Ch#49
The Banquet (3)
In Elric’s memory, Wolyeong was not a particularly pleasant acquaintance.
He had only met them directly three times, but every single encounter had been a hindrance to him, so his impression of them could hardly be good.
Setting everything else aside, the incident at Elbus Graham’s wedding was particularly egregious.
It was a time when Elbus, who rarely settled down with one woman, had finally made up his mind that he wanted to live his life with someone.
Elric had abandoned everything on the battlefield just to go and congratulate his friend on a bright future, only to find himself face-to-face with Wolyeong attempting to assassinate Elbus.
They had sent an apology afterward, but it was far from welcome.
Adding to those personal grievances, there was one more today.
“You people really do manage to be a nuisance at every turn.”
Elric sat in his chair, leaning his body against his cane as he looked down at them.
The way they bowed their heads was a clear sign of submission.
However, he wasn’t in a good mood.
‘Is this a coincidence, or is it intentional?’
Someone now knew the connection between the Sword Demon Kasha and Elric Portman.
He wanted to strike their heads off right now to silence them, but at a point where he didn’t know how many others were involved behind the scenes, that wasn’t a very good strategy.
No, regardless of that, why were they out here in the first place?
Just as he was about to part his lips to find out, a voice broke out.
“The, the Count! It was a request from Count Nimrud!”
The member of Wolyeong who appeared to be the senior shouted urgently.
Elric’s eyebrows shot up.
“Nimrud?”
It was the father of that pathetic brat he’d met at the tailor shop.
To think he’d go so far as to mobilize assassins.
Elric asked, feeling a surge of discomfort.
“How much does he know?”
“How much do you mean…?”
“I am asking how much he knows about me.”
The assassin flinched, his body shuddering.
In a trembling voice, he confessed everything he knew.
“Well, you see…”
To summarize his words:
Count Nimrud had attempted to assassinate Elric simply for the sake of his family’s prestige, because Elric had insulted the young lord who was his heir.
While the motive was absurd, Elric found it quite pleasant that they hadn’t found any link to Kasha.
That meant there was only one thing left to consider.
“Then I’ll need to know why you lot, who usually play around in the West, are all the way out here.”
For the purpose of business expansion? What a joke.
Elric knew exactly who pulled Wolyeong’s strings from behind—the identity of the mastermind that even they might not know.
Given that person’s temperament, there was no reason for Wolyeong to expand into the East.
“Now, I don’t particularly like lies.”
As Elric released his killing intent, the Wolyeong assassins swallowed hard.
And then, through words squeezed out in sheer terror.
“T-that is…”
Elric’s mind went blank.
Tiria looked into the mirror after finishing her preparations.
A simple navy-blue dress, hair neatly braided and pinned up, and makeup applied moderately, not too heavily.
She looked the same as she did for any other banquet, but inside, Tiria felt a deep sense of satisfaction as she gazed at her reflection.
It was only natural.
Unlike other times, Elric would be accompanying her to this banquet.
How could she not be excited for their first royal banquet together?
There would be no following behind the former head of the family to talk business with clients like she had for the past nine years.
There would be no sitting alone in a corner of the ballroom, idly passing the time like she had last year.
Actually, she didn’t mind being in a corner.
Just being with Elric at that moment, in that time, would bring Tiria ultimate contentment.
“Madam, the young master’s preparations are complete.”
At Aldio’s arrival and announcement, Tiria felt a small flutter of excitement.
However, one must not show private emotions to a servant.
“I see. Let us head out then.”
“Yes. And…”
“I thought we agreed to stop talking about that.”
Aldio flinched.
Tiria suppressed the embarrassment rising within her and brushed off his presence with an air of indifference.
It was undoubtedly about the bed.
“Even if it is for a short time, how could I let the head of the family use a poor-quality bed? A noble must find comfort even in a single night’s sleep.”
She had been flustered when she first saw that Elric’s bed was broken, but in that moment, she had acted instinctively.
First, she had pulled him into her bed, and second, she had delayed the delivery of his new bed.
She felt a bit ashamed because it was something she’d done reflexively without thinking.
But wasn’t that what a married couple did?
It wasn’t as if she was trying to do anything grand; she just wanted to sleep in the same bed. How could that be considered excessive greed?
Moreover, they hadn’t even done anything particularly intimate; they really just slept.
It would be a lie to say she had no regrets at all, but Tiria was feeling more than satisfied with just that.
