Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 4

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

Episode 4

Noah’s gaze was fixed not on me, but on the bulletin board.
I followed his line of sight and spotted a Wanted Poster hanging in the corner.
One was a pickpocket with priors, another was a deadbeat who’d skipped out on a bar tab, and the third was… a con artist.
Someone who’d swindled a considerable sum.
A hiccup escaped me.
Suddenly, a large, warm hand settled on my back.
Startled, I hiccupped again, and Noah turned his full attention toward me.
“What’s wrong, Hazel?”
His hand traced down my back slowly, deliberately.
“It’s nothing. Just a sudden hiccup.”
I sidled away by a step.
Surely he wasn’t thinking of me when he saw that.
The fool couldn’t catch that con artist, so the poster went up—but I kept mine in my own hands. A small surge of superiority, nothing more.
Unable to stop fretting about it, I didn’t even properly explore the Market, and I feigned exhaustion just to get home.
I never thought I’d dread the date I’d been looking forward to. I’d promised myself today would be effortless and easy.
After soaking in warm water, my mind finally eased.

* * *

Noah had finished washing and was waiting for me in the bedroom.
…….
With no one around, should I try Illusion Magic?
“Hazel, come here.”
Noah tapped the bed expectantly.
On days when I came home early, he’d long since learned that I liked to nap—it was simply a fact he knew.
It was strange to see me lying down in the bright midday light with my robe hanging loose, yet somehow it suited me all too well, and that was the problem.
I’d promised myself never to use it on Noah, of all people.
Illusion Magic had many forms, but typically it worked by penetrating the target’s mind—and no matter how beautiful the vision, it invariably inflicted some mental strain.
If the caster harbored no intent to harm, the impact would be so slight that even a child couldn’t perceive it, but I couldn’t bear to inflict even that much on Noah.
I loved him enough that I’d sworn never to use Illusion Technique on him, and yet……
With Noah, I knew he’d have no resistance to me, so even a low-grade Illusion Technique would take hold……
But Kailerus Hadid wouldn’t see anything no matter what I did.
I’d already made up my mind that it was Kailerus Hadid, but what if—
I steadied my trembling breath.
Meeting Noah’s eyes, I let my power flow outward and walked toward him.
Clinging to a thread of hope, I couldn’t bring myself to show him anything sinister—instead, I slowly bloomed flowers all around us.
Soon the space overflowed with blossoms, yet Noah’s eyes showed no shock, no flicker of surprise whatsoever.
Instead, he simply patted the bed again, urging me to come closer.
“Noah.”
“Yes, Hazel.”
A woman who looked exactly like me slipped up onto the bed from Noah’s left side and reached out to touch his cheek, as if demanding his attention.
Please look. Look at me. Look!
Desperate, I conjured flames right before Noah’s eyes.
In that instant, he who had shown no reaction whatsoever suddenly bolted upright.
Did you see? Did you finally see it?
Just as joy and relief surged up to overwhelm me, Noah pulled me into a tight embrace.
“When did my wife learn to torment me like this?”
Did you really… not see any of it?
I forced myself to focus and broke free from his hold, grabbing his arm.
“Noah.”
“Yes, Hazel.”
“You… you didn’t see anything at all?”
“See what? If it’s you, I see perfectly.”
“No, I mean besides me……”
He tilted his head, clearly not understanding what I was getting at.
No matter what Illusion Technique I deploy in front of him, there’s nothing to see.
Which means he’s really not Noah at all……
I released Noah’s arm and stepped back.
Noah, about to carry me to bed, raised an eyebrow.
“A nap doesn’t seem to be coming. I suddenly remembered something I’d forgotten about—let me step by the Office for a moment.”
And with that, he turned on his heel and left the room without me.

* * *

It really is Kailerus Hadid. He’s not Noah.
If he’s not Kailerus Hadid, then he’d be the Final Boss and Mastermind who swallowed all evil itself—but that’s nonsense.
Even though I’d already confirmed it on paper, seeing it with my own eyes drained every last bit of strength from me.
My husband is a man who came to kill me.
All that love was truly a lie.
Was I really that offensive to him?
The reason he doesn’t dispatch me outright is obvious without being told.
To inflict the greatest pain.
To push me off a cliff at the very moment I’m happiest.
But even so, how could he go to such grotesque lengths?
Compared to the wealth he possesses, what I’ve done is smaller than dust on a glove.
Honestly, even the Wanted Poster felt like overkill.
Though looking back, it seemed more born from offense at the fact that I’d dared deceive him than from any question of money.
“…How cruel.”
I knew there was only one method available, but my heart kept hesitating and stubbornly resisting.

