I Became the Wife of the Hero Who Killed Me - Chapter 106

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Episode 106

 

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And so my escape came to an end after just one week.

 

Actually, I was still embarrassed to see Edwin’s face, but I decided to trust that Isabella had subdued the beast(?) within me.

 

With the Imperial Capital’s greatest intellect cheering me on, such wicked feelings—

 

“Elisia, have you been waiting long?!”

 

“….”

 

Well, the wicked beast was still lurking within me.

 

Seeing Edwin, who clearly showed signs of having hurried over, my face heated up once again.

 

I had told him he could finish his business and come slowly, but he had obviously rushed over immediately upon hearing that I was waiting.

 

‘Does Edwin like me?’

 

He was a Grand Lord who commanded the Northern Army.

 

Unlike me, who had been leisurely playing and eating since coming to the Imperial Capital, he must have mountains of work to handle and people to meet.

 

But he always prioritized me.

 

It was the same now. Even for a trivial request to help with tournament practice, he dropped everything and came running.

 

“Actually, since it seems Elisia will need to ride horses at the Imperial Court, I picked out a fine horse in advance.”

 

“….”

 

I stared up at Edwin intently.

 

Receiving my gaze, he softly curved his eyes, thinking something.

 

“Don’t worry. It’s a gentle one that follows people well. I hope you’ll like it, but Gareth is running late.”

 

At the Leisurely People’s Gathering… no, the Book Club, I had finally learned the true identity of the sapphire.

 

The necklace Edwin had given me wasn’t some common, ordinary gem, but an ancient kingdom relic called the ‘Eye of Blessing.’

 

To the three flustered people, I relayed exactly the explanation I had heard from Edwin.

 

When they heard everything, the expressions on their faces were—

 

‘The look of people thinking “this newlywed couple in their honeymoon phase is being adorably flirtatious,” but still doing their best to act nonchalant out of consideration for my dignity.’

 

Awakening from my recollection, I stared up at Edwin intently.

 

While explaining various things about the horse I would ride, he was downplaying it as just a fine horse commonly ridden in the Southern Region so I wouldn’t feel burdened.

 

‘It’s probably an outrageously expensive famous horse.’

 

Why does he go this far?

 

He always chooses and gives me only the best things, yet he himself expects no compensation or reward.

 

The person praised by others as the Northern Region’s hero and the Empire’s strongest knight becomes a gentle, docile large dog in front of me, far from displaying any dignity.

 

I tried to think of other reasons, but increasingly the answer converged to one.

 

‘Ah, Edwin likes me.’

 

This wasn’t the level of obligatory kindness shown to a wife from a political marriage.

 

He truly liked me.

 

To the extent that sometimes he wouldn’t hesitate to make blind sacrifices…

 

But why?

 

‘At first he clearly despised me intensely, so how could he change this much?’

 

I am the daughter of an enemy.

 

Though I had succession rights to the throne, with Nigel, Rosalind, and Joseph around, my political value wasn’t significant.

 

While my appearance was wondrously beautiful, the same had been true for Elisia in her previous life.

 

Could all the devotion and sacrifice Edwin showed me really be explained by just the feeling of ‘liking’ someone?

 

“It seems Gareth has finally returned from the stables.”

 

Edwin’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

 

Clop, clop—

 

The disciplined sound of hoofbeats was approaching from beyond the arena fence.

 

Edwin was trying to act nonchalant, but I could tell he was secretly anticipating my reaction.

 

It was definitely not an ordinary fine horse, but surely an excellent famous horse that would be counted among the best on the continent.

 

The doubts that had been tormenting me melted away like snow before this gift.

 

‘Am I finally going to have my own horse?’

 

Yes, honestly, I too had a desire for horses.

 

Memories of the past when I suffered from not having a horse flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern.

 

Everyone at the Castle Administration rode good horses, but I was always assigned old, scrawny official duty horses only after fierce competition.

 

Even when that failed, I had to go around desperately begging supervisors and colleagues to lend me one, or else travel on foot entirely.

 

In the Northern Region where most roads were inaccessible to carriages, horses were essentially daily necessities that allowed free passage through rough mountain ranges.

 

But now, they were too expensive for a poor commoner to own and the maintenance costs were so high that it was completely out of reach…

 

But this hardship would finally end!

 

How large and muscular would this massive horse that appeared be?

