Marriage with a Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 102.1

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

Chapter 102.1

Ten days had passed since I’d returned from the Imperial Palace, bearing that news. Here in the north, Kairos had swiftly arranged for the stockpiling of holy water and purification stones, just as I’d requested.

Ten priests had been dispatched from the Central Temple.

Thanks to these efforts, the tainted northern lands were being purified faster than other regions. Meanwhile, the supply of purification stones from temples nationwide was dwindling. The temples were clearly tightening the flow.

A complete freeze within the month seemed likely.

It was time to ask Annie how much we’d accumulated. I needed to check market prices, too, since a year’s worth of resources was tied up, and we might need to utilize them. Amidst all this, another problem arose—I was being treated like an invalid, even back in the North.

I suppose they were worried, considering I’d slept for four days straight…

“Kairos.”

“Yes?”

“Why not just carry me around everywhere?”

Kairos’s overprotectiveness was getting out of hand.

“Should I?”

“Aren’t you busy? Isn’t it tiring? I told you, I’m completely fine now!”

Things were already awkward after that day, and he was clinging to me like glue. Because of his strict adherence to schedules, I’d even dutifully finished all the fatigue-relieving medicine Lily had prepared.

Despite all that! Today, too, he only left after I reassured him countless times.

“I’ll be back early.”

“It’s okay to come back late.”

“.…”

“No, really, I won’t do anything. I’ll just laze around at home, so go and take care of your work.”

He reluctantly left the room.

“Honestly…”

What was all this?

I pressed my hand to my forehead, a heavy feeling settling there. I’d told Kairos my fatigue had vanished after seeing his concern, but the truth was, my head had felt strangely heavy since I woke up.

It was like a fog had rolled in, slowing my thoughts, and an inexplicable irritability simmered beneath the surface.

If I weren’t careful, I’d snap at Kairos. He was patiently bearing it, but I couldn’t keep doing that to him. That’s why I’d practically forced him to leave. In my current state, Kairos, who suffered from frequent headaches, seemed incredibly resilient.

Speaking of which, they said there was nothing wrong with the water I drank, but what was that metallic scent that day?

It was like the smell of blood from a bitten lip, amplified a hundredfold, utterly repulsive.

‘…Was I really that exhausted?’

I rested for several more days. Fortunately, perhaps due to the excessive, borderline obsessive care, the lingering headache and heaviness in my head dissipated like mist. My irritability lessened, and my condition returned to normal.

Kairos, seemingly sharing my thoughts, became much more relaxed, and his near-constant, surveillance-like hovering decreased.

“Madam.”

“Ah, is he still out?”

“Yes, it seems he’ll be late again today.”

However, the number of magic beasts had increased exponentially, keeping Kairos incredibly busy.

He’d promised to return by evening, but even at six o’clock, there was no sign of him. He must have anticipated this, telling me to always eat dinner first. I wanted to join the fight, having resolved to help, but my previous collapse led to constant refusals.

I knew Kairos could easily cut down followers, but the magic beasts of the north weren’t just simple animals.

There were all sorts of beasts here, creatures an ordinary person would never encounter in a lifetime, making me feel even more needed. If I could hold out until Lily made her mark on the battlefield as in the original story, earning her the title of Saint and preventing the land from becoming further tainted, we could significantly reduce the casualties. But I needed Kairos to return before we could discuss any of that. It seemed he was going to be very late…

I woke up to find the space beside me empty. We’d mostly given up on sleeping separately, so he was usually there when I woke up.

‘Is he still working at this hour?’

I knew he handled ducal affairs after returning, as he had many external duties. I tried to go back to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come.

“Ha…”

My mind was already in turmoil after hearing his heartfelt confession at the banquet.

Unable to fall back asleep, I wrapped a shawl around myself and left the bedroom. I went straight to his office, but it was empty.

“Where could he have gone at this hour…?”

I suddenly recalled him saying the greenhouse was worth seeing at night, so I headed there.

Whether it was intuition or coincidence, I saw Kairos through the transparent greenhouse walls. He was sitting on that same sofa, his head and back reclined, his arm covering his eyes as he rested.

“….”

‘He’s on my mind, truly.’

I bit my lip, debating, and then finally opened the greenhouse door. I thought I’d opened it as quietly as possible, but before I could take more than a few steps, he sensed me and sat up.

“Hazel.”