Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18

Chapter 181: Navigating Our Marriage

That would remain true, unless something were to go wrong. Of course, I didn’t wish for the king’s passing but it was something inevitable. He was definitely not as young as he used to be and cancer is known to be bad news for most. I wonder what Bradon thought of this sudden change in the political landscape.

I’ll just have to ask him...

...

Bradon had become clearly more lenient with me ever since we returned from our honeymoon trip. First of all, I could go anywhere I wanted without question as long as I brought Zain or a reliable guard with me. I had absolute freedom in the mansion and all areas within the outside walls, that didn’t mean that I dared venture too deep into the gardens after what had happened before during my escape attempt. The thought of escape never crossed my mind again. Bradon still left early for work but he didn’t return in the dead of night like before.

Having dinner and sometimes breakfast with Bradon slowly became something that I got used to. Conversation did not flow so easily between us, but I had learnt to enjoy his company in silence. At least, we were no longer out to get each other’s neck. The weeks that passed by felt peaceful and I thought that we may have settled into a pattern that worked for us. It felt like we had figured how to coexist as we managed and navigated this fabricated relationship together. Despite knowing that something as fragile as peace couldn’t last forever, I never thought that the sudden change in the king’s health condition would be the factor to further rock our relationship.

Having Bella with me felt like having an outgoing friend with me at almost all times. After having gotten over her initial shyness, Bella quickly reverted to her original cheerful and enthusiastic self. I didn’t mind having her around because she was amusing and served to ease my boredom very well. Unlike Jenna, she was much closer to me in age.

“What about this dress, Diana? I think it would look wonderful on you. I’m sure Master Bradon will be pleased to see you wearing this dress for dinner,” she said brightly as she held up a dress that I thought looked too flashy for having dinner at home.

“Sure, I’ll wear it,” I replied with a smile.

“Really? Then, what about these earrings and this necklace to add to the look?” she suggested as she held up a set of sparkling ruby jewelry.

“Sure...” I replied in short.

I didn’t think that the long and flowy forest green satin dress would pair up very well with the rubies, not to mention that it made it appear like I would be going out for a gala dinner celebration rather than meeting Bradon for dinner at home, but I couldn’t find it in me to go against her given how happy she was at doing her job. My closet was filled with clothes, jewelry, bags, and shoes, and that must have been similar to heaven for Bella. Bradon did a very good job in making sure that I had more than I would ever need and all without me needing to ask. Of course, he never mentioned it and neither did I.

The door to my room opened right after I had just gotten dressed with Bella’s attentive help. I wasn’t surprised to see Bradon standing in the doorway because who else would open the door without knocking.

“Are you going out?” he asked flatly.

“No, unless you want to take me out somewhere...” I replied.

Bella suddenly looked kind of panicked. I gestured to the dress before smiling a little at him.

“Shall we have dinner?” I suggested as I approached him.

Bradon’s eyes traveled slowly down my body before returning to my face. The slightly confused look on his face was gone and in its place was a look of slight determination.

“I’ll take you out for dinner,” he said as he offered me his hand.

I could feel Bella’s excitement even though it was me who had been invited out to dinner. Thanks to Bella’s choice of outfit, I ended up having dinner with Bradon out in a private dining room at one of the city’s most luxurious rooftop restaurants. I sat opposite him at a candle-lit dining table that gave off the vibe that we were having our anniversary dinner.

“This dress isn’t my idea...” I murmured although I didn’t know why I felt obliged to explain this to him.

“I know...” he replied lightly.

The food tasted more than good enough, the atmosphere was romantic, and the night view of the city from such a high vantage point looked breathtaking. My date was also extremely good looking; however, I felt slightly uneasy inside.

“What do you think is going to happen?” I suddenly blurted out that question without any context.

“Some wine?” he offered as he passed me the glass he had been drinking.

“Is it so bad that you think that I would need a drink?” I asked, but decided to take his glass from him.

Bradon watched as I took a sip and I could tell that he knew what I was really asking. The king’s unstable health condition also made the power balance and the politics in the kingdom unstable as well. What I wasn’t sure was what it meant for us. More importantly, how I could possibly turn this sudden mishap in my favor?

“It’s not bad at all. I just thought you might enjoy this wine. Should I get you a glass?” he said casually.

“I would rather you answer my question,” I replied as I slid the wine glass across the table to return it to him.

“Things will progress just as planned as they are supposed to,” Bradon stated with clear confidence.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“The king isn’t getting any younger as the days pass by. Whether his health condition worsens or not, he has always planned to abdicate the throne sometime soon,” Bradon said before taking a sip of wine.

–To be continued...