"Okay, we'll do it that way."
She saw no issues with that and readily agreed and besides any of that, to Esme, he was the man of the house, whatever he decides goes, just because he allowed her to have an opinion in matters that don't concern a woman, didn't change that.
"By the way, if we do get rid of Bulat won't that create a power vacuum? Who's going to replace him?"
So far, one of the reasons that Bulat had continued to live, aside from the fact that Arthur couldn't just butcher the man within the kingdom's walls, was also due to the fact that neither Arthur nor Esme had any idea what would happen to the people of the slums and the people living close.
Getting rid of Bulat, only for another person who is just like him or much worse to pop up and take control, would be disastrous.
"A noble will probably be assigned to manage the slums and the knights will be deployed to root out any suspicious individuals or criminals."
Esme assumed, since the crime in the slums had managed to spill out to the people living near them, she figured the nobles would care enough to ensure the knights regularly venture into slums to maintain order. At the very least that would be enough to scare any would-be criminals.
Arthur let out a hum, he couldn't tell if that would be good enough but he figured it was up to the nobles to figure it out.
"With that settled, let me get dressed."
Arthur got off the bed and made his way to the wardrobe, their wardrobe was divided into two sections, one for him and one for her, although her side was a little bit bigger.
He began rummaging through it and searching for a shirt.
"Also, I'll need to get you more magic items."
Increasing her defense and fighting power would make things far easier, at least if she has offensive and defensive items she could reasonably hold her own in case she finds herself in a similar situation to today.
Although items don't necessarily mean she would be able to fight, against normal people she would be quite dangerous and powerful however against an Explorer or a skilled mercenary she would just be more of a small distraction.
"You think so?"
He heard the rustling of the bed and assumed she was planning to return to sleep.
"Yeah, we can significantly reduce the risk of you getting captured again. Plus it would put my mind at ease, I'd rather you be safe even without me"
He'd have to return to his work eventually and with the way things are, he didn't think there were people he could trust with her safety, especially if he was somewhere far away.
'If only teleportation were a thing'
He mused, loathing the fact that some of the more impressive magic spells were long extinct, or rather there wasn't enough magic for anyone to actually pull them off, that era of magic was long gone.
"Having my husband care so much about my safety is quite reassuring"
Her words reached his ears and he raised a brow, the tone of her voice sounded a bit more sensual than it should have considering the conversation.
"I mean you did say it–"
He immediately paused as he felt her delicate hands wrap around his waist, he felt her head resting on his back.
"–Was my responsibility as a husband to protect you"
He continued while feeling her tightening her hold on him, as if in attempt to crush him but she lacked the strength for such a feat.
He didn't dare question her behavior and instead decided to let her be. It would be up to her where this would be going.
"I did say that, but just knowing you'll fulfill that responsibility gives me a sense of reassurance. Sometimes the husband doesn't protect and is the one who does the harm instead"
She rubbed his chest, her hand going up and down the front of his torso, feeling his scars, her fingers digging into them feeling the rough texture of the healed skin.
"Yeah, but you don't have to worry about that, Something like that won't ever happen to you."
Although those words felt too absolute for his liking, he still believed them to be true and hoped they'd be true for the foreseeable future, he was not an infallible being however he hoped to have enough control to never let his emotions get the better of him.
He felt her rubbing her face on his back, her movements serving only to stimulate him more and more. She definitely was doing this on purpose.
"If today's events are anything to go by, I can confidently say those words are true"
After having had enough of feeling and admiring the scars her hands gravitated downward, her fingers inching further down to his crotch area.
"Are you sure? It's still quite early"
He felt the lust bubble up within him, like a dormant volcano ready to erupt, all he needed was her go-ahead.
"I can't neglect my duties as a wife. If I can't please my husband when I feel it's necessary, then am I even a wife"
It wasn't just fulfilling the duties she believed a wife should fulfill but to show her appreciation and show that his own advances to her won't be met with the same reaction as before.
