Chapter 60
“The Husband Can’t Escape”
【Arc of Schemes and Intrigue in the Royal Capital XI】
Several days had passed since the incident.
The royal capital had completely regained its calm.
The voices of merchants once again filled the marketplace, children ran through the streets, and the aroma of roasting food drifted from the stalls.
However, there was only one topic dominating all the gossip in the city.
“They say Professor Kai saved the capital!”
“An outsider? Nah, he’s a real hero!”
“‘The son-in-law teacher’ ain’t just popular in the duchy—he’s a sensation here too!”
Wherever one went, Kai’s name was on everyone’s lips.
At the front gate of the academy,
a crisp morning breeze carried the cool scent of the fading summer.
A crowd of students had gathered around the entrance, far more than usual.
“Sensei!”
“Please give me your autograph!”
“Let’s draw a commemorative magic circle together!”
Voices and hands rushed toward him all at once.
Kai pressed his hand to his forehead and rubbed at his stomach.
“…I’m just a math teacher, though…”
“Kai!”
A clear voice rang out.
Parting through the crowd came Rutia, her blue eyes sparkling as she immediately linked her arm through his—like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“My dear husband, you’re quite the popular man today.”
“Quit calling me that! I’m still single—”
“Everyone in the capital already thinks of you as my husband.”
“Don’t decide that on your own!!”
He struggled desperately to pull away, but Rutia’s grip was merciless.
Their exchange drew bursts of laughter from the surrounding students.
“See? They’re perfect for each other!”
“They’re like a comedy duo!”
Just then, Leon and Filia appeared.
Leon smiled faintly, but there was a trace of bitterness as he looked at the two.
“…So that’s what Rutia’s real smile looks like.”
She had never once smiled so freely when she was his fiancée.
The sight pricked sharply at Leon’s chest.
But then he turned to Filia beside him, gently taking her hand.
“No… I have Filia now. I’ll find happiness with her.”
Filia looked up at him, startled, her cheeks tinged with pink.
“Leon… my lord…”
Meanwhile, among the teachers, talk of Kai never seemed to end.
“Professor Kai’s lessons are truly revolutionary.”
“Explaining magic theory through mathematics—no one’s ever done that before.”
“I’m ashamed I ever doubted him.”
Ironically, even those who had once tried to drive him out now had no choice but to acknowledge his brilliance.
After school.
As the sunset dyed the schoolyard in shades of gold, Kai stretched out his arms with a sigh.
“Finally… some peace and quiet.”
But in the next instant, Rutia slipped in beside him again, wrapping her arm around his.
Her smile hadn’t dimmed even once since morning.
“You know, Kai… there’s no escape anymore.”
“How do you figure that!?”
“Because in both the duchy and the capital, everyone already recognizes you as my husband.”
“At least ask me first!!”
Kai’s desperate protest echoed into the sunset sky, fading into the warm evening air.
Rutia, however, showed no sign of letting go.
Her face, glowing softly in the twilight, was the picture of happiness itself.
And so, the long chain of incidents surrounding the “Shadow of Conspiracy” came to an end.
The foreign-born mathematics teacher had become both the academy’s and the capital’s hero—
and above all, the days in which the duchess’s daughter Rutia fondly called him “my husband”
were growing ever more certain, and ever harder to escape.
