Let’s Make Saving a Habit - Chapter 105

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 105
Aiden could never simply walk past people in distress.
It was his nature.
So as he took on mercenary work and helped those in need here and there, people naturally gravitated toward him.
When Aiden agreed to take on Rivera’s commission, Arthur—recognizing that his commander’s meddlesome nature had been triggered—protested in astonishment.
“Surely we should send someone else instead! You should remain here, Commander. This isn’t a brief errand.”
Aiden tilted his head slightly and countered.
“Why should others suffer because of a commission I’ve accepted?”
“But…!”
“My decision is final. I won’t entertain further objections.”
Rivera bowed deeply at the sight of Aiden, who had appeared like salvation itself.
“Thank you, thank you so much!”
She had thought it was over, yet he had agreed to take the commission. Moreover, as the commander, his abilities would surely surpass those of the others.
And though it was selfish of her…
The moment she saw Aiden’s face, her eyes had widened in wonder, and she was genuinely delighted at the prospect of traveling with him.

✦ ✦ ✦
Aiden and Rivera finalized the commission details, mapped out their route, and departed for Edelern.
At first, Aiden had maintained some distance from Rivera.
But Rivera chattered incessantly beside the taciturn Aiden.
They traveled mostly on foot, though on days when Rivera grew too exhausted, they would purchase horses at the next village and sell them afterward.
Spending so much time together, the two naturally grew closer.
The journey to Edelern gradually transformed from an exile into a voyage, and affection quietly took root between them.
A vigorous young man and woman in their prime.
It was perhaps inevitable that two such attractive people would develop feelings for each other.
Those months of travel to Edelern.
With their arrival within sight, Aiden asked Rivera a question.
“Rivera, what do you plan to do once we reach Edelern?”
“First, I’ll need to purchase a house with the money I’ve brought. After that, I’d like to live by teaching children to read and write.”
Rivera shrugged lightly, her face brimming with anticipation.
“I won’t earn much, but it should be enough to support myself.”
“…And after that?”
“I’ll see the world—something I couldn’t do as the Tempus Family’s young lady. And when the time comes, I’ll marry and have beautiful children who look like me.”
Aiden imagined himself standing beside Rivera.
Yet she was a fugitive. She had to live in Edelern.
Could he truly abandon everything he had left behind in the Empire and live only for her?
Their hearts certainly understood each other.
But knowing they would soon part, neither had asked the other to be in a relationship.
The closer they drew to their destination, the longer his inner turmoil became.
Finally, upon arriving in Edelern, the long escort commission came to an end.
The commission was complete, so I needed to return to the Empire.
I naturally began living with Rivera.
At first, I only intended to watch her settle in before returning to the Empire a few days later.
If I used the teleportation gate—something Rivera couldn’t use while she was a fugitive—I could return to the Empire in no time.
But somehow, those few days stretched into a week, then a month, with surprising ease.
I spent those days with Rivera like any ordinary newlywed couple, living in quiet happiness.
Since Rivera had been raised as a high-ranking noblewoman from birth, most of the household duties fell to me.
Yet those were happy days nonetheless.
Then came one particular morning.
As I prepared breakfast, Rivera came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist.
I had already noticed her soft footsteps approaching, so I let out a quiet chuckle.
“You’re awake.”
“Aiden, shouldn’t you be heading back soon?”
“…Do you want me to return to the Empire?”
“No. I’m just worried.”
Rivera buried her face against my back.
“I came here prepared to abandon everything, but you’ve left so much behind.”
She was right. Everything I owned was in the Empire.
My house, my wealth, and the Golden Silver Mercenary Company I had founded.
“Aiden, why don’t you make a trip back to the Empire?”
“But then what about you…?”
“Thanks to you, I’ve managed to establish myself reasonably well in Edelern. I’ll be fine on my own for a while.”
Would she really be fine?
She had been raised as a noblewoman and didn’t know how to do housework.
“Many noble couples live far apart—one in the Capital mansion, the other in their territory. If you think of it that way, it’s nothing unusual.”
In the end, I was persuaded by Rivera to make a brief trip to the Empire and return.
Traveling between kingdoms was arduous, but if I thought of it as Rivera suggested—a couple living apart who occasionally visit each other—it wasn’t impossible.
Using the teleportation gate, while expensive, wouldn’t take an excessively long time to travel back and forth between the two nations.
Once I finished preparing to leave for the Empire, I kissed Rivera’s forehead and stepped out of the house.
It would take half a day’s walk to reach the location of the teleportation gate, so I quickened my pace.
But something felt off that day.
The neighboring residents I had come to recognize through frequent encounters were eyeing me with peculiar glances.
I should have uncovered the reason then.
But my mind was hurried, so I dismissed it as nothing and continued on my way.
I discovered the reason only after leaving my residence and arriving at a different Village.
A flyer scattered carelessly by the wind stuck to my feet.
Without thinking, I peeled off the paper and looked at it—and I couldn’t help but gasp in shock.
“Rivera…?”
Because Rivera’s face was drawn clearly on the paper.
And her personal information was written in such meticulous detail.
If the neighbors who knew Rivera’s face had seen the flyer, they would have certainly recognized her.
Moreover, the reward for the tip was an astronomical sum—enough for a commoner to live comfortably for the rest of their life.
It was a wanted poster that the Tempus Family Head had distributed to find his daughter, Rivera.
Aiden immediately turned on his heel and retraced his steps back the way he had come.
She was in danger.

