Chapter 5 He's a Pervert

Freya stood frozen for three seconds. She was aware of the stereotype that people with physical disabilities frequently experience psychological difficulties, and she reasoned that Bradley might fit this description. He wouldn't have asked her to kiss him otherwise. "Don't you want to eat meat anymore?" Bradley kept coaxing her when he saw no reaction from her. Freya remained silent because she suspected him of being a pervert. She was, however, hungry. She was worried that if she didn't kiss him, she wouldn't be able to get anything to eat. Freya deliberated carefully before making her decision and kissed the side of his face that wasn't burned. "Mr. Austin, here are the lollipops you wanted..." Just as she did so, Frederick burst into the room and was stunned by what he saw. Bradley had always kept his distance and avoided physical contact with women. However, he saw that the intellectually challenged Freya had kissed Bradley. What puzzled Frederick more was that Bradley didn't become angry or show any discomfort. On the contrary, he had a contented look on his face. Frederick couldn't figure out what had happened during the hours Bradley had been missing after recalling his strange behavior the night before. Freya hadn't expected someone to walk into the room at that precise moment. She blushed and quickly buried her head in Bradley's chest as if nothing had happened. It was humiliating for her that the butler witnessed her first voluntary kiss with Bradley. Bradley looked down at the adorable bunny-like girl in his arms. He gave a faint smile and turned to Frederick, saying, "Just leave it there. You can go now." Frederick humbly nodded, placed the beautifully wrapped lollipops on the nightstand, and exited the room. Freya cautiously peered out like an ostrich. Her entire face, however, was flushed. Bradley stuffed the box of candy into Freya's embrace. "If you're hungry, have some candy first," he advised. "I'll take you downstairs later for meat." Freya looked down at the candy in her arms, puzzled as to why he did this. She came to the conclusion after some thought that he had treated her like a child. She decided to keep up the charade of being intellectually disabled because it would make her life easier in many ways. Freya unwrapped the package and placed the lollipop in her mouth, beginning to lick it. Bradley stayed in the room for a short while when Frederick called him, saying they needed to talk about something. He then turned to Freya, saying, "I'll be gone for a moment, and I'll come back later to have lunch with you. Stay in your room and don't go anywhere. If you need anything, use the phone in the room and press 1 to reach me." Freya bit into the lollipop while nodding. Bradley left with assurance after completing his instructions. Being his wife entailed significant risks, but he had promised her that he would be responsible for her and keep her safe. Freya exhaled a sigh of relief as Bradley exited the room, and her gaze sharpened. Although acting stupid was beneficial for her, it made her become tiresome after a while. Freya laid back on the couch, lollipop in hand, contemplating her next move while staring at the ceiling. She had been observing the surroundings since entering the Royal Garden Mansion. The presence of bodyguards both inside and outside the building would make it difficult for her to leave in secret. In this house, apart from the butler Frederick, there was also Rosa, the housekeeper, and only Bradley lived here. She realized that the rumors she heard seemed to be true: Bradley's father did indeed dote on him. Otherwise, why would he spend a huge amount of money to build this mansion for him? However, Freya also noticed that Bradley's personality seemed different from the rumors. She felt that he wasn't as cold-hearted as everyone said because he had just tricked her into trying to kiss him. Freya shook her head. Regardless of what kind of person he was, she had to continue pretending to be intellectually challenged. … Freya got bored after she wandered aimlessly around her room for a while. She decided to venture downstairs and explore the estate to learn more about the place. Deliberately assuming a foolish demeanor, she descended the staircase. Upon entering the living room, she noticed that Bradley wasn't there but that there were several people gathered. Their faces twisted into wicked smiles as they caught sight of her. One of them spoke up, "Is this the Uncle Bradley's bride?" "She looks pretty, but I've heard she has intellectual disabilities." Another person chimed in, "Is she pretending to be dumb? Let's test her out." "No, we can't do that. She was here to break Bradley's curse and now assumes the role of the lady of the Royal Garden Mansion." "What's the big deal? He's not even here." After saying these words, someone approached Freya with a glass of milk and a smirk on his face. He said, "Little imbecile, let me treat you to a milk bath." He flung the milk towards her, but Freya glanced up with a glimmer of icy resolve in her eyes as he did that. Feigning fear, she swiftly crouched down and narrowly avoided the impending milk bath. Then, another person said, "Hey, little fool, are you willing to marry Uncle Bradley? Don't you know he's an ugly freak? Plus, he's disabled, particularly in one area, if you catch my meaning." The others burst out laughing at this. Freya hugged her body as she trembled while maintaining a foolish expression and observing them. "See, she really is a fool! A fool married an ugly freak—it's a match made in heaven!" Freya's eyes narrowed as she listened to their mockery of Bradley. This scene confirmed the rumors she had heard about Bradley's discord toward the descendants of the Austin family, with even the younger generation bullying him. Despite her disinterest in Bradley's affairs, she believed that whoever dared to mock her should be punished. Just then, she noticed Frederick pushing Bradley into the living room in his wheelchair. Fearfully, Freya clutched her body and yelled, "Don't call me a fool, and don't call Mr. Austin an ugly freak! You're all bullies! Go away!" Bradley's expression darkened as he walked in and heard Freya's words. "Uncle Bradley!" exclaimed someone. When Bradley entered the room, everyone fell silent as if they had swallowed a fly. "Uncle Bradley, we heard you got married, so we came to see your bride." "We've already met her. The gifts we brought are on the coffee table. We'll leave if there's nothing else." Some of them sensed something was wrong and made plans to flee. Bradley gave Frederick a signal. Frederick nodded, and then several bodyguards stood in front of those people. "Uncle Bradley, what do you want to do?" the person who had poured the milk asked in fear. Bradley's face was expressionless, but his eyes behind the sunglasses were fixed on Freya, who was huddled and trembling. His fists unconsciously clenched. "Mrs. Austin, please tell me what happened." Frederick asked as he took a step forward. Freya looked up in fear and said, "They are all bad people! They... they wanted to give me a milk bath. I'm so afraid..."