Chapter 332 - His winnings

Chapter 332: Chapter 332 - His winnings

Eric remained beside Ryan for less than a minute before he started feeling strangely awkward.

It wasn’t because of the Emperor or even the attention they were receiving after Ryan had publicly given him the bear. It was Ryan himself. Every time Eric glanced at him, the man seemed to be looking back with an expression that was far too soft for someone still covered in blood from head to toe.

Normally, Eric enjoyed getting a reaction out of him. He had shamelessly flirted with Ryan, bitten his finger while being fed tangerines and deliberately licked the juice from his lips just because he’d noticed where Ryan was looking. Making this tall, intimidating general lose his composure had become one of Eric’s favorite forms of entertainment.

The problem was that Ryan wasn’t the one losing his composure anymore.

That hug had done something strange to Eric.

He had run over without thinking, relieved that Ryan was unharmed and ridiculously happy about winning the bet, but he hadn’t expected Ryan to wrap both arms around him and pull him so tightly against his chest. Even remembering it made Eric uncomfortably aware of the warmth lingering in his face.

Worse, Ryan had then given him the bear in front of everyone. When the Emperor teased him about being smitten with a man, he hadn’t denied it or tried to laugh it away. He had simply said, He is my wife, as though that explained everything.

Eric shifted his weight and glanced sideways again.

Their eyes met.

Ryan’s gaze immediately softened.

Eric looked away.

Fuck.

He needed a distraction before he started thinking about this too seriously.

Fortunately, there was one very important matter still waiting for him beneath the canopy.

His money.

Eric’s eyes brightened instantly.

Right. His winnings.

What the hell was he doing standing around developing complicated feelings when there were several purses of coins waiting to become his?

"I have something to do," he announced.

Ryan glanced at him. "What?"

"Important business."

Before Ryan could question him further, Eric gathered the front of his robes and hurried toward the women’s canopy, feeling considerably more comfortable the farther he got from those annoyingly gentle eyes.

By the time he reached the betting table, several women were already settling their wagers. Coins changed hands while servants recorded the results, and the ladies who had placed their money on the Crown Prince looked particularly unhappy.

Eric’s mood improved immediately.

The woman who had subtly teased him earlier saw him approaching and sighed.

Eric gave her his brightest smile.

"Good afternoon."

She stared at him.

Eric held out his hand.

When she continued staring, he wiggled his fingers impatiently. "My money."

Several women nearby burst out laughing.

"Your Highness seems unusually cheerful," one of them remarked.

"Why wouldn’t I be?" Eric pulled over a chair and sat comfortably. "My husband returned safely, gave me a bear and made me rich. It’s been an excellent afternoon."

Technically, the money he had originally gambled belonged to Ryan as well, but that was an unnecessary detail. What mattered was that the first purse was placed in front of him, followed shortly by another.

Eric opened one and looked inside.

Beautiful.

Absolutely beautiful.

Perhaps gambling wasn’t such a terrible pastime after all.

Then again, his entire strategy had consisted of seeing Ryan look handsome on a horse and deciding he was incapable of losing, so perhaps Eric shouldn’t consider himself some kind of gambling genius just yet.

While he happily collected his winnings, Ryan remained near the judging grounds as officials finished recording the results of the first hunt.

"General."

Ryan turned at the familiar voice.

The Crown Prince was approaching without his usual group of attendants, though several remained a respectful distance behind him. His expression was pleasant enough that anyone watching would have assumed he had merely come to congratulate his cousin.

"Cousin." The Crown Prince glanced toward the enormous bear. "That was an impressive hunt."

Ryan inclined his head. "You did well yourself."

The Crown Prince looked at his own mountain lion and gave a quiet laugh. "It looked considerably more impressive before you dragged that monster out of the forest."

"You were unlucky."

"Unlucky enough to be hunting at the same time as you."

There was still humor in his voice, but it faded as he glanced toward the imperial pavilion. The Emperor had turned his attention to several ministers, apparently no longer interested in the hunters below.

The Crown Prince moved his horse whip from one hand to the other before quietly saying, "You should have given up the win."

Ryan looked at him.

"Or at least the bear," the Crown Prince added.

"Why?"

His cousin frowned. "You know why."

"I would still like to hear you say it."

The Crown Prince studied him for a moment. They had known each other long enough that there was little point hiding the real issue behind courtly language.

"You publicly chose the crown prince of an enemy empire over the imperial family."

"He is my wife."

"He is still their crown prince."

The answer came more sharply than before.

The Crown Prince glanced toward the canopy, where Eric was currently counting his winnings with such concentration that he seemed completely unaware of the political discussion taking place because of him.

"His kingdom may have fallen, but that doesn’t erase who he is," the Crown Prince continued. "You know Father has people watching him. Everyone does. Giving him your finest kill in front of the entire court was unnecessary."

Ryan’s expression cooled.

"I am aware of who he is."

