Volume 3 Chapter 6 Part 2
Translator: Kurehashi Aiko Editor: Queenie
Either way, I was glad that he was eating his meal without any reservations, and I continued to watch over him until he finished the whole sandwich. With each bite, Klanven’s eyes opened wider in astonishment.
「…… Delicious.」
「I’m glad to hear that. I would like to oversee the cooking of your meals in the future, Your Highness. Is that alright with you?」
When I said that, Klanven looked at me with even bigger astonishment visible on his face.
I smile back at him and then Klanven lets out a deep sigh, seemingly at a loss for words. Speaking of which, this must be the first time that I genuinely smiled at him for something he said or did, not the other way around.
「 –––– I understand. Let’s do just that.」
「Thank you very much.」
Then, Klanven didn’t say anything more, instead focusing on cleaning up his plate from both the sandwich and the soup. While looking at him from afar, I felt as though I had beaten him for the first time in a while.
********
Then, after finishing our duties for the evening, I escorted Klanven back to his chambers and went to my own room, where I got changed in my night clothes.
「I feel so tired for some reason……」
After deciding on Klanven’s meal plan for the following day I sat in front of the mirror. After letting out a small sigh I prepare to go to sleep, since I needed to wake up early for tomorrow’s duties. However, sleep just wouldn’t come to me, and I ended up tossing around in bed from side to side.
「This is troubling.」
「Did something happen again?」
「!?!?!?」
Suddenly, I heard a voice right behind my back. Looking in that direction, I could see a blue knight uniform reflected in the mirror’s surface.
I spring up to look at my visitor, but instead of the usual jet black hair all I can see is shiny gold.
For a moment there I thought that maybe I was finally able to fall asleep and I was dreaming. But soon enough I realize that’s not it. His features were as majestic as ever, and no dream could recreate them with such attention to detail. He was looking towards me.
「Edilka-sama. Please don’t startle me like that! To what reason do I own this sudden night visit?」
「Do I need a reason to pay my own wife a visit?」
「No, you don’t but that’s not the point here……」
Hearing his voice sounding lower than usual, I lower my head a little bit. Why was that man, my husband, here?
What was his reason, I wonder? Not to mention that he was still in his Edilka Vince form. He was not my husband at the moment, which was making figuring out his motives even more challenging.
I know that we are husband and wife, but using teleportation magic to come straight into my room in the dead of the night was simply unheard of! What would he do if I were in the middle of changing my clothes? It was still embarrassing for me to see him witnessing my bare skin.
It’s not that I was unhappy with him paying me a visit, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt if he was to use a door like any other people.
「–––– I heard that from now on you are going to be in charge of His Highness’s food.」
Hearing him say that, I blink a few times. Oh, so that’s what’s it all about?
「Yes. Because his meal today turned out to be poisoned. And I do believe that looking after his health is also a part of my duties.」
As I was looking for more suitable words to say what was on my mind, I saw the man’s stare. He was looking right at me, urging me to continue.
「How should I put it…… He looked as though he was about to give up.」
「Give up? Give up what?」
「Give up on living.」
Even though his food was poisoned, I still couldn’t chase out the vision of Klanven eating his meal with enthusiasm out of my head.
“Death”. What does this word even mean? You hear people talk about it all the time, but what is the true dreadfulness of the term “to die”? People may not be properly scared of it since they never experienced it, but for someone like me, who died in my previous life and was reborn, I am fairly sure I know a thing or two about it. At least more than Klanven does.
Death is something that will get us all, no matter the status or lifestyle. It is similar to a curse, that even though it might happen to someone else, it still leaves its mark on everyone around them. It’s the same for Klanven. There definitely are people that would be saddened by his death, like Aisha and the guys at the bar. Klanven surely must have been aware of that. That is why his attitude today was something that I was finding hard to understand.
The man looked down on me sadly, eventually letting out a deep sigh. Hearing that, my shoulders sunk a little bit.
