My Contract Husband Resembles the Male Protagonist - Chapter 71
“Haaah…”
It was a day where the morning sunlight poured in blindingly.
“This bed is way too soft!”
I felt like I was melting into it, like ice cream. I stretched out my stiff body with a big yawn.
“Hmm, Dale is still here? Didn’t he say he was going out?”
I reached out to shake Dale awake but stopped mid-motion.
His face, bathed in the morning sunlight…
It was just too handsome.
“Wow…”
Could a person even look like this?
Then, I noticed his loosened pajama top. I clicked my tongue as I saw him lying there so properly.
“You’re showing too much skin.”
Carefully, I began fastening his buttons one by one.
Looking like that was no different from having a fish lying beside a cat.
“What if he was like this in front of someone else, not me?”
With the daylight brightening, Dale’s face became even more visible.
His pure and flawless nature and appearance seemed too gentle for this harsh world. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
I slowly lowered myself back down to lie beside him again, taking in his features.
“If someone’s kind and this handsome, isn’t that just cheating?”
I moved in a little closer to observe him better.
His beauty was at the level of being a subject of study. I couldn’t touch him, but I couldn’t help but be amazed.
I leaned over and gazed at Dale.
“His eyes are so beautiful, and his lips are pretty… His body is great too. Dale really has it all.”
It felt like when God created Dale, He gave him all the best qualities.
“I wonder what Dale’s parents look like.”
I suddenly found myself curious. What was their secret? Could it be something from their hometown? Maybe some mystical energy?
I stared at him intently.
Finding such a considerate, kind, and handsome husband like this would be hard even after our contract ended.
“We’ve already spent dozens of days together, Dale.”
Many days had already slipped away from the original 364 we had agreed upon.
“Until then, I’ll be in your care… Huh?!”
Wobble.
Just as I tried to stand up, my calf got caught in the blanket. My body lost balance and tipped sideways, tumbling towards the edge of the bed.
Whoosh!
Dale caught me.
My heart pounded as I nearly slammed into the floor. Dale, too, seemed startled as he pulled me into his arms.
“Are you alright?”
“Thank you… If it weren’t for you, I would have fallen.”
I was thanking him when I suddenly noticed something odd.
Was he awake just now? His movements were too quick…
‘Huh?’
I looked up, feeling the blood drain from my face, my lips trembling.
“Were you awake? …Since when?”
Dale’s face flushed as he avoided my gaze.
Did he hear all the nonsense I was mumbling?
‘No way…’
* * *
“This matter still hasn’t been resolved?”
“We’ve been investigating from all angles, but it seems we need more time.”
“There isn’t much time left until the heart of winter. Have the secondary options in other nations been secured?”
At the headquarters of the Kellefelt Trading Guild in the Imperial Capital.
In the innermost room, the head of the company sat, rubbing his aching head, crunching numbers.
“Who knew the low rainfall this year would turn into such a problem?”
Securing the supply of Luminous Stones had become a major issue.
The Luminous Stones used for year-end decorations were usually gathered afterward and distributed for free to those in need, allowing them to light their homes at night without the expense of costly oil.
Because Luminous Stones burned easily and steadily, they were also highly valued for fire starting.
They weren’t just decorative pieces.
They were a kind of essential item, used to help the common folk survive the harsh winter cold, something the imperial palace provided every year as part of their welfare efforts.
“His Majesty hasn’t commented on the situation yet, but the first inspection date is fast approaching.”
“We’ve scouted other locations, but they’ve caught wind of the shortage and are demanding prices far higher than the market value.”
“How much?”
“Four times the usual price.”
“They’re no better than common merchants.”
Even a seasoned trader would be left speechless by such exorbitant prices.
“And the cheapest option?”
“Around three times the usual cost, but upon inspection, the quality was poor.”
“Is there no way to source it within the Empire? Not a single place?”
At his question, the branch manager, responsible for domestic distribution at the capital’s Kellefelt headquarters, shook his head.
“After the last monster subjugation, we depleted much of our reserves, so securing enough is difficult. However, Count Kidson’s family has offered a condition.”
“A condition?”
Deep lines appeared on Jack Kellefelt’s brow.
The Count Kidson’s family, with whom they had regularly traded, had begun to distance themselves from Kellefelt. It meant they had found another partner.
The Kidson family was one of the core factions of the old aristocratic party.
In other words, preparations were being made for the release of Duke Hexagon from his house arrest.
Everything within the Empire was converging towards a single point.
“The condition wasn’t worth considering, so I didn’t bother reporting it earlier.”
The branch manager handed over a document.
