Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 23

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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 23

I pressed my temples again, hard.
“You have to keep that promise.”
“Of course!”
“Sigh…….”
Dylan’s face was radiant with triumph while I was the very picture of defeat.
At least I could tell myself I’d repaid a debt of gratitude.
“So when can you help us? We’ll work around your schedule.”
I nodded reluctantly.
Dylan praised me as a god of the Welcome Sorcerer’s Guild and showered me with flattery once more.
Not long after, an employee came back—the same one who’d delivered tea earlier—and took Dylan away, saying the Guild director had arrived.
An employee brought me the documents I’d requested, and after making arrangements to meet Dylan again, we parted ways.

* * *

I saw Annie again that evening.
She’d had a whirlwind of a day—she was too busy devouring the food before her to notice anything else.
She cleared three plates in quick succession, and after filling her belly, she drank a glass of wine in one go and wiped her mouth.
“Ah, I feel alive again.”
“Would you like me to order more?”
“No, this is perfect. Did things go well with your business?”
I pointed to the envelope of documents I’d set on one corner of the table.
“More or less. Though something awkward came up…….”
“Awkward?”
“I ran into a former coworker.”
My mouth twisted downward with such a grimace that Annie let out a chuckle.
“Oh, I can read ‘Dylan’ written all over your face.”
I couldn’t hide my bewildered expression from that moment.
“Of all places, he showed up at the Guild Association!”
“What was he doing there?”
“Something about needing cooperation, or whatever. He was on his knees begging for help. I should never have let on that I knew him.”
“It must have been urgent, then.”
“I don’t know. That’s what Dylan said, anyway. In any case, I agreed to help him for now. I’m not sure it was the right call, but I’ll see how it goes and refuse if it looks like it’ll drag on.”
“If there are any changes to your schedule, let me know ahead of time?”
I shook my head at Annie’s words.
“There won’t be any changes. Don’t say scary things like that.”
Annie burst into laughter at that.
“Still, it looks like we both made it through the day safely, so let’s have a drink. We’ll need the strength for tomorrow.”
“Sure. Oh, if anything comes up, just come to the Wilson Hotel.”
I’d originally planned to stay at the same hotel to make things run more smoothly, but had decided against it.
I realized that staying at the hotel myself to draw Noah’s attention would actually make it easier for Annie to handle her part of things.
“Got it. Oh, did you know? I heard the top floor of the Wilson Hotel was designed to replicate the rooms of the Imperial Palace.”
“Is that so?”
I hadn’t known that.
I’d chosen that place purely to persuade and reassure Noah.
No wonder it was disgustingly expensive.
“Yes, that’s what they say. When we leave here later, I should spend a night there too.”
Annie drained her wine glass in a satisfying gulp.
Then she poured another and offered me her glass, and I picked up mine as well.
The glasses clinked together with a clear, bright sound.
Wine tasted like honey when you drank it after finishing your work.

* * *

“Director!”
After dinner with Annie, I was heading back to the hotel when Nizella appeared at the door, waiting.
“Nizella.”
I quickened my pace toward her.
I’d been thinking that with all the difficult work I’d been handing her, Jin might show up soon. Well, I’d just have to be careful when I was with Annie.
In truth, there was no one better than Nizella for getting work done.
“Director, were you just heading out? I’m terribly sorry. I was trying to arrive earlier, but the movement gate developed a problem, which delayed me.”
I waved my hand dismissively as I opened the door.
“Don’t worry about it. Was the journey difficult? You could have come at your own pace.”
“I’m fine, Director. More importantly, weren’t you inconvenienced moving about alone? I really should have insisted on bringing a lady’s maid….”
Nizella, unaware of how hard I’d fought with Noah not to bring one, was brimming with concern.
She had no idea how many excuses I’d invented to him about leaving the maid behind.
“Not inconvenient in the slightest. I brought hardly anything with me. If I’d needed a maid, I would’ve brought one already. What about the luggage?”
I fluttered the stack of documents as I stepped fully inside.
“Fortunately, the adjacent room was vacant, so I secured it immediately and stored everything there. Since you seemed busy with your schedule, I didn’t bring any extra work….”
“You did well. Have you eaten?”
Nizella hesitated for a moment.
“Yes, I have. And you, Director?”
I spun around to look at her.
“You’re quite the liar, Nizella.”
There’s no way she’d actually eaten.
Even if she’d come straight, she’d barely have made it by dinnertime, and she’d just told me the movement gate had malfunctioned.
Given Nizella’s character, she must have waited in the carriage the entire time until normal operations resumed.
Separate from the fact that she was from Kylrus, she had an almost excessive conscientiousness to her.
“D-Director?”
“You’ve worked hard getting here. Tonight, I’m not going to have you do anything, and I won’t ask you to either. Go eat dinner at your leisure and come back. I’ll be in my room.”
“I’m perfectly fine. I can begin assisting you right away.”
“It’s not fine with me. When have I ever made you work hungry?”
“No! Absolutely never. You’ve never done such a thing.”
Nizella waved both hands in emphatic denial.
“Once you step outside, you’ll see a large road. Turn right, and you’ll spot a big green sign—the food there is genuinely excellent.”
“…Director.”
I’ll be taking a leisurely bath, so eat and get some rest yourself. You don’t need to report back to me that you’ve eaten—you understand? Don’t make me out to be a heartless employer.”
At that, Nizella finally laughed.
“Understood. I’ll be back shortly.”
“Good. Take your time!”
After sending Nizella off, I stripped off my clothes hastily and made my way to the bath.

