“Uh, over there. Eric?”
Alicia looked around nervously, but Eric didn’t care and hugged her even tighter.
“Just a moment. Stay like this. Let me check if you’re okay.”
Alicia, moved by Eric’s urgent voice, put down her sword and embraced him.
He would probably be reassured then, but Eric hugged her even stronger instead.
It was unclear who was worrying for whom.
Clearly, Eric had fought most fiercely at the forefront.
“You said you wouldn’t worry. That you trust me.”
“Well, that turned out to be easier said than done.”
“That may be true.”
Alicia nestled deeper into Eric’s arms.
“Are you okay? No injuries?”
“Of course. I’m fine, and uninjured. What about you?”
“Me too. I even killed a monster. Just one, though.”
Eric laughed at that.
But then he quickly pushed Alicia away, grabbed her shoulders, and scolded her sternly.
“You promised to return safely. How could you do something so dangerous, especially with that rusty sword?”
“Well, if it weren’t for the rusty sword, I could’ve killed another.”
“That’s beside the point.”
“I came back safely to you, isn’t that enough?”
“… That’s all that matters, actually.”
Eric hugged Alicia again.
Feeling truly safe enveloped by his strong arms, a relaxed smile formed on Alicia’s face.
“Being in your arms feels safer than being home.”
Alicia’s words pleased him.
So Eric hugged her even tighter.
(This is a time separator.)
“We may not be able to go back for a while.”
As he helped Alicia into the carriage, Eric spoke.
“I expected as much. It’s not the first time.”
“Stay at either the Russell Count’s or the Lancaster Count’s estate. Don’t move around too much.”
“Okay. You worry about yourself.”
Eric didn’t let go of the hand he was holding. Alicia looked at him quietly, then placed her hand on his face.
The warm and soft sensation was pleasant. Eric placed his hand over hers and locked eyes with Alicia.
Then a gentle smile bloomed on Alicia’s face.
“I will miss you.”
Upon hearing that, Eric held Alicia’s hand to his face and kissed her.
“Sir! Please come quickly!”
Allen’s voice was heard from afar.
Regretfully, Eric said his farewells.
“Go.”
“I will.”
Reluctantly letting go of Alicia’s hand, he kissed it, closed the carriage door, and set the carriage off.
Through the window, Alicia continued to watch Eric as he got farther away.
Eric also watched the retreating carriage when Allen approached.
“Wow, you guys are so sentimental, I can’t even watch. Never thought I’d see our senior in such a state. Seems like it’s about time for me to die.”
“Quiet.”
Embarrassed, Eric didn’t even look at Allen as he curtly replied.
“Where is Commander Edinbur?”
“Ah, yes. That’s why I came. Please hurry. The cleanup will take some time. The building wreckage is quite something.”
“Isn’t it always?”
Considering the event took place in the presence of the Emperor, the palace would be in chaos again.
“Let’s go. We need to start cleaning up.”
“Yes.”
Eric and Allen moved back to the scene.
(This is a time separator.)
Inside the carriage, Alicia rested her forehead against the window glass.
‘Why does it always have to be like this?’
To be honest, Alicia had high hopes today.
At first, it was about watching the opera, but from the moment they were alone in the box, an unexpected sense of expectation rose.
Even after the lights went out, they could’ve sat more comfortably but didn’t move, making her more expectant.
The sensation of their shoulders touching, and the occasional touch of their hands, felt thrilling. The sincerity she felt when he held her hand was comforting.
‘No, this isn’t the time to think about such things. The monsters had come so close.’
Alicia shook her head vigorously.
He looked down at his hand.
Only now did he realize his hand was sore and raw from the shock of taking down the monster.
‘I won’t be able to see her for a while.’
Now, Eric will have to keep struggling to find out why the monster appeared and whether it will appear again.
Loving a highranking military officer is tough.
The perks like high salary or hazard pay that Mother mentioned didn’t come to mind at all.
It’s mostly a continuous wait and constant anxiety.
Still, the reason I keep waiting is that person[—].
‘What should I do? I already miss her.’
He repeatedly wrote and erased a name on the cold window glass of the carriage, then leaned his forehead against it.
(This is a time marker.)
‘I’m tired.’
Eric was on his way back to the palace after attending a lengthy meeting at the royal court with Prince William.
He stared vacantly out the carriage window while washing his face with dry water.
He couldn’t even remember how many days it’s been since he had slept.
While everyone was working hard, the workload was particularly intense for Knight Commander Eric and Duke Edinbur.
Prince William, who also looked tired, opened his mouth listlessly.
“Why do you look so gloomy?”
“I’ve told you countless times to be careful with your word choice.”
“What does it matter? It’s just us.”
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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