Chapter 036
“I can do whatever I want?”
Watching him casually say that I could do it if I wanted made the motivation I thought I had lost start to rise again.
“If we’re going to restore the territory, we need to thoroughly investigate the situation outside the castle first.”
I explained the general outline of my plan to Evan.
After listening to me, Evan opened his mouth with a dissatisfied look.
“You don’t need to work so hard since it hasn’t been long since you recovered.”
He suddenly paused and closed his mouth.
It was because he saw the determination in my eyes.
Evan hesitated for a moment, then looked me straight in the face and said,
“I forgot I had something to do in that direction. Let’s go together.”
I was taken aback by his unexpected proposal.
I thought he would be just as busy here as he was in the capital, with barely any time to spare.
“Really? That would be great!”
I had planned to go out with two knights, so I smiled at his words, feeling relieved. I felt much more comfortable with Evan than with the unfamiliar knights.
As I looked at him with a friendly smile, his gaze dropped back down to the table.
“Please finish your meal. The food will get cold.”
***
That night.
An unexpected problem awaited me.
‘How do we sleep together here?’
It had been about a month since I got married to him.
We had been sharing the same room and the same bed until now.
And that meant we had to continue doing the same here.
‘But the bed is a bit…’
After getting used to the enormous bed in the capital mansion, the one in front of me now seemed ridiculously small.
When I glanced back, sure enough, Evan was quietly backing toward the sofa again.
“Are you going to sleep on the sofa again?”
“It’s more comfortable this way…”
“If you lie down there, half your body will hang off the edge.”
To make matters worse, the sofa in the bedroom was quite small compared to Evan’s height.
I lay down on the left side of the bed and pointed to the other side.
“Just sleep here. The bed in the capital was ridiculously big, but this one is still decent.”
Evan stood a few steps away from the bed, his face tense.
If I had seen that face when I first met him, I would have been terrified.
“Hurry up… I’m really tired after moving around all day.”
But now I had developed the courage to brush off his expression without a second thought.
A yawn escaped me as fatigue washed over me.
Suddenly, he stepped silently into the bed and lay down as far away from me as possible.
It seemed I was the only one who had gotten used to sleeping in the same bed with him.
“Evan.”
While lying side by side, I turned slightly to him, a thought suddenly coming to mind.
Thud!
“Ugh, damn it.”
As I turned over, he unexpectedly rolled off the side of the bed.
“Are you okay?”
It sounded like a really loud noise.
“…I’m fine.”
He casually climbed back onto the bed and spoke in a flat tone.
Still, I heard him mutter something under his breath.
“Why did you call me?”
As he asked in a low voice, I looked at his blurry face in the darkness and replied.
“I just wanted to say goodnight. Goodnight.”
He scoffed at my words.
“Stop saying silly things and just sleep.”
With his familiar, curt voice ringing in my ears, I finally closed my eyes comfortably.
***
The next day.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror with an awkward expression.
Wearing commoners’ clothes for the first time felt strange.
“Is it really not weird?”
At my mumbling, a cheerful voice chimed in from behind.
“Of course! The hair color stands out, but you can hide that with a hat.”
“That’s right. You must never take off the hat! Once they see the lady’s face, it’s hard to forget.”
I spoke to the girls who were quickly fixing my hair.
“Thank you, Lucy, Vera.”
“Not at all! By the way, I have the same outfit, but seeing you wear it makes it look completely different.”
Listening to their lively voices made me smile.
These bright-faced girls were the twin maids who would be my personal attendants from now on.
It was hard to tell if it was their natural personality, but within just a few hours of meeting, they were being quite friendly.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, Evan’s voice came from outside the door.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, you can come in.”
The door soon opened, and when I saw Evan enter, I couldn’t help but gape.
He was simply wearing a tunic that ordinary commoners would wear.
But perhaps because Evan’s physique was much better than average, it naturally drew attention.
He had unbuttoned a few buttons at the front, which looked very risky yet suited him well at the same time.
“Let’s go if you’re all set.”
After briefly glancing at my outfit, Evan turned and strode forward.
“Hey, let’s go together.”
I hurried after him as he walked away confidently.
His pace slowed down just a little as I caught up.
The castle wasn’t far from the square.
The square was bustling with merchants selling various goods and workers carrying materials.
“Wow, it’s really lively.”
I was so captivated by the lively atmosphere, which was more vibrant than I had expected, that I was busy looking around.
It was then.
“Excuse me, coming through! Move aside, move aside!”
A man carrying heavy lumber on his shoulder was quickly approaching us.
Panicked, I stumbled and hesitated as he got closer.
Whoosh.
In an instant, I was pulled by a strong force on my shoulder and found myself buried in someone’s firm embrace.
“If you let your guard down for even a second, you could get hurt. Please be careful.”
A slightly sharp voice echoed above me.
Because his clothes were thin, I could distinctly feel his chest rising and falling against my cheek.
As I raised my head, our eyes met at a distance of just a finger’s width apart.
He immediately held his breath and quickly released me, saying,
“This is…! It was just an unavoidable situation. I apologize if it made you uncomfortable.”
Seeing him apologize so seriously, I felt an odd sensation.
‘Why do I want to tease him so much?’
Watching him react sensitively even to the slightest touch brought out a mischievous side of me that I didn’t know existed.
Maybe that’s why.
On impulse, I linked my arm with his.
As expected, Evan froze like a statue.
“…What are you doing?”
As I crossed my arms, he quickly scrunched his face and asked.
I could feel the curious glances from people passing by, drawn in by his intense demeanor.
But I didn’t care about his reaction and replied,
“There are too many people. Doing this might prevent things like what just happened.”
When I looked up, the first thing I noticed was his tightly pressed lips.
He seemed to be clenching them so hard that wrinkles appeared along his jawline.
There were others who paused to stare at us, their expressions fierce enough that it wouldn’t have been surprising if he got angry.
Not wanting more attention on us, I casually offered another suggestion.
“If you don’t like linking arms, should we hold hands instead?”
As the days spent with him increased, perhaps my courage did too.
I felt confident that he wouldn’t get angry with me in any situation, which made me act more friendly toward him.
midori
thanks! yasss i love that she has become more courageous! let the fun begiiinnn