SIde Story Part 1
“…Rosiel!”
Looking up at the sudden voice, I found Celi and Hertiana gazing at me with sparkling eyes.
Ugh, seems they caught me lost in thought.
“Oh, yes?”
“What are you thinking about so intently? More importantly, I heard Heilo has holy power? Tell us all about it.”
“Yes, I’ve been curious about that too.”
At Celi’s subtle prompting, Hertiana’s eyes brightened even more as she stared at me.
As Hyle’s wife and now the Marchioness Feros, I often enjoyed casual tea parties with Celi and Tia in the mansion’s garden.
Though my improved reputation meant I could easily make new friends, my position made it difficult to approach others freely.
When I was Lady Laté, the atmosphere had been much more relaxed, but becoming the mistress of House Feros had unconsciously made me more cautious.
Fortunately, Celi and Tia still treated me the same way they had before I became a marchioness, allowing our friendship to continue.
Today was another gathering day… though calling it a tea party was generous—it was more like a question-and-answer session about Hyle and our daughter Heilo.
“Hmm… nothing’s certain yet. The temple only suggested we have her holy power tested.”
“Exactly! That’s what I’m talking about! A holy power test? The temple doesn’t suggest that to just anyone! Heilo must have the qualities of a Holy Maiden!”
Celi clapped her hands excitedly upon hearing my words. Even if she did have the qualities of a Holy Maiden, Heilo was only three years old…
“Oh, here comes Heilo!”
At Tia’s words as she looked behind me, Celi and I immediately turned around.
“My, the Marquis is with her too. Didn’t you say he’s been extremely busy lately?”
“Goodness, you’re right. It feels like it’s been ages since we’ve seen him at the mansion.”
There was Heilo, taking small steps across the wide outdoor garden while holding Hyle’s hand.
Her pink curly hair tied beautifully with a black ribbon, Heilo was beaming brightly with green eyes that looked exactly like Hyle’s.
“Heilo!”
“Mommyyy.”
Seeing me, Heilo let go of Hyle’s hand and came running toward me.
As I picked up Heilo who had nestled into my arms, Hyle, who had approached, greeted Celi and Tia.
“Lady Artine, Lady Brissel. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you both.”
“I’m delighted to see you, especially knowing how busy you must be.”
As Tia responded, Celi, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward.
“Marquis, you’re as handsome as ever.”
“Rosiel loves my face, so I must take good care of it.”
Despite Celi’s blatant remark, Hyle wasn’t flustered at all and answered with a shameless smile.
Unlike before when he’d squirm at compliments, now he’s completely composed…
“Hyle, didn’t you say you had work to finish this morning?”
“Yes, I finished it.”
“What? So quickly?”
Just last night, he’d said he probably wouldn’t see Celi and Tia this morning, so I was quite surprised by his unexpected appearance.
“Rosi, I missed you.”
Hyle murmured softly as he gently kissed the back of my hand.
I tried to pull my hand away in embarrassment, but he held onto my wrist firmly.
“W-wait… Hyle.”
“Yes?”
“Ugh, you’re only good at responding.”
“Haha, yes.”
Even as I flustered, Hyle continued placing brief kisses on the back of my hand and wrist.
His green eyes, full of mischief, gazed at me intently.
“Wow, flaunting your affection when there are two single people right here.”
“It’s nice to see, but… quite irritating… I need to start dating too…”
Celi and Tia let out hollow sighs as they watched us.
“Mama, Papa, me too. I want kissy too.”
At Heilo’s whining, Hyle and I simultaneously showered both of her soft cheeks with kisses.
Soon, Heilo’s delightful laughter rang out as she giggled with joy, causing everyone around to smile warmly.
“Rosiel, about why we wanted to meet today… actually…”
Just then, Celi spoke in a strange tone.
As if she had something she wanted to say, Celi exchanged mysterious glances with Tia.
After a moment, Tia continued.
