24 - Not Your Son, But Your Father
Chapter 24
After Monica left, I collapsed in Edith's bedroom, which was also our temporary honeymoon suite.
The only comfort was the fact that I could leave after just one night.
I was idly wondering when the Northern Closure Order was usually issued when a cool hand suddenly touched my forehead.
"Eve."
Ugh, I'm drained. I don't even have the energy to answer.
"You always seem so exhausted after meeting that young lady."
I stretched out my arms, signaling Edith to help me up.
He, who had been standing by the bed, stared down at me blankly before bending down and lightly embracing me.
I could even feel him patting me.
It was a chaste contact, careful not to let our bodies overlap, but it felt much stranger than when we slept pressed close together.
"...Thank you for the comfort. Could you help me up too?"
Edith's arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me up. It was nice that he helped me up, but then he sat me on his lap.
"Eve."
"Yes, Edith."
"That young lady left crying."
Huh?
"She said she'd rather die than not apologize or thank you, and then she started banging her head against the wall."
"Oh dear. Well, at least it's a relief that she felt sorry. Did she get back okay?"
"She bled a little, but Azena went with her, so she should be fine."
Azena had also escorted Monica on the day of the Imperial Palace ball. I hadn't spoken to her much, but I remembered that her nickname was Saint. She was a kind knight who just smiled and accepted Procyon's teasing.
Well, anyway, as a result, Monica lost interest in Gilbert, so let's just consider it a good thing. Although, I thought it was solved by removing Gilbert from the capital.
Sera has a salve that's good for wounds, so I should give it to her.
...Wait a minute, Monica could easily get that kind of salve herself, so is there really a need to do that?
Ugh, ugh... Another headache was coming on.
It was easier to deal with him when he was just picking fights with me like before.
I put my thoughts about Monica aside for a moment and looked out the window.
The carriages of the Calakis Grand Duke family were waiting in front of the main gate. Each one had a jet-black exterior, making it seem like the destination was the afterlife.
We were scheduled to leave when the sun rose tomorrow, but for the day before a long journey, the mansion was quiet. Everyone seemed to have brought only the bare minimum of luggage, like Edith.
I turned my head back to look at my husband, who was kind and considerate in his own way.
I could see his long, narrow eyes and the corners of his lips turned up in satisfaction.
"Thank you for your concern. Should I give you a compliment?"
"And a reward."
I obediently let him do as he pleased.
While Edith was combing my hair, which had become a mess from rolling around on the bed, I scanned the room. The already barren space had become completely desolate after I had removed the decorations I had brought.
In the slightly open closet, only a black cloak was hanging. It was the cloak Edith had been wearing when we first met at the Imperial Palace.
I wonder what that's made of. It was a design that had never been popular in the capital.
The length was very long, and it seemed like even if it was covered in blood, the black color would remain the same. The luster and shine were as clear as if it had just been tanned.
Noticing that I was staring at the cloak, Edith asked.
"Would you like to try it on?"
It didn't seem like it would suit me, but I nodded out of curiosity.
Edith immediately took out the cloak and draped it over my body. It felt like a stone was placed on my shoulders. Ugh.
"H-Heavy."
I staggered, and Edith quickly took the cloak off me.
"It's heavy and cumbersome."
"Why did you wear it at the Imperial Palace if it's so uncomfortable?"
"Because I wanted to look good for my wife?"
I couldn't tell if he was joking or serious.
Edith smiled with his eyes.
"Of course, even if I kept wearing only this, wouldn't my wife get tired of it? You already seem worried that my closet is full of only black clothes. If I want to be loved by my wife, I need to find other ways."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
In response to my appropriate reply, Edith responded with shocking news.
"First of all, I'm going to start with internal whistleblowing. Did you know that Procyon bought a considerable amount of sweet potatoes as emergency rations in case of an emergency? Grand Duchess also said that she was impressed by his thorough preparation."
What?!
I lifted my head sharply.
"I'll be back in a moment."
There was no need to talk to Procyon at length.
I just smiled at him like a family-like boss and told him to choose between throwing away the sweet potatoes or walking to the north.
After dealing with the terrible sweet potatoes, I asked Sera, an early riser, for a favor and went to bed.
Suddenly, I remembered Monica, who was hugging my favorite doll and blushing in a way that didn't suit her.
