Kevrant, careful not to wake Iris, pulled his arm away and propped up his upper body to look down at her for a while.

Despite her eyes being closed, she could feel his gaze and her cheeks burned. Iris wondered if he had noticed that she was awake.

Should she pretend to slowly wake up?

As she was thinking that, Kevrant gently grabbed the ends of Iris’s hair and said,

“You’re pretty even when you’re asleep, wife.”

While she was frozen in surprise at the unexpected comment,

“What am I saying…..”

Kevrant muttered and got out of bed.

Iris almost burst out laughing.

Since Kevrant always woke up first, she had no idea what he did when he woke up.

‘Could it be… he does this every day?’

When she felt he had moved away from the bed, she slightly opened her eyes.

Where Kevrant should have been, a black wolf was sitting.

The wolf, who had transformed from Kevrant at some point, was checking himself out in the bedroom mirror.

Whether sitting upright in a straight posture, lifting his front paw, or turning his head to examine his side, Iris couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

Iris buried herself in the blanket up to the top of her head.

Biting her lower lip hard to suppress the laughter, Kevrant, who had transformed back into a human, approached wearing a robe and quietly lifted the blanket.

“When did you wake up, Iris?”

“Just now…..”

Kevrant discovered the smile lingering on Iris’s lips.

Kevrant’s face turned red.

“Since when were you watching, Iris?”

“Since a big wolf was grooming in front of the mirror.”

Kevrant’s face turned even redder.

Kevrant seemed to have no idea how to explain about it, opened and closed his lips several times.

“You don’t have to be so embarrassed, Kevrant. It’s natural to groom before leaving the bedroom. Of course….. a wolf….. pfft….. sorry, just….. seeing a wolf groom and making a showoff expression is a first…..”

“I wasn’t showing off.”

“But….. sitting up straight and lifting your chin a bit seemed quite….. showing off….. hehe….. Ah, sorry. I’m really not laughing at you….. just curious…..”

“That’s enough. If you want to laugh, then just laugh out loud. Don’t hold it back.”

So Iris decided to laugh as much as she wanted.

“Ahahahahaha.”

A smile even appeared on Kevrant’s face, who was folding his arms in dissatisfaction.

“Was it that funny?”

“As I said, it’s because I was curious.”

“So my wife laughs when she finds something curious. Then I should show you lots of curious things.”

Kevrant spoke as if he was upset, but his eyes were smiling.

Now, the nightmare that Iris had had last night was completely erased from her mind.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“Well, since we’re on the topic.”

Kevrant held out his hand to Iris. Naturally, she laid her hand on top of his large one.

He held Iris’s hand, gently exerting a force to pull her.

“Let’s go. We’ll have a light meal in the garden and I’ll show you something curious.”

+++

It was a clear day without a single cloud.

Wearing the parasol brought by Crisina, they walked in the garden.

Because it was early, dew was still on the grass.

Iris stretched out her hand and gently swept across the grass.

The cold dew that gathered at her fingertips felt good.

“You’ll catch a cold, Iris.”

Kevrant, who was walking beside her, said.

“I’m not so weak as to catch a cold from getting my fingertips wet.”

“You look that weak to me. You’re too small and thin.”

“You’re just too big.”

In one space of the garden, a table and breakfast were already prepared.

Next to the table, Jamie in a neat outfit was standing waiting for them.

‘Really diligent.’

As far as Iris knew, Jamie worked with Kevrant until dawn. Both Jamie and Kevrant seemed to hardly sleep at all.

After exchanging light greetings with Jamie, they sat down. Kevrant whispered something to Jamie, Jamie nodded and disappeared somewhere.

The meal was wonderful, despite being prepared suddenly. Fresh salad, savory soup, chewy bread, soft cheese, and freshly baked bacon.

Kevrant cut the bread in half, sandwiched cheese and bacon, and put it on Lishi’s plate. Then he cut his own bread in half and asked.

“Do you have nightmares when you sleep?”

“A little.”

“It doesn’t seem like a little.”

“It’s just a little.”

She could bear with something like a nightmare. As long as the nightmare wasn’t reality, Lishi could endure as much as possible.

Kevrant stared at Lishi, then dropped his gaze to the bread he was holding.

“There is a relic called the ‘Sleeve Stone’.”

“Sleeve Stone!”

Lishi knew about that relic.

In her past life, Eldhert, Kevrant’s younger brother, fell into an eternal sleep because of that relic.

Despite Kevrant’s efforts to wake Eldhert, he failed.

“Have you heard of it?”

Due to Lishi’s reaction, Kevrant asked as if suspicious.

“No. I just thought that the person telling the story would be excited if I reacted like this.”

Kevrant seemed to believe Lishi’s excuse and gave a small laugh.

“You’re an audience that makes the speaker enjoy talking. I like it. The Sleeve Stone is a stone that makes you dream good dreams if used properly. It’s a small blue stone.”

Kevrant showed her the size with his thumb.

“However, if misused, there are cases where you fall into eternal sleep. It’s because the dream is better than reality, so they don’t come back. I know where that stone is.”

In her past life, Eldhert escaped into a dream because reality was too painful.

Kevrant probably didn’t know that Eldhert was in such pain.

Or maybe he knew, and pretended not to know that Eldhert was using that stone secretly.

‘It must have been hard to bear. The death of their parents and younger sister.’

Three years from now.

Wyvern, Heraina, and Zerecien will die.

A year after that, Eldhert falls into an eternal sleep.

Kevrant, who lost his family, survived thanks to his shadows, but he was like a shell.

“There are a few relics in the Sacred Kingdom that I have not reported. I left the relics that I didn’t need to touch as they were. When my power gets a little stronger, I intend to collect them.”

In order not to harm the surroundings with the power of the relics, the power of the Guardian was needed.

Kevrant did not yet have the power to suppress all those relics.

“It’s okay to have one more stone. If you want, I’ll bring the Sleeve Stone. I can suppress its power a few times and make you have good dreams.”

Kevrant’s intention to comfort Lishi, who had only had a nightmare, by bringing a relic made her heart ache.

Lishi knew what kind of look Kevrant, who lost his family in her past life, would have.

Empty pupils.

Pupils that do not fluctuate for anything, like eternal void.

Lishi nodded her head.

“Please bring it.”

She needed to break that damned stone.