Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 52

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

Episode 52

Sid was summoned to Kailas’s office in less than thirty minutes.
He stood in the study with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for his lord to speak.
Or rather—to be precise—waiting for himself to find the courage to speak first, which meant Sid was internally wrestling with what in the world to say.
So his lord had taken a liking to the prisoner.
‘Is it really true? Could Emilta be mistaken? So the lord is capable of love after all. He’s just a man, helpless before it like any other.’
That Kailas Hardid and the word love could exist in the same sentence—it was extraordinary.
It was truly as if the world had turned upside down.
Now that Emilta had spoken, everything made sense in hindsight.
‘Ah, that’s why. That’s why he was on edge.’
He’d deliberately chosen not to mention how the lady had been riding in Dylan Banker’s carriage instead of the public one when she visited the royal palace—but if the lord found out, he might actually explode.
Initially he’d thought it wasn’t worth reporting anyway……
Better to just keep quiet about it.
So all this recent anger had simply been because he missed seeing her.
Emilta could be prickly, but she wasn’t one to spout nonsense, so Sid trusted her judgment considerably.
Indeed, whenever colleagues needed relationship advice, they’d seek out Emilta.
‘Well now, is that so.’
A sly gleam had crept into the corners of Sid’s mouth.
“Sid.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The arena documents are missing.”
“Missing? That shouldn’t be possible… Ah, I’ll go check again at once and bring them back.”
“Go yourself and retrieve them.”
“Right now, sir?”
It would be evening soon……
But Sid didn’t hesitate and promptly bowed his head.
Overtime confirmed.
“Yes, I’ll be back shortly, my lord.”
“While you’re at it, check that there are no problems inside the arena.”
“Ah, yes!”
Sid answered energetically and waited for what came next.
Kailas’s mouth remained firmly shut, but his eyes betrayed deep anxiety.
There was clearly more to say, yet he remained silent.
Sid raised both eyebrows hopefully at him, silently urging him to continue.
Still nothing.
Or was it just his imagination?
“Very well, I’ll go check straightaway and have the documents delivered to you by tomorrow morning.”
Just then, Kailas’s expression cracked and he rubbed his brow with his index finger.
“And.”
“Yes, sir?”
“While you’re up in the Capital.”
“Of course.”
Another silence fell.
What was he trying to say?
Sid waited, his lips settling into a slight frown.
“…Check how serious Hazel’s injuries are and report back.”
Sid nearly burst out laughing in that moment.
So there was more to it after all.
“Check briefly” somehow sounded exactly like “check thoroughly.”
Emilta had been right all along.
Sid bit down hard on his laughter.
“Of course! I’ll go to the Hotel myself and examine her injuries properly, and report back to you! Should I bring a physician as well?”
“Do as you see fit.”
“Yes, sir.”
As he turned to leave with a bow, the conversation with Emilta flashed through his mind, and something clicked.
“Ah, my lord.”
Sid spun back around.
“What.”
“Well… I’ve already submitted all last week’s reports today, but if you’d like, wouldn’t it be better to check on Hazel’s wound in person?”
Kailas’s expression flinched, though barely perceptibly.
Another person might have missed it, but Sid, who had stood at his lord’s side for so long, caught that subtle shift.
Interesting.
“Why would I need to do that?”
“Oh, don’t misunderstand me. It’s already been a week since you went up to the Capital, hasn’t it? Then wouldn’t Hazel perhaps wonder if your affection has grown lukewarm…?”
“…….”
“Then anxiety takes hold, she begins to doubt your love, and since things aren’t as they used to be, she might harbor other thoughts. This is the perfect moment to go and, without her noticing, grasp her heart all over again! Of course, this serves to settle the matter neatly as well.”
Sid rattled on with genuine enthusiasm.
“It’s not entirely unreasonable.”
Kailas’s expression was subtly relaxing when Sid recalled something and quickly added with an “Oh, wait.”
“Ah, but since she doesn’t know about the wound, if you go right now she might suspect something else entirely.”
“…….”
Kailas’s face tightened minutely.
“What about this instead?”
“What.”
“You could go bearing a surprise gift. A simple dessert or a packed lunch, perhaps? Didn’t Nizela just report that Hazel seems to be having trouble adjusting to the Hotel food these days?”
“She did.”
“If you say you remembered and made it for her, she won’t find that suspicious at all, I’d wager? While you’re at the Hotel, I’ll head to the training grounds and check on things thoroughly.”
“A packed lunch, then…….”
“Of course, if it’s too much trouble, I’ll make quick work of it and return.”
“No, I can manage that much generosity. I do have time on my hands at the moment.”
Sid’s nostrils flared with satisfaction as he answered.
“Yes, that’s precisely what I thought when I brought it up. What if you go before lunch or dinner tomorrow? I’ll contact Nizela in the morning and have it delivered right away.”
Kailas fell silent for a moment, considering.
“Before lunch tomorrow, if Hazel isn’t busy.”
“Understood. I’ll give Nizela a heads-up beforehand.”
“Good.”
This ought to put her in a good mood—maybe he wouldn’t have to pull all-nighters anymore.
Sid was absolutely delighted.
“She’ll be so surprised by the gift! I think she’ll be absolutely thrilled. She loves the things you make, doesn’t she? I’ll prepare it properly.”
At the gesture dismissing him, Sid left the room with a beaming expression.
‘I think I’m actually being helpful to my lord. Maybe things will be a bit easier to work with when I get back.’
He set off down the corridor, whistling cheerfully and bouncing on his heels for a good while.

