Master's Untamed Wife

"Come with me," said Shui Xian as he pulled her along to the table that had been set up under the shade of the tree. He picked up the flower crown he had asked someone to prepare from the tabletop and placed it on top of Raelle's head, "My queen should have her crown."

Since the flower crown was already on her head, she couldn't possibly see it but she still said, "So, I deserve a flower crown?"

Shui Xian nodded his head solemnly. "Yes, it's perfect for you. Since you also have thorns as flowers do. And yet you're the most beautiful one."

"Not all flowers come with thorns," said Raelle knowingly.

Shui Xian put a finger under her chin and said, "But my favorite flower definitely comes with thorns."

"You mean a rose?"

Shui Xian shook his head, "I meant you!"

Raelle was left with nothing to say to that. What was she supposed to say? He was just that good with words that she couldn't possibly argue with him on these things. No matter how much she'd learn from books, she couldn't win in flirting. He was a natural-born talent.

Her talent of knowledge was nothing before him.

Shui Xian made her sit down on the chair and went on one knee, holding her hand, he looked up at her and called out her name, "Raelle..."

"Hm?" 

"I am in love with you," he said all of a sudden. "I really am. I told you my feelings went out of control from the moment you stepped into my life. I wasn't lying. You really wreaked havoc in my heart. You came all of a sudden and you pricked through the walls I so desperately built around my heart. Sometimes, your thorns even ended up pricking my heart painfully right where it hurt me the most but as they say, good medicine tastes bitter. You're just like that." He took a deep breath and added, "From the moment your thorns pricked my heart, you had already stepped inside my heart. I just didn't figure it out. But now I do. Distance makes a heart grow fonder and the distance of these past days made me realize just how much trouble I'm already in."

Raelle was quiet in response for a long while before she opened her lips to say, "Aren't such words used by boyfriends when they are trying to dupe their girlfriends into marriage? But we are already married, you don't have to use these words on me."

Shui Xian narrowed his eyes at her. He really wasn't expecting any good answer from her but what did she mean by using such words to dupe someone? Did he look like he was duping anyone right now? He was so sincere!

"And who made the rule that I can't speak such sweet words to my wife?" 

"Marriage is the grave of love," she quoted. "Isn't that what they say?"

"That perhaps be true for people who fell in love first but not for us," he said. "Our fate started when we married. And our love will also be different from others."

"If you say so," was her response.

Shui Xian shook her hand that he was holding, "Baby, I really love you."

"I heard that," she said to him. "But are you expecting an answer from me? Do you want me to repeat it?"

Shui Xian shook his head at her, "No, that's not my goal for now. The reason why I said that is... I just wanted you to know that I love you. And you should just know that. Just remember that your husband is madly in love with you right now." He rubbed the back of his fingers on her cheek as he went on, "I don't want you to repeat anything. Because from the beginning, I wasn't looking for an answer from you. I was just finding an excuse to say my feelings out loud."

"If you won't get an answer, won't you get tired?" she asked him. "Tired of loving someone all on your own?"

"Why don't you try me?" he challenged. "Let's see whether I get tired of saying that I love you."

"I might never have an answer for you," she reminded him. "Not because I'm certain that I won't fall in love with you but because even if one day I did love you, I wouldn't even know it myself. I'm still that awkward person who can't differentiate between emotions."

Shui Xian smiled at her, "Some people choose to walk away even when they kept saying I love you to one another. And some end up spending their whole life with each other without saying I love you even once. Do you really think I want to hear that from you? I don't. I didn't fall in love with you because you love me. I love you because that's what my heart wanted. It has nothing to do with anyone."

"Have I ever told you?" 

"What?" he asked curiously.

"That you're a good husband."

Shui Xian smiled and shook his head, "You never did."

Raelle leaned down and kissed his forehead as she told him, "Then listen to me now. You are really a good husband. I don't know what expectations people have from their life partners. I had none. I only knew the definition of a textbook perfect husband. And I also heard that finding such a textbook-perfect husband is a fantasy. How come you walked out of a fantasy?"

Shui Xian almost felt like his heart was about to stop. His wife was sweet-talking. Oh my! She actually complimented him. And it was different now since she didn't comment on his looks. What a rare scene!

"I didn't walk out of the fantasy though," he said. "I just pulled you in one." Raelle looked into his eyes as he continued, "So my dearest, dearest wife, let's write our own fantasy. Shall we?"

"I am only good at reading," she said to him.

"It's okay. I think we can do better if we write this fantasy together."

"I'm willing to try," she said sincerely.