In any case, if there was a blunder, it was that Aldio, who had been delivering the letters during the process, had caught on to her intentions to some extent.
She had managed to silence him with various excuses, but he had been showing signs of distress lately, as if his conscience were pricking him.
“Well…”
Aldio, who had been watching her reaction, eventually nodded.
The words that followed carried a hint of self-justification.
“That is true. Of course, since you are a married couple. And it is about time for an heir…”
“Butler.”
“…Yes, I apologize.”
Aldio lowered his head, looking dejected.
For some reason, Tiria felt sorry and awkward, so she murmured softly as if letting the words slip.
“…That will begin when the time is right. Producing an heir is also a noble’s duty.”
Her voice was strictly businesslike.
It was a bad habit of Tiria’s to hide her emotions even more whenever she felt nervous.
Aldio’s expression brightened slightly.
An heir.
Tiria knew well that the prospect of having a child brought joy to more than just herself.
The reason she still avoided mentioning it explicitly was her stubborn refusal to let their time in bed be driven by professional obligations.
“…Let’s go.”
Tiria rose from her seat.
Enough idle thoughts.
If she stayed trapped in useless reflections, it would only ruin a good time.
She headed toward Elric.
“You’ve come.”
Seeing Elric greeting her at the main entrance, Tiria felt her heart leap wildly.
There was something so heart-fluttering about seeing a loved one looking different than usual.
His light brown suit, matching his hair, looked very composed.
The powder naturally applied so as not to ruin his appearance emphasized a restrained beauty, and his forehead, fully revealed by his swept-back hair, was straight and handsome.
“…Let us depart.”
Tiria said, pointlessly staring at the floor.
She felt like she couldn’t meet his eyes.
He replied with a low chuckle.
“Let’s do that.”
For some reason, his voice was lower than usual.
As she glanced at him while boarding the carriage, he looked like he had a lot on his mind.
She remembered that he hadn’t been very fond of the idea of a royal banquet.
Perhaps he was nervous.
If so, it was her job as his wife to ease his tension.
Tiria said, casting her gaze out the window.
“Nothing much will happen. Even if it is a banquet, the attention will mostly be on the nobles of the capital.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. We just need to kill some time and then leave.”
“…I see.”
His response was a bit slow, as if he were thinking about something else.
A moment of slight disappointment flared up.
After letting out a small grunt, he belatedly added a sentence.
“You look beautiful today.”
Tiria’s fingertips twitched.
Her gaze snapped toward Elric.
A dazed sound escaped her.
“…Pardon?”
“You look a bit different than usual. I meant to say the dressing suits you well.”
He was meeting her eyes with a gentle smile.
Feeling bashful, she shifted her gaze back out the window.
Could he not say it just one more time?
She needed confirmation that what she just heard wasn’t a dream.
She was about to ask, but in the end, Tiria pressed her lips firmly together.
It was because she felt her heart might actually explode if she heard the same words again.
‘I’m going to marry a peerless beauty.’
Even if the current me isn’t quite the peerless beauty you wished for, am I at least somewhere near it?
Have I reached the point where I won’t be called ugly anymore?
Her lips kept curling upward for no reason, and it was quite difficult to manage her expression.
Tiria’s gaze headed out the window again.
She suppressed her trembling and showed her gratitude.
“It suits you well too, Head of the family.”
She meant it, but once again, her words came out stiffly due to her nerves.
What a wretched habit; she wished she could show her sincerity just once by pretending it was a slip of the tongue.
While she was thinking, his answer came back.
“This is the outfit you chose for me, wife. I thought there was no way it wouldn’t suit me.”
The hand clutching her dress couldn’t stay still, fidgeting restlessly.
She was in the middle of a struggle as her palms began to sweat, and before she knew it, the carriage had arrived at the Royal Castle.
She wondered why the castle, which had always looked gray to her, seemed so colorful today.
She couldn’t tell if it was because the weather was good or because her mood was good.
“Then, let’s go.”
Elric stepped out of the carriage first and extended his hand.
His posture was a bit awkward.
Even so, it was an escort.
Tiria took his hand, anxious about whether the sweat on her palms would show.
As their fingers interlaced, she felt a tickling sensation blooming inside her.
“…Yes.”
Tiria’s gaze lowered, her eyelashes casting long shadows.
My Wife is Waiting in the Wheat Field (Serialized)
