<CHAPTER 27>
Newlyweds
The rules of romance fantasy.
The Northern Grand Duke is highly likely to have black hair and a painful past.
Ehilie was extremely well versed in romance fantasy clichés.
Of course, she had once suspected that perhaps Rek was the Northern Grand Duke.
To think that ridiculous suspicion turned out to be true.
When she discovered a rusty golden emblem in the pocket of his trousers that she had set aside for washing, Ehilie felt troubled.
He was a prince who lost his right to the throne.
Now the puzzle pieces finally fit together.
She understood why Rek had hidden his identity all this time.
His status was not something he could proudly reveal to just anyone.
Especially not to a woman he liked…….
No, what am I even thinking?
Still, one thing had become clear.
Rek was not a dangerous person.
Ehilie felt relieved.
Even while remaining wary of him, part of her had hoped he would not be someone dangerous.
Now that she knew his identity, perhaps it was alright to grow a little closer to him.
Once she learned the truth, the wall of caution in her heart began to crumble quickly.
* * *
“Mr. Gabriel, what are you doing so early in the morning?”
“Cleaning my room.”
“That’s the bathroom…….”
“It is where I sleep, so is it not my room? Hahaha!”
“No, I mean…….”
Gabriel was cleaning the room, or rather the bathroom, from early morning.
“Are you only going to clean the room?”
“Caw!”
“N-No! Once I finish cleaning the room, of course I must clean the other areas as well!”
“Good. Since you are at it, clean the roof too.”
“Caw!”
“Pardon? The roof?”
“Why? Can you not do it?”
“Caw?”
“No! I will do it right away!”
Rek ordered Gabriel around as if it were the most natural thing in the world, while Herond chimed in triumphantly.
“Herond, after eating that much, you still want more?”
“Caw, caw! Caw!”
“Ehilie, you will spoil him like that. You may stop feeding him.”
“Caw…….”
“Rek, why are you crushing our baby’s spirit like that!”
“Caw……!”
Ehilie doted endlessly on the gluttonous Herond.
There was not a single quiet day in her small cottage.
She was slowly growing accustomed to these noisy days.
But her heart was not entirely at ease.
“Miss Ehilie, when do you think the medicine will be completed?”
She had to deal with the lie she blurted out to keep Gabriel from leaving.
“Ah……. I have not yet obtained an important ingredient, so it may take a little longer.”
“What ingredient is it? I shall fetch it!”
“No? There is no need.”
“There is! It is medicine I require, so it is only right that I gather the ingredients. Please speak comfortably.”
“W-Well, that is…….”
Whenever Ehilie found herself in such a predicament, Rek and Herond inevitably stepped in.
“What are you doing?”
“Caw!”
“Ah, I was merely trying to help Miss Ehilie…….”
“If you wish to help her, go outside and pull some weeds.”
“Caw! Caw!”
“Y-Yes! Understood!”
Gabriel seemed excessively conscious of Rek.
To Ehilie, it almost looked as if he feared him.
Rek did treat Gabriel somewhat coldly, but he was not that frightening.
Perhaps Gabriel is simply afraid of crows?
Herond was always at Rek’s side.
If he feared crows, that would make sense.
More importantly, what should I do now?
Claiming she would make medicine to restore his memory was reaching its limit.
She had to decide what to do with Gabriel.
But no matter how hard she racked her brain, no proper solution came to mind.
“A way to deal with Gabriel appropriately…….”
As she pondered darkly, a soft voice settled by her ear.
“Shall we bury him?”
Bury…… him?
“No! Rek, how can you say something so frightening!”
“Pardon? I merely meant burying the leftover food.”
“……What?”
“If we bury it in the ground, it will become fertilizer. We might cultivate a garden later. The surroundings feel rather bare, so I thought I might plant some flowers for you to look at during your walks.”
Ah, that was what he meant.
Ehilie was touched by his thoughtfulness.
