"Oh, you two are married?" The owner of the inn asked with a skeptical look, while Mallory felt Hadeon stare at her. "Why don't I see a ring on your finger?"
Mallory bit the inside of her cheek for keeping her hands in view of the middle-aged couple. Turning to Hadeon for assistance, she found him barely suppressing a chuckle before he answered, "Ah, that's because Mon-Mon here insisted she didn't need a fancy ring to prove my undying affection for her."
Mallory's jaw tightened as she smiled. Mon-Mon? He had abbreviated the monkey nickname.
As if on cue, Hadeon slipped an arm around Mallory, drawing her close. Her eyes shot wide in alarm as he continued, "Mon-Mon doesn't care for shallow things like my immense wealth, which is a lot, or my strikingly handsome looks that could make a saint swoon. No, she loves me for the real me, deep down."