Demian chuckled and called Audrey to prepare tea time.

With the help of another maid, Arasila changed clothes and comfortably nestled in Demian’s arms on the third try.

She was puzzled by how little resistance she felt to this, more than she had expected.

It felt even more so because she thought she would have just laid in bed if it were someone else.

As soon as they came out to the garden, Arasila took a deep breath.

Breathing the outside air through a window was clearly different from actually coming outside and feeling that air.

The scent of blooming autumn flowers pleasantly brushed past Arasila’s nose.

Under the pergola with rose vines hanging along the pillars, there was a table set with delicious desserts and fragrant tea.

Demian gently set Arasila down on a cushioned chair, then personally poured her tea.

“Demian, aren’t you suspiciously good at servant work?”

Arasila narrowed her eyes and said jokingly. Demian’s service was perfect, almost too perfect.

She found it fascinating that a man who seemed used to reigning over others and being revered was attending to her for days without any particular complaint.

“It seems to suit me better than I expected.”

“Is that so? When you retire as a knight later, come work for me. I’ll hire you with an especially generous salary.”

“I’ll keep that in mind and be sure to come.”

Joyful smiles simultaneously blossomed on Arasila and Demian’s lips.

The time spent sitting across from each other drinking tea was peaceful. The wind blew pleasantly cool, and the sunlight was warm.

They were thoroughly enjoying a rare moment of leisure, exchanging conversation without pause.

“My lady, Lady Heiden and His Highness the Crown Prince have come to pay a sick call.”

Audrey, who had been receiving a whispered message from another maid, approached the two and reported.

“Paula and Frederick?”

Arasila opened her eyes slightly in surprise.

She had deliberately not informed her friends about her injury.

She didn’t want to make a fuss, and wished to handle it quietly without interfering with the investigation until the culprit was revealed.

But how did they know to come pay a sick call?

‘Did Frederick perhaps hear the report on the monster subjugation results?’

In any case, the imperial report would have included the circumstances of Arasila’s injury.

If Frederick had learned of this, he could have informed Paula and, in their haste, the two might have come like this without notice.

Arasila, finding it awkward to turn away friends who had come all this way, carefully asked:

“Demian, would it be alright to invite the two here? If you’re uncomfortable, you can go attend to work.”

“…No, I’m fine, so please invite them.”

Demian answered firmly.

He was in the midst of suspecting Frederick as Ken’s backer and investigating behind the scenes.

If he saw him directly, he might be able to observe his reaction.

Moreover, while he might have left if it were just Paula, he couldn’t leave Arasila alone with Frederick present.

Arasila ordered Audrey to guide the two here.

A moment later, Paula and Frederick appeared at the garden entrance.

“Arasila! Are you alright?”

Paula approached fussily, worriedly examining Arasila.

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s not that serious of an injury.”

“I heard your arms and legs were broken, how is that not.”

Paula gave a friendly reproach, then immediately looked towards Demian and bowed her head.

“Hello, Lord Vandermir. I’m sorry for coming so suddenly. I was worried about Arasila and couldn’t wait.”

“It’s fine. Please sit comfortably and chat.”

Demian spoke, gesturing to the chairs the maids had brought.

His gaze soon fell on Frederick standing behind Paula.

Demian slowly rose from his seat and greeted him.

“I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“It’s been a while, Lord. How long has it been since the wedding?”

Frederick spoke quite shamelessly, despite having met recently at the magic tower establishment commemoration event.

Demian replied calmly without change in expression.

“Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“…”

Frederick’s lips twisted slightly, strangely irritated at receiving the same words as a response.

He soon turned to Arasila with a gentle face and opened his mouth.

“Arasila, I was so worried. I blamed myself so much for having you participate in the subjugation.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. But it’s not because of you, so there’s no need to blame yourself. It’s what I wanted.”

“Still, I’m upset. Because my precious you returned injured.”

Frederick affectionately gripped Arasila’s shoulder. Demian’s brow twitched.

