We’re Married, After All - Chapter 21 - Adjustment (1)

As soon as we left the castle walls, a vast meadow stretched out before us. Everything visible through the carriage window was a vivid, bright green. It looked less like a horizon and more like an endless sea of emerald.

Leaning back against the seat, I took in the refreshing scenery. The mesmerizing view of the unfamiliar landscape kept me so engrossed that I didn’t mind the jolting of the carriage or the hard seat beneath me.

The last time I traveled this road, it had been autumn. The fields had been withered and yellowed, and the sky a dull gray. The thought of this region always brought a sense of melancholy to me.

Well, I wasn’t exactly in the best mood coming back from the wedding, I thought to myself.

Noticing, perhaps, how I was slightly more animated than usual, Danel lifted his gaze from the documents he’d been reading and looked at me.

“Is your seat comfortable?”

“Honestly, it’s not the most comfortable, but it’s fine. Not enough to make enjoying the view difficult.”

At my reply, he let out a soft chuckle.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Is it really worth calling it ‘luck’?”

“There’s not much else to see before we arrive,” he replied.

I turned to look at him. Danel, sitting with perfect posture as he read his documents, looked so composed it was hard to believe we were in a moving carriage.

I thought to myself that he, too, was something of a sight worth admiring, but I decided not to say it aloud.

“How much longer until we arrive?”

“From here, it’ll take about two more hours.”

“That’s farther than I expected. I thought it was closer to the castle since you go there so often.”

At my comment, Danel pressed his lips together tightly. After living together for half a year, I had come to recognize this as his reaction when he was feeling awkward or troubled.

Rather than probing him further to find out what had made him uncomfortable, I turned my attention back to the window. It was my first outing in six months, and just taking in the sights felt like there wasn’t enough time to fully appreciate it.

After traveling a bit further, trees began to appear. I didn’t know their names, but they were a familiar species.

They were the same trees I’d seen around the Marquisate of Temesio, where I grew up. This region seemed colder than the area around Lapecia Castle.

Soon, the scenery became more familiar. The closer we got to our destination, the more similar everything appeared, and I eventually lost interest in the view outside the window. Instead, I decided to observe something else.

I shifted my gaze from the window to my husband. Danel still sat upright, his posture impeccable, and the stack of documents next to him was only half-finished. Judging by the pace, it was clear that even at Lamprey Castle, a mountain of work would be waiting for him.

Should I be thankful that he agreed to my request even with all of this? Or should I tell him, as I did with what I wanted, to also speak up about what he wants…?

Despite everything that had happened, Danel hadn’t changed. He still said nothing to me, carrying out his intentions only in places I wasn’t aware of. The reason I brought it up early this morning was that he had acted exactly as he always did.

Ah, though… it wasn’t as if nothing had changed at all.

From the faint edge of consciousness, I felt the eerie, slippery sensation of flesh.

Half-asleep, I twisted my body to pull my foot away. But a large hand firmly grabbed my ankle, making it impossible to move.

Something soft and warm touched the sole of my foot. The heat followed the curves and hollows, and soon, a tongue slid between my toes.

Again…

Frowning slightly, still half-drowsy, I wondered why he did this. He wouldn’t do it when I gave him permission, but then he’d suddenly act like this out of the blue.

The tongue teasing between my toes abruptly stopped. Danel lifted himself and looked down at me. He must have heard the small noise of complaint I made.

His gaze brushed over my barely-open eyelids, heavy with sleep. Realizing I was awake, Danel released my ankle. His wandering hand then softly trailed up my leg, the touch so sticky and deliberate that I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Unbelievable.”

The morning after he had unilaterally indulged himself in the study, Danel said something unexpected.

“It’s better… if we live separately.”

“Why?”

“If I start accepting this, I don’t know how far I’ll go.”