Chapter 88

* * *

The opening of the social season and the Spring Blossom Festival had a special custom.

At the start of a new year, people wore masks to symbolically set aside their status and position and welcome new connections.

It began as an imperial palace banquet, but the trend spread rapidly throughout the Capital, and now even commoners wore masks during the Spring Blossom Festival.

For famous figures of the empire like Edwin and me, it was a perfect custom.

“Look at that. Isn’t it so tiny and cute?”

“Careful not to trip. Let’s go slowly.”

To hide our identities, we wore wigs and covered our faces completely with masks before heading into the streets.

At dusk, the city streets were packed with festival goers. Laughter and the sweet scent of fruit wine blended pleasantly in the air.

The atmosphere was completely different from the strict north, and without realizing it, my heart lifted.

I stopped in front of one stall lined with goods.

“Look at this. Doesn’t it look like Nero back at the cas… no, at our home?”

“It really does.”

It was a craft piece small enough to fit in half a palm.

From the bright eyes to the tiny claws, the details were so delicate it looked almost identical to a real cat.

“Oh my, you’ve got a fine eye. This is porcelain imported from the Eastern Continent.”

“I see.”

I’d often seen goods from the southern empire or the Western Continent, but this was my first time seeing something from the Eastern Continent.

I was so fascinated my eyes almost spun, but thinking of the original Elicia, I couldn’t get excited over something like this.

She would’ve handled countless treasures in the imperial palace already.

It definitely wasn’t because I saw the price tag and lost interest.

Really.

‘Ah, damn small town mindset.’

I had all this money and still couldn’t shake my old habits.

But what could I do. Things you can’t eat or use are just pretty trash in the end.

I tried to act uninterested and tugged Edwin’s arm to move on, but he spoke to the merchant.

“Please wrap this up. And these as well.”

“E… no, Nero?!”

I almost blurted out his real name in shock.

Before leaving the estate, we’d chosen aliases just in case we had to call each other.

I somehow became Elze, and Edwin became Nero.

Either way, I leaned in and whispered.

“It’s fine, put it back. Looking closer, it doesn’t even look like Nero.”

“It’s not for Elze.”

“What?”

“Porcelain from the Eastern Continent is rare in the north.”

For something he claimed wasn’t for himself, his hands were incredibly careful as he chose the box and ribbon.

He even picked my favorite light green ribbon and added a cute charm.

“Thank you…”

It was barely louder than a whisper, yet somehow Edwin caught it. The corners of his eyes softened quietly.

Suddenly embarrassed, I turned away like I was fleeing.

Not that I got far before being caught.

“There are a lot of people. It’d be better to be careful so we don’t get separated.”

“I-I’m not a child…!”

I was snapping out of embarrassment when I suddenly widened my eyes.

Edwin had taken my hand.

His long, solid fingers slipped deeply between mine.

“Shall we go?”

I looked up at him, meaning to ask him to let go, but he showed no sign of doing so.

Instead, he smiled shamelessly as if asking what the problem was and pulled me along into the crowd, still holding my hand.

At first it felt awkward, but Edwin’s large frame blocked much of the pushing crowd, and before I knew it, I was comfortably walking through the streets with my hand in his.

We shared snacks from street stalls and looked at unusual items. We even stopped to watch various performances among the crowd.

‘The Capital really is a fun place.’

At first, I only wanted to return to the north as soon as possible, but now I wanted to stay here for as long as I could.

As I looked up at the darkening sky, Edwin suddenly asked,

“Elze, does your ankle hurt?”

“Ah…”

Only then did I realize I’d been limping slightly.

Brother Vincent had treated it, but it was still an old injury, and I should’ve been careful not to overdo it. I’d gotten too excited today and completely forgotten.

Edwin muttered with a troubled expression.

“It’d be best to move somewhere else for now.”

As it grew darker, more people poured into the streets.

Every bench was occupied, and even the railings near the fountain were filled with people resting.

“If we want to catch a carriage, we’d have to go quite far out, right?”

“Yes. During the festival, mounts aren’t allowed inside, so it’ll be difficult nearby.”

We were standing in a relatively less crowded corner, but as more people gathered, Edwin moved closer.

Eventually, I was trapped in a narrow space between the wall and his arm, close enough that I could feel his breath.

“E-Ed…”

The heat coming through his thin clothes and the solid feel of his muscles made my nerves go taut.

Every time Edwin shifted slightly or let out an awkward breath, my body flinched like a rabbit before a predator.

Then, suddenly, Edwin lowered his head without a word.

As his lips drew close, I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing my pounding heart to calm.

‘What is wrong with me. This is just, I mean, it’s just…’

I felt like I should run, but my body wouldn’t listen, as if enchanted.

All thoughts flew away.

But we’re married… right, married, so this much contact should be normal.

I waited nervously for the warmth that would touch my lips, my fingers fidgeting, when,

“Elze, there’s a place nearby where we can rest for a moment.”

“…?”

“Elze?”

I opened my eyes.

Edwin was whispering near my ear to avoid the noise of the square.

So that meant I was the only one getting worked up?

He wasn’t thinking anything at all. He’d just leaned closer because it was loud and hard to hear, and I was the one having weird ideas?!

‘Aaaah!!’

My face heated up in an instant.

I wanted to jump straight into the fountain and bury my face.

* * *

Edwin guided the fully ripened red Elicia toward their destination.

She’d doubted there’d be any place to rest in this chaos, but the moment she saw the sign, she immediately agreed.

[Bookworm’s Paradise]

It was a bookstore.

With the entire city buzzing over unusual sights, there shouldn’t be anyone strange enough to read books even on a day like this…

“Wow!!”

…apparently not.

The moment Edwin spotted the sign, Elicia’s eyes lit up intensely, and he ushered her inside.

“Please go in first. I’ll come in a bit later.”

“Just me? Then what about Nero?”

“I’m not very good with books…”

“Oh.”

After patting his shoulder and telling him to take his time, Eli ran into the bookstore without looking back.

Only after her light footsteps completely faded did the figures who’d been guarding them from afar begin to appear one by one.

He was the strongest warrior on the continent, but when it came to protecting his wife, he was always cautious.

And this was Belenois, the Capital steeped in quiet order.

“My lord.”

“The target?”

“She went inside about thirty minutes ago.”

“That’s perfect. Good work.”

At Edwin’s nod, the figures following them vanished once more.

In truth, Elicia wasn’t the only odd person in the Capital who wanted to read even on a day like this.

Thinking that the world of intellectuals was truly unfathomable, Edwin looked up at the sky, now fully dark.

“Then I hope you enjoy a pleasant conversation.”

Hoping that the surprise gift he’d carefully prepared would please his wife.