CHAPTER 7
“Like I said, you don’t have to do things like that anymore, Representative.”
“You pay us our salaries so we can handle those things!”
“You just need to stay in your position, and the guild is already growing by leaps and bounds.”
“It’s nice to do it once in a while.”
“When I first established the guild, I did everything myself.”
“That’s exactly why you should take it easy now!”
“You need to stay as our representative for a long, long time.”
Nijella kept massaging my arm as we walked.
And now I had to leave this place behind.
I simply answered with a faint smile.
—
That evening.
I left work with Noah, who had come to pick me up as usual.
“Hazel, you worked hard today, too.”
“You too, Noah.”
Once the carriage started moving, I leaned against Noah as usual and rested.
“Hazel, by the way, do you know what I heard today?”
“…What?”
“I heard that the representative of some guild defeated a monster that appeared in the village.”
“……”
So the news had reached his ears after all.
I slowly lifted my head from where I had been leaning against him and began inching my body away from Noah.
“Who do you think it was, sweetheart?”
Ugh, there it was again.
“Well, I-I don’t know.”
“M-Maybe another new guild was established?”
“Ah! There’s some dust here…!”
I desperately searched for nonexistent dust and scrubbed at the carriage seat, trying my hardest to evade the question.
But my attempt ended in spectacular failure, and I found myself staring straight into Noah’s eyes with both my cheeks caught in his hands.
“Hazel.”
“…Umm, well.”
“Hazel Love.”
Ugh, now that he was calling me by my name as well as ‘sweetheart,’ if I couldn’t get out of this properly, I was in for at least an hour-long lecture.
“No, Noah, listen to me.”
“I was originally planning to leave it to someone else.”
“But?”
“Yes, yes, I was.”
“But the monster was much closer than I expected, you know?”
“And it was coming so fast…”
“I thought something really terrible would happen if I just left it alone.”
“……”
“But when I actually saw it, it was weak!”
“It went down in just one hit!”
“There was absolutely nothing for you to worry about!”
“Absolutely nothing!”
“Look, I didn’t even get a scratch!”
“It was over in less than five minutes, really!”
I widened my eyes as much as possible and pleaded my case, but Noah let out a sigh.
“You promised me that you wouldn’t put yourself in danger again, remember?”
“My wife was the one who made that promise first.”
“Uuung…”
Of course I remembered.
Back when I hadn’t known that Noah and Kailus were the same person, I had been startled when I saw blood on the cuff of his sleeve and made him promise me that.
At the time, I had only worried that perhaps he had been attacked by a monster or gotten caught up in some ordinary fight.
I hadn’t known what a terrifying person he really was!
Anyway, that was that, and according to Noah, I had broken my promise.
There was nothing I could do but prostrate myself and beg for forgiveness.
“If it looks dangerous, I really, really won’t step in anymore.”
“So just let me off this once, Noah, please?”
“Hmm?”
“Yes?”
“My beloved sweetheart, husband, darling, honey, Noah, I’m sorry—waaah.”
Noah, who was slow to relax his frown, grabbed both my cheeks and stretched them sideways.
“I can’t exactly carry you around all day just because I’m worried about you.”
“I w-won’t do it again, for weal.(I really won’t do it again.)”
“If something like this happens again…”
“Never!”
“Never, ever!”
“You promise, Hazel?”
“Uung, I really promise.”
Apparently, even that wasn’t enough to soothe him, because he went so far as to bite my cheek.
Still, at least I managed to stop what could have turned into a lecture lasting more than an hour.
Afterward, Noah went out again and didn’t return until late at night.
Whenever work got busy, he sometimes went out in the evening like this and came back at night or even at dawn.
Normally, I would have let it slide.
But now that I knew his true identity, my first thought was whether he was doing something dangerous.
Not because I was worried about him, but because I wondered what terrifying thing he might be up to!
“Sigh.”
In the end, I stayed in my study looking through documents until dawn before returning to my room to sleep.
Even then, Noah was still nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps that was for the best.
I buried my exhausted body in the bed and closed my eyes.
—
Around dawn.
Kailus entered the mansion with an exhausted and irritated expression and roughly tugged at his tie.
From the moment he stepped inside, the servants held their breath as if they were dead.
It was completely different from how they acted whenever Hazel appeared, laughing and fussing over her with warm smiles.
Afraid of catching his attention and incurring his wrath, they merely bowed their heads in greeting before disappearing.
“Your Grace.”
A man appeared behind him like a shadow and lowered himself onto one knee.
“Why?”
“Everything you instructed has been prepared.”
