The death of yet another prisoner spread and they could not do anything to curb it.

Garda was a suspect briefly but Lagertha dismissed this quite quickly.

Garda would have served as a scapegoat because Ulrik was out for blood, and he didn't mind who he needed to skin alive.

He could not trust anyone but Lagertha at the moment, this timing and execution was not a work of an amateur, and this involuntarily put him on guard.

"Lagertha, I need to speak with Garda alone to see what she might have seen," Ulrik requested as Lagertha was her guardian at this moment, it was discovered that Garda was a nineteen-year-old lady but she had caught the eye of Ulrik because he was interested in her.

There was nothing to do and he needed to let go of some of his pent-up stress.

Lagertha checked that Garda was fine and she did not look too shaken up about a dead body apart from the initial shock.

"I will be fine, lady Lagertha," Garda responded with a broad smile and Lagertha gave Ulrik her permission despite her knowing that Ulrik did not need it, he only asked out of respect.

"Follow me Garda," Ulrik led Garda to his private chambers, closing the door behind him.

"I apologize for earlier, I am afraid if Lagertha was not there I would have done something bad to you," Ulrik said, taking off his shirt to reveal his well-toned body, and Garda was confused as to what he was doing.

"Garda, I know you are from the slums but I do not mind but you need a shower and new clothes. You will be my woman starting today but before that, I need you to tell me everything you saw," Ulrik said casually and Garda's face flushed red the moment she saw his body.

"Are you not feeling well?" Ulrik asked, he was trying his best to be gentle and reduce his usage of profanity in the process as he wanted her to know he saw her as a lady.

"P-Put on your clothes!" Garda screamed as she covered her face but Ulrik was confused by this reaction.

historical

"Is something on my body?" Ulrik asked as he did not see this as a big deal but then it hit him and he quickly covered up.

"Oh! I am sorry!" Ulrik quickly apologized as he made her uncomfortable and his proposal to her was sudden and abrupt, he did not even give her time to think but she knew she could grow to like him as she already found him attractive.

"I did not see anything, I was interested in what was down there," Garda said and Ulrik was judging her body language to see if she was lying or not.

"You must have been scared, have you seen a dead body before?" Ulrik asked her, he was using this opportunity to interrogate her as she had no reason to have her guard up as he had already disarmed her with the relationship proposal.

"I have seen loads of dead bodies," Garda said in a dismissive tone as she did not see it as a big deal in general but it was the state in which that body was in that shocked her.

The guard was not stabbed but his head split right down the middle to reveal his brain.

"That is good, you should go shower," Ulrik said as he stepped outside, leaving Garda alone in his house, signifying a level of trust.

Lagertha was standing outside and she looked like she knew what Ulrik was up to without him even uttering a word.

"Is that how you intend to keep an eye on her?" Lagertha asked, she had heard his proposal to Garda through the opened window.

"It beats throwing her in a dungeon. She saved your life but who is to say she is not the one that put you in that state? It all is too good of a story, Lagertha." Ulrik said as Lagertha caught on to his point, it was sound but he could just be overthinking it as there was no proof to support his accusations.

"Fine, you can do as you please but don't stick your cock in her, Ulrik," Lagertha said, walking away as she left Garda with Ulrik. Garda, of course, was not a prisoner of Ulrik as she could leave his house anytime and it was up to Ulrik's persuasion to keep her there.

He walked back in only to see Garda fully naked and she immediately covered up with her hands and screamed for him to get out, something Ulrik did without hesitation.

"On second thought, maybe I will stick my cock in her after all.." Ulrik muttered to himself as she had quite the naughty body but he was in no rush as this was not one of his priorities at the moment.

Now, in the present time, night had come and Garda had chosen to stay the night at Ulrik despite Lagertha offering her shelter as she had never felt the touch of a man and that explained her earlier reaction to seeing him undressed.

She could feel his bulge pressed up against her soft buttocks, but he was not making any moves. She knew he was awake as she felt his hot breath against her neck.

She squirmed but that only made it harder and made the position even more awkward.

Ulrik found it strange that she wanted to stay with him but even she understood that staying with him would secure her place in Kattegat. She was poor, not stupid and she was not about to pass up the chance that Ulrik had just presented her.

Ulrik's hand slowly crawled up her shirt and this was him testing to see if she was into it as he planned to stop if she showed any discomfort but she did not. The next thing he felt was her breast cupped in his left hand as his other hand slowly made its way into her panties. She silently moaned, grinding on the fingers that had made their way inside her.

But beneath her raised clothes, right under her left breast, was a mark that should never be seen.