Chapter 24

After Monica left, I laid down in Addis’s bedroom, our temporary honeymoon spot.

The fact that I could leave after just one night comforted me.

At that time, I was thinking about when the Northern Closing Ordinance would be permitted when suddenly, a cold hand touched my forehead.

“Eve.”

Ugh, it sucks. I have no energy to answer.

“I’m tired after meeting the spirit of a poisonous snake.”

I stretched out my arms to ask Aedis to cheer me up.

Then, standing by the bedside, he looked down at me, leaned down, and hugged me lightly.

I even felt him lightly pat my back. His touch was light.

“Thank you for comforting me. Could you get me up?”

Addis’s arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me. I was grateful that he had pulled me up, but he placed me on his lap to my surprise.

“Eve.”

“Yes, Aedis?”

“That Miss… she left crying.”

Hmm?

“I wouldn’t apologize or say thank you, so she slammed her head against the wall and told me, ‘I’d rather die,’”

“Oh, I’m glad you were sorry though. Did it go well?”

“There was blood, but Azena’s been keeping an eye on it, so it should be fine.”

Azena escorted Monica on the day of the imperial ball. We didn’t talk much, but I was able to remember that his nickname was ‘Saint’. Azena was a good knight who smiled and accepted Prokeon even when he acted snobbishly.

Well, let’s say it’s a good thing that Monica ended up turning a blind eye to Gilbert.

We solved it by getting Gilbert out of the capital.

Sarah had an ointment that worked well for wounds, which I could give to Monica… no, wait a minute, Monica could easily get her hands on a similar balm. Was it necessary to do that?

Ugh, ugh, ugh… I could feel another incoming headache.

Things seemed so much simpler when we were arguing like before. I abandoned my thoughts of Monica for a while and looked out the window.

In front of the main gate, carriages of the Kallakis family were waiting. All of them had a jet black appearance, so they seemed destined for the underworld.

I was supposed to leave tomorrow at dawn, but the mansion was eerily quiet, although it was only one day before I left for my journey. It seemed that everyone had brought minimal luggage, like Aedis.

I turned my head back and stared at this otherwise affectionate and thoughtful husband. I could see the corners of his eyes and lips raised satisfactorily.

“Thank you for your attention. Should I compliment you?”

“Of course.”

I hung my head in silence while Aedis combed my hair. I took a look inside the room, gazing at the dreary space that had once been full; all the ornaments I brought has been removed.

Only a black cloak hung in the slightly-opened wardrobe, the cloak that Aedis wore when we first met at the Imperial Palace.

What is that material? It was a design that had never been popular in the capital.

The cloak was long, and the black never changed color, even when stained with blood. The gloss and luster were vivid as if they had just been tanned.

Noticing me staring at his cloak, Aedis asked. “Would you like to try it?”

It didn’t seem like it would fit me well, but I nodded in curiosity.

Immediately, Aedis took out his cloak and wrapped it on my body. It felt as though a lump of stone was sitting on my shoulder. Ugh.

“No, it’s heavy.”

As I stumbled, Aedis quickly removed the cloak.

“It’s heavy and cumbersome.”

“It’s so uncomfortable. Why did you wear it at the Imperial Palace?”

“Because I wanted to look good for my wife?”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious.

Aedis smiled.

“Of course, if I wear this all the time, won’t my wife get sick of looking at it? I think you’d be upset if my closet was only full of black clothes. To be loved by you, I’ll have to find other means.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

At the answer, Aedis responded with some shocking news. “First of all, I’m going to start by being a whistleblower. Did you know, Prokeon bought a lot of sweet potatoes as emergency food just in case? He said that even a visionary would admire his thorough preparation.”

What?!

I raised my head.

“I-I’ll be right back.”

I didn’t need to say much to Prokeon. I merely laughed and told him to choose between throwing away the sweet potatoes and walking to the north.

After dealing with the terrible sweet potatoes, I requested Sarah, the morning man, and went to bed.

Suddenly, the image of Monica blushing and hugging my favorite doll arose in my mind.

