Marriage with a Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 101.2

Schedule: Wed and Sat. Nana's ko-fi, Nabi's kofi.

Chapter 101.2

“I have to change if I want to stay in your good graces.”

He spoke of trying his best, of being more careful not to upset me, and for once, I couldn’t find any harsh words to say.

Still, I really needed to leave. I was afraid the Crown Prince might arrive any minute. If he glared at me again, accusing me of troubling Lily, the newfound harmony between them might shatter, and a headache would surely follow.

“How am I supposed to show my face now? I must have been brought here while I was asleep. It’s unbelievable, truly. I can’t bear it.”

It was highly likely he carried me unconscious. The mere thought made my face burn even though my eyes were closed. I buried my face in my hands, mortified.

Lily, who had promised to return quickly, soon reappeared with a cup filled with a pale pink liquid.

I vaguely recalled seeing something similar during my time with the Knights. The last memory of that slightly bitter scent made the liquid itself unappealing, but I couldn’t refuse something she’d brought for me.

Especially with Kairos present, and knowing Lily would never give me anything harmful, I drank it without hesitation.

Lily asked me to drink it slowly, and both she and Kairos watched me with such intensity that I felt self-conscious with every sip. The thought of facing the Emperor if I collapsed again spurred me to ask Kairos to return to our territory immediately.

As I gulped down the liquid, my eyes fell on a cut on Kairos’s neck that I hadn’t noticed before.

I set the empty cup down and asked.

“Are you hurt?”

“No, why?”

I reached out and lifted his collar, revealing the wound more clearly, a reddish aura surrounding it. It was clearly a cut from something sharp.

“Here, you’re injured. Yesterday, you said nothing happened. Did this happen while dealing with a monster? Why didn’t I see it yesterday?”

This man, injured? My eyes narrowed instinctively.

“….”

“Why? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“….”

Kairos’s reaction was strange, so I looked questioningly at Lily. She, too, hesitated, her lips parting and closing without a word. What was going on with everyone? Surely he hadn’t been injured at the palace?

The wound looked at least a day old. Which meant…

“I said you were pushing yourself.”

“Ah, yes. But why…?”

“…It’s been four days since the ball ended.”

“What? Four days?”

Had four days already passed? Had I been asleep here for four days?

“Don’t be surprised. It’s because you were exhausted.”

“But even if I was tired, how could I sleep for four days…?”

“There were no other issues with your health. They said it was just exhaustion, so you must have been holding it in.”

It was certainly surprising, but Lily didn’t seem alarmed, which calmed me down.

“His Grace is right. The Duchess’s fatigue was extreme.”

“Ah… I don’t remember pushing myself that hard.”

Even though it was odd, Lily’s lack of concern eased my worries.

“Don’t worry, Duchess. It happens.”

“…Thank you. I must have been really tired. I need to go now. It’s alright if we leave… right?”

“Of course. Though I wish you could stay longer.”

“I’ll visit again when I’m feeling better. Right now, I’m too embarrassed to stay a moment longer.”

“I understand. Ah, I’ve prepared a change of clothes for you, just in case. Wait a moment. I picked out a dress that I think you’ll like.”

Lily, despite her disappointment, hurried out again, mentioning a beautiful dress she had chosen.

Soon after, I returned to the duchy.

My face burned with embarrassment, not just from the dress Lily had provided but also from the thirty vials of fatigue-relieving potion she’d given me.

I made Kairos promise and made him repeat his promise to never bring me to the imperial palace again if I fell asleep before finally calming down. Despite everything, my visit to the palace allowed me to catch up on news from other regions.

Thanks to Kairos managing the North, the imperial palace could focus on other areas.

While Ferrarium was relatively safe, monsters occasionally appeared, leading to increased monster-hunting requests at the guild. The most concerning news was that the capital was no longer a safe zone.

The North went without saying.

Castalt’s contaminated lands were spreading faster than expected, requiring extensive purification efforts. The problem was that the contamination rate was accelerating faster than the purification. Lily assured me that with her increasing holy power and dedicated efforts, I shouldn’t worry, but it was clear that a more definitive solution to combat the evil was needed.