Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband

After reading it, the reality of being under his control became apparent to me.

I felt a sense of betrayal.

Half of what I had worked so hard to achieve was essentially built by him. My efforts… all those sleepless nights, sweat, and hard work suddenly felt futile. At that moment, an anger unlike anything I had felt before, surged within me.

How could he… go to such lengths?

It was truly excessive.

I memorized everything and then burned the documents Annie had given me, leaving no trace.

Reluctantly, I opened a letter from the Guild Association, which I never do as I would usually ignore the invitations. To my surprise, it turned out to be an invitation to the Guild Representatives’ meeting, a biannual networking event.

Considering my lack of excuses, I pondered whether this gathering could provide me with an opportunity to distance myself from Noah for a while. Additionally, it would serve as a valid reason for me to be present in the capital.

No matter how notorious Kairos was, he still held the esteemed status of a noble, even bearing the prestigious title of a duke. This meant he frequently interacted with the palace and attended social functions.

It would be challenging for him to masquerade as Noah Edith and deceive people in the capital.

Come to think of it, Noah asked me to go on a date with him this morning after a long time. I had to exert considerable effort to practice controlling my expressions, which had been overshadowed by gloominess over the past week.

* * *

For the past week, Kairos had been in a bad mood. It hadn’t been exactly two weeks, but it felt close enough.

Hazel was busy.

His captive was busy.

Since she mentioned her goal of expanding the business, she had been busy preparing different things every day, and at the same time, Hazel’s friend came from the capital.

Thanks to that, they couldn’t even leave work together as she often worked until late at night. She was much more tired than usual, so they couldn’t have a proper conversation or even hold each other at night. And during the few hours she was awake, she was busy with paperwork.

Annoyed, he bit on his fingers and even tortured the inside of his cheeks by biting them.

Had he been aware that this would happen, he would have assisted her in getting ready for the expansion.

The idea of Hazel being occupied with her own affairs and him not having to concern himself with her was appealing, yet oddly enough, it left him feeling agitated. It was peculiar, considering that just a week ago, he had found solace in his own company.

…What on earth was going on?

Why on earth was he in a bad mood?

Should he get rid of her now? No, he didn’t feel like doing that either. Still, when he suggested having a date today since it was the day the guild building was completed, she readily agreed and smiled at him.

Of course, that was how it should be.

On the other hand, Sid continued to work while glancing at his lord discreetly. He couldn’t guess why Kairos was in a bad mood. The reason Kairos was in a bad mood wasn’t actually difficult to think about though he couldn’t fathom the exact reason.

“Your Excellency.”

“….”

“Your Excellency.”

“Speak up, don’t keep calling me like a parrot.

Kairos’s reply was like a wild beast growling.

“If it bothers you so much, how about getting rid of her right away?”

“…What?”

“Aren’t you upset because of the captive?”

“….”

“To be honest, I’m curious. After you give her the guild building, will you dispose of her? It’s been a long time… or do you have other plans?”

“….”

Kairos didn’t answer.

It had been a year already.

Sid couldn’t help but sense that things were deviating from the initial plan. While he comprehended the lack of leniency toward traitors or those who betrayed Kairos, it was the first time it felt like the situation was dragging on like this.

Normally, even if it required getting his hands dirty with blood, his lord would swiftly eliminate any obstacles. The plan had been set in motion because Kairos couldn’t capture her despite sending his subordinates.

Observing his lord, Sid noticed a certain peculiarity about him.

What more could he want?

…Could it be?

“Your Excellency…?”

“I’m not in the mood right now.”

“Ah, I see. Understood. By any chance, do you—”

“What now?”

“By any chance, did you… feel something?”

Kairos turned his head.

Despite doing that, Sid didn’t stop speaking.

“Did you feel pity?”

“…What?”

“Aren’t we talking about the person who stole your information and money? I think she should have been eliminated by now. She and the guild are causing much greater losses than the stolen money…”

Kairos’ eyebrows furrowed.

Sid quickly added.

“Oh, of course, the money is yours, and it was a plan born out of annoyance. Still, since it’s dragging on like this, I thought maybe you were showing some leniency due to pity.”

“Pity?”

“Yes. I thought she was an impressive person, but it turns out that captive is nothing more than a commoner from a humble background, right? She joined the knights with her skills, and the stolen information was the only thing she took.”

