I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 46
“Look at that. Can’t you do that?”
“My goodness, what a sight. Must be a thousand-year love!”
All the strangers around us glanced at us and made comments. But I couldn’t lift my head. Not because I was embarrassed, but because I was too exhausted.
“Asil, you haven’t fainted, have you?”
“……My bottom hurts so much.”
“……There’s nothing I can do about that, so bear with it a little longer. We’ll find lodging soon.”
Cassion truly rode without rest. We didn’t even stop for lunch, eating jerky on horseback, and barely managed to reach our target village just as the sun was setting.
Though both the horse and I were nearly foaming at the mouth.
“Tsk, with women like that running around, no wonder they’re getting so full of themselves.”
A large man grumbled loudly enough to be heard and tried to bump shoulders, but Cassion, who was carrying me, slightly adjusted his posture to avoid him, causing the man to stumble forward. Laughter could be heard from the onlookers.
“We’re already standing out too much as outsiders……”
Thinking I was asking to be put down, Cassion looked at me and slightly lowered his body. But I just held onto his neck more tightly and resisted. Hey. You should listen to people’s words until the end.
“I can’t bring myself to ask to be put down. I think I’d have to crawl if you put me down now.”
“Pfft. We can’t have that.”
“But put me down before we enter the inn. I’ll try to stand on my own feet somehow there.”
Cassion adjusted his hold on me. His stamina really is no joke. I wasn’t the only one who’d been traveling all day. Cassion, who had controlled the horse himself, showed no signs of fatigue.
He skillfully supported my shoulders and under my legs, avoiding my sore bottom, and carried me without showing any strain in his movements.
“It just occurred to me, but you’re really reliable.”
“……What?”
“I was worried we should have brought at least one knight with us.”
When I weakly raised my arm to massage his firm bicep, his earlobes turned bright red. Seeing them flush so quickly right before my eyes made him seem quite cute.
“Ahem. Flattery won’t get you anywhere right now.”
“Oh my. What do you take my sincerity for? I was giving you an honest compliment.”
“……Really? Well, that’s, um……”
“Since I can see how embarrassed you are, you don’t need to answer. Just enjoy my praise.”
This time not just his earlobes but his neck turned bright red, visible even in the dark night. So he’s weak to direct compliments. I should use that often.
“Oh, look there! See that sign! Isn’t that an inn?”
Even as I squirmed and giggled, Cassion’s arms didn’t waver. As Cassion gazed absently into the distance, I was the first to spot the inn and called his attention to it, making him turn back.
“Good eye, Asil. Looks like it is.”
“Thank goodness. Since this doesn’t seem like a village that gets many tourists, they should have rooms available, right? You can put me down now.”
When I tried to put strength into my body to get down, my legs trembled. In the end, Cassion only put me down very carefully right at the inn’s entrance. I thought I’d be fine after resting while being carried, but I almost collapsed, and he quickly supported me.
“Feels like I’m learning to walk again.”
“You should get inside and rest quickly, Asil.”
Though I expected him to mock me, Cassion unexpectedly showed concern as he opened the inn’s door. Being an old inn, the door opened with a loud creaking sound, causing several villagers drinking inside and the innkeeper to turn their attention to us at once.
“Welcome. Drinks?”
“Lodging and dinner. Is bathing available?”
“Well, look at these noble folks. What bath in a small place like this? Though we’ve got plenty of rooms available.”
“Then just two rooms and the meal charge.”
“……Huh?”
As Cassion put down money while speaking, the innkeeper who had been answering listlessly looked us up and down strangely.
“Aren’t you two married? Why do you need two rooms when one would do?”
“……Isn’t it good for you to make more money? Just give us the rooms without worrying about it.”
Though Cassion shot back coldly, I could see he was flustered. This pot-bellied innkeeper, despite appearances, has some sharp insights.
“It’s just strange is all. Siblings…… doesn’t look like that either.”
“Ah, they must’ve fought, they fought.”
As the innkeeper started stroking his chin, the men drinking in the back called out loudly. Their laughter was directed at us.
