Chapter 26
An Outing Promise
“That sounds wonderful!”
By the end of next year, our contract period would be approaching its conclusion. If anyone asked, saying we were eagerly preparing for a child every night would probably make them awkwardly change the subject.
But then Eyzar, tapping the bed sheets gently, added one more thing.
“Still… do you think it would suit a newlywed couple if I whispered that it would be wonderful to have a child resembling my wife?”
“It would… suit you, I suppose…”
A child resembling me? If it took after me, they’d probably be a whirlwind with bright red hair flying everywhere.
If there ever were a child, though… naturally, Eyzar’s clear, sea-like eyes came into view. His soft, golden hair flowing in the wind, and that neat, handsome face.
“I think I’d answer that a child resembling my husband would be best.”
After saying it, I had no idea why I had even said it.
“Is there a reason?”
But the answer came naturally.
“…Well, if the child resembled me, I think they’d cause too much mischief. But if they took after Eyzar, they’d not only be pretty and cute but also kind and gentle. That’s why I think it would be wonderful.”
Saying it aloud, even though we weren’t really planning for a child, made me blush—it felt like a real couple lying together in bed, sharing their plans.
“Hahaha. Did I sound too serious? But to look like a newlywed couple enjoying their life, I thought it best to talk about it in detail!”
Eyzar tilted his head toward me and gave a charming smile.
“Not bad at all. Then, Julietta, how many children would you like to have?”
Somehow, his face was very close. I could feel his breath on my skin.
“I haven’t really thought… maybe one daughter, one son…?”
“Then, one daughter like you and one son like me?”
He carefully counted on his fingers.
“Y-Yes, that sounds about right.”
“Good. Now, it’s bedtime. Shall we lie down together?”
I tried to pull myself together. Somehow, every word of his sounded provocative. Surely it was just my mind wandering, not his intent.
“Good night, my wife.”
He brushed back the strands of my hair as he said it. I closed my eyes tightly, silently praying to the world to help me keep my impulses in check.
‘Please, chase away the lewd thoughts in my head. Let me not throw myself at Eyzar.’
Thankfully, that night, the gods must have answered my wish—nothing happened. Someone else might have found that disappointing.
The moment I woke up, I launched a project to purge all remnants of Eyzar’s old love.
Although we had already burned the letters, the Perhaem estate likely held mementos of his time with Bertisha scattered throughout.
I suggested to Eyzar that we could remove anything tied to her, and he nodded in agreement.
And so, I found myself roaming the Perhaem estate alongside him.
“This doesn’t really have any sentimental value.”
“Then we can leave it be. And that one?”
“That… is a painting she liked, so I bought it once.”
“Was it expensive?”
“Not particularly.”
“Then what shall we do?”
“Let’s remove it.”
We were swiftly going through Bertisha-related items, discussing and discarding them together.
Expensive items were not thrown away outright; we’d sell them to contribute to the finances—a sort of “financial therapy.”
The Perhaem estate had plenty of money anyway, but it was better to recover some value. I had actively pushed this method.
Surprisingly, since their time together had been long, little memories spilled out from Eyzar as he spoke. Watching him, I felt uneasy, and I ran to the training hall to swing a wooden sword dozens of times to vent my frustration.
While taking a break and drinking water, Eyzar suddenly showed me a neat lunchbox.
“Come to think of it, this is the lunchbox we used when we went to the lake together.”
I remembered Bertisha packing lunches for Camilleo on outings, but since she wasn’t skilled at cooking, that was the last time she did so. So the lunchbox we used at the lake couldn’t have been hers… could it?
“Did you cook and pack this yourself, Eyzar?”
Surprised, I asked, and he nodded.
“Yes. Mother said I should try it at least once, and somehow it happened… Everyone seemed to enjoy it.”
Ah, so Eyzar could cook. Honestly, what couldn’t this man do?
“Wow, that must have been wonderful—a lunch packed by Eyzar.”
As I praised him, he shyly asked me:
“When the weather is nice and we go out next time, may I pack a lunch for you?”
“Really? You would?”
“I can’t promise it will be as tasty as you hope, but if you allow me, I’d like to do it.”
I was thrilled, but hesitated, wondering if it would be too much for him.
“I’d love it, but you’re busy, Eyzar. I don’t want to trouble you unnecessarily.”
“Not at all.”
His firm answer made me smile. With his usual stubbornness, even if I said it was fine, he wouldn’t abandon the idea.
“Then… I’ll look forward to it.”
A lunch packed by Eyzar… I was already excited. But I had been distracted by other matters with him, hadn’t I?
Snapping back to reality, I focused on the main task.
“Ah! But this is important—why are you still keeping this?”
I was diligently helping him purge remnants of his old love. There was no time to spend on other things.
“I had completely forgotten about it since Mother left it as a keepsake.”
“Your mother?”
“Yes. She celebrates everything and enjoys keeping mementos.”
I didn’t know much about Eyzar’s parents. They had been in a hurry during the wedding, complaining the capital was noisy, and had left quickly.
Still, I remembered their words as they held my hand:
“Take good care of our son, our lovely daughter-in-law.”
“When we visit, make sure you get along with our clumsy son.”
They disappeared so quickly that my memories were vague, but they had seemed kind.
“Then I’ll discard this.”
“Mother kept it as a memento. Are you sure?”
“She enjoys commemorating everything, so it’s fine. And right now, I want to focus on Julietta, who’s making the effort for me.”
With that, he marked the lunchbox as something to be discarded.
It seemed he had completely forgotten Bertisha. But judging from Ember coming to me to ask for help, it was clear he was still quietly burdened by the past.
I wondered if erasing remnants could truly solve anything.
“Wife, what are you thinking?”
“Nothing. Let’s continue tidying up!”
My cheerful answer made Eyzar smile back at me. Yet I kept thinking: this alone wasn’t enough. The pain of lost love is ultimately erased by new love.
When I once told him that, he said I was his wife, and that such talk wasn’t necessary.
‘Hmm. What should I do?’
While I pondered, all items tied to Bertisha within the Perhaem estate had been sorted.
Once the first batch was gone, the space felt empty, so I spent each day busily arranging new items with the head maid.
‘It’s about time to buy the gloves for Eyzar. With warmer weather, it’s no longer practical for him to keep wearing winter gloves.’
At that thought, the weather was perfect. Thinking it might be my only chance, I busied myself preparing to go out to buy gloves for Eyzar.
Then, a sudden idea struck me, and I ran to him.
He seemed to have returned from the training hall, wiping sweat with a towel.
“Julietta, what’s the matter?”
Water dripped from his hair. His shirt clung to his body from sweat, naturally revealing his abs.
I tried not to look at his body, calming myself, and checked that no servants were nearby before asking him loudly:
“I have a question for you, Eyzar.”
“What is it?”
“Um… it’s about…”
“Yes, wife?”
“…Your ideal type.”
I couldn’t exactly present someone new to him immediately. I wanted to slowly find out what kind of person he liked, so that before I left, he could potentially find new love.
Eyzar paused briefly, then answered with surprising specificity.
“A rounded forehead, slightly upturned eyes, small red lips, not very short, lively… And hair long enough to reach the waist, preferably wavy.”
“That’s very detailed.”
“Yes. And it should be wavy and long, as I said.”
Hmm… That doesn’t sound like Bertisha. I pictured his ideal type based on the traits he mentioned, and then I realized one thing.
Wait a moment. That’s me, isn’t it?
I glanced at him, and his eyes curved playfully.