There was no way he could look favorably upon the behavior of easily making physical contact with another’s wife and throwing out saccharine remarks about her being precious.

“Let’s have the two of you sit down first.”

Demian said, deliberately moving his teacup next to Arasila.

As Paula tactfully sat across from Arasila, Frederick ended up sitting in front of Demian.

Thus began the uncomfortable tea time of the four.

“But how did you end up injured like this?”

Paula asked curiously after taking a sip of tea. She didn’t know the specifics of how Arasila had been injured.

“Ah, we went because there was said to be a high-rank monster, but there turned out to be one more top-rank monster.”

“So you were injured because of the monster?”

Arasila just smiled and drank her tea without saying much.

It didn’t seem necessary to inform her friends that Demian had been the target of an assassination attempt.

Paula, knowing nothing, patted her friend’s shoulder.

“Oh my, you had such bad luck this time. But you only got injured this much because the lord went with you, right? He must have protected you well.”

“Well, I think differently.”

Frederick suddenly interjected with a strange smile. All eyes turned to him.

“If he had really protected her, she wouldn’t have returned injured like this.”

“Huh? No, Frederick…”

Ignoring the flustered Paula, Frederick continued his words.

“I’m doubtful whether the lord properly protected Arasila. What exactly was the lord doing while Arasila was getting hurt?”

The atmosphere froze at the sharp question.

Arasila slightly furrowed her brow and stopped Frederick.

“What do you mean what he was doing, he was working. Let me be clear, my injury has nothing to do with Demian, so don’t say anything.”

“I don’t intend to say anything, Arasila. I was just curious. If it were me, I would have put everything aside to take care of you first, so I wondered how the lord was.”

His voice was gentle as could be, but the words he uttered were sharp as a blade.

Frederick threw a cold gaze towards Demian. Then Demian, who had been keeping silent, opened his mouth.

“I’ve sufficiently explained to my family what I was doing then. However, as a husband, I don’t need to explain to my wife’s friends.”

It was a statement drawing a line that Frederick, being merely a friend, could never cross, by emphasizing the solid fence of family.

Frederick’s expression subtly hardened.

He was displeased with the current situation where Demian was defined as the husband, and himself as just a friend.

Despite Frederick openly showing his discomfort, Demian didn’t even blink. He even met Frederick’s gaze head-on.

“Ha, right. We are Arasila’s friends, not family.”

Paula hurriedly tried to mediate the situation.

But she failed due to Frederick, who spoke while staring straight into Demian’s eyes.

“But we’re not just simple friends either. Because we share so many memories.”

Frederick smoothly pulled up the corners of his mouth and smiled as if showing off.

“There exists between us a deep and long time that you can’t even dare to imagine.”

“I see.”

However, Demian showed a calmer reaction than expected. It was unlike Frederick’s expectation that he would flare up feeling an inferiority complex or sense of inadequacy.

After his well-shaped lips drew a picture-perfect smile, Demian leisurely continued speaking.

“I do hope my wife continues to cherish that precious friendship with you two forever.”

“Are you saying that sincerely?”

“Yes, I’m not such a petty person as to be jealous of mere friendship.”

Mere friendship. When Frederick was about to say something at the strangely unpleasant word choice, it was then.

“It’s not like you two dated my wife, so what is there for me to mind? After all, I’m steadily accumulating time together with her as a married couple.”

Demian drove in the final nail without giving any room.

It meant that no matter how many years they spent as friends, it ultimately couldn’t beat the time as a married couple.

“…Ha!”

Frederick quietly exhaled a dumbfounded breath.

Though he was barely managing to control his expression, his mood was too twisted to bear.

Demian Vandermir, how dare you snatch away what’s mine and act so arrogant.

Sparks flew between the two men as they clashed gazes without an inch of concession.

Paula fidgeted nervously, while Arasila set down her teacup with a light sigh.

