Surviving as the Wife of the Swordsmanship Clan’s Troublemaker - Chapter 99
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 99
Once we left the Bloodmere Domain in the north of the Western Empire, the biting cold relented.
The carriage curtains fluttered gently in the now-temperate breeze.
Hallara, exhausted from the long journey, had fallen into a deep sleep.
Docheop, who had been absently running his fingers through her hair as she rested against his lap, recalled a question she had posed moments earlier.
“We can return before the Tower freezes over, can’t we?”
Upon hearing those words, Docheop had felt certain his true intentions were laid bare.
After all, the reason he had hastily spirited her away under the guise of a honeymoon was precisely to return before that moment arrived.
Docheop had left the Castle to gather his allies.
He had given Elise a mana stone capable of creating gates, so she would soon construct one—likely without even being asked, since escaping the prison that was the Cardia Duke House had long been her deepest desire.
What remained was to retrieve two others scattered across the north and south.
There simply wasn’t enough time to traverse both regions. But with Elise, everything changed. If she opened a gate in Bloodmere in the Western Empire, opening another in the Northern Empire, which lay not far beyond, would be a simple matter—provided she possessed sufficient mana to sustain it.
Originally, Docheop had planned to journey to the Southern Empire alone.
Leaving Hallara behind.
Yet knowing she had no child to protect her, he could not abandon her. For some reason, Francesca, Nikolai, and even Helbeorn would not allow Hallara to be left unguarded.
If he left her alone, she would surely be discovered in no time.
Whether the gentle breeze had lifted her spirits, Hallara’s sleeping face bore a soft smile.
Like watercolor bleeding across canvas, that smile spread to his own features.
“Do you truly understand what happens when the Tower freezes?”
When the Tower becomes encased in ice, thick icicles forming iron bars around it, the Family will come under siege.
But if she knew that, she would never be at his side. She would know her fate was sealed.
“It seems a spirit is watching over me.”
Such a suspicion had crossed his mind. Could it be that Junel, circling his vicinity, was relaying his words and stories to someone else?
“If that’s the case…”
His gaze suddenly lowered.
Her sleeping face was directly before his eyes.
Her lashes lay delicately against her skin, and with each brush of the wind, a few strands of her hair stirred slightly.
With each breath she took, her cheeks moved with the subtlest motion.
Watching her, something deep within his chest tingled.
Like a tiny, invisible sprout timidly pushing through the frozen earth of winter.
Docheop’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
“…I should verify it, then.”
He murmured the words softly, then recalled something and let out a hollow laugh.
“…It’s merely verification, after all.”
He muttered the excuse to himself.
Docheop lowered his head.
At first, he had only intended a light kiss to her cheek.
Hallara’s sleeping face drew closer—near enough that his breath touched her skin.
His gaze naturally shifted toward her cheek.
Cheeks softened and relaxed by sleep.
With the carriage’s gentle sway, a few strands of hair drifted down and settled upon them.
Docheop’s hand moved first.
He slowly gathered those strands of hair.
The silken threads slipped through his fingers as he tucked them behind her ear.
The lips that had been hidden were now revealed. Docheop’s gaze traced past Hallara’s forehead, brushed across her delicately raised nose, and came to rest on her lips—parted ever so slightly in sleep.
Though bare of any cosmetic, those crimson lips moved with the most subtle of motions with each breath she took.
Docheop exhaled slowly, and a sweet fragrance drifted forth. As the desire to breathe in more took hold, his lips—which had nearly touched her cheek—shifted their trajectory ever so slightly.
He was aware of this himself. Of where that direction was leading.
But by the time that thought had finished, his lips had already descended further.
Soon their lips met.
Warmth bloomed through the parted gap between them. In that instant, an instinct he had not even realized he was suppressing burst forth like a breaking dam. Contrary to his resolve to pull away, he delved deeper still.
***
The Southern Empire was warm, just as the rumors promised. As I felt the intensifying heat, word arrived that the coachman had reached our destination.
Wow, the sea!
The moment I descended, a breathtaking vista unfurled beneath the golden glow of sunset.
Across the emerald waters tinged with azure, the light danced like scattered jewels.
I pressed down the flower-adorned hat that May had prepared for me and descended the stairs. The Dock was teeming with people. Before us, massive sailing ships lined up as they unloaded their cargo.
Though both part of the Western Empire, the landscapes of north and south were strikingly different.
Wow. It’s like a scene from a painting.
So I was in quite an elated state. I had never imagined the southern region would be such a beautiful city—it felt like receiving a gift.
[Hallara.]
Junel, who had finally awakened from sleep in the carriage, fluttered down with a soft chirp.
Junel, look at this view. You said you barely ever left Bloodmere, right?
[You’re the one who barely left. So you really do like Docheop, don’t you?]
But instead of looking at the scenery I was pointing out, Junel asked an utterly random question.
What are you suddenly talking about?
[That fellow seems to like you an awful lot.]
Not this again. Junel, you’re a sword spirit, not Cupid.
I’d heard enough to last a lifetime. I understood that Junel was anxious about me eventually leaving the Family, but Junel was always trying to pair us up excessively.
[This time I have clear evidence!]
What evidence?
[That is…!]
Junel’s cute little mouth fluttered open and closed.
That is?
[That… what I’m trying to say is!]
I wondered what Junel was going on about, but then his face puffed up bright red like a cherry tomato.
What’s wrong with you? You’re going to burst if you keep that up.
[Ugh… I’ve lived for a thousand years, but I still can’t seem to get used to this sort of thing…]
I appeared embarrassed in the process. The light in Docheop’s eyes as he gazed at me was unmistakably different from his usual expression.
“Hallara.”
Just then, Docheop descended the stairs. Upon seeing him, Junel startled and flew away in a panic.
I watched Junel disappear into the clear sky before being suddenly pulled into Docheop’s embrace.
“Huh?”
“Watch where you’re going. You could get hurt.”
A merchant carrying an enormous crate passed by us. I nodded quietly. Docheop then draped a robe around my shoulders.
“Do I really have to wear this? It’s so hot.”
Since the north was in winter, I had dressed in thick clothing, and my body was now sweltering.
“You have to. This isn’t Bloodmere—dangerous people could approach us here.”
With those words, he even placed the hood of the robe over my head. At this rate, I’d be roasted alive.
“Aren’t you hot, my lord?”
Yet Docheop looked far more overheated than I did.
“No.”
“Your face is bright red.”
Despite his composed expression, his neck and ears were flushed crimson.
“That’s strange. Do you have a fever?”
I reached out and placed my hand against his forehead.
“Oh, you’re burning up.”
It was definitely a fever. He hadn’t caught one even in the cold of Bloodmere, yet here he was, stricken with illness.
“Is there a doctor nearby? We should get you medicine right away.”
We’d need to board a ship to reach the Southern Empire, and I should secure medicine before then.
“No, it’s just a fever.”
“But you’re burning up.”
“It’s like you said—I’m just hot from the weather. Come on, let’s go. We have a long walk to reach the ship we’re taking.”
He brushed off the matter awkwardly and pulled my hand along. I gave up pestering Docheop and instead searched with my eyes for a doctor. Only after we boarded the ship did I realize that we had been holding hands with our fingers intertwined the entire time.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Lyncdtxo
They are so fucking adorable 😭🙏🏻