 

I stared intently at the door through which Gareth would appear.

 

“Sorry for being late. It was my first time at the VIP stables, so I got a bit lost.”

 

Finally, the arena door opened.

 

It was at that very moment when my eyes were sparkling with anticipation.

 

“Neigh!”

 

“Elisia, how is it? Do you like it?”

 

Edwin took the reins from Gareth and gently stroked the horse’s mane.

 

I squinted my eyes because I couldn’t believe that thing was my horse.

 

I was hoping it might look different somehow.

 

‘…Is it a pony?’

 

The large, imposing Northern horse with muscles gleaming that I had imagined was nowhere to be found.

 

Instead, there stood a small, scrawny horse that looked like it hadn’t gotten proper feed.

 

Its coat was white and smooth, which was pretty, but with that size, it couldn’t handle tournaments, let alone pull a small cargo cart properly.

 

“Elisia?”

 

“Oh, ah! It’s pretty. Really pretty and beautiful.”

 

My silence must have lasted longer than expected, as Edwin glanced at me with slightly anxious eyes.

 

I hurriedly praised the horse.

 

Its coat was white, really glossy white… it would probably get dirty easily, but surely they wouldn’t ask me to bathe it, so it should be fine.

 

Anyway, I repeated several times that it was really pretty.

 

“When it’s fully grown, it’ll surely become a truly magnificent famous horse. How old is it now? About one or two years old?”

 

“Four years old.”

 

…A stallion?

 

This size is all it gets when fully grown?

 

But Edwin gave me something like this as a gift? Don’t tell me I had axe disease? Maybe he doesn’t actually like me, and the sapphire thing was just a coincidence?

 

I wanted to smile happily, but my facial muscles just wouldn’t cooperate.

 

Gareth spoke to me as I wore an extremely complex expression.

 

“All the Southern stallions are like this. I don’t understand why these horses that look like they can’t even get proper feed are so expensive.”

 

Actually, I think the same thing.

 

“Y-you have no eye for quality. Look at this coat. Isn’t it beautiful?”

 

My heart and mouth were saying different things.

 

Thinking of Edwin’s expectant gaze, even I couldn’t honestly reveal my true feelings.

 

From what Gareth said, it seemed like this one was indeed ridiculously expensive…

 

‘I should just aim for participation in the tournament.’

 

With such a small thing, forget technique – it probably couldn’t even produce proper speed.

 

I had wanted to put on a performance worthy of Isabella’s cheering, but this was disappointing.

 

Just as I was thinking that, several noble ladies on horseback entered the practice arena where only we had been.

 

Their horses all looked like they couldn’t get proper feed either… no, they looked daintily compact and cute.

 

In comparison, my horse actually looked bigger and more muscular.

 

‘Hmm, could this be the standard competition size?’

 

Though I’d never heard of such a thing.

 

Anyway, I forced my facial muscles to smile as brightly as possible.

 

“Ed, thank you so much. It’s so beautiful and I love it.”

 

“I’m glad you like it. How about trying to ride it as a test?”

 

“Great!”

 

Fortunately, Edwin didn’t seem to notice my agitation.

 

I moved to the practice course with him, chattering away to ease my tension.

 

“Isabella said she’s coming to cheer me on. So I really want to show her something good.”

 

“I think Elisia will do well.”

 

“Then maybe… could Ed come cheer for me too?”

 

“Of course. I wouldn’t want to miss seeing Elisia’s magnificent performance.”

 

“Well, honestly I’m not sure if I can do well. I just hope I don’t embarrass myself.”

 

It was a tournament with many of the most prominent noble ladies from the Imperial Court participating.

 

I even heard that Rosalind, a direct Princess, would be competing.

 

It’s not that I lacked confidence in horsemanship, but according to Caterina, the riding tournament was quite a high-difficulty competition.

 

You had to pass through various obstacles, sharp turns, and steep slopes without mistakes to reach the finish line fastest.

 

It was a tournament that comprehensively evaluated a rider’s riding technique.

 

I was already starting to worry about how difficult the course would be—

 

“…”

 

Then I took it back.

 

Actually facing the arena, it was… how should I put it.

 

Having run through Lombard’s rough mountains and canyons, this only looked like a playground where children practiced horsemanship.

 

‘This is why kids who grew up pampered in the plains won’t do.’

 

I suddenly changed my goal from not embarrassing myself to making it into the top 10.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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