"Then you should understand why Father wasn’t pleased."

Ryan did understand. He had noticed the Emperor’s expression immediately.

In previous years, his hunting trophies had meant little to him. He had no family waiting at home, no wife to bring them to and no particular interest in displaying them around his residence. Giving his finest catches to members of the imperial household had been respectful, politically convenient and required no thought whatsoever.

This year had been different.

For once, he had someone he actually wanted to give something to.

The fact that such a simple decision had immediately become a political statement irritated him more than he wanted to admit.

"An enemy prince whom His Majesty personally chose as my spouse," Ryan said calmly.

The Crown Prince’s expression stiffened at the faint sarcasm beneath the words.

"If honoring my wife creates such a problem, perhaps His Majesty should not have given me one."

"Cousin."

"Was I expected to marry him publicly and reject him privately?"

"That’s not what I’m saying."

"Then there shouldn’t be an issue."

The Crown Prince exhaled through his nose. "You know court politics aren’t that simple."

"I have no interest in supporting the enemy empire," Ryan replied. "Nor was I trying to make a political statement. I wanted to honor my wife. Nothing more."

"And if Father doesn’t see the distinction?"

For a moment, Ryan said nothing.

His attention drifted toward the canopy again.

Eric now had several purses piled in front of him and appeared to be inspecting each one individually. When one of the women said something to him, he grinned and immediately pulled the money closer as though worried she might change her mind and demand it back.

The sight softened something in Ryan despite the conversation.

"He arranged this marriage himself," Ryan said at last. "Surely he cannot object when I behave like a husband."

The Crown Prince followed his gaze and fell quiet.

Ryan didn’t know what his cousin saw when he looked at Eric. Perhaps he still saw the heir of a defeated enemy kingdom. Perhaps that was all the Emperor saw as well.

Ryan couldn’t pretend Eric’s identity didn’t matter politically. He understood the danger better than most. But when he had seen that bear in the forest, he hadn’t thought of enemy kingdoms, defeated armies or imperial alliances.

He had thought that Eric might like it.

That was all.

The Crown Prince rubbed his forehead. "You are going to make things difficult for yourself."

"I usually do."

That earned him a disbelieving look.

Ryan gave him a small bow and left before the conversation could circle back to the same point. He had no intention of apologizing for giving his own hunting trophy to his wife.

Besides, something else had caught his attention.

There was an alarming amount of money piled in front of Eric.

Ryan frowned and headed toward the canopy.

Eric was far too busy enjoying his newfound wealth to notice him approaching.

"Another one," he said happily as a woman reluctantly passed him a purse. "Thank you. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you."

"You seem very pleased."

Eric froze.

He slowly turned his head and found Ryan standing behind him.

"Oh."

Ryan’s gaze dropped to the collection of purses covering the table before returning to Eric.

"What is this?"

Eric immediately placed one hand protectively over the nearest purse. "My winnings."

"Winnings?"

"I bet on you."

Ryan paused.

For a brief moment, his expression softened. "You had that much confidence in me?"

Eric smiled confidently despite remembering that less than an hour ago he had been staring at the Crown Prince’s mountain lion and mentally mourning every coin he had lost.

"Naturally."

Ryan seemed genuinely pleased by the answer until his attention returned to the table.

Among all the winnings sat a familiar cloth sack.

Ryan looked at it for a moment before his eyes narrowed.

"Isn’t that mine?"

Eric followed his gaze.

Damn.

He had forgotten that Ryan possessed both a functioning memory and functioning eyes.

"Was yours," Eric corrected.

"You gambled with my money?"

Eric looked almost offended by the question. "We’re married."

Several women nearby immediately became interested in the conversation.

Ryan stared at him.

Eric gestured toward the pile of winnings as though the success of his argument was sitting right there in front of them.

"And look how much I made us."

"Us?"

"Of course." Eric pulled another purse closer. "What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is also available to me through marriage."

A woman nearby quickly raised her fan to hide her smile.

Ryan closed his eyes for a moment.

By the time he opened them again, Eric was already gathering the purses into his arms as though preparing to escape before Ryan could confiscate anything.

"Don’t look so unhappy," Eric said. "You provided the investment, and I made an excellent financial decision."

"I killed the bear."

"Exactly." Eric nodded approvingly. "Teamwork."

Ryan stared at his shameless wife for several seconds.

Then, unexpectedly, he laughed.

It wasn’t the tiny restrained smile Eric had become accustomed to seeing. The laugh was quiet, but genuine, softening Ryan’s entire face for a brief moment and making the stern general look almost like a different person.

Eric stopped gathering the money.

He had seen Ryan smile before, but never quite like this.

And there it was again, that irritating little flutter in his chest.

Eric quickly lowered his head and became extremely interested in arranging the purses in his arms.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

He had originally thought Ryan was the one hopelessly affected by him.

Apparently, somewhere along the way, Eric had gotten himself into the exact same trouble.