I didn’t leave the Office until dawn that day.
When I didn’t emerge until evening, Noah himself—or rather, Kailerus Hadid wearing Noah’s mask—came to the Office looking for me.
But I turned him away.
Using the excuse that I was busy and needed to stay there, he brought Galette and warm Salad Dish—he who couldn’t bear to see me skip a single meal, no matter what else happened.
In any case, since our marriage, tonight was the first time I hadn’t slept in bed beside him.
Emptiness and loss weighed on me, yet I couldn’t bring myself to go back.
It was past four in the morning when I finally emerged.
Click.
As I carefully opened the Office door, I saw Noah’s silhouette in the hallway window where the pre-dawn moonlight streamed in.
“…….”
The reassuring image of Noah and the sinister figure of Kailerus Hadid overlapped.
He turned his body toward me.
Noah’s face caught in the moonlight looked dangerously beautiful.
Those red eyes, gleaming sharply even in the darkness.
I should have come out later.
Regret bloomed, but if I went back inside, I sensed Noah would follow.
“Hazel.”
Noah came toward me in quick strides.
“Noah, why aren’t you sleeping? Why are you here?”
“How could I sleep without you?”
“…So you’ve been waiting here the whole time?”
Noah answered not with words but by pressing his large frame against me, drawing me into his arms and burying his lips against my neck.
As if breathing for the first time, he inhaled deeply, again and again, rubbing his lips against my skin.
When I stroked his hair as I habitually did, Noah held me up as though he’d been waiting for exactly that.
“Noah?”
“Are you done with everything that was busy?”
The lips that brush the corner of my eye are nothing but gentle.
“…Well enough.”
“Hazel. Then let’s go rest a little, you and I.”
“Now?”
“Yes, Hazel.”
I blinked, my expression turning troubled.
“…Then I’ll be even more exhausted when I get ready for work later.”
At that, Noah stared at me intently before letting out a short laugh.
“What, why are you laughing?”
“What could you possibly be thinking about that would make you more tired?”
He was clearly teasing me.
I squinted at him and muttered under my breath.
“You always say you’ll just sleep, but then you don’t, so that’s why.”
Noah buried his face in my shoulder and chuckled.
The soft vibration drew an involuntary smile from me.
“Today I had no such intention whatsoever.”
“…Really?”
“Yes, really.”
I still couldn’t shake the skepticism from my gaze.
“That better be the truth. Don’t you dare prove me wrong.”
Noah laughed again, chuckling as he began leading me toward the bedroom, still holding me.

* * *

Noah’s words were only half true.
Come to think of it, he’d never kept his promise to “just sleep” a single time!
Maybe lying was simply built into him as a default? How else could it be…!
I was fighting sleep with half-lidded eyes when Noah, who’d left earlier, slipped back in.
He entered humming cheerfully, a tray holding an omelet in his hands.
Only I suffer, as always!
I watched him and let out a small, indignant huff.
“Liar.”
Despite my sharp remark, Noah simply smiled and continued arranging the table so I could eat the omelet.
I gazed at him intently.
Here he was, clearly handling a tedious chore, yet doing so with apparent delight, humming while laying down knife and fork with such care.
Today he seemed in an especially good mood.
“…….”
Fine. All right.
I decided to accept that my beloved husband was Kailerus Hadid.
And I decided to accept, too, that I had exploited the wealth of that villain husband.
That’s just how reality was.
Now that I knew everything, if I were to kiss him as usual, it would taste bitter rather than sweet.
At that very moment, Noah smiled at me.
“…….”
…Bitter tastes are actually good for you.
For the sake of health, couldn’t I keep a little bitterness by my side?
Again! Again!
I slapped my own cheek as I stood there grinning like a fool, disarmed by his sunlit smile.
I’m insane. That’s poison, poison. Don’t fall for it.
Then Noah’s expression grew serious and he rushed toward me.
“Hazel, why did you suddenly…? Does it hurt? Because I wore you out until dawn? If you wanted to hit something, hit me instead. Look, your cheek’s already turned red from white…….”
He clicked his tongue in evident distress, his hand touching my cheek with utmost care.
“…….”
Unable to answer Noah’s worried question, I came to a decision.
So that pathetic, besotted demeanor was all an act.
No, this won’t do. I’m going to waste away like this.
I need to plan a complete divorce.
I couldn’t let myself be deceived by him anymore.

* * *

I gazed up at the Guild Office I’d built with my own hands.
From a single cramped room to a sprawling two-story building—how many sleepless nights had it taken to get here?
And now I was supposed to abandon it all and run……?
Gods, the commission fees alone that come in each month!
My decision to leave the Imperial Knights and open the Mercenary Guild had been almost accidental.
I let my eyes drift, memories surfacing like water finding its level.

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