Being married to someone who reacts adversely whenever you try to be intimate would not be ideal, and she would rather that not be a typical thing whenever he tries to be intimate.
He bit his lower lip, ready to oblige. Her fingers had already having slipped under the only piece of clothing he was wearing and were seconds from reaching where she wanted to reach.
Unfortunately, a loud knock from the door downstairs interrupted them.
"I guess it was too early"
She let out a small chuckle, playing it off despite her own disappointment at the horrid timing of the guests. Arthur let out a frustrated groan, much more visibly angry.
Esme quickly grabbed something to wear, a white ankle-length skirt with a blouse before she made her way downstairs, leaving Arthur to settle down and get dressed before he could join her.
Esme made her way downstairs and reached the door, just as another knock came, displaying that whoever was behind it was clearly impatient.
She readily opened the door, however before she could even get a good look at whoever it was.
"Oh my goodness! Esme. You're alright"
Catherine Witherspoon did not wait to be invited in as she grabbed Esme by the hands, her face filled with genuine worry and concern.
"Catherine?!"
She stumbled back at the suddenness of Cathy's arrival.
"I heard you and your husband got attacked. What happened?"
Catherine led Esme to the couch as she requested details, Esme couldn't help but find it amusing how despite barely knowing each other the woman seemed concerned.
"It's alright Cathy, it wasn't anything my husband couldn't solve. Although you being here is great timing"
"You need to tell me all about it!"
Hearing the issue was quickly solved, Catherine readily shifted from concern to gossip. Esme surviving something so exciting was going to make a good story.
"Alright but right after, I need you to listen to me regarding something, okay?"
Cathy gave her a nod, not even worried about what Esme might have to say.
With that agreed upon, Mrs Bright retold the events of what happened today, of course, she could only tell the parts she knew off, and not anything that happened to Arthur.
By the time she finished, Arthur was descending the stairs and Cathy was quite excited after hearing all about it. The way Esme described it made her imagine herself in that position being rescued by a dashing man like Arthur.
Of course, she couldn't say something so dire was exciting, especially not to someone who experienced it firsthand. So she withheld her own excitement
"On Sol! I can't imagine how scary that must have been for you. I'm sorry you had to go through that."
Once again Catherine expressed her sympathies, despite how exciting everything sounded, suddenly being kidnapped and taken was perhaps the scariest thing she could imagine.
Esme was lucky her husband was an Explorer, otherwise, she might not have been rescued. Even though her own husband was a Captain of the city knight guard, Catherine couldn't be so sure that he would come for her in such a situation.
If she were to be honest, she didn't believe he'd do anything at all.
"It was however I'm lucky to have my husband"
Esme spoke with a pleased smile. To have someone who would come to your rescue when in danger, made her feel a sense of joy she's never felt before.
"You know it's embarrassing when you say that while I'm within earshot"
Arthur interjected, scratching his cheek as he approached them.
"Then be embarrassed, my dear husband"
Esme asserted her tone light and playful, Arthur could only shake his head a bit amused but continued to play along.
"Isn't there a custom against a wife embarrassing her husband like this?"
The man stood over her, his amused smile spreading and opening a bit wider.
"Simply being proud of my wonderful husband isn't something worth punishing"
She protested, her own lips tugging into a small amused smile while she crossed her arms and her head turned away feigning not wanting to look at him.
Arthur could only let out a small chuckle before he turned to Catherine, having realised they had a guest.
However Catherine having been subjected to such a display, couldn't help but think how nice it must be to be a newlywed couple.
"In any case, we thank you for coming Cathy"
Arthur expressed thanks to their neighbor as he sat down right beside Esme. However just as he sat down, his face beginning to focus on Cathy, he noticed something odd.
The skin below Catherine's left eye, was a shade different from the rest of her face, Catherine had brown skin, however the area below her left eye was a tad lighter, as if someone had used lighter brown dust to add color to it.
'hmm that's odd…'