“Phew.”
The shimmering silver hair settled calmly.
Acella, who had just completed her magic casting, slowly opened her eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered for a moment.
Snap!
With a swift motion, she broke her wand in half and strode forward confidently.
“Yum yum… Ex, my lady?! Where are you rushing off to?”
Acella’s escort knight, Paula, hurriedly stuffed the donut she was munching on and sprang to attention, grabbing her sword.
Since Swordmaster Tanya was promoted to the Minister of Defense of the Gothberg Marquisate, she took over the position of the guard captain protecting the Gothberg family.
Her main job is guarding the lady of the family, Acella Gothberg.
Most of the time, the lady resides at the Marquis’s estate. In this peaceful era, it’s even rumored to be a lovely place to live. There shouldn’t be any threats at all. This is the sweetest of sweet jobs.
Even the couple who run Gothberg Hospital are known for their harmonious relationship.
While on night duty guarding in front of the master bedroom, there are times when sounds come through, forgetting to use soundproofing magic.
Of course, as a guard, I must absolutely, positively! Never disclose any details, even if a sword is held to my neck.
However, for Paula, who was slowly nearing her marriageable age, the sounds of the hospital director and his spouse’s nighttime activities became quite the stimulus.
How intense it must be!
What on earth is going on in there?
Wasn’t the lady a renowned wizard?
Did she summon a glowing dragon or something?!
It makes my imagination run wild.
The salary is good, they recognize my skills as a sword expert, and it was the perfect job for me.
“My lady, my lady!”
There are times when Acella makes unpredictable sudden moves like now, which keeps me on edge in this job.
The most recent incident was quite something.
She went dungeon hunting with Captain Gishta of the Thunder Tribe Guards under the guise of magic practice.
Having slipped out of the mansion unnoticed, that day, I was painfully chewed out by Tanya.
Thank goodness I went with the Thunder Tribe Guards; if I had gone alone, yikes!
That was a chilling memory.
So, at times like now, I must absolutely! Not lose sight of her.
Yet, if I get too close or try to grab her, she’ll get annoyed, so I can’t do that either.
I could end up on the receiving end of a high heel stomp.
She’s really a cantankerous lady to serve.
Bang, bang, bang!
With several inner doors flung open, Acella Gothberg strides out with commanding presence.
They say she used to be a royal princess, and her behavior reflects that confidence.
‘Looks like she’s heading to the hospital director?’
No matter how I look at it, her destination is obvious.
The escort knights outside Lars’s office panicked but didn’t slow down, and with a bang! Acella burst through the door.
“Lars Gothberg!!”
I can’t help but wonder if some windows shattered from that terrifying shout echoing through the Marquis’s estate.
The recipient of that shout, Lars Gothberg, was examining documents in his office and suddenly got struck by lightning.
He, who had been covering his ears, cautiously poked his head out to see what was going on.
“W-what…?”
“How dare you! While I, Acella Gothberg, am in government! How could you do something so shameless?!”
“What? Me? What are you talking about?”
“What’s going on?”
In a sudden ambush, Lars rubbed his head. Useless talk. Acella grabbed a stack of documents nearby and whacked Lars’ head.
“Ouch! Ouch!”
Acella’s face was filled with rage.
The knights and attendants watching the scene didn’t know what to do and trembled in fear.
Seeing Acella’s actions, Lars heaved a sigh of relief. It wasn’t a serious matter after all.
If he had really committed a grave sin, he wouldn’t have been hit with a stack of documents, but a spear of ice would be flying at him.
“No, that hurts! I’m bleeding! Hey, talk it out!”
“Excuse me, you should be polite.”
“Yes, my lady. What brings you such discomfort?”
“Ugh.”
Acella, with her arms crossed, tapped her heels against the floor. It was clear she couldn’t contain her anger.
“I used my clairvoyance to look at the timelines.”
“Clairvoyance, as in the magic that sees into future possibilities?”
“Not that. We swore off looking into our future because we didn’t know what effects it might have.”
“Yes, we did discuss that.”
“I glanced at a different timeline I split off from a while ago.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Well….”
Acella licked her lips.
“Why did you look?”
“…I was curious.”
“Curious about what?”
“Are you not curious? How we are living differently?”
“Hmm… now that you mention it, I’m a little curious.”
Lars’ conclusion from his viewing privileges was that there was only one hidden ending. He had no idea about the other good endings.
Melting away and something else… one involved a saint, maybe?
“So, what did you see?”
“Yeah! I saw! You took me as your mistress and are having an affair with another woman? Not just anyone, but me right here? Lars, are you out of your mind?”
“Ah.”
Lars immediately understood what Acella had seen. She had viewed a good ending with Gishta or Lishe.
Still, being made a mistress?
Lars could roughly imagine the scenario.
He was clearly destined to never escape Acella’s obsession.
He even felt a kind of reverence.
Suddenly, Lars stood up.
“What? Why?”
“My lady, are you telling me you got angry at me because of something you dreamed about while still half asleep?”
“…Huh?”
Blinking, Acella’s eyes darted quickly from side to side.
Now that she thought about it?
It was neither the future nor the past but an event disconnected from reality since it had branched off long ago.
In other words, it didn’t make much difference whether Acella claimed she had a dream or used clairvoyance.
“There’s a psychiatric term that describes your symptoms, my lady.”
“…What is it?”