“I’ve already heard that Heilo might have the qualities of a Holy Maiden. So… I’d like to personally oversee Heilo’s holy power test.”
“Tia and I will take good care of Heilo, so you should go on a date with the Marquis. Considering the time it takes for the test results, it’ll be at least two weeks.”
Celi and Tia, smiling brightly, naturally took Heilo from my arms.
Huh? For a situation that should involve asking my opinion, everything seems already decided…
“Um, Heilo could be left with a maid…”
“Nonsense! Just trust me, Rosiel! I have three younger siblings, you know.”
As I tilted my head with an odd feeling, Celi waved her hand with a solemn expression.
“That’s right, Rosiel. I also have two younger siblings, so there’s nothing to worry about. Besides, Heilo is well-behaved and gentle, so we’ll get along fine.”
True to Tia’s words, despite being quite shy with strangers, Heilo was calmly nestled in Tia’s arms.
“That’s strange—Heilo’s not being shy at all.”
“Perhaps she feels comfortable because she senses holy power similar to yours in me.”
Tia smiled gently as she carefully patted the back of the drowsy Heilo, who was blinking her eyes sleepily.
“Come on, off you go now.”
Celi then pushed my back. Wait, they wanted us to leave right now?
“Where am I supposed to go so suddenly?”
Just as I was about to ask in bewilderment, Hyle’s hand appeared before me.
“Rosiel, everything’s ready.”
Behind him, servants carrying well-packed travel bags were already lined up.
Even a carriage was waiting, all without my knowledge.
“When did you prepare all this…?”
…Wait a minute, something’s off here. Why is everything so organized? First offering to take care of Heilo, and now insisting we travel!
“Did… the three of you plan this together?”
At my suspicious question, Celi, Tia, and Hyle all avoided my eyes simultaneously.
“Plan? This is all out of love.”
“That’s right, it’s love.”
After a moment, Hyle nodded slowly in agreement with Celi and Tia’s words.
“…Pfft.”
When I burst into laughter upon discovering their clumsy scheme, they all laughed awkwardly along.
They hadn’t expected to be found out so quickly.
“But Rosiel, you’ve rarely had time to rest properly. Especially with all the effort you’ve put into managing those beasts with the magic stone.”
“Mmm, I figured life would be constantly busy from the moment you got married at that lightning pace.”
Adding to Tia’s kind words, Celi playfully nudged my shoulder with a mischievous smile.
Ugh, I flinched unconsciously at the mention of “lightning pace.”
Come to think of it, I remember hastening our wedding preparations after discovering I was pregnant with Heilo while in the midst of planning our wedding following Hyle’s proposal.
Fortunately, I was in the early stages of pregnancy then, so my belly wasn’t showing, and I had no trouble wearing a wedding dress.
Still, the fact that everyone knew I was pregnant before marriage…
“If someone hadn’t gone around boasting, we wouldn’t have been called ‘lightning pace.'”
…was largely due to Hyle’s contribution.
The day I announced my pregnancy, Hyle embraced me with tears in his eyes, deeply moved.
When a man widely known for being stoic behaves like that, how could people not notice!
Not to mention, he purchased an enormous amount of baby items for the mansion, essentially advertising my pregnancy to the world.
“Even if I could go back to that time, I’d still announce it widely. So there’s no use giving me that look.”
As I recalled that precarious time and glanced at him, the corners of Hyle’s lips curved upward.
“Now, off you go. Heilo and her aunties will take over the mansion while you’re gone!”
At Celi’s cheerful words, Hyle and I slowly walked toward the carriage. I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Hyle, don’t you think I’ve become more generous with my smiles since marrying you?”
The old me would have asked what was so funny with bored eyes, but now that seemed like a distant memory.
“You look like you want to blame me.”
“I’m considering it.”
“By all means. I’ll gladly take responsibility.”
His firm voice was filled with deep affection.