What should I do with the ointment… well, it was hard to meet anyway, so I’d pretend this my last act of kindness.

* * * *

The carriage of the Grand Duke of Kallakis left the capital.

As I watched the great horses running at a stable speed, I remembered Alisa, who I had left behind in the Marquis.

Even though Alisa was one of the best horses, it could not withstand the north’s harsh environment.

The realization that I was going to the north hit me again.

I wanted to say goodbye to Charlie before leaving, but I gave up because of the fear that Monica might come after me with my favorite doll.

Because we departed early, I, who is not a morning person, slept as soon I got on the carriage. When I woke up after sleeping on Aedis’ lap, I was able to see the outside scenery through the cool, open window.

Come to think of it; it had been a long time since I had been out of the capital. The carriage was so comfortable that it is unlikely to get motion sickness.

I opened the window to allow the fragrance of the grass, swaying in the wind, into the carriage.

“I didn’t think I slept that much, but the scenery has already changed.”

Aedis opened his mouth when I came to my senses, barely paying attention to the scenery outside.

“When I came to the capital to see my wife, I passed this road, and the scenery caught my eyes. So I didn’t use the movement magic.”

Huh?

“I want to show my wife what I saw.”

[T/N: I can’t, I can’t XD]

How sweet. This man may just be happy to be engaged to me.

When I decided to marry Aedis Kallakis, I never imagined anything like this.

Of course, I chose him after confirming he wasn’t a bad person, but I didn’t expect much. I thought I would be avoiding the worst-case scenario. And the worst case I thought of was not being able to sign the marriage contract.

The ancestors’ marriage contracts were subject to the descendants’ retaliation if the marriage was not completed within the specified period.

Aedis could not include his family on any papers, and he was denied the right to put his name on tombstones. It was such a damned contract.

Since I decided not to break the contract, the contract’s implementation was more important to me.

“Let’s take a break. You wanted to show me something, so I have to look at it properly.”

Aedis looked moved. He seemed estranged from such an emotional exchange.

How strange and fun. Hmm.

“You know, I’ve been wondering about this for a while, but don’t take it personally. Do you have any friends?”

Aedis narrowed his eyebrows. “Of course I do…”

“Not the men.”

“He died several decades ago. He passed the Grand Duke title as the last gift.”

In the middle of his sentence, his tone changed, but I ignored it.

The Grand Duke of Kallakis had no children. He made Aedis, who had not a single drop of Kallakis blood, the next Grand Duke, and Aedis had long been guarding the Kallakis’ gate in the north.

Now, Aedis was to hand it over to one of his two adoptive sons.

Ever since Aedis became the Grand Duke, he had been cut off from the rest of the Kallakis family.

“What kind of person was he?”

Aedis clicked his tongue. “There are so many things to say. He was thirty years old and couldn’t even memorize his full name.”

I rapidly blinked my eyes, unable to control my facial expressions, and Aedis instructed the coachman to stop.

The coachman, nervous at Aedis’ call, stopped the carriage a bit hastily.

As I went outside, the quietly flowing wind scattered my hair.

The sky was blue, and the clouds were shaped like popcorn.

There were a total of six black carriages that stopped, with Gilbert’s carriage at the very back.

Raven, who had come to me while being cared for by Sarah, sat on my shoulder and ruffled his fur.

“Caw! Caw!”

I guess he was upset because I hadn’t been taking care of him these days. He opened his beak wide and looked displeased.

“Yeah, yeah, stay by my side.”

Oddly enough, Raven liked me more than his master, Aedis. Was it because I gave him a lot of snacks?

I was going to tell Aedis to go for a walk, but I suddenly saw the back of somebody’s head.

The boy, who was overwhelmed by all the sweet potatoes’ confiscation last night, was squatting and sighing.

Instead of asking for a walk, I excused myself to Aedis.

“Aedis? Wait here for a minute.”

I knew that Prokeon, who was optimistic and had a bad memory, would soon regain his energy, but I was a broad-minded and benevolent boss.

Therefore, I personally stepped in to comfort him.