Kairos nodded slightly as if acknowledging Sid’s words.

“Honestly, if we take away that fact, she’s quite insignificant and worthless, isn’t she? It was easy to dig into her since she had no family to protect her. That made me wonder if Your Excellency pitied her. Giving her expensive gifts and all.”

It must be because of sympathy.

It wasn’t entirely accurate, but it didn’t seem entirely wrong, either.

Although he kept giving words of love to Hazel, they were all fake. Sometimes, when he looked at her, who curled up alone with her small body in the early morning, he would be engulfed by a strange and indescribable emotion.

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It seemed fitting to incorporate pity into that emotion.

Setting that aside…

“But why do you keep calling her a captive?”

“What?”

“A captive?”

“Uh, well, no… I didn’t mean it like that.”

Startled, Sid responded with a foolish expression.

Kairos’ brows furrowed even more.

“Insignificant, worthless… why should Hazel be mentioned that way? Do you know what you’re talking about?”

‘…Wait, didn’t you just nod before, my lord?’

Sid whimpered, feeling unjust and on the verge of tears. Seeing his lord’s expression becoming increasingly menacing, he straightened himself up immediately.

…That expression was dangerous.

He thought he should leave this place quickly. At the notion, Sid shook his head vehemently.

“No, it’s not like that! My words were inappropriate! I’ll be more careful, I promise.”

And then, before a big incident happened, he swiftly went away.

* * *

“Where are we going? I thought we were going home?”

“We’ll be there soon.”

It was the first time in a week that we were leaving together after work. As we left together after work, Noah surprised me by mentioning that we were going somewhere other than home. Instantly, a wave of tension washed over me.

…Why all of a sudden?

Until this morning, there was no sign of anything strange. His ability to plan meticulously was uncanny! Despite the profound sense of betrayal welling up within me, I managed to suppress it and took a series of deep breaths.

Holding onto Noah’s arm, I blinked rapidly, attempting to moisten my eyes, and asked in a shaky voice.

“Noah, where are we really going?”

“Are you curious?”

“Yes, I’m curious.”

Noah’s gaze bore into me with unwavering intensity, but he averted his eyes once more.

It was clear that he had made up his mind not to tell me. A foreboding feeling of impending doom settled in the pit of my stomach, yet a faint smile graced his lips before he touched my cheeks.

“Hmm?”

“Well, it depends on you.”

“Oh.”

I took the opportunity and leaned in, planting a kiss on Noah’s cheek. Because of that, his smile grew wider.

“Now, are you going to tell me?”

After I give him a kiss, he won’t suddenly reveal something terrible, right?

“Since you want to expand your business, you need to start with the main headquarters.”

“That… what do you mean?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if I showed it to you in person?”

Before I could ask what he meant, the carriage stopped in front of a building, and he opened the door before handing me an envelope.

“I hope you like it, Hazel. It’s the second gift to celebrate our first anniversary.”

“…What?”

“I was supposed to give it to you along with the necklace, but there was a road construction delay. It’s late, but I wanted to give this to you.”

Dazed, I turned my head and beheld the colossal five-story structure. Wasn’t this place supposed to be rundown? When did this building appear?

It stood sturdy and formidable, reminiscent of the guild building I had encountered upon my initial arrival in the capital. The pathway leading to the entrance was paved with cobblestones, resembling those near the town entrance and city center.

I gazed at it in astonishment, my eyes fixed on the building, while Noah opened the carriage door and handed me an envelope.

“It’s the documents for your new headquarters.”

“What… does that mean?”

“I thought it would be better to start expanding your business from the main headquarter.”

He handed me the documents without giving me a chance to ask.

The owner was indeed written as ‘Hazel Love.’

Wasn’t this land meant to be my grave? Yet, here I stood, confronted with something entirely different. Did it imply that he had no intention of eliminating me after all?

A blend of relief and perplexity washed over me.

“Noah…”

I uttered, my voice trembling with mixed emotions.

Seeing me in that state, Noah gently smiled and held my cheeks in his hands.

“It would have been better if I had given it to you along with the necklace. I’m sorry I couldn’t do it that way. But it means we had the same idea.”

Yes, if I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have felt so anxious.

“…The gift I gave you before was just a small villa.”

“What does size matter? The fact that my wife loves me is the most important thing.”

He said such words so easily…

Still, I couldn’t help but smile.