The Reward for Saving The World is a Husband - Chapter 39
He knew that unless he spoke with this level of finality, the same thing would happen again. Just as the servants had ignored and tormented him when he was a powerless child, they would mistreat Elesha if he didn’t protect her.
As the memory of that humiliation and loneliness resurfaced, his heart grew heavier.
“Luna, does Helen know about this?”
“N-No… My mother has no idea.”
Just as he expected. Helen would never have allowed things to get this far.
“Then tell her yourself. I’ll leave the punishment to her.”
Elias delivered what he believed to be the worst punishment Luna could imagine.
“P-Please, not that…! My Lord, I’m sorry! Can’t I just be thrown in prison?”
Ignoring Luna’s tearful pleas, Elias strode forward, unable to bear his growing impatience.
“Callen, as for you, your punishment is a three-month salary cut for failing to carry out my orders properly.”
“Yes, sir…”
Callen groaned in pain as he answered.
“But, My Lord, Lady Elesha is still in the middle of receiving treatment…”
“And you only just now called for the priest?”
“I-I’m sorry, the priestess was away from the temple for a few days…”
Under Elias’s icy gaze, Callen stammered an apology and lowered his head deeply.
“You’ve earned yourself an extra month of salary deduction.”
“Ugh…”
Leaving the regretful and dejected Callen behind, Elias stood in front of his bedroom door and knocked cautiously.
“Elesha, it’s me.”
After a brief wait, he heard her voice from inside, filled with joy.
“Elias!”
Unable to hold back any longer, he pushed the door open, and the scene inside the room came into view.
It seemed that her treatment had just finished, as Elesha was hurriedly adjusting her robe. In her rushed movements, her neck and chest were left partially exposed.
Elias, momentarily distracted by Elesha’s nearly bare state, barely registered the priest bowing to him as he exited the room.
“Welcome back.”
Elesha, hastily tying her robe at the waist, ran toward him.
“You took longer than I expected. I missed you.”
Standing right in front of him, Elesha clasped his hands with both of hers. Her smile was so genuine, so full of happiness, that Elias found himself at a loss for words, staring at her in silence.
Whenever he had thought of Elesha during his time in the capital, Elias had simply thought, ‘She’s beautiful, no doubt.’ But seeing her now, she was far more stunning than the image he had conjured in his mind.
“Were you lonely all by yourself?”
“Hmm… I was fine. Your lieutenant brought me plenty of books.”
Indeed, there was a mountain of books piled up in one corner of the room, but Elias didn’t even glance at them.
His mind was consumed with the image of Elesha, who, unable to receive proper treatment and having survived on thin gruel, had grown painfully thin. Guilt gripped his heart tightly.
“Why… why didn’t you say anything? I told you to ask for whatever you needed.”
He hadn’t meant to sound reproachful, but the words came out harshly on their own.
“No, what I meant was…”
Just as he realized his mistake and tried to correct himself, Elesha tilted her head in confusion and responded to his question.
“I told you before—if I have you, that’s all I need. I wasn’t just saying it; I meant it.”
She smiled brightly.
“So it’s okay now. You’re here.”
The moment Elias heard her reply, an overwhelming impulse surged within him.
With his free hand, he cupped her cheek and kissed her urgently.
As his lips met hers—softer and warmer than his own—the tension in his stiff shoulders began to melt away.
Many people had approached Elias for what he could offer—the power of Rachdel, the convenience he provided, or the benefits they could gain through him.
But whenever Elias spoke with Elesha, looking into her eyes, he felt as if she was gazing directly at his soul.
He knew that she desired him, not for the impressive trappings that surrounded him, but for who he truly was.
