Chapter 10 No Pajamas

"Mom." In order to convince her, Elsa went with the fabricated background Soren had told her at noon. "We've known each other since last year. We started developing feelings for each other, but neither of us knew. I was too shy to express my feeling to him, and he never told me that he had grown to like me. Dad happened to get sick at that time, so my mind was a mess. Then, I met Greenwood, who told me that he was willing to marry me, so I agreed."

"What happened with Greenwood, then?" Although the newlyweds were clearly in love with each other, Blanche was still anxious about how the marriage came about.

"When Soren heard about it, he became anxious and then asked me to marry him." Elsa completely set aside the guilt that she felt toward her parents. In a soft voice, she said, "By then, I had just told you that I would be marrying Greenwood. I didn't want you to worry about me, especially since we barely see each other and live far away. That's why I didn't tell you."

"Really?" Blanche asked, her skepticism apparent. However, she was a little convinced because the story matched her daughter's character well. Besides, Blanche trusted her daughter because Elsa had always been obedient. She had never done anything out of line.

Elsa's story were a combination of half-truths and lies. In this world, it was easy to be caught with a lie; a lie mixed with the truth was more believable. "Dad, mom, it's true. I really have forgotten what had happened all of those years ago. People must always look forward. Do you think I should stay where I am after all this time?"

"You say that you know yourself. How can you be so vague about such an important matter? Besides, that is one big lie that you told. What does Ren think of you? You are reliable when it comes to important matters, but how can you be so bad about the small details?" Blanche was afraid that something might happen between Elsa and Soren, and her words echoed her emotions.

"Yes, I have told him everything. It's okay now. Don't worry about me, Mom." As soon as she heard her mother's words, she held on to her mother's arm and shook it like a spoiled child would.

Johnson was worried about the entire thing. "I just saw him pick you a chicken. He still doesn't know your habits, right?"

"No, No. he just wanted me to eat meat because he thought I was too thin," explained Elsa in a hurry. She didn't expect her father to hit the nail on the head on the first try.

Blanche and Johnson continued to ask Elsa about her new husband, but they did not find anything wrong. At last, they were satisfied with Elsa's answers and felt relieved.

They saw Soren come in, pulling behind him large pieces of luggage. Elsa's parents rushed over to meet him. Soren took two trips downstairs to bring all of the bags. Blanche asked Elsa to help him out, but he refused.

Elsa's mother took out the prepared quilts and sheets. "I'll make your bed."

"Mom, let me. I'll go." Elsa took the bundle from Blanche's arms and then stopped short, wondering where she should go.

"Wait, I'll turn the light on for you," Soren quickly said.

It was a simple three-bedroom house. Soren toured them around the place, and Elsa soon became familiar with it.

They opened other packages, which contained pickled vegetables. The living room reeked with the strong, pungent smell of fermented food for a while. Elsa felt a little embarrassed. After all, he did not actually belong to her, so he didn't have to suffer through these things for her.

She said, "Mom, I'll take these to the kitchen."

"That's okay-I'll put them in the fridge." Soren packed up the food and put them in the large refrigerator.

After the packages were cleared, Blanche went back to the newlyweds' bedroom to make the bed. Johnson followed her to help. Soren's bed was large enough for two people, and the double quilts that Blanche brought were perfect for it. Seeing the quilts spread over the bed, Elsa sighed in awe, "Wow, the flowers look gorgeous, Mom! Also, the red and gold embroidery work must have taken forever to make! So rich and brilliant! I didn't think the quilts would be this beautiful!"

"Why, did you think I'd give you something ugly?" Blanche mock-scolded Elsa, tapping playfully on her forehead.

Elsa stuck her tongue out and said, "Mom, you told me that Dad personally selected them..."

Full of affection, Johnson patted her head and said, "My little princess is now married. Of course, no less than the best colors and patterns would be acceptable for your wedding."

"Dad..." Elsa breathed with a tremulous shake in her voice, and different emotions warred in her heart. She could only hope that her parents were truly happy-her own happiness was secondary to theirs.

Without her being aware of it, her eyes strayed toward Soren, who was standing by the door.

Soren remained unsmiling and stone-faced, but Elsa could feel that his searching glance could read what was in her heart. Given their short acquaintance, she was filled with an odd certainty that she could trust him implicitly.

As soon as their eyes met, Elsa hastily averted her gaze. Her mother said with a smile on her face, "Sasa, this photo of you and Ren looks great."

Elsa looked at her in confusion and saw her mother pick up a photo frame propped on the dressing table. In it was a photo of her on the back of Soren, her arms wrapped around his torso and her chin resting on his shoulder. Soren's hands engulfed her own. Both of them looked dazzling, and genuine smiles shone on their faces.

