TMHMFMIS-04

CHAPTER 4

Noah’s gaze was fixed on the bulletin board rather than on me.
Following his line of sight, I saw a wanted poster hanging at one corner of the board.
One was a pickpocket with a prior conviction, another was a beggar who had run away without paying his drinking bill, and another… was a con artist.
Someone who had swindled another person out of a huge sum of money.
“ hiccup.”
Suddenly, a large, warm hand came to rest against my back.
Startled, I hiccupped again, and Noah turned his entire body toward me.
“What’s wrong, Hazel?”
I could feel his hand slowly rubbing my back.
“It’s nothing. I just suddenly started hiccupping.”
I quietly took a step to the side.
He didn’t see that and think of me, did he?
Perhaps he felt superior because they had put up a wanted poster for that idiot since they couldn’t catch him, while he had already caught me.
In the end, I couldn’t stop worrying about it, so I couldn’t properly enjoy the market and returned home under the excuse that I was tired.
I never imagined that the date I had been looking forward to would become this frightening.
I had promised myself that I would act as though nothing was wrong and enjoy today’s date.
It wasn’t until I soaked myself in warm water after returning home that I finally felt a little more at ease.

—

Noah had already washed up and was waiting for me in the bedroom.
“……”
Should I try using illusion magic while there was no one else around?
“Hazel, come here.”
As though he had been waiting for me, Noah patted the bed.
Whenever he came home early, he already knew perfectly well that I liked taking naps.
It was strange to see him lying there in broad daylight with the front of his robe loosened, but even that suited him far too well, which was the problem.
I really had intended never to use it on Noah.
There were various ways to use illusion magic, but since it was generally an ability that infiltrated the other person’s mind, no matter how pleasant an illusion I showed them, it would inevitably inflict some degree of mental impact.
If the caster had no intention of attacking, the impact would be so tiny that even a child wouldn’t notice it, but even that was something I didn’t want to inflict on Noah.
I loved him enough that I had absolutely no intention of ever using illusion magic on him, but……
Since Noah had absolutely no resistance toward me, even a low-level illusion should work on him……
If he were Kailus Hadid, he wouldn’t be able to see anything no matter what I did.
I had already concluded in my heart that he was Kailus Hadid, but just in case.
I steadied my trembling breath.
Then, keeping my eyes locked with Noah’s, I let my energy flow into the surroundings and walked toward him.
With that one thread of hope, I couldn’t bring myself to show him a bad illusion, so I slowly made flowers bloom around us.
The flowers soon bloomed in profusion until they filled the entire area, yet Noah’s gaze showed not the slightest surprise or tremor.
Instead, he simply patted the bed again, urging me to come closer.
“Noah.”
“Yes, Hazel.”
A woman who looked exactly like me quietly climbed onto the bed to Noah’s left.
Then she reached out and placed her hand against his cheek, as if telling him to look at her.
Please see her, look at her.
I mean it, look!
In my desperation, I suddenly set a fire right in front of Noah.
At the same time, Noah, who had not reacted at all until then, suddenly sprang to his feet.
Can he see it?
Did he see it?
Did he really see it?
Just as joy and relief were about to overwhelm me, Noah approached me and pulled me tightly into his arms.
“When did my wife learn how to make me yearn for her like this?”
He really couldn’t see anything… at all?
I barely managed to collect myself, slipped out of Noah’s arms, and grabbed his arm.
“Noah.”
“Yes, Hazel.”
“Can’t, can’t you see anything?”
“What? If you mean my wife, I can see her perfectly well.”
“No, not me……”
He tilted his head in confusion, completely unable to understand what I meant.
No matter what kind of illusion I created right in front of him, he couldn’t see a thing.
Which meant that he really wasn’t Noah Edisi……
I released Noah’s arm and stepped backward.
Noah, who had been about to carry me to the bed in his arms, raised an eyebrow.
“I… don’t think I’m sleepy anymore. I suddenly remembered something urgent that I forgot, so I’m going to my office for a while.”
Then I abruptly turned around, left him behind, and walked straight out of the bedroom.