“Are you planning to depart tomorrow?”
“Yes, if Hazel hasn’t noticed anything.”
“There must not be a single mistake until then.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Please don’t worry.”
“Have you not been preparing for this for a long time?”
“Even so, I can’t let my guard down until the very end.”
Kailus’s subordinate spoke as though he were finally relieved.
“You’ve truly worked hard all this time, Your Grace.”
Kailus’s red eyes slowly swept over the man.
The man swallowed unconsciously under the pressure.
“Go.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The man who had appeared like a shadow disappeared back into the darkness.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Kailus strode down the hallway without hesitation and headed toward Hazel’s bedroom.
When he finally opened the door and entered, Hazel was sleeping peacefully in bed beneath the very faint glow of a night lamp.
It was proof that she had waited for him.
Kailus placed his gloves on the table and approached Hazel.
He looked down at her clear, innocent face as she slept deeply, breathing softly, his expression devoid of emotion.
“……”
Her neck looked so fragile it seemed as though it could snap at any moment.
Her small hand was clutching the blanket even in sleep.
And if one watched closely, the pulse in her wrist could be seen fluttering.
There wasn’t a single part of her that didn’t look delicate and vulnerable.
As he stared at Hazel sleeping so peacefully, without the slightest suspicion, Kailus slowly reached out his hand as though he were about to wrap it around her slender neck.
—
I flinched!
Oh my God, my neck!
I woke up with a start.
I had dreamed that Noah was strangling me.
He brought his huge hand to my neck, and it felt so real that I thought he was actually going to snap my neck.
Of all the dreams I could have had, why did it have to be such a horrible one?!
My sleep was completely gone.
My precious neck!
I shuddered as I felt completely drained, as though I were falling endlessly downward, when I suddenly felt an arm wrapped tightly around my waist.
I didn’t even have to look down to know it was Noah’s arm.
He must have come in sometime during the night.
“……”
I tried to loosen Noah’s arm so I could get up, but instead, his arm tightened around me.
“Hazel.”
As expected.
His voice was lower and huskier than usual, heavy with sleep.
“Oh, Noah, you’re awake?”
I twisted my body, trying to get up, but instead Noah pulled me even closer until we were facing each other and I was nestled in his arms.
“…Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“Another nightmare?”
Noah hugged me even tighter.
I rested my forehead against his chest and nodded.
“Did you come back late?”
When I lifted my head to ask, Noah’s face looked more awake than before.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll come home earlier from now on.”
Even though he was still half-asleep, Noah instinctively pressed his lips to my forehead.
“Okay.”
“Go back to sleep.”
“It’s still dawn.”
“You haven’t forgotten that we were going out together in the morning, have you?”
Oh, my God.
A fact even more terrifying than the dream I had just had suddenly came to mind.
When I used to sing about how I wished the weekend would hurry up and come, it never did.
So why was it rushing toward me now at full speed?!
His hand gently patted my back as if soothing a child, and it was so kind that I almost fell for it again.
I squeezed out my voice with all the fear I could muster.
“Th-that thing, Noah.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“C-can’t we go another time?”
“Another time?”
“Y-yes.”
“Actually, I’m so tired because of what happened today…”
“I think I’ll feel better if I rest for another day.”
“……”
Normally, whenever I asked Noah for something, he agreed without even a second’s hesitation.
But this time, Noah didn’t answer immediately, as if he were considering it.
For a moment, I thought I saw a troubled expression cross his face.
That’s it!
Tomorrow had to be the day of judgment.
The perfect day to finish me off!
Even I had to admit it was perfect.
On the weekend right before our first wedding anniversary, whether I was buried in the ground or hung somewhere by my feet, Kailus would get to see the expression on my face after I learned the whole truth.
It must be thrilling for him.
He wouldn’t have to pretend to love me anymore, and he would finally get his revenge.
What a perfect day to get rid of me.
He was obviously planning something like that, so did he really think I’d just fall for his act?!
“C-cough.”
“Cough, cough.”
“Ohhh, I’m dying…”
I forced myself to cough.
Noah immediately reacted.
“If you’re too tired, you shouldn’t go.”
“Then get plenty of rest today, and we’ll go tomorrow.”
T-tomorrow?
I blinked before crumbling into despair.
Aaaah!
Why did weekends have to be two whole days?!
I wanted to tear my hair out.
I should have said I needed two days to rest!
Noah hugged me again, saying that meant I could sleep in, but my thoughts became even more complicated.
If I looked like I was thinking too hard, he would obviously get suspicious.
This wouldn’t do.
