chapter 07
Kidland had driven away the monsters without ever demanding payment, out of consideration for their long-standing relationship with Grunwald. So, they couldn’t really hold Kidland responsible for the incident.
After that, Grunwald, which had already been in slow decline, began to fall apart even faster.
…Or so the story goes.
‘That’s not what happened in the original story I know.’
I looked toward the lord’s castle beyond the wasteland.
“Then, Dale, how do I go about buying land? Do I just pay the lord at the castle?”
“No, the lord of Grunwald isn’t the owner of this land.”
“Then who is?”
Dale pointed behind the lord’s castle.
“The lord of Kidland.”
‘Is it possible for the lord of Kidland to own land that belongs to Grunwald?’
It might sound suspicious.
But if you consider how the power structure of the empire was messed up by the former emperor, it wasn’t surprising at all.
Until the current emperor—the male lead—took the throne, the hierarchy between the royal family and the nobility was completely scrambled.
The previous emperor, in an attempt to gain loyalty, allowed any noble he approved to purchase land from other territories.
“The land sales law was the problem.”
The next day, I returned to the wasteland and stared at the lord’s castle.
It was poor.
Utterly poor.
I wasn’t trying to insult the place, but the castle walls were falling apart, vines had overgrown everything, and it looked less like a castle and more like a ruin. If someone claimed it was abandoned, no one would doubt it.
But people still lived there.
The lord of Grunwald and his granddaughter.
And the scammer who sold me Dale’s house—actually, the intermediary, butler, accountant, civil affairs officer, and assistant all rolled into one.
Other than them, there were barely any people left.
They didn’t even have enough manpower to maintain the castle, so it wasn’t hard to guess Grunwald’s current condition.
‘I wonder how they even pay Dale his wages.’
I slowly scanned the wasteland in a full circle.
“That’s the lord’s castle over there.”
Exactly where it was in the original.
“To the side is a ginkgo forest. And beyond that is the border with Kidland.”
Finally, I examined the soil.
When I scooped some up, it crumbled in my hand.
I sniffed the earth.
‘This doesn’t smell like Grunwald’s soil.’
Something else was mixed in.
With my keen sense of smell, I could tell.
Swish, swish—
I swept the ground with my fingers.
‘I need to go deeper.’
“Heave-ho!”
I dug forcefully with a shovel, hoping to find the new layer of soil hidden below…
But nothing came up.
I needed to dig deeper.
“Hup!”
Thud!
“Found it.”
When I found what I was looking for, I tossed the shovel aside and jumped in place with excitement.
This soil smelled completely different.
It was fresh and rich with microorganisms, the kind that came from the land stretching out from the Gonia mountain range.
“Even the scent is different.”
No wonder Duke Hexagon coveted this land in the original story.
The House of Hexagon is a villainous noble family. They hated not just the emperor but also my own family, the House of Lockhart. Most importantly:
They made medicinal herbs too.
‘Just like I do.’
But Duke Hexagon would never act directly.
He always used spies.
“There must be one here too.”
People overlook what’s right under their noses, and they trust blood ties too easily. Good people get used, while the bad ones thrive through cunning and wealth.
This world was no different.
“Kidland.”
I repeated the viscount family’s name.
If they were the owners of this land, that actually worked in my favor.
When I returned home, Dale had already arrived.
“Who taught you to cook like this, Dale? You’re amazing!”
I was genuinely impressed by his cooking.
Every evening after work, he would prepare a full course meal.
Tonight, the main dish was steak.
Each bite released juicy flavor. His skills rivaled those of the chefs at my family’s duchy. Honestly, if he hadn’t become a mercenary, he could’ve made a living as a chef.
Pasta, meat dishes, seafood, vegetables, even the plating was perfect!
“It’s seriously delicious. The best! Come on, tell me—who taught you?”
“I picked it up on my own as a child. I never formally learned.”
“Really? And you’re this good?”
“Thank you.”
He smiled gently, looking a bit shy.
Dale was an incredibly generous person. Always giving, even when not asked.
I started to understand him a little better.
‘He probably had no one to cook for him when he was young.’
Having to cook for yourself as a child isn’t common.
“Should I cook for you sometime? I feel like I’m always the one receiving from you.”
“I enjoy cooking.”
He smiled again and sliced the carrot cake he’d made for dessert.
How did he know I love carrot cake?
Maybe it was coincidence, but his menu choices were always spot-on.
He placed a slice in front of me as I stared at the cake, entranced.
“As your husband who’s worth 10,000 Krobats, I plan to be faithful to you every day, Miss Enya.”
“Then is it okay if I keep enjoying your cooking?”
“As much as you like.”
I took a bite of the carrot cake and was deeply moved.
“I think this marriage might’ve been a good idea after all.”
At that moment, Dale’s hands froze mid-cut.
His eyes wavered, and then silence fell. He looked at me with a flushed face.
“Even though you said you didn’t like me… you’ve changed your mind?”
“Huh? Me? …When did I say that?”
“Ah…”
Suddenly, Dale’s face turned pale.
He covered his mouth, stood up, and walked over to the kitchen.
“I apologize. You never said that, Miss Enya.”
“I-it’s okay. It’s easy to get confused. Don’t be so startled, just sit down.”
His reaction was way too dramatic for a small misunderstanding.
Oh, Dale…
Could it be…?
‘Did he mistake me for another woman?’
Maybe he confused my words with someone else’s in his memories.
“Did you mix me up with someone else? It’s fine, just sit down.”
“No… I just…”
Flustered, Dale picked up some laundry and began folding it with military precision.
“I was worried I might not be your type.”
With his head bowed and face red, he began tidying up the house.
“We’re in a contract marriage. ‘Type’ doesn’t matter.”
Dale’s expression darkened even further.
He neatly placed the folded laundry and looked at me with a dejected face.
“Oh! That’s not what I meant—I don’t mean you’re not my type. I mean, you’re probably everyone’s type! I just meant that I was willing to marry any man to escape the emperor.”
Crack!
“…….”
Did something just break?
I looked around, but nothing seemed off.
“I asked you to marry me because I really liked you, Dale.”
“……!”
“You’re a mercenary and solved my housing problem too.”
“…….”
“If anything, I should apologize for not telling you earlier I was being hunted by the emperor. Shouldn’t you be the one upset?”
I looked at Dale. He silently dried the dishes with a thoughtful look on his face.
“That doesn’t matter.”
After a pause, he continued.
“Because I have secrets I haven’t told you either.”
“Really? But is it okay to say that out loud? I mean, a secret’s supposed to be… secret.”
He hesitated.
But I was ready.
‘Because the second-floor dressing room is definitely weird.’
There were three rooms on the second floor, which Dale said was my personal space:
One bedroom, one dressing room, and one study.
The first time I saw the dressing room, I was truly shocked.
“Dale! The room is full of clothes!”
The dressing room had a full wardrobe of dresses sorted by season and occasion.
Not just dresses. Riding gear, farming clothes—everything imaginable was there. Not just clothes either.
Shoes and accessories too.
“This used to be the home I shared with my younger sister, so we had all the necessary items prepared. But she left, and now they’re yours to use as you please.”
So yes, I profited—but something felt… odd.
None of the clothes showed any signs of being worn. Everything looked freshly tailored.
And every single piece fit me exactly.
‘Was his sister’s body type the same as mine?’
But for a supposedly unused room, it was far too clean and well-kept. And when Dale said it used to be his sister’s room…
His expression was…
‘Melancholic, wasn’t it?’
That melancholic look could only mean one thing:
‘Was it… a former lover’s room?’
