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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Ferris Wheel Close Call
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“What the hell is this supposed to be!”
A man yelled at another while holding up a sheet of paper.
It was the half-assed schedule Cynthia had slapped together.
“What’s with this half-baked plan? I had high hopes since it was hard-earned intel! And it’s all wrong anyway!”
They were members of the Liberty Society, a group that despised the royal family. Having given up on their “Cynthia kidnapping plan,” they had followed her all the way to Media, waiting for an opening to snatch her.
The Brigadier General needs her, so he’ll do anything to get her back. We’ll use her as much as we can and then hand the princess over to the enemy nation.
In truth, they were receiving aid from the enemy country. The Liberty Society was little more than a spy network that gathered people under the banner of “opposing the restoration of the monarchy.”
But finding two people blended into a crowd under umbrellas wasn’t easy.
So they had staked out the scheduled spots in advance, only to come up empty every time.
His face red with anger, he held up another sheet.
“And this! It’s just a damn list of good restaurants!”
“Thanks to that, dinner wasn’t a bust today. The veggies were cooked perfectly. Media food is so tasteless...”
A aggrieved low-ranking member whined.
Another member stepped in.
“We know she’s staying at the palace. How about sneaking in pretending to be tourists?”
“You’ve got some guts going up against the Media royals. If you get caught, you’re dead meat!”
A senior member bellowed, but someone spoke up worriedly.
“I heard that woman’s protected by the Goddess of Luck. Everyone who tried to assassinate her ended up dead.”
“Hah, cut the crap. As if that’s real.”
As the senior member paled slightly, one of them pointed at the stalled Ferris wheel.
“Ah, looks like the Ferris wheel broke down. Tough luck for the people stuck inside.”
“If they’re a couple, isn’t that good luck?”
“Ugh, suddenly feeling unlucky. Seems like another bust today. Let’s head back.”
The Liberty Society members sighed as they passed under the Ferris wheel.
They had no idea the trapped couple was exactly who they were looking for.
If the Ferris wheel had been running normally, they might have crossed paths.
Inside the stalled Ferris wheel, I flinched and huddled up every time the wind made it rattle and shake.
Masera, who had been quietly staring outside, gently pushed me away as I clung to him like a scared octopus.
“It’ll start moving again soon.”
“Yeah, right? Just stay still, okay? You’re so big, it shakes more when you move.”
Rattle!
Right then, the gondola shook hard, moved for about five seconds, then stopped again.
“Eek!”
When I came to, I was sitting on Masera’s lap, arms wrapped around his neck.
Masera looked down at me with cold eyes.
“Is clinging a habit of yours?”
“You’re the only one here to cling to right now.”
“What if it were someone else?”
“Maybe even with Eugene...”
“Are you affection-starved or something?”
At his prickly tone, I widened my eyes.
“You know psychology well? I’ve kinda thought I might be. The symptoms in magazines all sound like me...”
“That’s not it.”
He looked conflicted, like it was hard to say outright.
In the end, I asked directly.
“Are you bothered by me getting close to other people?”
“A married woman acting like this with other men doesn’t look good to others.”
“I wouldn’t ride a Ferris wheel alone with some random guy? I’m only clinging because you’re my husband.”
I pulled my arms from around his neck, grumbling.
Just then, the gondola shook lightly, and my body swayed. He quickly wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me, frowning.
“Like at the reception. Being escorted by men who aren’t me.”
“Huh? You escorted other women too? Hypocrite much?”
“I don’t know what ‘hypocrite’ means, but with the grand duchess, we just ran into each other at the entrance and talked. I...”
Rattle rattle.
“...waited for you there.”
His last words were drowned out by the shaking.
The gondola seemed to rattle wildly again, and suddenly the door swung open.
A Ferris wheel attendant stared at us with wide eyes.
While we’d been locked in conversation, the ride had started up again and returned to the platform.
“Sorry for the inconvenience— Uh, um... Ride again on the house!”
The attendant, flustered by our embarrassing position, slammed the door shut.
Masera narrowed his eyes and released me.
“Move aside while I’m asking nicely.”
“Hmph. As if you’re always so nice.”
As the gondola rose again, a long silence stretched between us. About five seconds.
“Ah, that’s the 100-year-old café I scouted. We can get dessert there.”
I pointed excitedly at the café visible through the window, and he nodded.
“Let’s do that.”
Why’s he answering while looking the other way?
What’s so interesting over there?
He looked almost obsessive, like he’d spotted something, so my curiosity piqued. I scooted over to his side and peered out.
But nothing stood out to me.
Just some guys below looking at papers and talking seriously.
Masera shifted away slightly, aware of me beside him, but I just said what I wanted.
“Do you like night views? They’re usually best from the highest spot. But I prefer mid-height.”
“That’s unique. And your conversation topics change so fast.”
“From the top, it’s like a sea of stars, but midway, you see each one in detail.”
I traced my finger over the sign outside that read, Life is like a Ferris wheel, up and down.
“Life’s the same. Everyone struggles to reach the top, but I think staying midway and looking around is most important. So descending isn’t a fall, but heading to another path.”
You’ve lived fighting too. I hope you don’t worry about falling again.
I’d monologued quite sentimentally.
“True, you can even make out the fine print on signs.”
That guy’s eyesight is insane. Sniper material.
Suddenly, his eyes, fixed outside, turned to me.
I’d learned during our honeymoon cling-fest that his blue-and-purple eyes captured the ever-changing sky.
Clear skies, cloudy, sunset. Now it was blue hour dawn.
Unlike when gazing out, his calm eyes met mine as he added,
“Up close, you see things that aren’t visible from afar.”
The longer his gaze lingered, the more my cheeks itched oddly.
Does perfect eyesight let you see stuff others miss? Like eye boogers?
I rubbed my eyes and fussed with my hair for no reason.
By now, the gondola had reached the top and begun its slow descent.
“Where’s the schedule? You haven’t looked at it once since leaving the palace.”
“Duh, of course I brought it...”
Huh? Where’d it go?
I rummaged through my small bag, blinking.
Come to think of it, it’s gone. Did the wind take it?
“Of course I brought it, but sadly, I lost it.”
I said proudly. I remembered all the restaurants anyway.
“Figured it wasn’t needed.”
Masera brushed back his platinum hair, looking smug. Infuriating, but he was right—nothing had gone to plan.
As our gondola neared the ground, I said,
“Still, nothing going as expected was kinda fun, right?”
“Better that way. Soldiers expect death the most.”
Lost in thought, he asked,
“Are soldiers who kill enemies scary?”
“What if that enemy were me...?”
I answered honestly, unsure of his intent.
“High-ranking officers like me have many enemies. Naturally, an officer’s wife has just as many. She’s an easy target, so actually in far more danger.”
What’s his point?
I stared at the serious-faced Masera.
He added slowly,
“I’m worried about you as an officer’s wife. A soldier like me can’t even accommodate your traumas.”
Is this about me panicking at the gun and fireworks sounds? Warning me not to be a burden later...
“Brigadier General, do you actually care about me?”
I leaned in unthinkingly, eyes sparkling.
That means I matter a bit!
Burden = care = like = marriage.
Analysis: This guy’s a total tsundere.
Saying it in such a roundabout way. Cute.
I’ll flirt aggressively from now on.