I decided that I would either wear myself out by running around all day today, or at the very least, sprain my ankle somehow.
“U-uh, okay.”
“Let’s rest well today and go tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow!”
“Okay.”
“Now let’s get some sleep.”
Ughhh.
I squeezed my eyes shut, holding back tears.
—
Contrary to my expectation that I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all, I slept incredibly well.
By the time I woke up, Noah was already gone.
I blinked sleepily, and apparently I had fallen asleep again in the meantime, because now a delicious smell was drifting toward me.
When I saw Noah approaching, I squeezed my eyes shut again.
“Hazel, you need to get up.”
“Are you feeling very tired?”
“Uuugh, I’m so ti-red…”
I twisted my body like a squid that had just been placed on a hot grill, pretending to wake up.
“Sleeping too long on an empty stomach isn’t good either.”
“Why don’t you eat a little and then go back to sleep?”
“I’ll stay by your side all day today, too.”
Noah gently stroked my back and waist.
I had become so accustomed to Noah’s touch that I began feeling drowsy again.
And yet, I suddenly felt miserable all over again.
If he was going to get rid of me anyway, why did he bother making sure I ate three proper meals every day?
Was there some kind of superstition he believed in?
I even started having the ridiculous worry that perhaps he was fattening me up so much that it would be difficult to bury me.
Still lying on my stomach, I hugged my pillow tightly and opened my eyes halfway.
“What are we having today?”
“It smells nutty.”
I was certain I had smelled it somewhere before, but it wasn’t the scent of any food I usually ate.
Where had I smelled this before?
It was incredibly familiar and somehow nostalgic…
I glanced over and saw a pure-white food in a shallow bowl.
What was that?
Unable to resist my curiosity, I sat up, and Noah’s expression immediately brightened.
I took his hand and sat down in the chair.
“Oh, this.”
“It didn’t taste bad when I tried it.”
I opened my eyes wide and looked back and forth between Noah and the food.
When I stared at him in disbelief, Noah personally placed the shallow spoon in my hand.
This warm, steaming, nutty-smelling food was definitely…!
I scooped up a spoonful, and a warm, savory richness spread throughout my mouth.
This was definitely…!
It tasted exactly like the X-juk I used to buy all the time back home!
It was pine nut porridge.
And here’s why porridge had suddenly appeared here.
About ninety percent of the food I ate here was personally prepared by Noah.
So usually, he only made things I liked.
However, whenever I came down with a bad cold or wasn’t feeling well, I tended to refuse to eat, and Noah and I had gotten into quite a few arguments because of that.
After several rounds of arguing, we eventually reached a compromise with porridge.
I had always been able to swallow porridge even when I was feeling terrible, so although I couldn’t cook myself, I had once given Noah recipes for things that could be made similarly here.
Ever since then, whenever I wasn’t feeling well or said something along those lines, Noah would always make me different kinds of porridge like this.
It hadn’t tasted like this at first.
But now, it tasted exactly like the flavor I remembered.
He must have practiced again.
Pine nut porridge must have been especially time-consuming and difficult to make.
Even here, if I really put my mind to it, I could make similar food whenever I wanted.
But recreating the taste of food infused with the soul of a major K-company that I hadn’t even been able to eat here was no easy feat.
How on earth had he managed to recreate it?
He hadn’t even tasted it himself!
At this point, wasn’t the male lead Jed Terry Elkiam rather than Noah Edisi?
Oh, right.
Noah was Kailus.
When he’d made egg porridge last time, he’d practiced so much just to reproduce the taste I wanted.
And this wasn’t love?
…That was impossible.
No.
He’d done all that and was still planning to bury me alive today!
If I’d really been sick, this would practically have been my last meal.
I absolutely must not fall for this.
What a wicked man.
The spoon that had been moving as though it were about to empty the entire bowl suddenly slowed down.
Just as it had been happening lately, the gap between being touched and being disappointed was getting shorter and shorter.
My shoulders slumped.
“Why?”
“Doesn’t it taste good?”
“Should I make something else?”
Whether he knew what was going through my mind or not, this man anxiously watched my mood.
“No?”
“It’s really delicious.”
“You look depressed.”
He was awfully good at noticing that, at least.
“It suits my taste perfectly.”
“It’s so delicious that that’s the problem.”
I looked up at Noah with my eyebrows drooping into an exaggerated eight-shape.
“You idiot.”
“You moron…”
“Hm?”
“You sea cucumber.”
“You sea anemone.”
I wanted to curse him even more, but I was too scared, so I decided to stop there.
I took my petty revenge while watching Noah burst out laughing.
