Chapter 64 - Volume 3 (1/2)
The chirping of a songbird tickled my ear. It sounded almost like a group of young girls whispering and laughing about some shared secret. I slowly opened my eyes. Behind the intricate lace curtain, through the large window that connected with the balcony, the yellow morning sun shone into the bedroom. Morning had come, I belatedly thought.
A peaceful awakening, like always. I sighed with contentment. Next to me, my husband continued to sleep, breathing lightly. Blessed by a night fairy, he had both masculine and feminine charm, and at the sight of his androgynous beauty, I smiled. 「You tire of a beauty after three days」 might be the saying, but no matter how many times you see a beautiful thing, it’s still beautiful.
The fact that such a beautiful existence was my husband, particularly now that this was common knowledge, felt strange at times. But no matter how strange I, Filmina Von Lancent, thought it was, I had not even the slightest of intentions to let another person take my position.
At that thought, I remembered the incidents a couple of months ago, when I was cursed by Celves Sin Ronein, and when I was kidnapped by Lunamerie Elle Valentine.
I was this man’s wife. That was what he himself had assured.
「No matter what anybody says, no matter what happened, you are my wife.」
I had taken those words to heart, and had been passing every day as his wife. They had finally came, the peaceful days, without nightmares. Even the fact that, after a while, I was feeling a tad bit bored, made me happy. That each day was important and precious, I reminded myself every day.
Trying not to wake him, I gently kissed his forehead and made to slip out of bed, but my wrist was grabbed suddenly.
「Kya!」
「You’re up already?」
His voice was deep, but pleasant to hear. I turned to look over my shoulder and saw that his eyes had opened, and he was looking at me somewhat unsatisfied.
Those rare sunrise-colored eyes peered from under his long eyelashes. Perhaps because he was still half-asleep, he was unusually listless. It was extremely attractive. If another person were to see this sight, it would make them giddy, but I had become used to it, so this much was nothing.
「Edi, are you awake? Please let me go. If not, I can’t get changed, much less make breakfast.」
「It wouldn’t be a big deal if you didn’t do that today.」
「Ara ara. That’s not something the head magician of the kingdom should say. Besides, you have work to do today too, don’t you?」
「…」
He met my logic with silence, letting go of my wrist with reluctance. Geez. The fact that this spoiled man was the kingdom’s finest magician, one of the world’s heroes, Agedilus Von Lancent, the world is incomprehensible. That a man with such an absurd title would be my husband, was even more incomprehensible.
You couldn’t tell on one glance, but since I knew him so well, I could tell that that was dissatisfaction on his face, and at his pouting face, I smiled.
「Don’t make such a face. Today, I’ll bake your favorite cheese cookies, okay?」
「Don’t treat me like a child.」
「Ara, but you are acting like a child. My cute Edi.」
I smiled widely as I made to leave, and he made a sullen face and sat up on the bed.
「What’s wrong? I don’t mind if you keep sleeping…」
But I wasn’t allowed to finish my statement. His hand stretched out and gripped my chin, and stole a kiss from my lips. That soft sensation left me flustered and he made a mischievous smile.
「Who is a child?」
「My apologies.」
The fact that that was all I could say was extremely vexing. Not because I couldn’t think of a comeback, but because I had left the bed, as if to run away.
Kissing, up until now we had done numerous times, but I still wasn’t able to get used to it. Whether that was because of the previous me, that there were still vestiges of the me from Japan, or if it was just the current me’s character, I wasn’t sure, but regardless of why, I hadn’t gotten used to it.
This man knew that I was weak to this sort of skinship, and sometimes would do this sort of thing. I couldn’t help but think of him as unfair.
「Well then, I have to prepare breakfast. I’ll let you know when it’s ready.」
「Okay.」
His reply was brief, but at his smile I internally grinded my teeth as I entered the adjoining room. I quickly got dressed into my usual, what other people had called 「plain」 clothing, and tied my long hair up in its usual style, then departed for the kitchen.
「But I really do want to get used to this already.」
Walking through the hallway, I muttered to myself. Still feeling the sensation on my lips, I pressed a hand to my flushed cheek, and sensing the fast beating of my heart, began to plan the day’s breakfast.
***
I meandered uncertainly through the bustling marketplace. I tried to weave through the pockets the waves of people going this way and that, but even so I’d constantly almost bump into someone and have to apologize, as I worked my way forward.
If I lost focus, it felt like I would be swallowed up in the hustle and bustle. Back in the time before the demon king had been subjugated, this sight would have been unbelievable. In those days, many shops closed down, and the few that stayed open were all very expensive. Public safety was at an all time low, a women out walking alone was unthinkable. Compared to that, now everybody was smiling and the shopkeepers called out to the crowd, chatting with the people walking through. It made me grateful for the peace.
In the market, various flowers were used as decorations here and there. It wasn’t as if there weren’t some that had bloomed early, but the vast majority were still in buds. Now there were already an uncountable number of them, but soon there would be an absurd amount, and this whole market, actually the whole city, would be covered with them. The reason behind them was the Great Festival that would happen soon.
I referred to it as that, but that wasn’t actually the official name. It wasn’t as if it didn’t have an official name either, but it was in the holy language, and there wasn’t a good translation for it. The closest term was the generic 「Flower Festival」but that was just but one meaning of the festival. It was a harvest festival to express gratitude to the goddess. The Great Festival hadn’t been celebrated during the time of the Demon King, but this year it had finally been reinstated.
It was still more than a month until the actual day, but the market was already getting into the mood, more lively than usual, the people dashing this way and that. Without noticing, I got swept up in the atmosphere, and got persuaded into buying more groceries than normal. And before I had come to the market, I had borrowed a fairly heavy book from the kingdom’s library.
And the result of that was, needless to say, quite heavy.
Anyway, it was heavy. The amount of weight I was holding in both hands made me want to sigh, but I managed to endure it. I had a feeling that if I did sigh, my heart would break.
I looked down at the basket I was holding, and realizing that this was what I got for buying too much stuff, I sighed. Shoot, I was trying not to do that. I felt that I could hear the sound of my heart breaking. I stopped my feet, and this time, let out a large sigh.
No, don’t give up, me. If I can make it to the main street, I can get a carriage. I’ve just got to somehow make it to there.
Readjusting my hold on the basket, I renewed my morale. Suddenly, the moment I stepped forward, I felt a solid impact. For a moment I didn’t understand what had happened, but then I realized that I had run into a person in front of me. Timidly looking up, I felt an intense sense of regret.
A crowd of three rough looking men surrounded me, making vulgar smiles as they looked my way.
「Oi, oi. That hurt.」
「That might have broken a bone, huh?」
「You’re gonna take responsibility for this, right?」
Smiling, they said those rehearsed-sounding lines. I was troubled, not knowing whether I should be scared or shocked. I tightened my grip on the basket. Breaking a bone simply by being bumped into, what a terrible case of calcium deficiency.