Aries's father saw that Sky was willing to take care of his daughter, and his opinion of him softened a little. He even started to like him a bit.
For men, the most important thing is knowing how to take care of their wife. Everything else comes second.
Sky quickly boiled some water and brought it to Aries's room. At first, he didn't think much about it, but when he wrung the cloth to wipe Aries down, he suddenly felt shy.
Sky was eighteen. Besides his mother and elder sister, this was his first time being so close to a woman.
Even though Aries was his wife, it was their first time meeting. Just thinking about touching her body made his face heat up.
He was a proper young man who had never been with anyone before. Even though he knew she was his wife, actually doing it made him feel very shy.
Though Aries couldn't see while lying on the bed, she could hear the sounds. She also heard what her new husband had said to her father earlier in the kitchen.
Now hearing the sound of water, she knew he was going to help clean her.
She'd been in bed for three days already. Her father hadn't wiped her down even once—not even her face.
So, she could imagine how dirty she was now.
She didn't know yet what this new husband looked like or if she would like him, but just the fact that he was willing to clean her and help her feel fresh made Aries think he wasn't bad.
At least his personality seemed to match hers.
When he came in earlier and was scolded harshly by her father, Aries thought this new husband would be too timid to speak. But surprisingly, he stood up for his own family.
He only said one sentence, and it wasn't loud. He even got slapped for it, but still, it showed he wasn't a weak man.
As for why he agreed to call himself a servant without any resistance, Aries understood.
This world was ruled by women, much like the world she had known before—but with the genders reversed.
Women with some status or money could have several husbands. And men, especially those who were just consorts, were treated more like servants than real family members.
So, when her father told him to call himself a servant, Sky accepted it easily.
He must have already thought everything through when he agreed to become a husband to Aries—especially since she might die soon. If she did, he might have to die with her or live as a widow.
This showed that Sky's family probably wasn't well-off. Otherwise, they wouldn't have agreed to send their son to such a risky marriage just for some money.
Aries also thought that with how terrible her past behavior had been, no good family would want their son to marry her. And this wasn't even marriage—it was just to be a consort.
So she didn't expect much from Sky.
Her grandfather and father had already said that Sky didn't look good, but he was healthy and could work.
She thought he'd be one of those quiet, hardworking types without any opinions.
But now, she saw that he had a pretty decent personality.
At least he wasn't spineless or too timid.
Aries had a strong character and was powerful, so she didn't like weak, emotional men who cried easily.
She thought that with a personality like his, even if he didn't look good, she could still accept him.
She waited for a while, but the wet cloth never touched her.
She figured Sky was probably shy now that it was really happening.
Sky tried to calm himself down. Eventually, he began to move.
He told himself: this is my wife. A husband taking care of his wife is natural. I'll get used to it with time.
More importantly, he had come to help Aries recover. If she died, his father-in-law would probably let him die too.
So, taking good care of her was also for his own survival.
His father and sister back home were still sick. He couldn't afford to have anything happen to himself.
With that thought, most of his embarrassment went away.
After wiping her face and neck, Aries heard him leave with the basin of dirty water.
She thought, considering how shy men in this world were, she'd probably have to wash herself properly once she woke up.
But not long after, she heard him come back—and heard the sound of him wringing the cloth again.
Ha. So maybe she wouldn't need to wait after all.
Then she heard his voice—clear and gentle, though still a little shy.
"Wife, let me wipe your body."
That one word—"wife"—sounded very pleasant to Aries.
She thought, his voice isn't bad. When he says "wife," it sounds even softer.
Overall, Aries found it quite nice to hear.
Then Sky started to undress her. His hands trembled a little when he touched her.
But soon, he calmed down. After all, it wasn't easy for a man like him to undress a big woman like Aries, who weighed over a hundred kilos. So he didn't have time to feel embarrassed.
Just turning Aries over on the bed was enough to leave him panting for breath. After he finished cleaning her and changing her into clean clothes, he was completely exhausted.
He had just rested a little when Aries's father yelled from outside, "Ning, are you done yet? Don't tell me you're being lazy and avoiding cooking? Lazy thing! It's your first day here and you're already slacking? Do you expect me, your father-in-law, to serve you instead? Once Aries recovers, I'll have her deal with you properly!"
Sky jumped in shock at the yell and didn't dare rest anymore. He quickly gathered the things and answered, "Coming right away!"
He was worried that if his father-in-law came in and saw him resting, he'd be labeled as lazy from day one.
When Aries's father saw that the basin held his daughter's dirty clothes, his face finally softened and he stopped scolding.
The entire day, Sky was working non-stop.
He first cooked the meal and served his father-in-law. Only after that did he eat in the kitchen.
Then, he cleaned the whole house inside and out.
Both Aries's father and sister were lazy and loved eating. They hadn't cleaned the house properly in ages.
It was only two rooms and a small yard, but it still took Sky the whole afternoon to clean.
Aries's father only left the house to check on his daughter or to order Sky around.
After dinner, he checked on Aries again.
He thought she looked a little better than the past two days. At least her breathing wasn't as weak.
Maybe the marriage ritual really did work?
In any case, as long as she showed signs of getting better, her father felt more at ease.
He told Sky, who was standing nearby, "Tonight, you'll sleep with Aries. You're here to help her recover. You can't stay far from her. Sharing a bed will make it easier to take care of her."
Sky had already expected this and simply nodded. "Don't worry, Father-in-law. I understand."