Side Story Chapter 01
“Welcome. Your Grace the Grand Duke, and Your Grace the Grand Duchess.”
The moment they stepped down from the carriage, the muggy air of the desert pressed in on them. Women with sun-darkened skin hurried over and gently draped light, flowing cloth over Elaina’s shoulders.
The blazing sunlight was far beyond what a parasol could block. Elaina had studied beforehand that women in this region covered their bodies with such cloth, so she offered a warm smile in return for the kindness.
“Thank you.”
When Elaina expressed her gratitude in their own language, the foreign women widened their eyes in surprise. Then they burst into giggles and quickly stepped back.
Dahar in the imperial tongue—though in this country’s pronunciation it was called Arashan—the desert kingdom.
With the development of the Mabel Mountain Range, exchanges with neighboring nations had grown increasingly active. Maritime trade had once limited distances, but now trade routes had expanded so far as to reach Arashan, despite how distant it was.
“This way, please. We have prepared your residence.”
The prince of Arashan treated Elaina and Lyle with the utmost courtesy, personally guiding them to their lodgings. Suggesting rest before an audience with the king was an extraordinary gesture of hospitality toward travelers weary from a long journey.
“Wow…”
Elaina stared in open-mouthed wonder as she looked around the residence prepared for them. The Grand Ducal Castle of the North and the ducal estate were magnificent in their own right, but the architecture here possessed an entirely different charm. The white brick buildings reflected the sunlight, their seams invisible, making them appear as though carved from a single massive block. Hot, heavy breezes slipped through the gaps between enormous, temple-like pillars.
With the head covering the women had given her now wrapped loosely around her neck like a scarf, Elaina ran toward the building. Watching her delight like that of a child, Lyle couldn’t help but smile as well.
After the audience with the king, a grand banquet began early in the evening. Once the sun set, Arashan transformed into what felt like an entirely different country, the temperature turning surprisingly cool.
Worried that Elaina might feel cold, the maids lit fires near her seat. As a result, Elaina’s beauty—now dressed in Arashan’s traditional attire—was clearly visible even to those seated far away.
People gazed at Lyle and Elaina in admiration. With his dark skin and proper attire, Lyle looked like a warrior of Arashan himself. Seeing that his eyes never left Elaina, the king let out a hearty laugh.
“I’ve heard that you two are very close, but I never imagined your bond was this strong. Grand Duke, do you have any children?”
An interpreter relayed the king’s words to Lyle. Lyle shook his head. Seeing this, the queen spoke to him with a gentle smile.
“They say that when a couple is too close, children sometimes take longer to come.”
Elaina’s face flushed bright red. The sight of the usually confident Elaina growing shy quickly filled the banquet hall with laughter.
“You’ve come at a very good time, the two of you.”
The prince addressed Elaina and Lyle in fluent imperial language. At his words, Lyle turned his gaze toward him.
“It is the season of love in our country—our hottest summer. Children conceived during this time are said to be born as great warriors.”
The interpreter hastily added an explanation. During the season of love, sandstorms often arose in the desert, and according to Arashan legend, the god of war who ruled these storms watched over children born in this season.
“A god of war…”
Lyle murmured to himself. Reading his lips, the prince smiled faintly.
“I’ve heard the northern lands of the Empire raise strong warriors. I was born and raised here, so I don’t know what ‘snow’ is like, but I hear it is a brutally cold and barren place. I pray that Your Grace’s heir will be as brave and mighty as a god of war.”
Raising his goblet, the prince called for a toast. Lyle silently lifted his own cup. Elaina, however, knew well that what Lyle desired was not something as grand as a “god of war.”
Lyle rarely got drunk, as he could hold his liquor well. But the alcohol of the desert nation was not to be underestimated.
“Lyle. Try to keep it together.”
Renowned drinkers of Arashan swarmed him as he accepted every strong drink offered without refusal. Having heard from Drain that rejecting a drink was considered poor etiquette in Arashan, Lyle took each cup handed to him and downed it boldly.
Even on the way back to their residence, his steps never faltered, but once they were alone, he collapsed straight onto the bed.
This was a sight Elaina had never seen before and found deeply unfamiliar. She leaned her ear against Lyle’s chest as he lay there, eyes closed, breathing quietly. Thump, thump—his heartbeat sounded steady and strong.
“He smells like alcohol.”
Lyle, who hated disorder more than anything, had fallen asleep without even changing his clothes. Amused, Elaina decided to take care of him.
She struggled to remove his shoes and set the hat from his head onto the table. The shirt, lined with countless tiny buttons, was difficult to take off. Squirming beside him, Elaina eventually climbed onto his body and began undoing the buttons.
“Why are there so many buttons?”
She had heard that the more buttons a garment had, the more it signified a position that required assistance from others—so higher-ranking nobles wore clothes with more buttons. True to that, Lyle’s outfit seemed to have no end of them. To fit so many, the buttons were tiny, and even her well-groomed nails began to ache.
By the time she had undone the buttons from his collarbone down past his chest and abdomen to his ribs—
“Elaina.”
She heard Lyle’s voice, heavy with sleep, calling her name.
“You drunkard.”
“What are you doing?”
“Be quiet. Don’t move. It makes the buttons harder to undo.”
“…As you command.”
When Elaina lightly smacked his chest, Lyle immediately complied. Perhaps enjoying his wife’s touch against his skin, a smile bloomed on his lips.
“Are you a pervert? Why are you smiling?”
Despite her scolding, Lyle’s smile didn’t fade. Just as Elaina finished unbuttoning most of his shirt, her world suddenly spun halfway around.
“Eek!”
Unfortunately, the final button never got properly undone. With a faint clatter, it flew off somewhere onto the floor. Lyle rolled the shirt into a bundle and tossed it far away, then smiled down at Elaina lying on the bed.
Because Lyle was usually so expressionless, that smile carried an especially dangerous air. Thump, thump—her heart was racing, undoubtedly because of him. Her face burned with heat as well.
“Elaina.”
“M-move, Lyle. You’re heavy.”
Lyle gently traced along Elaina’s jawline.
“I don’t want a god of war, but I do want a child who looks like you.”
The smile at his lips deepened, as though the thought alone satisfied him.
“If they resemble you, they’ll already be braver than any god of war.”
“What did you say?”
Startled by his words in the tense atmosphere, Elaina snapped back at him. Just as she was about to demand he move, Lyle’s hand, which had been tracing her jaw, stopped at her chin.
Then a kiss, like a crashing wave, followed. Unlike before, Elaina quietly accepted his kiss. The dry desert dawn air was cold, the kiss tasted strongly of alcohol, and Lyle’s body was perfectly warm—just right to chase away the chill from hers.
The next day, the maids who entered to tidy the room quickly retreated.
Disheveled blankets. Clothes scattered everywhere.
Anyone could tell that a storm-like night had swept through this place. The head maid decided they should withdraw for now and return to clean the room an hour later.
But the sharp-eyed maids already had the scene they’d witnessed burned into their minds.
The sight of the two of them sleeping tightly entwined, without even a sliver of space between them, was the very image of a loving married couple. Rather than obscene, it looked like a single frame from a masterpiece painting—nothing but beautiful.
The maids’ faces flushed as they recalled Elaina sleeping with her soft, pink hair spread like a blanket, and Lyle’s large body wrapped protectively around her.
