I buried my face in his shoulder, trying to hide my discomfort. In a moment of defiance, I attempted to sneak a grab at his thigh, but he must have anticipated my move. Gabriel caught my wrist with his other hand, pinning it against his leg and tightening his grip as a warning.
I wanted to kick my legs in protest.
"Reward," Gabriel said, his tone casual.
The maids giggled, bowed, and filed out of the room.
As the door clicked shut behind them, I let out a small whimper and broke free from his hold, dropping to the floor.
"You're truly wicked," I huffed, glaring up at him.
Gabriel stood up, a smirk playing on his lips as he squatted down in front of me, patting my head like I was a child.
"There's nothing useful in this room. I'll take you to the prison someday, and then you can really test your wits against me."
I was taken aback, disbelief washing over me as I met his gaze. But I surrendered quickly.
"I guess I'm not the model wife you expected, and I've made you angry. So, punish me… punish me…" I stammered, racking my brain for something that wouldn't land me in real trouble.
Gabriel lifted my chin with a smirk on his face.
A sense of crisis erupted within me; I could feel something bad brewing in his eyes.
Just as I opened my mouth to speak, he covered it, preventing me from uttering a word, leaving me to emit muffled sounds of protest.
"You'll be punished," he said, a wicked glint in his eye. "Your wedding gifts will be transferred to my vault, and you'll be fined, just a small reminder to stay in line. Don't bother being polite about it."
As if I'd ever care about his rules!
In a fit of anger, I used my tongue to lick the palm of his hand, which momentarily confused Gabriel.
His gaze deepened as he looked at me, but by then, my focus was entirely on my revenge, leaving no room for noticing his expression.
Taking advantage of his moment of distraction, I quickly sprang up and gripped his neck. Expecting a strong resistance, I applied more force than necessary, accidentally pushing him to the ground.
There was a dull thud as his head hit the floor.
I leaned against his chest, my only support being the firm grip around his neck.
After a moment, Gabriel composed himself; his lips pressed slightly as he spoke calmly, "Attempting to harm an official in court should merit a lashing of thirty strokes. Are you trying to..."