“You are right. I have often thought about tending a small garden.”
Rek immediately asked as if he had been waiting.
“How would you like to design the garden?”
“Hmm, I would like many kinds of flowers. So that I can see different scenery each season. Hyacinths or daffodils in spring, sunflowers in summer……. Ah, planting an apple tree would be nice too. Then we could eat plenty of ripe apples in autumn.”
“I shall keep that in mind.”
Keep that in mind?
Was he planning to bring bulbs or seedlings?
This is not the time.
Now was not the moment to exchange trivial conversation with Rek.
She needed to decide what to do about Gabriel first…….
“Rek……. what happened to your shirt? Why are you bare?”
She could not focus on her thoughts at all because Rek was moving around with his upper body completely exposed.
A broad chest formed by smooth curves.
A firm abdomen carved into neat squares.
Pale, sleek skin that looked as though water would simply slide off.
How could she think of anything else with such a body before her?
It was unfair.
“My shirt has not dried yet.”
“Then at least drape a blanket over yourself. What if you catch a cold?”
“The blanket…….”
Rek gestured lightly with his chin.
Following his gaze, she saw Herond clutching the blanket tightly in his wings.
“As you can see, Herond has taken it.”
“Caw caw!”
He had given the blanket to Herond.
Ehilie was moved by his consideration.
This will not do.
This could not continue.
Gabriel was not the problem right now.
“Rek, let us go down to the village today.”
“What for?”
“To buy you clothes.”
* * *
Elrce, a small rural village located at the southernmost edge of Rudmekian.
This peaceful village with fresh air and clean water suddenly became uproarious.
“Oh my heavens! Everyone, look over there!”
“What are you making such a fuss about……. Goodness, what is that!”
“Oh hush, why are you shouting so……. W-What?!”
The wife drawing water from the well.
The young lady doing laundry.
Even the little girl running down the street.
What instantly captured all their attention was a man striding confidently in a wet shirt.
“Goodness. That back, no, those arms……. No! Everything!”
“How indecent. Walking around dressed like that without shame? I cannot even look.”
“Yet you have not taken your eyes off him, Grandma Meli.”
The women clutched their chests as if a spectacle had arrived.
The men were no different.
“Wow, how tall is that fellow?”
“He must be stuffing insoles in his shoes.”
“He would need ten layers to reach that height.”
“With those arms, he could probably take down a wild boar with one hand.”
Word spread instantly that a man like an angel descending from the heavens had appeared.
The entire village poured into the streets to see his face.
“Wait, is not the person beside him Miss Ehilie?”
“Ehilie? Who is that?”
“You know, the young lady who occasionally comes down. The one who lives alone in that cottage.”
“Ah, that refined young lady?”
Ehilie was also remarkably beautiful.
“What are they to each other?”
The village women speculated endlessly, while the men who once tried to court Ehilie stamped their feet anxiously.
“No, there is still a chance!”
“Right. If you look closely, do they not resemble each other a little? They could be siblings……!”
Of course, Ehilie and the man did not resemble one another at all.
If anything, Ehilie was like an angel and the man like a devil.
Aside from the intense aura that drew the eye at first glance, they shared nothing alike.
Even so, the men who harbored feelings for Ehilie refused to lose hope.
But…….
“Rek, are you not cold?”
“I am fine. Cough!”
“You are clearly not fine, coughing like that……. Did you catch a cold? I should have come alone.”
“It is nothing, Ehilie. Rather, would you perhaps hold my hand?”
“What? Why your hand……. Oh my goodness! Your hand is freezing!”
“It is fine. With your hand touching mine, it seems to warm quickly.”
As if holding hands were not enough, he subtly leaned against her under the excuse of being cold.
And Ehilie indulged him completely.
Everyone watching could only think the same thing.
They are newlyweds.
If they were merely lovers, they would not behave so affectionately in the middle of the village.
They must be newlyweds unable to contain their love for each other.
No one doubted it.
