The Reward for Saving The World is a Husband - Chapter 37
“What?”
“She was held captive in the dragon’s lair, wasn’t she? After living in such a difficult place for so long, she might just be accustomed to discomfort…”
“How can you be fooled too, Callen? A mistress for Elias? Does that even make sense?”
Luna snapped sharply.
“Well…”
“We should drag that woman out of his chambers and interrogate her, reveal her scheme, and banish her immediately!”
Callen hesitated only briefly before deciding to trust his instincts.
“Luna, enough. Regardless of her identity, she is still our lord’s guest. What you’ve done so far is more than enough…”
Just as Callen was carefully finishing his sentence, a low, cold voice pierced the air.
“What’s all this about?”
Startled, Callen turned to see Elias, who had returned unnoticed and was standing there with an expressionless face.
Having served at Elias’s side for a long time, Callen knew exactly what that meant. His lord was utterly furious.
* * *
It was all the emperor’s fault that Elias’s plan to return to Rachdel as quickly as possible had gone awry.
‘Remember, if you speak first, things will go smoother.’
Following Leonard’s advice, Elias brought up the topic of marrying Elesha as soon as he met with the emperor. He made it clear that she was a victim, the daughter of a noble family, who had been kidnapped by the dragon.
Fortunately, Leonard had managed to recall a noblewoman with a similar hair color to Elesha, which gave Elias the pretext he needed to secure the emperor’s approval.
However, as always, the emperor didn’t give in easily. He dragged things out, and Elias had no choice but to wait indefinitely until the emperor summoned him again.
During that time, Elias took care of essential matters, so the waiting wasn’t entirely wasted.
Yet, throughout his stay in the capital, Elias couldn’t shake his feeling of impatience. He was somewhat aware of the reason but deliberately chose not to confront it.
Despite meeting the emperor three times, the emperor never gave a definitive answer.
Instead, he continued to ask new questions, seemingly trying to learn as much as he could about Elesha, before ending the conversations with a vague promise that he would make a favorable decision.
‘Damn old man.’
Leonard, who had come to see him off, voiced the words Elias couldn’t bring himself to say.
‘He can’t refuse, though. He’ll still need you in the future.’
As Leonard pointed out, the emperor had no alternatives. The great houses were proud and always demanded proper compensation for their services.
Compared to them, Elias was obedient and could be used at a relatively lower cost, so granting such a relatively minor favor was a way for the emperor to claim he was being generous.
‘I really would have preferred a clear answer before returning.’
If he had received one, it would have made the negotiations with the Second Princess much easier. Now, the situation had become ambiguous.
‘I’d better not tell Elesha for now.’
It seemed wiser to wait until a decision was made, just in case things didn’t go as planned.
The thought of how he had ended up on the path to marriage with a woman he had only known for a few days left Elias feeling both bemused and slightly amused.
But he didn’t regret it.
He had a strong intuition that if he ignored the sense of responsibility he felt to protect Elesha, he would regret it much more later.
Besides, judging by the attitude of both the imperial family and the order, it was clear that Elesha had some sort of secret. Keeping her close seemed to align with his goals as well.
‘Whatever she’s hiding, the fact that she likes me is probably genuine.’
Her gaze, her expressions, and every little action she took all seemed to confirm this.
‘And if even that’s a lie, then I’m just a fool who got played.’