Habit is truly terrifying.
Since Noah attends to everything for me when I return home, tasks I once handled alone before our marriage felt burdensome today.
Whether it was from spending my days at a desk and then rushing about, or whether the Guild Association had simply drained me, I wasn’t sure.
Even drying off after my bath, applying oils and creams, and finding a robe to wear felt exhausting.
Even drying my hair was a chore. My hair now reaches past my hips, and by the time I’d finished drying it all, my arms ached so badly I considered cutting it short.
I’d kept it long because Noah loved running his fingers through it….
During dinner earlier, it would have been quite lonely if not for Annie.
Fear crept in as I realized how accustomed I’d become to this life with him, as though we were one being.
“…….”
I sat on the bed with my face flushed, catching my breath as I dried my hair, when I suddenly noticed the communication device I’d left on the desk earlier.
Normally I should have contacted him by now, but I hadn’t.
Word of my arrival had likely already reached him through Nizella, and I’d mentioned beforehand which hotel I’d be staying at….
Should I, or shouldn’t I?
With me gone, Noah wouldn’t need to wear his mask either.
In fact, he’d probably be more at ease. Perhaps he was even humming to himself.
I stared at the communication device for a long time, wrestling with the thought, before finally turning away.
“I’ll do it tomorrow.”
If I said I’d been too exhausted to sleep, he’d understand—or at least pretend to.
I set down the towel and lay in bed, closing my eyes.

* * *

Tap, tap, tap.
Kylrus’s fingers drummed against the table like a pendulum.
He closed his eyes, then opened them again, running a rough hand through his hair.
The office, which had been eerily quiet, felt strangely quieter still today.
Ever since sending Heizel to the Capital, Kylrus had remained in this state.
“…….”
Late night had fallen without him noticing.
Despite having given Heizel a portable communication device, the office device refused to glow.
He’d received Nizella’s report that she and Heizel had met safely enough, but what he needed was word from Heizel herself.
She’d said she’d contact him upon arrival. Had the evening’s wandering left her too exhausted?
Certainly, those small, pale feet traversing the sprawling Capital must have tired her out.
Still, Heizel wouldn’t forget him.
As if mocking his thoughts, two more hours passed without a single message.
“…She must be truly worn out.”
His eyes drifted then to Heizel’s portrait.
It fell short of her true likeness by half again, but time had been pressing, so he’d settled for what he could manage.
Yet even that proved fleeting consolation.
Without seeing those small, plump lips chattering away, without those dimples that deepened slightly whenever she smiled—the ache remained unquenched.
Had nights always stretched this long?
As darkness deepened, the air that normally settled into calm tranquility felt lonesome tonight.

Unable to sleep, he’d taken up documents, and already the day had broken.
The dull ache that had settled heavily over his mind suddenly intensified, and his brow furrowed of its own accord.
It was then that the doorknob suddenly turned, and the door swung open.
Kylrus knew who it was without even looking.
Sid, who had come as he always did in the morning to lay out the documents Kylrus would need to review, froze in alarm.
“M-my lord? You’re already here? My apologies! I thought the office would be empty at this early hour!”
“…….”
When Kylrus didn’t answer, Sid’s eyes widened.
He looked barely any different from when Sid had said goodbye at the end of yesterday’s work—which was precisely the problem.
“…Surely you haven’t been here since yesterday?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Sid regretted them. The atmosphere was plainly terrible.
Sid wanted to bite his own tongue off as he hesitantly moved the documents behind his back, reading the room carefully.
Kylrus lifted his head and extended his hand. The message was clear: hand over the documents and leave.
Cold sweat beaded on Sid’s forehead. So the recent shift toward a gentler mood had been his imagination.
Sid hesitated before extending the documents, stopping himself short.
If Kylrus found fault with the papers or discovered even a single error, hell itself awaited.
‘Did I review the documents thoroughly enough? Was everything perfect……?’
Among the reports he was bringing, there seemed to be details that might rub his lord the wrong way.
Feeling cold sweat trickling down, Sid retreated a step.
Ah, and he’d been happy lately too!

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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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