Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 19

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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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Episode 19

Annie’s face filled with confusion.
A Purification Stone was, by definition, a white stone created by condensing only the purifying power from a priest’s holy energy, meant strictly for purification.
It could cleanse both body and mind, but it also had the function of purifying contamination in water, earth, and such.
Except for the Divine Purification Stone, which possessed far superior power, Purification Stones were hardly needed now and weren’t selling for much at all.
Compared to Holy Stones or Recovery Stones that came from the Temple, they were practically treated as refuse.
And for a mage like me who practiced Black Magic, Purification Stones suppressed that power entirely—I had no use for them, and they were more like poison.
But as demon beast attacks grew increasingly severe, and when the Final Hidden Antagonist appeared exactly as the source material foretold, contamination would begin spreading across the land.
Then the clear water from the stream that you could drink carelessly now would become a source of disease.
Fires would rage everywhere, creating poisoned earth.
This was a future I couldn’t change without discovering and eliminating the Final Hidden Antagonist myself.
That’s when Purification Stones would be needed.
Recovery Stones, Holy Stones—none of that mattered. If the water became contaminated and there was nothing to drink right now.
The source material said that even after the protagonists defeated the Final Hidden Antagonist, it would take years for the empire to recover and peace to return, so the people’s suffering would clearly last far longer.
By then, Purification Stones would skyrocket in value—not just skyrocket, but become impossible to obtain even with money. In some villages, riots broke out.
There were a few other things I’d kept in mind, but for now, the most immediately useful would be to start stockpiling Purification Stones.
“I’ll explain it to Annie later too. So please start purchasing Purification Stones for me.”
“Well… it’s not a difficult request, so I understand. But how many? Even small Purification Stones would take up quite a bit of space if we gather enough.”
“Even with Purification Stones, if we acquire them suddenly in large quantities, it’ll raise suspicion, so we can gather them slowly. Whatever ‘large quantity’ means to us probably isn’t actually that much. The Temple monopolizes them, so they don’t like it. And since the Temple records even donated items, it would be better to purchase under multiple names if possible.”
“Ah, right, that’s true. I don’t know such things well because I don’t pray. I haven’t even set foot in the Temple for fear of being struck by lightning.”
Annie spoke with easy confidence while wrinkling her brow.
“Same here. So it won’t fill up too quickly. Maybe just enough to fill one small safe?”
“Yeah, I get it roughly. I’ll buy and gather them without raising suspicion. But…”
“Yes?”
I gestured toward Annie with my chin, signaling her to continue.
“Why does money smell coming from these useless Purification Stones? If it’s alright, can I gather some for myself too?”
At that, I laughed outright.
“That’s fine. You could gather them without even asking.”
“I do have some business ethics, you know.”
Annie countered with a prim expression.
“Understood. Then I’m counting on that too. The commission fee…”
“Hey, why are you like this? Pay me all at once later. Of course, if I look like I’m about to die halfway through, you can pay me then too.”
Annie added a grim joke along with a wink.
We exchanged laughs, and then Annie began counting on her fingers.
“So we leave right on Friday?”
“Yes, I’ll handle things here and depart by morning.”
“Hmm, understood. Then I’ll see you that day.”
“Travel safely, Annie.”
“And I hope you stay safe until then too, Heizel.”
Annie swayed her glittering hand in goodbye and left.
The moment Annie was gone, I slumped forward onto the desk.
Now I had to go to the Capital and organize all the tasks I needed to complete within a week, counting the time carefully.
I had to move as efficiently as possible.
The problem was that Kailus’s main base of operations was in the Capital, so he would have no shortage of subordinates there.
Though he has no eyes, I might need to be even more careful there than I am here.
Now that I think about it, the Hadid Duchy was in the Northern Region, wasn’t it?
It was either Senegale or something similar, I think.
Well, either way, I had no reason to venture north. Especially Senegale—it would become the Dark Sanctuary in the future.
Since I knew all the dangerous things that would happen there, I wouldn’t go even if dragged there, not for anything.
“Three hours left until closing time.”
I began dragging my weary body upright and started handling the remaining tasks.

