Violet Zerotta's Hasty Marriage - Chapter 6
The sweltering middle of summer. Violet had just returned from a rare trip to the village. She had gone to get groceries and sewing work.
Ever since she started living alone, Violet wore an old, oversized robe with a hood whenever she had to go down to the village. It was something she had found in Aldrick’s wardrobe.
Even with that, her unease didn’t completely go away, so she would smear dirt on her face, hunch her back, and walk as if she had a physical ailment, making herself look unwell.
A young woman living alone could easily become a target for attack, so Violet always had to stay on guard like that.
Fortunately, her disguise must have been convincing. People in the village took her for a middle-aged woman living alone near the edge of the mountain.
But today, unlike usual, Violet returned home with an unsettled heart.
It was because of something she had overheard in the passing conversation of a villager.
“I heard the war with Aslan is over. Once the knights and soldiers return, the village will be noisy for a while!”
That one sentence, carried on the wind, made Violet’s heart pound like mad.
She didn’t even know what had startled her so much. Without thinking, Violet fled home.
Once she had calmed down, reality began to settle in.
The war was over. The knights were returning.
Which meant… Aldrick would be coming back soon, too.
Aldrick had said the war would take about five years. That must have been no more than a rough guess because evidently, the war had ended much sooner than expected.
The thought of him coming back sent a fresh wave of inexplicable restlessness through her. But that feeling was quickly followed by fear.
Would he really return? What if he had been horribly injured somewhere and was crippled now? Or worse, had died in battle…?
No.
A crushing sadness struck her all at once.
Before, when she thought about the possibility of his death, it had left her vaguely uncomfortable, but not like this. Not as though a piece of her heart was being ripped out.
She must have grown attached to him without realizing it. It was a little ridiculous to have grown fond of someone who wasn’t even in front of her, but at some point, in Violet’s heart, Aldrick had become her proper husband.
No. He’ll be fine.
Once again, Violet resolved to think positively. Worrying and agonizing over it wouldn’t change anything anyway.
If he came back safe and sound, she would welcome him with all her heart. If—though she didn’t want to think about it—he returned as a cold corpse, then so be it. She would mourn him with everything she had. That was the promise she made to herself.
That was the best she could do.
And so, Violet continued her uncertain waiting, with half worry and half anticipation in her heart.
Then, one day, not even until three months after hearing that the war had ended, he finally returned.
It was incredibly sudden.
***
That day, she had woken up earlier than usual.
There was no particular premonition. For Violet, it was just the start of an ordinary day.
She lazed a bit in bed, ate breakfast in the kitchen, folded laundry, watered the flowerbeds, and hung the clothes to dry.
It had been a slow, easy morning. Just as she stepped into the garden to check if there were any eggs good enough for lunch…
A voice, both unfamiliar and familiar, reached her ears.
“You…?”
For the first time in three years, Violet saw a person standing at the threshold of the house.
It was Aldrick.
“Uh…?”
The reunion came so suddenly that Violet was struck speechless. Like someone who had forgotten how to talk, all she could do was mumble, “Uhh… uhhhh…”
She had hoped he would return, but part of her had also given up. The mix of feelings was strange.
Like seeing a dead person come back to life, Violet found herself completely at a loss for words. All she could do was stare blankly at his face.
“What are you doing here?”
But his voice, for some reason, had a sharp edge to it. The voice she hadn’t heard in so long now sounded lower, deeper than it had three years ago. And it wasn’t just his voice that had changed.
Violet’s husband was now a fully grown man. He looked far bigger than she remembered.
Had he gotten taller?
His body, which had already been solid before, seemed rougher now, more rugged.
Standing there in their garden was a broad-shouldered man who looked like he could block out the sun. And Violet couldn’t find her voice.
No. She had to say it properly. This wasn’t just her house, it was his, too. In other words, it was their house.
Her thoughts were a mess.
Perhaps she was so flustered because his face looked different from what she remembered.
His handsome features hadn’t changed. Had he always been this good-looking? He had a face so striking, it was surprising even to her.
A well-shaped forehead, a straight nose, and golden hair and green eyes that shimmered like decorations… they all suited him perfectly.
But the boyishness she had seen when they first met had vanished completely, replaced by sharp, firm lines.
Standing before her now was a man whose lips were tightly set, whose face even looked slightly ferocious.
“Why are you still here?”