It seemed impossible to continue the tea time any longer.

“Kids, I’m tired so could you go back now? I’ll contact you later.”

She quickly wrapped up the gathering and sent Paula and Frederick away.

In consideration of Arasila being a patient, Demian went to the door to see the two off in her place.

As if suddenly remembering, Paula rummaged through her handbag and said:

“Oh right, I brought a get-well gift for Arasila. May I go give it to her quickly?”

“Yes, please do so.”

“Thank you. Just a moment!”

Paula hurried back towards the garden.

Only Demian and Frederick were left in front of the main entrance.

Perhaps due to the aftermath of the tea time earlier, an uncomfortable silence flowed between the two men. Frederick was the first to open his mouth.

“If one’s situation is bad enough to endanger those around them, shouldn’t they be more careful?”

Demian, who had been looking ahead, turned his head to look at him. Frederick raised his chin and continued his rebuke.

“I heard it was originally an assassination attempt aimed at you. If you thought you couldn’t protect her from the start, you shouldn’t have taken Arasila with you.”

“I appreciate the advice, but I’ll handle matters concerning my wife myself.”

When Demian curtly retorted with an expressionless face, Frederick’s brow twitched.

Clear hostility towards Demian rose above his crimson eyes.

Demian deliberately didn’t avoid him and turned his body to face him directly.

“I heard that one of the high-ranking imperial officials recommended the Red Hawk Knights as the western monster subjugation unit. Do you know who that person is, Your Highness?”

Then he intentionally threw out a probing question.

If he showed a reaction to these words, the probability of his involvement in the assassination incident would increase significantly.

Frederick shrugged with a strange smile.

“Well, I don’t know.”

“Then do you have any other information you know related to the subjugation mission?”

“Not particularly. I wasn’t very interested until I received a request to allow Arasila’s cooperation.”

Frederick stroked his mouth while giving an excessively smooth answer.

It wasn’t the expected reaction, but Demian felt even more dissonance.

It was very strange that the crown prince would show such an indifferent attitude despite the appearance of a high-rank monster in the western empire.

Unable to shake off his suspicion, Frederick chuckled at Demian staring at him and strode over to grasp his shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much, Lord Vandermir. The Imperial Knights will officially investigate this incident.”

“What do you…”

“I hope they catch and punish the culprit as soon as possible.”

Frederick patted Demian’s shoulder with a good-natured smile and stepped back.

Demian narrowed his brows at the news he was hearing for the first time and was about to probe further.

At that moment, Paula returned from meeting Arasila again.

Frederick glanced at her, then turned around as if he had no intention of saying more.

“I really apologize for today. Farewell, Lord Vandermir.”

“…Yes, please return safely.”

Even as Demian nodded to Paula who was politely saying goodbye, his gaze wouldn’t leave Frederick.

He felt an inexplicably uneasy and ominous feeling.

When he returned to the bedroom, Arasila was somehow exhausted.

Though all she had done was enjoy refreshments in the garden, she was utterly tired.

Demian, who had gently laid her on the bed, closed the window.

Arasila entrusted her body to the soft blanket and murmured softly.

“Though only my right leg is injured, not being able to use both makes me feel like my left leg is atrophying too.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes, maybe because I’m not moving it much, but sometimes my left leg feels stiff.”

At the words uttered like a complaint, Demian walked to the bed with a faint smile. He pulled up a chair to sit beside her and said:

“Then I’ll massage it a bit for you.”

“My leg? Are you serious?”

Instead of answering, Demian rolled up his sleeves and carefully grasped Arasila’s left ankle.

His large, firm hands pressed upwards from the ankle bone without causing pain.

“Isn’t it a servant’s duty to look after the master’s body?”

Arasila, who hadn’t expected to even receive a leg massage from him after everything else, smiled pleasantly at the refreshing sensation despite feeling dazed.

As she gazed intently at the handsome face concentrating on kneading her slender calf, Arasila suddenly asked: