CH 32

When I returned from the capital, the pillow wall in our marital bedroom had been removed. As I trembled and liked the sight, Hisch smiled shyly, even though he was embarrassed.

We lay side by side on the bed even though the sun had not yet set. Hisch’s arm was muscular and firm, but it wasn’t that hard, so it was perfect for a pillow.

Being in his arms, curled up within reach of each other’s breath, felt as if this was my home.

Hisch hadn’t done much more than that. To some, it would still be a marital relationship from the outside, but Hisch was reluctant to have close contact with me in the first place.

After I learned his secret, I was able to figure out the reason without asking why, and so I decided to put my heart at ease.

I talked a lot with the thought that this man holding me in his arms would protect me from all my anxieties and worries.

As if it were someone else’s story. I told him the story about what happened in the capital, about this world. And that destruction may soon come to this place.

I still had some of my defense mechanisms at work and couldn’t say clearly that it was my own business, but Hisch just listened quietly to me.

Despite his reaction, I felt indescribably relieved that he was not listening to me in vain or thinking strangely about me.

For the first time since I came here, I felt like I had someone on my side.

When I told him about my biggest concern, which I had never been able to confide in my acquaintances or even to Sein, about what was to come to this world, I felt relieved and let out a long breath.

In fact, Hisch might not believe it. Perhaps I would never talk to Hisch about it again after this.

But at this moment. Just the fact that the man did not think my story was nonsense helped me a lot.

“Are you sleepy?”

“Yes…….”

As I slowly blinked my eyes and answered slowly, a low laugh fell over my head.

“Then get some sleep. I’ll wake you up before dinner.”

“…… it’s still broad daylight?”

“You’ve worked so hard, so take a nap just for today. That’s how you relax.”

Yes, I said affirmatively to Hisch’s words and closed my eyes.

I felt like I could fall into a wonderful deep sleep. I exhaled deeply like a beast that had finally found a safe place.

Hisch’s steady breathing could be heard before I completely lost my consciousness. He sometimes wrapped his arms around me and patted me on the back with his other arm that was not used as an arm pillow.

Then it seemed like he suddenly said this.

“Then, if what you say is true……. If such a great event looms upon us.”

Hisch muttered.

“What should I do?”

He went on.

“How can I protect you?”

Even in my sleep, I couldn’t tell if those words were really uttered by Hisch, or if it was a hallucination I had created because my dream and reality had not yet been fully separated.

After all, Hisch’s voice was calm as he uttered such solemn words. It was no different from that of the man who usually spoke to me affectionately.

And after that, maybe even Hisch asleep, as we lay sprawled out on the bed until Sein came to wake us up, and it was a bonus to hear a lot of nagging from the vassal.

The gorgeous blonde man was lost in other thoughts as he listened to the adjutant’s report.

In particular, what filled his mind these days was the doing of his ex-fiancee who broke their engagement.

To be honest, Miller wasn’t very happy about his engagement to her at first. It was because a sense of inferiority was at work.

Among the successors of the five families representing Kleinin, he was the only one who could not use any ability.

Being engaged to Liddell was also unpleasant, as if he felt the family’s intention to fill in what he lacked through this marriage.

It wasn’t because he didn’t like Liddell Catlan. In the first place, Miller didn’t know Liddell very well. Because they were indifferent to each other.

It was just supposed to be a typical noble marriage one usually hears. He thought so…….

But the woman, who had only a graceful smile like a dry flower petal, suddenly began to express her feelings honestly, and changed to become much more lively than before.

It was when he noticed that change for some reason. His scandal broke out, and the woman broke off the engagement as if she had waited and married another man.

It was so fast that he suspected that she was already meeting her current husband while they were engaged.

At first, Miller was dumbfounded. What did he lack? What was wrong with him?

Even the man who she married, putting him aside, came from a humble family. He didn’t even have a title, so he had to enter as Catlan’s son-in-law.

Miller’s pride was hurt. He was also a little chagrined. But when asked why, the woman gave a rather bland answer.

Because he doesn’t suit her. She didn’t think he would be a good fit.

At first, for that reason, oddly enough, he felt a little better.

The aloof and noble Liddell Catlan. True to her status, the woman did not simply marry a man driven by the impulse of love.

That’s what he thought.

Miller would often recall the scene.

The man stood in front of a monster the size of a house, and Liddell ran towards him without hesitation.

She even shook off the touch of her loyal knight, and at a speed that even he who trained the sword could not keep up with.

At that moment, Miller couldn’t help but think:

What on earth was that?

What on earth was that if not love, Liddell?

“…….”

“…… and here’s the next report. Recent signs on the North Continent have been alarming, causing disruptions in the procurement of supplies.”

“Looks like they eventually divided.”

Recently, the situation on the continent has not been good.

The mysterious phenomenon that was currently happening all over the kingdom was not just a problem for Kleinin, but other countries were also suffering.

In particular, the Carshion Empire, which was in close proximity to Kleinin, was said to have had succession disputes that recurred.

Rumors were circulating that the reason for the mysterious phenomenon was that the current crown prince was not the right successor.

Frankly, in the eyes of a third party, it was an example of excessive conceit. The problems on the entire continent cannot be attributed only to the crown prince of Carshion.

“The fact that the damage from the mysterious phenomenon is becoming more persistent and vicious seems to play a part. It’s also getting more and more frequent……. What was initially a simple monster has now changed to a high-level monster that was thought to be extinct.”

Miller rested his chin on his hand in his office chair and pondered.

As the unexplained mysterious phenomenon continued, Kleinin was also struggling to come up with countermeasures centered on the royal family.

At the same time, it became difficult for talented people who were loyal to the royal family to be excluded from this work.

Liddell, so were you,

Maybe your husband can’t avoid it either.

“……Find out a little more.”

Miller said in a cold voice.

“In times of crisis, information is always an opportunity.”

The man who has lived in Windsor all his life was indifferent when he heard that after the mine changed ownership, a representative was coming to solve the problem.

Originally owned by the royal family, the mine had its own value because the amount of minerals being dugged was enormous, and thanks to this, the villagers lived a rich life in which they did not starve, even if they were not wealthy.

Their lives began to fall apart after the king fell ill and the so-called ‘royal authority’ weakened.

In addition, strange monsters began to rampage, and even the surrounding territory that protected them in order to satisfy the royal family began to ignore them.

No, they’d rather just turn away. They also demanded exorbitant prices for the minerals they were receiving under the pretext of protecting the mine.

Now, the protection of the royal family has long since disappeared. In fact, they did not seem to have the time to pay attention to these places lately.

Then came the news that ownership of the mine had been transferred to someone else. Some villagers expected the new owner to remedy the situation, but most were negative.

‘Is the owner an influential person that has the power to stand up for them? These days, because of the monsters, it was difficult to mine. They must have just passed the trouble on to someone else.’

So even if the representative was visiting, they did not expect anything.

The same was true for the man.

Even as he watched a carriage from afar run across the mountain range without a break, he only had an uninterested expression on his face.

After a while, the carriage stopped, and one person stepped down from it. It was a sharp-looking man with gray hair.

In the eyes of a man who grew up here where physical strength was an asset, he had a fragile physique, which added a little bit of disappointment.

“…… Welcome to Windsor. It must have been a struggle for you to get here. Well…… if you could tell me your name……”

A man who had lived his entire life in a mining village and had never met a nobleman before tried to be polite in his own way, but the other party didn’t seem interested in such things at all.

“My name is Sein Borter, who came as the representative of the Lord of Ensis. I’m sorry, but I can’t leave the territory for long, so I want to solve the problem as soon as possible.”