—

He really was Kailus Hadid.
He wasn’t Noah Edisi.
If he wasn’t Kailus Hadid, then that would mean he was the final boss and mastermind who had gathered up and swallowed every evil in existence, and that was simply impossible.
Even though I had already confirmed it through the documents, seeing it with my own eyes made all my strength drain away.
My husband was the man who had come to kill me.
The love he had shown me really had all been fake.
Had I offended him that badly?
I didn’t even need to hear why he hadn’t simply dealt with me right away and was doing all this instead.
It was obvious.
He wanted to inflict the greatest pain possible.
He intended to push me off a cliff at the very moment I was happiest.
But even so, how could he go this far?
Compared to the wealth he possessed, what I had done was smaller than a speck of dust stuck to a glove.
Honestly, I thought even the wanted poster was too much.
Even then, it seemed as though he had done it not because of the money, but because he was so offended that I had dared to deceive him.
“…Cruel.”
I knew there was only one way, but my heart kept dragging its feet and stubbornly refusing to accept it.
It wasn’t until dawn that I finally left the office.
When I still hadn’t come out of the office by evening, Noah—or rather, Kailus Hadid wearing Noah’s face—eventually came to find me there.
But I sent him away.
I made the excuse that I was too busy and had to stay there, and although there was little else he could tolerate, he absolutely could not stand seeing me skip a meal, so he brought me galette and a warm salad dish.
In any case, today was the first time since our marriage that I hadn’t shared a bed with him.
I felt a sense of loss and emptiness, but there was no way I could go in.
In the end, I didn’t leave until after four in the morning.
Click.
I carefully opened the office door and stepped out, only to see Noah’s back by the corridor window where the moonlight of dawn streamed in.
“……”
The dependable sight of Noah’s back overlapped with the ominous image of Kailus Hadid.
He turned toward me.
Noah’s face illuminated by the moonlight looked dangerously alluring.
So did his red eyes, gleaming coldly even in the darkness.
I should have come out even later.
I regretted it, but if I went back inside, Noah would probably follow me.
“Hazel.”
Noah quickly walked toward me.
“Noah, why are you still awake?”
“How could I sleep when Hazel wasn’t there?”
“…So you kept waiting here?”
Instead of answering, Noah stepped forward with his large frame, pulled me into his arms, and buried his lips against the nape of my neck.
As though he could finally breathe again, he inhaled deeply several times and rubbed his lips against my skin.
When I stroked his hair out of habit, Noah immediately picked me up in his arms as though he had been waiting for it.
“Noah?”
“Are you done with all your work?”
His lips brushing the corners of my eyes were nothing but gentle.
“…More or less.”
“Hazel, then let’s go get at least a little sleep.”
“Now?”
“Yes, Hazel.”
I blinked and made a somewhat troubled expression.
“…Then I’ll be even more tired and exhausted when I have to get ready for work later.”
Noah stared at me before letting out a short laugh.
“Wh-why are you laughing?”
“What are you thinking that makes you think you’ll be more tired?”
He was obviously teasing me.
I glared at him and muttered, “Because you always say we’re just going to sleep and then you don’t.”
Noah buried his face in my shoulder and chuckled.
A small vibration made a smile slip from my lips.
“I had absolutely no intention of doing that today.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, really.”
I still couldn’t bring myself to stop looking at him suspiciously.
“You’d better mean that. Just try not to.”
Noah chuckled again and began walking toward the bedroom with me still in his arms.

—

Only half of what Noah said was true.
Come to think of it, he had never once kept his promise when he said we were just going to sleep!
Hadn’t lying simply been built into him from the very beginning?
Otherwise, how could he possibly……!
I was fighting off sleep with half-lidded eyes when Noah, who had briefly left the room, came back in.
Noah entered humming pleasantly, carrying a tray with an omelet on it.
I’m the only one who has to suffer, as usual!
I grumbled softly as I looked at him.
“Liar.”
Even when I snapped at him, Noah merely smiled as he set the table so I could eat the omelet.
I stared at him silently.
It was clearly troublesome, yet he looked as though he was enjoying even that as he hummed while setting down the knife and fork.
He seemed to be in an even better mood than usual today.
“……”
Fine.
I decided to accept that my beloved husband was Kailus Hadid.
Likewise, I decided to accept that I had swindled my villainous husband.
That was simply reality!
Now that I knew everything, if I kissed him as I normally did, it would probably taste bitter rather than sweet.
At that thought, Noah smiled at me.
“……”
…Bitterness was healthy, after all.
Wouldn’t it be all right to keep a little bitterness around for the sake of my health?
Again! Again!
Disarmed by Noah’s sunshine-like smile, I grinned foolishly and slapped my own cheek.
I’m crazy.
That’s poison, poison.
Don’t be fooled.
Noah immediately came running toward me, looking utterly horrified.
“Hazel, why did you suddenly…? Does it hurt? Is it because I made things difficult for you until dawn? If you wanted to hit something, hit me instead. Look, your white cheek is already turning red……”
He clicked his tongue in distress, his face full of concern.
The hand touching my cheek was incredibly gentle.
“……”
Unable to answer Noah’s worried questions, I made up my mind.
So that pathetic, lovestruck act was all fake?
This really won’t do.
I’m going to waste away like this.
I needed to plan a perfect divorce.
I couldn’t let myself be fooled by him like this anymore.

—

I looked up at my guild office, the one I had worked so hard to build up.
How hard had I worked to turn a tiny office with only one room into a large two-story building!
So you’re telling me I have to abandon all this and run away……?
Sob, do you know how much commission comes in every month!
My decision to quit my position in the Imperial Knights and establish a mercenary guild had been almost an accident.
I recalled those memories with wistful eyes.