* * *

That dawn.
The Communication Tool, which had seemed silent until now, flickered with light once more.
The inexplicable unease that had lingered all this time made him pause and stare at that glow for a moment.
But he couldn’t hold back much longer.
The fact that Hazel, who should have been in deep sleep by now, would call at this hour could mean only one thing.
-Noah?
He brought his hand to the Communication Tool, and before long, Hazel’s voice came through—hoarse from sleep, rougher than usual.
“Hazel.”
-Huh? How are you awake? You’re not still working, are you?
Sleep clung heavily to her words, clouding her voice with surprise.
When he asked if she’d had a nightmare, a small, sharp breath came from the other end of the line.
Her voice grew quieter as she confirmed it was true.
-I was just going to try once and go back to sleep… What about you?
“I woke up and remembered I’d left some documents behind, so I stopped by briefly. The Communication Tool’s light caught my eye the moment I came in.”
-Ah, I see… I tried calling earlier too, but you seemed busy so I didn’t push. But I’m glad I did! Getting to hear my husband’s voice at dawn.
“Perhaps I left those documents behind just so I could talk to you like this. I’ll stay on the line with the Communication Tool. I’ll sing you a lullaby until you fall asleep.”
-Right now?
“Yes, since I can’t be beside you, the least I can do is sing. Otherwise I’ll worry too much to sleep myself.”
-W, well then, just a little!
The sound of hurried rustling came through.
He could picture her: hastily settling into bed, clutching the blanket tight, the Communication Tool held in one hand.
Both sides fell silent at this hour, and even the sound of breathing and the smallest movement became starkly audible.
“…….”
Even though they had been together for a year, this was the first time she had reached out to him through the Communication Tool at dawn. He had held her through her nightmares before, yes, but never like this.
The hushed, settled atmosphere of early morning; Hazel’s voice coming through the Communication Tool on the other end.
—Husband! I’m in bed. I’ve pulled the blanket over myself.
Even the note of bright anticipation in Hazel’s voice.
That combination—Kailas found it deeply pleasing.
Hazel was prone to nightmares.
She said it often happened because of the power she possessed.
When she had them, she would toss and turn so badly that he found himself reaching for her almost without thinking, patting her back until her breathing grew calm and even.
Today, after humming a lullaby twice, Hazel drifted off to sleep.
With his eyes closed, Kailas kept the Communication Tool connected and listened to her sleeping breath for a long while, letting it steady him like a sedative.
He held his own breath, straining to hear, until slowly he raised his hand and covered his eyes with the back of it.
Then, without warning, a laugh escaped him—the kind that takes your breath away.

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