Erin turned to her.

Rina nodded, her hands wrapped around herself as the cold wind hit her.

"Come, sit under this blanket. You’ll feel warm," Erin offered.

Rina nodded and was about to join them when Lucian called her. "Rina."

She looked at him, and Lucian climbed the porch stairs, fixing her hood tightly and adjusting her scarf to cover her nose. "Keep it like this," he instructed.

Rina nodded. "I’m hungry."

"It’ll be ready soon."

"Is there fish as well?"

Lucian nodded. "Everything you want."

Her eyes curved into a smile. "I’ll sit with Lady Erin."

"What Rina likes is there, but my sister only eats big fish with more meat on them. Those tiny ones are all bones," Rowan teased.

"Brother..." Erin frowned.

"Don’t worry, I’ll get you one when we return," Rowan interrupted with a grin.

Erin sighed and turned to Rina. "Sit between us. You’ll be warmer," Erin offered as she and Rowan made space for her. They then covered all three of them with the blanket.

"You don’t mind if your sister joins us, do you?" Rowan asked Lucian.

In response, Lucian simply turned and left, as if whatever Rowan had said didn’t matter to him.

"It’s warm," Rina’s voice came out muffled under her scarf.

"Aren’t you feeling suffocated?" Rowan asked.

Rina shook her head. "If I inhale the cold air, I’ll start sneezing and get a terrible cold. Brother knows that, so he fixed my scarf," Rina explained. "It was always hard for me whenever we moved to different villages during winter. Brother always made sure to protect me from the cold."

Rowan’s interest was piqued. "Life must have been difficult."

"Not for me, but for Father and Brother, yes. They had to go on hunts often, then sell the hunts to earn money. Sometimes it wasn’t much, and we’d eat the same thing for days. But then Brother grew stronger and could hunt more, so we started earning more money. He bought me everything I wanted. But moving in the cold was really hard. Brother would always sleep outside the tent, in the cold, and make the rest of us sleep inside. Gwen used to be worried about him, but he was stubborn enough to sleep in the cold anyway."

Erin glanced at Lucian, her thoughts wandering. Before he became strong enough to lead his men, he must have really suffered in poverty. But he’s the type who never complains. I wonder... was there ever a day when he truly felt helpless and weak? She looked at him thoughtfully. Probably, but he’s not the kind to show his emotions. Maybe no one was there to comfort him. Or maybe he just doesn’t know how to express himself. Hiding his feelings behind that cold mask must be a habit by now.