Claimed By The Tyrant King

Rosalind looked at him with both love and admiration in her eyes.

What she admired most about Rowan was that he always thought of her first. Even now, he wasn’t talking about what he wanted to do. He was thinking about what would make her happy. "You are the best husband ever," she said as she reached out and touched his face.

"In the whole world." She added.

A chuckle escaped him. "But I haven’t even done anything."

"Thank you," she said anyway before leaning forward to press a kiss against his lips. She lingered for a moment, gently catching his lower lip before pulling away.

"And you’re the best wife too," Rowan replied before kissing her back.

Rosalind rolled her eyes playfully. "I think we should unpack first. Then everything else can follow after that."

Rowan nodded in agreement, and before long they began unpacking together.

Rosalind handed things over while Rowan helped place them where they belonged, especially on shelves she couldn’t comfortably reach.

By the time they finished unpacking and checking every part of the house, the afternoon had settled comfortably around them.

"Are you hungry?" Rowan asked.

Rosalind nodded. Although they had eaten a light breakfast before leaving, she was definitely hungry again.

"I can’t believe you brought cooked food with us."

"You have to admit it’s helpful at times like this," Rowan replied as he arranged the food onto a plate.

A few moments later he handed it to her, and together they sat on the balcony overlooking the sea while the breeze moved gently through the air.

"Aren’t you hungry?" Rosalind asked when she noticed he had given her the plate and kept nothing for himself.

Rowan shook his head. "I ate before we left."

Rosalind narrowed her eyes. "That’s not fair. You’re just sitting there watching me eat."

"I don’t mind." He said shrugging his shoulders.

"You should."

"Why?"

"Because now I feel guilty." Rosalind pouted her lips at the end.

Rowan then reached over, stealing a strawberry from her plate. "There. Problem solved."

Rosalind smiled happily before continuing to eat the food and eventually she said, "We’ll still have to cook real food."

Rowan couldn’t help agreeing.

Rosalind narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "Can you cook?"

Even before he answered, she already knew what he was going to say.

He glanced at her before shaking his head. "I’ve never had to."

Rosalind nodded in understanding.

Rowan continued "Even during the period when I served, most of my meals came from the palace kitchens"

His voice trailed off "...So, no. I couldn’t cook to save my life."

Rosalind laughed before adding, "You don’t have to worry... You have me." She took another bite of food while Rowan watched her.

Although Calder had spent years making sure she learned everything expected of a proper lady, Rosalind had also picked up plenty from Beth during the years she lived with her family.

Rowan nodded thoughtfully. "Then this trip is already worth it. I get to learn something from you."

Rosalind couldn’t stop herself as she lifted her chin proudly. "I never thought I would be teaching the great King of Eryndor how to cook."

"And I never thought I’d be lucky enough to have a wife willing to teach me."

The pride immediately disappeared from her face and was replaced by a blush, while Rowan smiled at the reaction he had caused.

****

By evening, Rosalind suggested they go for a walk and swim since the water would be cooler by then.

She had already changed into a lighter dress that brushed softly against her thighs while Rowan barely changed at all, simply following behind in his usual trousers and shirt.

Together they walked hand in hand along the shoreline.

"Do people not come here?" Rosalind asked after a while because she hadn’t seen anyone since arriving.

"It’s more of a private beach," Rowan explained.

"There are public beaches in Eryndor too, but you wouldn’t get this kind of peace there."

"Oh." Rosalind looked around again and understood immediately.

They sat down on the sand and Rosalind glanced behind them only to see the trail of footprints they had left along the shore.

When she turned back, she found Rowan already looking at her. Rosalind tilted her head and said, "You always do this, you know."

"What?" He asked the question as though he genuinely had no idea what she meant.

"Why do you always look at me like that? As if you’ve never seen me before." Her entire body was turned toward him now.

Rowan’s answer came almost shyly. "Anyone with a beautiful wife would do the same." As he spoke, he reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Rosalind immediately felt heat rush to her cheeks immediately. "You say things like that so casually."

"Because they’re true." Rowan answered.

"And because you enjoy embarrassing me." Rosalind added while pressing her lips together.

Rowan smiled and tilted his head to the side. "Maybe a little."

Unable to hide the growing heat on her face, she quickly stood up and made her way toward the water. Rowan found her reaction endearing and so he chuckled as he watched her leave.

Without hesitation, Rosalind ran straight into the sea and dove beneath the surface. When she emerged, she laughed as cool water dripped from her skin. The water was clear and refreshing, and she felt completely free.

Then she turned toward him. "Don’t just sit there. Come in." She beckoned toward him with her fingers.

Rowan stood almost immediately because refusing her had never been one of his strengths. He removed his shirt before making his way into the water and diving in beside her.

For a long while they swam together, splashing water at each other and laughing like children. Rowan would occasionally wrap his arms around her waist before lifting her and spinning her through the water.

"This reminds me of that underground spring," Rosalind said as she leaned back against him.

"You mean the day you nearly drowned yourself?" He asked.

Rosalind immediately turned around. "I did not nearly drown myself... It was a trick to get you into the water" she said and added, "Because someone refused to come in with me."

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "So your solution was to scare me half to death?"

Rosalind tried not to smile. "It worked, didn’t it?"

Rowan shook his head, though a smile had already found its way onto his face. "You were impossible even then."

"Yet you still came in after me..." Rosalind laughed. "And after that you never wanted to leave the water."

Rowan looked at her for a moment before reaching over and brushing some wet hair away from her face. "It turned out to be one of my better days."

Before either of them realized it, the sun had begun to disappear beneath the horizon.

The sky slowly darkened around them, and the water became colder.

Eventually they climbed out together. Rowan picked up his shirt and draped it around Rosalind’s shoulders before they started making their way back toward the house.

The sea breeze followed behind them while their footprints disappeared beneath the waves, and for the first time in a very long while, both of them felt completely at peace.