The salve... well, it's hard to meet her now anyway, so let's just consider it a final act of kindness.
* * *
The Calakis Grand Duke's carriages smoothly left the capital.
Looking at the fine horses running at a steady pace, I thought of Alisa, who had been left at the Marquess's residence.
Even though Alisa was one of the best horses, she wouldn't be able to withstand the harsh environment of the north.
I was reminded once again that I was going to the north.
I had wanted to say goodbye to Charles before leaving. But I gave up cleanly because I was worried that Monica might chase after me with my favorite doll.
Because I had left early, I, who was not an early riser, fell asleep in the carriage. After sleeping soundly with my head on Edith's lap, I woke up and was able to admire the scenery outside through the wide-open window.
Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've been outside the capital. The carriage, armed with money, had such a comfortable ride that I didn't feel like I would get motion sickness.
The grass swaying in the wind looked fragrant. When I opened the window to feel the breeze, the fresh scent of grass filled the carriage.
"It doesn't seem like you slept much, but the scenery has already changed."
Edith spoke when I, who had regained my senses, barely began to pay attention to the scenery outside.
"I passed by this road when I came to the capital to meet you, and the scenery caught my eye. So I didn't use Teleportation magic."
Huh?
"I wanted to show you what I saw."
It was a sweet thing to say. I had a feeling that this man might have been secretly happy to receive my proposal.
Edith was so active in our married life that I thought it was a reasonable suspicion.
I couldn't have imagined this when I decided to marry Edith Calakis.
Of course, it was a decision I made after repeatedly confirming that he was not a terrible person, but I still didn't expect much.
I thought that even if I had a conflict with Edith, I would just avoid the worst-case scenario.
And the worst-case scenario I had imagined was not being able to sign the marriage contract.
The marriage contract, which had been created arbitrarily by our ancestors, stated that if the marriage was not consummated within the specified period, the descendants would be retaliated against.
They would not be able to include their family name when signing any documents, and they would even be deprived of the right to engrave their names on their tombstones. It was such a terrible contract.
Since I had decided not to break the contract, fulfilling the contract was more important to me than anything else.
"Let's take a break. You wanted to show it to me so much, I should take a good look."
Then Edith looked touched. It was as if he was experiencing this kind of emotional exchange for the first time.
He was constantly amazed and amused.
Hmm. Hmmm.
"You know, I've been wondering this for a while, but don't take it the wrong way, do you have any friends?"
Edith narrowed his brows.
"Of course I have..."
"I don't mean your subordinates."
"...I did, but they died decades ago. He gave me the Grand Duke title as his last gift."
It was obvious that he had changed his words in the middle, but I let it go.
The previous Grand Duke of Calakis had no children. He made Edith, who was not related to him by blood, the next Grand Duke, and Edith had protected the Calakis family and the north for a long time.
Now, he was planning to pass on the position of successor to one of his two adopted sons.
In fact, the Calakis family had been virtually extinct since Edith became the Grand Duke.
"What kind of person was he?"
Edith clicked his tongue.
"There's so much I want to say, but I'll refrain. He was a guy who couldn't even remember his full name when he was thirty."
Instead of me, who was blinking my eyes because I couldn't control my expression, Edith ordered the coachman to stop.
The nervous coachman stopped the carriage rather abruptly at Edith's call.
When I went outside, the leisurely breeze ruffled my hair.
The sky was bright blue and the clouds were shaped like popcorn. There were a total of six jet-black carriages lined up, with Gilbert's carriage at the very back.
Raven, who had flown over after being cared for by Sera, sat on my shoulder and puffed up his feathers.
"Caw! Caw!"
He must have been sulking because I hadn't taken care of him lately. He opened his beak and expressed his discomfort to his heart's content. I soothed the little crow.
"Okay, okay, I'll keep you by my side."
Strangely enough, Raven liked me more than his owner, Edith. Was it because I gave him a lot of snacks?
I was about to tell Edith to take a walk when I suddenly saw the back of someone who looked particularly listless.
The boy, who was completely dejected due to the confiscation of all the sweet potatoes last night, was squatting down and sighing deeply.
I knew that Procyon, who was optimistic if you put it nicely and had a bad memory if you put it bluntly, would soon regain his energy on his own, but I was a generous and benevolent boss. Therefore, I moved my feet to comfort him in person.