* * *

“So suddenly like this today?”
What on earth was this?
Noah and I didn’t have time for each other today, so I’d left the office early and was spending the evening in the study.
But when he asked me to come out for a moment, I found myself face-to-face with a woman holding a paintbrush.
Some genius painter named Bekira, or whatever.
I knew nothing about art, but she cut a striking figure in a rumpled, stained robe ill-suited to summer, her manner hazy and thoroughly soaked in last night’s drink.
There was no doubt she’d been drowning in wine since this morning.
And apparently, the reason she was here was to paint my portrait.
Last night Noah mentioned wanting a few more paintings. Was this what he meant?
He’d asked me to spare an hour or two after work, and I’d agreed.
I’d naturally assumed he meant after we returned from the Capital.
Unlike his usual composure, yesterday he’d been somewhat fussy and pressed, almost urgent in his insistence.
“My wife has only one portrait, after all.”
“Well, I suppose that’s true…”
“As I said yesterday, I thought I’d miss you terribly during the week you’re away.”
I watched the painter as she bowed.
There seemed to be quite a lot of paper…
Do painters usually work with this much material?
I knew that nobles commissioned portraits to display in their homes.
After I married Noah, we’d had one painted and hung it in the corridor.
Surely he wasn’t planning to use this for something else?
Like cursing me later with it?
I’d never heard of anyone cursing someone through a portrait.
Hmm. I’d look into that later… but since he could change his mind at any moment, the best approach was to go along with it for now.
“If that’s what you wish, Noah, I can do it whenever. Shall I sit for it now? Should I change into something prettier first?”
As I swished my dress, Noah’s face, which had seemed somewhat tense, brightened considerably.
“You’re beautiful as you are.”
And so I found myself sitting in a chair for hours while she worked on the portrait.
“Hello, Baroness Edisi. I’m… Bekira…”
She pulled back the hood of her half-slipped robe, and a mass of purple, wavy hair tumbled loose.
“Pleased to meet you.”
She bowed awkwardly, then swept her hair back carelessly and began unpacking her brushes and materials with practiced efficiency.
“As long as you don’t make any large movements, minor ones are fine, Baroness. Just let me know if you’re uncomfortable or anything.”
“Of course. Thank you for your work.”
I straightened in my seat, feeling rather stiff.
During my first portrait sitting, I wasn’t allowed to move at all.
It had taken so many days that I thought I’d die from it.
I was a bit worried this might be the same.
She began painting immediately without any further preparation, and then Noah entered.
“Have you already begun?”
“Just moments ago.”
I answered briefly and refocused on sitting still.
After several hours, I saw the completed portrait and threw myself onto the bed in glorious defeat.
I was burrowing into the blankets and rolling around like a caterpillar when the door clicked open.
It was obviously Noah, so I remained buried in the blankets, mumbling incoherently.
“That painter’s hands are incredibly fast.”
As he approached, a sweet peach scent reached me. Tea, perhaps?
I glanced back, and sure enough, he held a teacup in his hand.
“I’m sorry. That must have been exhausting.”
“It’s fine. You wanted to see me, and it only took a few hours, didn’t it? When she was adding color, she said I could move around freely.”
“Is that so?”
Noah set the teacup on the table, leaned over me, and embraced me before kissing me repeatedly, as though making up for all the affection he’d been holding back.
“You were practically lying down by the end. It was amazing how quickly she finished the portrait. Oh, Noah, you’re tickling me.”
Since I’d been trying to distance myself emotionally and had been reducing physical contact, I pushed him away slightly, but Noah only drew closer.
What was he doing?
Before I knew it, I was staring at the ceiling with Noah’s arms braced on either side of my head, looking down at me.
In this position, shadows fell across his face more than usual.
His crimson eyes seemed deeper than they normally were.
“My wife.”
“Yes?”
“Heizel.”
“Yes, Noah.”
Noah called me twice, then stared at me without saying a word.
“Noah, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Tell me.”
“Tell you what…?”
“That you love me.”
I blinked a few times before opening my mouth.
“I love you.”
The same confession I’d made countless times, yet my throat tightened.
With half my affection already evaporated, my heart no longer raced the way it once had.
Before, merely speaking those words made my chest flutter with longing.
Now I worried my voice might come out dry and hollow.
I was tense, afraid he’d notice that my feelings for Noah weren’t what they used to be.
……
“I love you, Noah.”
He didn’t answer, so I said it once more—and again, silence.
Finding something strange in his expression, I tried to sit up, but suddenly Noah’s hand moved to the back of my neck with unusual urgency.
The distance between us collapsed in an instant, and our lips met.
I couldn’t bear to look into his crimson eyes any longer, so I closed mine.
It was a kiss where only our lips touched—not a deep one.
Then, after a moment, our lips parted.

* * *

Kailus returned to his room and met Heizel’s eyes.
Though he’d already asked Heizel’s permission beforehand, there was still a lingering guilt at having rushed her into posing for the portrait.
At the same time, something uncomfortable remained lodged in his chest like sediment.
Nothing was different from usual, yet his mood wouldn’t lift.
“Noah, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Tell me.”
“Tell you what…?”
“That you love me.”
Then he craved her confession.
“I love you.”
……
“I love you, Noah.”
In that moment, Kailus noticed something had changed.
The warmth in Heizel’s eyes had shifted somehow.

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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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