✦ ✦ ✦
Aiden burst through the door of Tania’s House, his heart pounding so violently it felt ready to shatter, only to find people loitering outside.
From the way they peered through the windows, it was clear they were searching for Rivera.
Shing—!
“Get out of here this instant!”
As Aiden drew his blade in warning, the people scattered in panic.
After driving them away, Aiden rushed inside to find her.
“Rivera!”
She lay on the bed, her body wrapped tightly in blankets, weeping uncontrollably.
“Sob… Aiden, what do we do? I never imagined Father would post flyers across other nations.”
“It’s alright. Everything will be fine.”
Aiden held Rivera close, her entire body trembling against him.
“Even if it costs me my life, I will protect you. Don’t worry.”
“Aiden, should I just return to Tempus now?”
“Rivera!”
“If I obey Father’s wishes, undergo the ceremony, and accept the arranged marriage, perhaps his anger will subside.”
“Come to your senses, Rivera. Haven’t you yearned for freedom all this time? That’s why you came to this distant foreign land.”
But consumed by fear, she could think of nothing else.
“If I don’t seek Father’s forgiveness first, he’ll kill me.”
“Rivera, this house is compromised. We need to leave for somewhere else.”
Aiden gathered their belongings on her behalf and left the house with her, as she was too distressed to function.
And so the two of them settled in a different Village.
But the life that unfolded was utterly different from the comfortable existence they had known before.
Whenever Rivera ventured outside, she had no choice but to wear a hooded robe that concealed her entire face.
Even that looked suspicious, so she ventured out less and less frequently.
Confined to the house, constantly fearing discovery by her father, she suffered from debilitating depression and panic.
When she lived as the young lady of the Tempus Family, at least she could walk through the family’s Garden.
But now, living as a commoner, even that was denied to her.
Aiden remained by Rivera’s side every day, hoping she would return to her former self.
On one of those precarious days.
Aiden had gone shopping to prepare her favorite beef stew.
But he sensed something amiss. There was no sign of life within the house.
The wardrobe was disheveled. One pair of Rivera’s shoes had vanished.
The money and jewels she had brought when she left the Tempus Family lay on the table, accompanied by a small note.
—I’m sorry.
Just a single sentence.
Reading the note, Aiden realized that Rivera had left him.
It felt hollow.
What had become of all the love and devotion I had poured into her all this time?
“Was I really worth no more than this to Rivera….”
A bitter sense of betrayal coursed through my entire body.
If only she had discussed it with me first.
If only she hadn’t abandoned me with such a one-sided notification.
I clenched my fists so hard my palms threatened to split open. Veins bulged prominently across my knuckles.
And so Aiden’s first love came to an end.

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