Chapter 172: Formidable Couple

The days fleeted by like a passing wind, Celine and Tristan continued to stay at the old dwellings while pretending to be a couple, however things still remained professional between them.

The lover’s test which they had been arbitrarily plunged in required them to merely participate as a couple deeply in love, in which they would be faced with some minor challenges.

The first challenge happened at the breakfast hall that morning, it had just been a minor challenge where the couples would be sharing the same plate and spoon to have their meal while feeding each other, it was said to be a form of testing how a couple resonate with each other.

For most of the couples in participation, the challenge had been fun for them as glancing around several tables one could see the couples happily giggling and smiling brightly as they fed one another, however for Celine the game had been more of a silent torture, especially due to the fact that she not only had to feed Tristan, but was subjected to watching the sensual action of him eating.

Had she been so enthralled by him so much so she found him eating extremely seductive?

The mere action of him taking a bite from the spoon she placed by his mouth, then his tongue slightly peeking out to lick off the residue on his lips, then how his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed.

Try as hard as she might she couldn’t avert her eyes, not to mention the fact that he was just dressed in a laid back fashion wearing a simple shirt that fit snugly to his broad muscular frame, with his hair slightly disheveled, it made him look calm and approachable in contrast with his usually formal business attire that made him look stern all the time.

At some point, he noticed the effect he was having on her with her gaze glued on to him, Celine couldn’t tell if the smirk that appeared on his face had something to do with her or not, but she could have sworn she saw an evil and mischievous glint flicker in his hazel eyes for a second.

The next spoonful she fed him Tristan withheld the spoon not releasing it as she tried to pull it out, she had to meet his gaze questioningly but was met with a somewhat playful glint in his eyes, he slowly let the spoon out while holding her gaze with his tongue licking the spoon clean.

Celine unconsciously gulped looking somewhat dazed, which seemed to bring a satisfied smirk on his lips, as he directly picked the spoon he had licked clean to feed her a spoonful.

In her dazed state, she opened her mouth to accept the food while noticing the smirk on his face didn’t disappear but even grew wider. It made her wonder just what was so pleasing until she suddenly realized something.

Celine’s eyes widened as her they shot up to look at him abruptly, was… Was he actually doing that on purpose?

He had used the same spoon while even licking it clean, then immediately fed her with the same spoon, wasn’t that… Wasn’t that an indirect kissing?

Celine almost chocked at the food she was just about to swallow as she coughed lightly then Tristan quickly handed her a glass of water, to be more accurate, fed her since she had wanted to take it from his hands but he didn’t release it which made their hands stay on each other’s as he fed her the water.

“Are you alright?” He asked after keeping the glass.

Celine shot him a blank stare to which he raised a brow as if he had no idea what he’d done.

She merely shook her head at him.

The next challenge was when each couple would have to climb up the mountain up to Rowena’s temple and back while the men carried their women.

On the day the couples were required to carry out this challenge, Celine waited at the edge of the mountains along with the other couples with Hailey and her husband, Tristan who had gone out of the old dwellings for some time still hadn’t returned yet, which made her begin to doubt if he would actually show up since things like this for someone like him would likely be considered stupid.

She was the only one standing there without a husband, it felt slightly awkward with everyone looking in her direction whispering hushly.

“Celine, where’s Tristan, is he still not back yet?” Hailey asked worriedly.

Celine shook her head slightly, she was about to make up an excuse on his behalf when Hailey looked behind her and exclaimed, “Oh, he’s here!”

Celine whirled around to find him approaching her, his strides were long and elegant with his hands casually tucked into his pockets, seeing him dressed this laid back with a casual attitude these days made Celine almost think that he was having a good time or was considering their a vacation rather than work. Well, to be honest it didn’t seem like work at all.

Celine didn’t even realize she was smiling at him in her daze as he approached, until he gave a smile back showing his dimples that made him look even more breathtaking, wanting to break her gaze away from his face so as not to look like a lovestruck idiot but she couldn’t, in the end she let herself stare until he said,

“Shall we, everyone’s already leaving.”

At his words she was awakened from her momentary daze, that was when she noticed everyone had already begun leaving with the men carrying their women in their arms.

Celine gazed back at him again waiting for him to pick her up only for him to walk past her. She was momentarily dumbstruck, was he not planning to carry her like the rules said?

Not until he squatted down in front of her did she furrow her brows wondering what he was up to.

“Get on.” He suddenly urged.

“But, aren’t you supposed to…” She began but he cut her off.

“The rules said I am supposed to carry you, it didn’t specify how. The mountains are steep, it’ll be hard to reach to the top if I carried you like all the others.” He explained.

Celine then fully understood. Since the game was currently an elimination round, where all the men who failed to carry their women to the top would be eliminated from the game, while Celine and Tristan wouldn’t want to be eliminated from the game since the winners would receive Rowena’s recognition, that would probably make the chief speed up the process of their land acquisition.

Celine didn’t hesitate in jumping onto his back beaming brightly, at least this part of the game was to her own advantage while he would be the one doing all the work of carrying her all the way.

She curved her arms around his neck, and he began moving, a few of the couples looked at them strangely since everyone had their women in their arms while he carried his on his back but Tristan didn’t seem to care as he’d already walked past a few people who were ahead of him before.

Celine had begun to enjoy this little game after all, as she enjoyed the piggy back ride while she would occasionally pull out a bottle of water to feed Tristan before they continued again, but throughout the whole mountain climb, Tristan hadn’t let her feet on the floor even once, the whole walk that took about thirty minutes to get to the top, while others had already given up halfway dropping their women unable to keep holding on.

They came to by pass Simon and Hailey who looked at them in astonishment as Hailey waved at Celine beaming, while Simon looked extremely tired as he gazed at Tristan’s back who didn’t look half as tired as him, he muttered, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Wanting to smack himself for not carrying his wife on his back like Tristan did, but it would be too late now as in order to carry her on his back he would have to keep her on the floor which could disqualify them.

A tall building similar to the island chief’s palace was sitting on the top of the mountain, Tristan placed her down as they walked into the hallway where Rowena’s giant figurine stood along with some of the people who’d organized the lover’s test game, only then did he place her down while the people applauded them for being the first to arrive.

The island chief Richard Reyes was also among the people,

“Mr and Mrs Grayson, I must say you two are a formidable couple, you have topped the lover’s test for now,” he commented, pleased about the fact that they not just showed respect to the island’s culture by participating in the game even if they could have refused since they were strangers, but the fact that they were actually doing well.

What pleased Richard the most were people who didn’t show prejudice to their way of living as there were certain kinds of people who would disdain their lifestyle calling it backwards and outdated.

Celine was in a good mood as she had enjoyed a full thirty minutes or more of a piggy back ride on Tristan’s broad back, it made her feel even more better after all, she had carried his children for five years, she now saw the game as a chance to make him suffer a bit.

“How about this, if the two of you are capable of winning the lover’s test, I will directly sign the papers of your land acquisition.” Richard proposed.

Tristan grinned despite feeling slightly exhausted, something he usually didn’t do for strangers as he said, “Then we will try our best Richard.”

She could see the determined desire surfacing in Tristan’s eyes.

Making an idea flash into her head, if Tristan was determined to win the game, then she was determined to torture him Into submission, she would make sure he’d be the first to admit his feelings for her, after that… She would tell him about their children.

Celine knew that her feelings might be one sided, but she was certain of this much, Tristan did at least care about her, she could see it in his eyes despite his constantly cold demeanor, and she would definitely make him say it.

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