Page 68 of Viktor at Sea

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Iwoke up with a grin, but it quickly vanished when I realised I was alone in bed. Instead of my wife being in my arms like we had fallen asleep last night, there was a pillow in her place. The spot next to me on the bed was cold, telling me she left a while ago.

Seeing as my wife wasn’t in bed with me, I saw no use in lounging around and wasting precious time that could be spent tracking her down.

Astrid had a way of disappearing off the face of the island when she wanted to.

“I thought this was supposed to change after marriage,” I joked to myself as I got out of bed, got dressed for the day and left in search of my wife. I knew she wasn’t an early riser, so she was definitely nervous and hiding from me again.

The rational thought was to start at the Skau hut. It would make perfect sense for Astrid to visit her parents, but I had to admit, I was a little nervous about them. I was completely fine with Katarina, and she had even approached me during the wedding yesterday and asked for a dance with her son-in-law. She took the opportunity to reassure me that what happened in the morning was not my fault and that it couldn’t be helped.

Daewon, on the other hand, I hadn’t spoken to since the morning of the wedding. He had been spitting mad at me for what had happened, for what we had believed to be the truth about Chara being pregnant with my baby, and frankly, I couldn’t blame him for it. If the same thing happened to one of my future children, I would be spitting mad, too.

So, avoiding the hut, I checked the square and lingered around some of her friend’s huts, the shore and other places where I thought she could be. I checked everywhere I could think of until there was no place left in Jorvik to check but the Skau hut.

My nerves got the better of me when I found myself out the door, nervous to knock. Maybe it would be better if I didn’t. Maybe I should just grab breakfast from the square and go about my day. Let Astrid come to me like she had done yesterday. Maybe I needed to give Astrid space, or maybe she expected me to head there so we could all have breakfast together. There was no way of me knowing without actually knocking on the door.

Either way, it appeared that I didn’t need to think too hard on the matter anymore as the door opened before I could knock.

“Viktor!” I heard a familiar voice call out to me, and I discerned it to be Daewon before I even turned in his direction. “Good morrow, Viktor!”

“Good morrow!” I called back with a friendly smile. He wasn’t just my mentor anymore. He was also my father-in-law now. It was funny how things played out sometimes.

“Come inside.” He held the door open for me.

“I’m looking for Astrid,” I told him, resisting the urge to glance over his shoulder into the hut. “Is she here?” I asked casually, not quite sure where I stood with Daewon.

“No, she isn’t.” Daewon shook his head and closed the front door behind us. “Can I interest you in some breakfast? A cup of tea, perhaps?”

“No, thank you,” I smiled politely and shook my head.

“Why not?”

“I’m just not hungry yet,” I lied smoothly. The truth was that I was nearly always hungry as soon as I woke up.

“Let me guess,” Daewon chuckled, a knowing look on his face. “You’re waiting to have breakfast with my daughter?”

“Yes,” I grinned sheepishly. “If I can find her, that is.”

“Why don’t you have a snack with me before you continue your search for her?” When I nodded, he guided me to the dining area where Katarina was enjoying some tea and reading a book.

Katarina and Daewon shared a lingering, secretive look before she turned to face me with a bright smile, putting her book down.

“Good morrow, Viktor. It’s great to see you this morning,” Katarina smiled brightly at me but didn’t give me a moment to reply. “I’m going to go read my book in peace. I’ll leave you two to have breakfast together.”

“She’s really into her book.” Daewon shrugged innocently when I turned my questioning gaze to him. “Interested in that snack?”

“I guess a small snack would be okay,” I agreed, sat beside him at the table and reached for a juicy green apple.

“I have to admit, Viktor,” Daewon started by clearing his throat. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

This was what I was afraid of.

Gulping, I took a bite from the apple to keep my mouth busy for a few moments. It gave me some time to think.

“What did you want to speak to me about?” I asked, trying to come across as cool and nonchalant.

“I wanted to speak to you about what happened on the morning of your wedding,” Daewon clarified, clearing his throat once again. It appeared he was just as nervous as I was. “I actually wanted to apologise.”

---