Toxic Marriage - Chapter 19.1

Chapter 19.1

There was still a week left until the next full moon. It was also the time left until the day of their first union.

For the first time in a very long time, Erik was able to enjoy a relaxing teatime.

He had been busy running errands for Freya for a while, but she hadn’t called him recently, perhaps because she liked the fabrics the tailor had brought from the empire. It meant that the crisis had passed. Now that all her necessities for food, clothing, and shelter had been met, there was nothing more to ask for.

As a result, he was able to confidently assert to his master that he had successfully coaxed Freya into becoming cooperative.

“Is the Margrave’s union progressing well?” his twin sister, Arne, asked as they shared a cup of tea.

Even though things were going smoothly, Erik didn’t like Arne asking this question.

“Arne.”

“I’m just asking.”

Erik looked at his twin sister with a complicated gaze.

He felt sorry for his sister, who had feelings for someone she could never reach, but he was also worried that she would mess up such an important event because of her personal feelings.

“What I’m curious about is why that woman who had been making a fuss for a while suddenly became quiet.”

She thought Freya would calm down when she was feeling better, but she became even more demanding. Erik, of course, tried to deal with it quietly because the situation was getting out of hand, but Arne, the administrator who paid for the goods, had been aware of Freya’s demands for a while.

“That’s because I negotiated appropriately what she wanted.”

Erik was in a bad mood as he spoke.

She was asking something obvious. What did she think was the reason why he had been suffering so much?

“If she were such a picky and extravagant woman, I don’t think she would be satisfied with this much and quiet down.”

“She is picky, but she doesn’t seem to be that thoughtless. From what I’ve seen at least.”

Erik might not be able to explain it properly, but that was how he felt. She seemed to act excessively, but Freya made sure not to cross the line where she would become a pain in the neck.

“I’m not sure about that.” Arne took a sip of her tea and looked away. Erik frowned.

“Arne, it hasn’t been that long since you met her.”

“But we talked.”

“Anyway, it’s not enough time to judge people.”

Erik noticed himself defending Freya.

Come to think of it, why was he standing up for that woman?

“So what do you want to talk about?” Erik asked, hiding his confusion.

Arne, who put the teacup down with a thud, met Erik’s eyes.

“I have a feeling that woman is up to something.”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t make that assumption.”

Freya was the only female with divine power in the world, so if she thought of harming herself or running away, it would make things very difficult.

However, as he observed her, he could see that although she had a rough side, it was just like the thorn of a rose, and her true nature was actually like a soft petal.

She spent a few days crying after coming here and looked very emaciated. If she had pretended to be sick to get something, she would have asked for all kinds of things. However, although she was noisy, the only thing she asked for was a doctor and to be able to go on walks.

After that, she made ridiculous demands such as decorative flowers, dishes from her hometown, and fancy fabrics for clothes, but it was not unreasonable that she would be like that when one thought of her overprotective guardian who sent letters every day to this faraway place.

Since he was the next pope and the guardian of a prosperous family, he must have given his beloved protectee everything. If that woman was accustomed to such a life, what she was asking for now couldn’t be simply considered immaturity.

Above all, Erik was suspicious like Arne for a while, so he thoroughly inspected the outsiders Freya met and the goods they brought her.

“I checked the doctor the Lady met with every time, inspected his clothes and everything, and I also checked what was in the ingredients brought in from far away, and made sure she wasn’t making any suspicious contact with the delivery staff.”

Arne was silent.

“What about the tailor?”

“There will be a mandatory search through the clothes before he is allowed to meet with the Lady.”

As Arne’s objections died down, Erik spoke with confidence.

“Do you think I’m a fool?”

“No, but I saw that she was much prettier than what I had heard, so I thought you had fallen for her good looks.”

Arne pointed out calmly as she picked up the teacup again. Erik squinted, then frowned as if he was dumbfounded.