「Umm, I’m sorry I did something so immature all on my own.」
「I’m not really angry at you for that.」
「You don’t need to say anything, I can see it on your face.」
The man thought that he was a mystery for everyone around him, but once you got to know him well, you could tell things like that with ease. The man laughed ironically, taking my hand in his.
「Does it really show on my face like that?」
「Yes, very much.」
「If you say so, then it must be true.」
As if tired of playing someone else, the man got rid of his blonde hair. Then he sighed again. Seeing his shiny black hair for the first time in such a long time, I could feel the strength leaving my body.
「Fufu.」
「What is it?」
When he smiles, I reach out my hand towards him. I giggled again, tracing my fingers along the lines of his face.
「I knew it, I like you so much more as my Dear Husband than Edilka-sama.」
The man smiled ironically, but his eyes looked as though he was told something rather surprising.
「Hoo? Wouldn’t you fonder of Edilka as your partner? If I was Edilka from the beginning, maybe you wouldn’t have to suffer at all or become my wife?」
「…………」
「!?」
Not being able to hold myself back any longer I crawled closer to the man, placing my hands on his cheeks, making him shake in surprise. Then, I placed the tip of my finger on top of his nose, while he was still looking down at me.
「Filmina!?」
While he was taken aback by my daring behavior, while I smile brightly in self-satisfaction.
「Edi. Do you want to make me mad so badly?」
「T-that’s not what I……」
「If that is indeed so, then please refrain from saying things like that in the future. You are mine and I am yours, and as your wife I am not going to tolerate any kind of talk that would suggest otherwise! It would make me pretty sad.」
While the man was still speechless, I caress his cheeks with my hands and continue talking.
「Besides, I think it’s a good think that Edi is nothing like Edilka-sama.」
The man said nothing to that, and I could see my own smiling expression reflected in his dark eyes.
「Please, don’t be angry. It is regrettable that other people seem to be treating Edilka-sama way better than you, but it honestly made me a little bit happy.」
「…………?」
The man didn’t seem to know what I was trying to say by that. Even though we knew each other for a while now, he was still a little bit slow when it comes to things like that.
I didn’t wanted to say this directly because it would still be embarrassing, but since that man was still so clueless, I might not have another choice.
「Because, you know? It kind of makes me happy that the only one who knows how wonderful you truly are is me, your wife……」
Suddenly the man reached out his arms and hugged me tightly. I could smell the sweet scent of perfume coming from his body, so different from his usual fragrance of herbal mixtures. I could feel my face becoming bright red in an instant.
「The more you take care of His Highness, the more likely you are to see these kinds of assassination attempts. If you ever feel in danger, just call me. I will rush to your side.」
In response to his words, I reached out my hands and enclosed them around the man’s back as well. I did that as a means of answering his confession, since I knew just how much courage it must have taken him to say those words.
「Umm, Edi.」
「What is it?」
「Is that all?」
「Whatever do you mean?」
「Do you really need to ask me that?」
I remember the question that Klanven asked me a few days ago, and I was still looking at the man I smiled at him, while he still looked stunned. It was super effective.
「Don’t you want to?」
Now it was all just a matter of how he was going to react. I already made my move and it was his turn to react. I could only wait and see.
I could understand that my face was bright red right about now. I was trying to hide it by burying my face in the man’s chest, but he only laughed merrily upon seeing that. Even though I was controlling the situation just a moment ago, now I was regretting ever opening my mouth. Still, it was all worth seeing his reactions.
「It looks like you don’t know anything about the rumors going around, do you?」
「What rumor?」
When I raised my head upon hearing his words, the man looked me in the eyes as he began to carefully spin his next words.
「The one about how the High Priest that came to the castle for the time because of the Festival is having an affair with the wife of the Court Magician.」
「Wha…………!?」
While I was at a loss for words, the man continued in an unshaken fashion.