Elsa was without her glasses. Soft curls tumbled wildly around her shoulders in a style that she rarely wore. The skirt of a sumptuous dress made of flowing silk streamed behind her.

Her make-up and hairstyle in the picture suited her personality, which was full of spirit and life. Her smile was sincere and warm.

Her parents did not really care about seeing her in a wedding dress. However, the happiness that practically leapt out of the photo allayed their worries about the stability of this marriage and reassured their hearts.

Blanche silently wiped her tears. She was glad that her daughter could live in happily wedded bliss.

Johnson felt the same. He asked his wife to move the photo to a more visible spot in the room. They adjusted the photo and finally nodded with satisfaction. "Look at them! They look so happy!"

Elsa dropped her gaze and closed her eyes.

She knew that the woman in the photo was not her. She had just met Soren this morning. How could they have time to take such a photo? A lot of things hit her all at once-his gentleness toward her, the thoughtfulness of his sudden proposal, the unreserved kindness and warmth he had shown her when she was at her most helpless moment.

'Ah. Someone else deserves this man.'

In a way, she felt a sense of relief that she would get to enjoy this marriage. At least, this man didn't have any bad motives or other hidden secrets that made him started this ruse.

She stole a glance at Soren. As expected, a look of indifference appeared on his face as he watched the elder couple gush over the photo. His stern expression made him seem detached and out of reach. He looked like a completely different person.

However, she didn't want to bother herself with things that she shouldn't interfere, so she stopped thinking about it. She took her parents to their assigned room and helped them tidy up their stuff. Then, she found a microwave in the kitchen to heat up the medicine that her father brought and watched him drink it up. Soon, it was time for her to return to her room.

She could use the third, unoccupied bedroom, which looked adequate. As long as she got up long before her parents did, neither of them would suspect that she and Soren did not share the same bed.

"Elsa, would you like some cake?" Soren stood outside the door of the master bedroom, holding a plate with a slice of cake on it.

Her automatic response was to shake her head, but her stomach chose that time to grumble in protest. She hadn't eaten anything during lunch or dinner, so it only made sense that she would be starving by then.

"Come to my room," Soren said as he turned around.

Elsa was left standing where she was. It was weird for a man and a woman to live in the same room all by themselves, especially if they weren't familiar with each other.

Sensing her hesitation, Soren explained, "The air conditioning in that other room is broken, and there are no furniture in there other than the bed. Not even a chair." Suddenly, Soren seemed to hesitate. "Besides, the decors and curtain rods in that room were broken some time ago and haven't been fixed-and the position's not good, too. Too close to the unit next door."

With each word, Elsa became convinced that staying in the third bedroom was a bad idea. She was so exhausted that she was ready to lie down where she stood. Besides, the prospect of having no working air-conditioning on a hot day or a warm, balmy night was unbearable. She missed her own quilts and her soft bed. Elsa schooled her expression into a calm facade and silently followed Soren into the bedroom.

He himself hadn't eaten anything during the dinner, so he began devouring the cake with gusto. Halfway through, he looked up with an embarrassed expression on his face.

Elsa giggled inwardly at the adorable picture that he made and started eating cake from her own plate. It was not until they had finished their cake that Elsa realized that she had committed a big mistake-she had left the clothes she brought for lounging around the house and sleeping in the car, which was currently sitting on the parking area of the hotel and was due to be delivered tomorrow.

It was impossible to forego taking a bath on such a hot night. At that point, her clothes were clinging unpleasantly to her body. She tried to maintain a straight posture, which made her look regal, but it was unbearable for her to move or sleep in her cheongsam. And after a night of seemingly interminable toasts, she had already started to smell like a nasty mixture of alcohol and sweat.

Should she risk it and ask to borrow a dress from her mother?

What questions would her mother ask, and what sort of alibi would she tell her?

Unbeknownst to her, a conflicted expression crossed her face, and her brows became deeply furrowed. Too many thoughts were troubling her that night. She started fiddling with her glasses while debating in her mind-"Should I go or not?"

Meanwhile, Soren was busy eating his own slice of cake. The relief he had felt when Ron brought him a cake was beyond compare-he actually thought that he would starve the whole night. While he was eating, Soren observed Elsa openly. She took off her glasses, so she couldn't see him clearly. This gave him plenty of opportunities to study her unobserved. She looked a lot different in her current attire than when she wore her business suit. In the company of her parents, she had reverted back to childhood, pouting, blushing, and acting in a manner that was more suitable on a grown child than a woman nearing her thirties. That time, her face became animated. Was there a young girl hiding behind the mask she was wearing?

What was she really thinking when she was fiddling with her glasses? He put down his empty plate and walked over to the wardrobe to select his pajamas for the night. All of a sudden, he understood Elsa's dilemma.

The wardrobe was full of his clothes. Some of the clothes hanging in there were hers, but they were all winter sweaters knitted by her mother.