My Contract Husband Resembles the Male Protagonist - Chapter 40
But after that conversation, Dale started coming home even later. Was he busier than usual?
“Does Sophia know why?”
“Me? No…”
Sophia looked even more worried than Enya, shaking her head slightly.
“Now that you mention it, I’ve rarely seen Enya’s husband around the castle. He seems to meet with grandfather occasionally, but even then, the grandfather seems very tense.”
“Tense? The Lord?”
“Yes, Yurta too.”
Why would they be tense meeting a servant?
Enya grew more puzzled as she looked towards the Lord’s castle.
“Has there been more monster activity recently?”
“No, not really. Oh, but I heard there was some landslide in the mountain due to heavy rains.”
Sophia’s eyes widened as if something had just occurred to her.
“Maybe Anne’s husband is doing it, because it’s not like I haven’t seen him at the manor!”
If so, it was a very tiring job.
The lord seemed to find Dale useful.
But I needed Dale, too. As a very important husband.
“I don’t know if he’s getting paid for his work.’
I wonder if he’s getting proper compensation for his work, considering his kind nature, he might be working for free.
He’s been looking particularly tired lately, and I’m worried.
He needs to be healthy for this getaway life of ours to be stable.
And living with Dale is fun.
He’s a man who knows my tastes, has similar interests, and is easy to talk to.
But how do we manage the fatigue that doesn’t seem to affect the Emperor, yet weighs heavily on Dale?
I continued to dig rigorously with the large shovel.
“Anne, doesn’t your arm hurt?”
“No, I’ve been doing this since I was young. I’m used to it.”
“Oh, tell me if it hurts!”
Sophia followed me closely whenever I came to the herb garden.
But I was used to working in the fields.
I’d learned how to grow herbs at home from a young age.
But a regular shovel is too big, and a seedling shovel is too small. It would be nice to have the right size tool, but I didn’t have one.
“Digging with a shovel is hard; it would be easier by hand, but that’s not possible,” I grumbled while digging.
In a world with magic, why wasn’t there a tool for this? If I were still in my previous life…
“Huh?”
Suddenly, I felt a chill.
My finger felt bare.
It’s not there. The ring, it’s truly gone! It can’t be missing. Why isn’t it there?
“Sophia,” I called out anxiously.
“Yes, Anne?”
“Did I forget to wear my ring this morning?”
“No, I saw you wearing it when you came,” Sophia confirmed.
As Sophia looked at my hand, her previously smiling face turned as pale as mine.
“Anne, where did your ring go?!”
The ring Dale had given me had vanished from my hand.
* * *
“Perhaps it’s time to return to the Capital, or at least near it,” suggested the advisor in the Emperor’s office, his nagging incessant.
Soho followed the Emperor around, detailing dozens of routes.
“Or maybe retracting the Imperial Marriage Decree could be a solution.”
Dale glanced at him, causing Soho to flinch and shield his face with the documents, yet he persisted with his point.
“Long-distance teleportation magic inevitably harms the body. Scrolls may mitigate the backlash, but using them multiple times daily will wear you out. We must find another way.”
“….”
Dale clasped his hands beneath his chin, contemplating.
“Withdrawing the decree means it can’t be issued again. You know that,” he said.
“I am aware, but royal marriages don’t solely depend on issuing decrees. You could proceed with a family arrangement.”
“But she can’t marry another while under the decree. Don’t you understand?”
“However, whom would the Lady consider marrying? She meets no one.”
Soho exhaled deeply.
His Emperor, Dale, had lately been making trips to the countryside at dawn, only to return to the palace by the next morning.
The workload had increased, requiring his direct approval for many matters.
‘Is someone trying to bury His Majesty under work as a form of assassination?’
Sometimes, the overwhelming burden seemed almost like a cruel twist of fate.
“We didn’t inform you of the Lady’s potential escape routes for you to chase her immediately.”
“Stop…”
Dale’s low voice murmured.
He sighed wearily, turning away from Soho.
“Should I gag you?”
“Excuse me?”
“If I shut your mouth, you’ll start scribbling away.”
Soho clamped his mouth shut under Dale’s chilling gaze.
It was hard to tell if he was joking or serious.
At that moment, an advisor stepped forward and presented Dale with some documents. The second-in-command of the team, Getty, seized the opportunity with gleaming eyes.
“No, I believe Your Majesty’s opinion is correct. I have investigated. Here are the men the Lady has met.”
“She’s seen a lot of men without anyone knowing.”
Dale’s brows furrowed as he took the documents.
“Any of them… made progress?”
“It’s embarrassing to even mention progress.”
“Speak.”
Catching that Dale was not going to let it go, Getty continued under pressure.
“Yes! There was a man she seemed to favor! The eldest son of Count Stephan…”
Dale remained silent, prompting further.
“I apologize. But he’s not someone Your Majesty needs to worry about. His body type is beyond the Lady’s preference range.”
Dale spoke again, his face still scrunched.
“How tall?”
“About 180cm, significantly shorter than Your Majesty.”
“And his shoulders?”
“Robust due to his knightly background, but his prominent trapezius muscles aren’t quite aesthetically pleasing. Not the type the Lady prefers, as far as we understand.”
Getty quickly added some flattery.
“Lady prefers Your Majesty’s shoulders. From what I have assessed, it’s certain.”
Dale looked intently at Getty, who, despite the sweat breaking on his back from the overwhelming pressure, knew this was a sign of approval.
“But,” Dale’s eyes narrowed suddenly, “what about his appearance?”
Getty cleared his throat at the sharp inquiry, the room’s atmosphere turning chilly.
“There is no man superior to Your Majesty.”
“That’s a textbook answer.”
Yet, it was evident Dale sought more than just flattery; his expression turned frosty.
“Speak truthfully, Getty.”
“Objectively speaking, I can report that…”
Getty hesitated, weighing his words, but eventually admitted,
“He aligns quite closely with the Lady’s preferences.”
In an instant, the pen snapped in Dale’s hand.
