Dear Contract Husband, I Didn't Know You Were Like This? - Chapter 25
Eagerly stating she would give a gift was one thing, but what followed was the problem.
‘What could even be a suitable gift for the Grand Duke.’
Choosing and receiving gifts had been too rare an occurrence for her, posing a dilemma.
The only person she had ever had any semblance of human interaction with was Kendrick.
‘The gifts I gave to Kendrick were…’
The gifts Maya gave to Kendrick, while he was alive, were all practical things that he needed at the time.
They weren’t expensive but were essentials like tables or chairs, things that Kendrick, who lived alone, absolutely needed for his daily life.
After awakening as a mage, Kendrick had cut ties with his family that treated him like a dog and lived independently.
Kendrick had always told Maya to leave the Pendragon family too, but it took her a long time to let go, hoping for something.
Well, setting that aside.
Grand Duke Tristan Bayarden was not someone lacking in material possessions.
‘The Grand Duke wouldn’t need a table or a chair, would he?’
Then Maya recalled the gifts she had received from Kendrick.
‘Armor, swords, scabbards.’
Kendrick, likewise, had given gifts that Maya needed or liked.
But such gifts wouldn’t be appropriate for the Grand Duke.
Why?
‘He probably already has all of that.’
With the Grand Duke’s household and the knightly order being so well-equipped, there’s nothing he lacks!
‘So what should I give him?’
Oh well, she’ll figure it out along the way.
They would run into each other anyway, so she could just ask what he needed.
‘Giving what’s most needed is best.’
Having resolved her dilemma, Maya set out for training with a light heart.
***
Returning to his true form in the early morning, Tristan received an unexpected visitor.
It was someone he wouldn’t have met under normal circumstances, but who had shown up after a long absence.
Coincidentally, it was when he had reverted to the form of his original age.
“Good to see you, Grand Duke. I didn’t expect to be granted an audience so early, and I am grateful.”
The visitor immediately inquired about Maya, necessitating a prior meeting.
The only people Tristan knew related to Maya Pendragon were her family, who could hardly be considered human.
Since Maya Pendragon had become one of his people upon her arrival here, he couldn’t let her deal with this alone.
Tristan quietly observed the person seated before him.
It was someone he was meeting for the first time in a while, following Maya Pendragon.
“Kendrick Arkisia.”
While his lips curved up, his eyes were stern, contrasting with his blond hair and warm emerald eyes.
He was an individual who seemed to be the polar opposite of Maya Pendragon, making the introduction as a friend surprising.
“I am a friend of the person you are…”
A pause. Then, the audible sound of teeth gnashing together.
Griiiiit.
“…marrying. I came to see you, startled by the sudden news, so please forgive my intrusion.”
His smooth manner of speaking was polite, yet there seemed to be an underlying sharpness.
Tristan gazed at him intently.
Should he allow Kendrick Arkisia to meet with Maya Pendragon?
He had already sent a butler to Maya, who was likely training in the morning.
“May I offer my assistance as a mage for the upcoming subjugation campaign?”
Tristan’s eyes narrowed. The topic he broached changed the atmosphere of the room instantly.
‘He knows about the monster.’
The monster that appeared late at night had devastated a village deep in the Sirac Mountain Range of the North and the surrounding area before disappearing without a trace.
Knight Commander Alec had pursued it but returned empty-handed.
Further searches only confirmed the monster’s colossal size.
Support was requested from the Magic Tower and the imperial family in case of unforeseen events.
Just a day ago.
With the mage arriving before any reply from the Magic Tower, was this truly the intention of the Magic Tower?
“Are you part of the reinforcements army sent by the Magic Tower?”
“No. I just happened to overhear the Imperial Knights talking with the Magic Tower’s representatives.”
It’s unlikely that a conversation of such importance between the knights and the Magic Tower took place on the streets.
Kendrick had come on purpose.
‘And what reason is that?’
Was there something he wanted from the North, or was there another reason?
Kendrick candidly confessed his motives.
“When I arrived here, I needed a reason that would justify my rudeness, and I happened to learn that a visitor had come from the North.”