“Young married couples fighting on their honeymoon ain’t rare. You should know better. Look, look how the wife is sulking. Won’t even turn her head.”
“Saying they want separate rooms but sticking so close together, that’s like trying to cut water with a knife. Hahaha!”
Realizing I had unconsciously been leaning against Cassion at the man’s words, I tried to create some distance, but my body trembled again without support. Cassion immediately closed the distance I’d made and wrapped his arm around my waist.
“Aiyah…… tsk tsk tsk.”
The innkeeper, noting Cassion’s demeanor, clicked his tongue dismissively before slapping down a key and some change on the counter.
“I gave you the big room, so make up! It’s the farthest room on the right, quite secluded, so don’t worry about noise!”
“That’s right, that’s right. Married couples naturally make up at night after a fight.”
“These bastards……”
When Cassion bristled and tried to step forward, I quickly held him back. Though there was some teasing mixed in, they were just drunk people with no real malice.
Besides, we often shared rooms at the ducal residence anyway, so what did it matter, and I was too tired and just wanted to go up and rest.
“Let’s just go up.”
Seeing my exhausted expression, Cassion erased his angry look and grabbed the key after glaring at the innkeeper and the men. But there was a problem.
“……Asil.”
“……”
The way up to the room was by the stairs. And I was in no condition to climb stairs.
“I’m sorry.”
Cassion shook his head and lifted me up in his arms. Whistles could be heard from behind. I knew this would happen. Since I’d already confirmed Cassion’s strength, I wasn’t particularly sorry about him having to carry me up the stairs.
But I felt a bit sorry knowing what a spectacle it would make in front of people who had already been teasing us about marital fights.
I’m not usually this unhelpful, but this horseback riding business has made me quite a burden.
“We’ll send the meal up, just come out when we knock!”
Before the innkeeper could finish speaking, Cassion had already climbed all the stairs and headed toward the rightmost room without putting me down.
He skillfully used the key to open the door while still carrying me, stepped inside with me in his arms…… and stopped.
“Damn it.”
It was small. The room, the bed, everything. Though they said it was the biggest room, how big could a room be in a small inn in this remote village?
“Should I go back down and get another……”
“It’s fine. We won’t be staying long, and besides, I used to live in an even smaller room than this.”
How fickle people are – I lived in a windowless storage room for so long, but after just a few months in the spacious ducal residence, this inn looks shabby.
But I didn’t want to make Cassion more of a spectacle, and I was exhausted, so I stopped him and flopped face-down onto the bed.
“Ugh, my bottom.”
The bed was hard too. I could feel the wooden boards right through the sheets, sending a tingling pain up my tailbone. As I curled up like a caterpillar and groaned, Cassion came over and awkwardly patted my shoulder.
Why pat my shoulder when it’s my bottom that hurts? Well, he can’t exactly pat my bottom.
“You pushed yourself too hard. This village is small enough that I can search it alone, so you should rest tomorrow.”
“What? I’m the one who knows Lorang, what good would it do for you to go around alone?”
“You’ve already told me what he looks like and all the information. That’s enough.”
“We still need to go together. Ugh. I’ll be fine after some sleep. I can’t keep being a burden.”
“You’re not a burden, Asil. Absolutely not, so get some rest.”
“I’ll go to bed early today. Let’s look around together tomorrow.”
BANG BANG BANG!
“That bastard.”
While we were talking, the innkeeper who said he’d knock came pounding on the door like he was trying to break it down. When I flinched in surprise, Cassion went out grinding his teeth, but the innkeeper had already left the food and gone back down.
That was quick. Though he was thoughtful enough to bring water and clothes for washing up.
“I want to eat and go straight to bed. You should rest early too, Cassion. You worked hard today.”
The food was simply bread with ham and butter and thin potato soup. Though Cassion’s expression soured further, I didn’t mind much since the potato soup, despite having almost no solid ingredients, was at least warm.
I just slurped it down like a drink and wiped my mouth after putting the bowl down with a clang.
“Ah. I should have washed my hands first.”
Oh well. I won’t die, I won’t die. When you’re tired, these things happen.