“It’s called the Othello syndrome.”
“Hey, that’s not it….”
With a crisp motion, Lars grabbed Acella’s wrist.
“…Ugh.”
Acella bit her lower lip.
She always felt that despite being delicate, Acella had surprisingly strong strength.
“That’s annoying.”
“Got it, I can make you not doubt me, right? Do you have time from now on?”
“Oh my.”
Acella couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth.
Only her flattery skills have improved.
Well, it turned out well… Sometimes, it’s okay to be a little pushy, right?
“Take me with you.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
A light kiss followed on Acella’s hand.
Meeting her steady gaze, she felt confident once again.
Hmm, he’s definitely my man.
“Ugh.”
Just when she was enjoying some intimate feelings, there was an interrupter.
“Ugh, ugh.”
Next to her was the female knight making goblin sounds as she struggled to breathe.
It was Paula, Acella’s escort.
“What are you doing, Lady Paula? How rude.”
“No, uh…! Hoo, it’s nothing.”
Paula grabbed her heated forehead and gritted her teeth.
Damn lovebirds.
I’m going crazy with jealousy!
In the end, Paula had to witness the Gothberg couple enjoying dates and affection at various places all day long under the guise of her escort mission.
*
Somehow, when I opened my eyes, it was still night.
I was on a fluffy bed. It’s huge since it’s a couple’s bed. To exaggerate a bit, you could play soccer on it. I overdid it a little.
“Ugh.”
In my arms, Acella, who had been cuddling all day, was soundly asleep.
Sleeping face down is definitely not recommended as it can lead to sleep apnea and spinal issues due to prayer constrictions.
But Acella didn’t care and just liked to sleep while smelling me.
It’s almost been a year since we got married. Winter is passing, and the second spring as a couple with Acella is approaching.
One more thing I’ve learned is that Acella is very sensitive to smells, especially the scent of people.
Should I say she has a good nose for pheromones?
The pheromones emitted by a person change based on their emotions, so maybe that’s why Acella can read people’s feelings and lies so well.
Anyway, she likes my smell.
Recently, it has gotten worse, and she keeps getting close to my face without caring about her surroundings, which is a big deal.
Especially during nighttime activities, she absolutely has to get a lethal dose of the smell, and every time, her eyes start turning.
Yet, she’s oddly like me in hating exercise. To maintain this lifestyle, both of us need to exercise, but Tanya has been busy lately, so I’ve been asking Paula for a little workout.
Acella hates that too and keeps trying to skip it.
Well, aside from those minor things, married life with Acella is nothing short of great.
Even whining about dreams today is cute now.
“Ugh….”
As I tidied Acella’s hair, her clean yet delicate back curves became evident.
The soft glow of candlelight reflected on her pure white skin; she looked just like an elf.
Honestly, if she just kept her mouth shut, she would be an extraordinary wife.
Her personality has been getting softer compared to before.
My personality has become softer compared to before.
“Still, I need my space when I sleep.”
It’s a bit uncomfortable to sleep with Acella every night.
For instance, my back itches, and I can’t scratch it.
But there’s a way.
First, I hug Acella tightly and roll to my right.
“Ugh…”
Then, instinctively she hugs me back, but only for a moment. Soon, her arms go limp.
In that state, while covering ourselves with the blanket, I slyly roll to the left, leaving only my right arm underneath Acella.
“I just need to get this part out.”
Slowly, slowly.
I carefully pull my arm out so Acella doesn’t wake up.
Done. Finally, freedom.
I lie there for a while, drying my sweaty back.
“Hmm.”
I can’t fall back asleep.
Since it’s come to this, I decided to get up and head to the kitchen.
It’s the peak of my growth phase. I’m always curious about what’s in the fridge at night.
Just kidding.
Anyway, as I step out of the room and down the stairs, I suddenly see something outside the window.
“A person?”
Who on earth is standing in the Rose Garden at this hour?
And she’s not even in pajamas; she’s in regular clothes.
The person is slowly looking around the flower bed… it’s night, so I can’t see clearly.
“Blonde… platinum blonde, maybe?”
She seems to be a woman.
The Knights must have seen this intruder.
I hurried down to the first floor, grabbing a decorative sword because I didn’t know what was going to happen.
The fields of just-blooming bright yellow roses sway gently.
“…Huh?”
Our eyes met.
“How did you get here? Your name… wait, don’t move from there.”
Despite my warning, the platinum blonde woman strode towards me.
For some reason, her expression was serious.
It felt like reuniting with a long-lost friend after ten years; I couldn’t keep up.
“I’m glad you’re here!”
She leaped at me and hugged me tightly with all her strength.
What’s going on?
Then she sniffed behind my ear, just like Acella would.
“What the heck, what’s going on? If you don’t answer, I’m going to stab you. I have a 20-kilo dagger, you know?”
I learned somewhere to exaggerate when threatening to grab attention.
A 2-kilo dagger is just nonsense, but a 20-kilo dagger stimulates curiosity about what kind of object it is.
“Ah, uh, sorry.”
When she pulled back, having swallowed back a sniffle, her eyes were slightly bloodshot.
“So, who are you?”
In response to my question, the platinum blonde woman gave a very.
Very strange answer.
“I’m daddy’s daughter.”
“?”
“Nightingale Gothberg!”
And just like that, I got spoiled with the name of my daughter who isn’t even born yet.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
