Chapter 425: I trust you

"Are you worried?" Ginna asked as she continued cleaning the hearth, much like the woman she had directed the question toward.

Monica hummed softly. "Yes, I am." There was little point in denying it. Anyone who knew even a little about Monica would have known that she could never stop worrying about her mate, especially when he was about to venture into danger.

No matter how much she trusted his strength, the thought of something happening to him would always weigh on her mind.

"But I am not going to stop him. Not this time." Monica’s voice carried a quiet resolve as she made her stance clear. "I have already made up my mind not to become his shackles anymore. I haven’t done anything to change my own circumstances or become stronger, yet asking him to stay by my side would mean holding him back for the sake of my own insecurities. That wouldn’t be fair to him."

Ginna paused to consider her words before nodding. "You are right about that. I don’t want him to keep limiting himself because of us, either. We have seen it before. When he is alone, there is hardly anything in this world that can truly endanger his life."

Monica understood that better than anyone. She had been helpless on several occasions.

More recently, when that evil man had captured her and the others, Luke had been forced into a corner because of the people he cared about. Even with all his strength, he had been placed in a position where a single mistake could have cost him dearly.

They had all come out of that ordeal unscathed, but that did not change how easily things could have gone wrong. The memory alone was enough to remind Monica how she could easily become his weakness.

"It’s better for me to convince myself than to try to convince him," she said after a moment, her expression settling into quiet determination. "The only reason we are safe and have enough to eat is that he never stopped growing stronger for our sake. He has always done everything he could to protect us, and I won’t repay him by asking him to make himself smaller just so I can feel secure."

Ginna hummed in agreement before setting aside what she had been holding and rising to her feet. She dusted her hands off, then turned to look at Monica with a thoughtful expression.

"Well, you answered me rather confidently, but can you say the same thing to him?"

Monica faltered for a moment, the question striking a little closer to home than she would have liked.

Ginna continued before she could respond. "I mean, he can see into your mind. No matter how much you try to hide what you’re feeling, he will eventually see through you and discover your true emotions. You can tell yourself a hundred times that you won’t stop him, but what happens when he sees how worried you really are?"

Monica exhaled slowly, falling silent as she considered the question. She knew Ginna had a point. There was little she could conceal from Luke, and even if she managed to put on a brave face, her true feelings would eventually find their way to him.

After a few moments, she lowered her eyes, a faint smile touching her lips.

"My true emotions become his strength." She raised her head again, her resolve no longer wavering. "So I know I can convince him this time. I’ll make him understand that he doesn’t need to worry about me or the others and that he can do whatever he wishes without feeling guilty about leaving us behind."

...

"My job is done here, I suppose?" Luke asked, watching Dart take charge of instructing the warriors. The man was already going over the patrol routes, pointing out the important regions that needed to be guarded and emphasizing which areas required extra vigilance during the night. With the preparations underway and someone capable handling the rest, Luke saw little reason to linger.

"More or less," Gary replied. "Though I would have appreciated it if you had stayed a little longer and helped me take stock of the supplies sent by the Lord."

Luke turned toward him with a grin. "Why? Are you worried someone might accuse you of cheating when they come to inspect the accounts in the future?"

Gary stared at him. His lips parted as though he had a response ready, but for some reason, no words came out.

Luke’s grin slowly faded into an expression of genuine disbelief. "Wait, seriously? Gary, are you actually worried that people might suspect you of something like that now?"

Gary grumbled under his breath, looking distinctly uncomfortable with the question. "I mean, Baldon always kept a close count of our resources and expenses. Having him around made it easier for me to stay attentive and disciplined. There was always someone making sure we didn’t overlook anything."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "So, without him around, are you planning to become reckless and lazy?"

"No!" Gary retorted immediately, his voice rising with indignation. "If anything, I’m going to be a lot stricter with this department now. We both know how much our expenses are going to rise from this point onward, and I can’t afford to let anything go to waste. If we’re going to keep everything running smoothly, I’ll have to be even more careful than before."

Luke tilted his head. "Then what’s the issue? Are you worried about the elders questioning your decisions?"

Gary crossed his arms, his brows drawing together as he struggled to put his concerns into words. After a moment, he let out a resigned sigh and shrugged. "I mean, yeah. They certainly have the right to question my decisions when the future of our people depends on them."

Luke snickered. "Then if they question you, question them right back. Ask them what they’re doing to make things better for our people instead of sitting around criticizing those who are actually getting things done." He shook his head, looking at Gary as though the man were worrying over something far more complicated than it needed to be. "Gary, I don’t give a fuck about what they say. I trust you, so do whatever you think is necessary to keep this village alive and safe. If you have to make difficult decisions, make them. If someone has a problem with that, they can come and talk to me."

Gary fell silent.

It was unusual for him to find himself at a loss for words, yet he couldn’t seem to muster a single response as he stared at Luke. There was no hesitation in the man’s voice, nor the slightest hint of doubt in his expression. Luke had placed his trust in him so effortlessly, as though there had never been any question about whether Gary was capable of handling the responsibility.

It was a strange yet overwhelming feeling to receive such confidence from the strongest and most influential man in the village. Gary had spent so much time worrying about whether others would question his decisions that he had scarcely considered what it meant to have someone like Luke standing firmly behind him.

In the end, he could only manage a smile and a nod. "Understood. I’ll figure something out and handle things somehow."

He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly raised his head, his eyes narrowing with suspicion as he looked at Luke.

"Wait a minute. You didn’t give me that whole speech just so you could get out of overseeing the supplies, did you?"

Luke’s expression stiffened for the briefest moment before he broke into a wry smile. Reaching over, he gave Gary a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"I leave the rest to you, warrior."

And before Gary could come up with another argument, Luke turned around and made his escape, leaving the poor man to deal with the very responsibilities he had just been encouraged to take charge of.

Luke hurried home with a smile tugging at his lips, rather pleased with how things had turned out. Having successfully handed most of his responsibilities over to Gary, he could finally take a little time for himself without feeling guilty about it.

As he approached the house, he spotted his father standing off to the side with a few other men, all of them engrossed in conversation.

Judging by the animated expressions and the way his father’s companions kept interrupting one another, they were probably piecing together the details of what had happened that night, each eager to share whatever information they had gathered.

His father seemed quite occupied listening to their accounts, so Luke decided not to disturb them. There would be plenty of time to talk later.

Instead, he stepped inside and made his way toward the kitchen.

"Monica?" he called out before entering. "Monica?"

"Ah, yes?" Monica turned toward him, her large eyes blinking in mild surprise. She had been busy cleaning the hearth with wet clay, carefully working at the stubborn stains that had accumulated around its edges.

Luke’s expression softened at the sight of her. Without bothering to explain himself, he approached her and gently took her hand.

"Come with me. I want to talk to you."

Monica stared at him in surprise, clearly caught off guard by his sudden appearance and even more by his request. She had barely opened her mouth to ask what he wanted when Luke was already leading her out of the kitchen and toward his room, leaving her with little choice but to follow.

Well, he had spent enough time dealing with troublesome responsibilities and other people’s problems. It was only fair that he claim a little reward for himself.

It was time to recharge his batteries with some much-needed Monica energy.