Fortunately, the clothes I wore today were a simple dove-colored dress suitable for farm work.

While I was thinking that I should just wrap a cloth around my face to avoid getting tanned, Cedar closely followed by my side.

“Where are you going?”

I’m going to separate you from me, so don’t follow.

I answered, waving my hands as if shooing away sparrows clinging to the grain.

“I thought it might take quite a while, so I’m going to pull some weeds. And see how much the medicinal herbs have grown. You stay here and rest.”

“Forget it. I’ll do it.”

Cedar tried to stop me. I replied, showing my arms.

“I’m strong now. I’ve recovered my health. I know how much work I can do before collapsing, so I’ll work carefully.”

I raised my arms with the feeling of ‘Look how strong I’ve become now’, but Cedar looked at them pitifully as if they were twigs that would break if he grabbed them, making me feel embarrassed.

If only he had snickered instead, I wouldn’t have felt this embarrassed!

“I’m not saying this to disregard your will. I don’t know who sent them, but there’s surveillance on the mansion.”

“Surveillance?”

Following the assassin, now surveillance. Startled, I shrugged my shoulders.

Cedar rubbed his chin with a somber face.

“Do you have any idea who might have set it up?”

“Well, I don’t know many people. If there’s someone in the capital who would want to monitor me…”

Why even say it. There’s only one person.

Baroness Diana Periway. My younger sister.

Thinking of Diana made me depressed.

I already know about her obsession with the great wizard’s inheritance from my own experience, but I can’t help feeling down about it.

Cedar nodded.

“I think your guess is right. So try to refrain from going out as much as possible. Just until the surveillance disappears.”

“… Alright.”

I answered listlessly, but thinking about it, it wasn’t so bad.

I’m not particularly fond of outdoor activities anyway, and Cedar said he’d do all the work in the herb garden.

If anything, it’s Cedar who will have a hard time with the unfamiliar herb garden work.

I bowed my head to Cedar.

“Thank you! If it weren’t for you, my husband, I wouldn’t have even known someone was watching me outside. Please take good care of the herbs too.”

“If you’re really grateful, call me Cedar instead of that strange title.”

“But that’s embarrassing.”

“… You call Grisha by his name just fine.”

“What did you say?”

I thought I heard something about Grisha. Instead of answering my question, Cedar asked another one.

“When will you receive the inheritance?”

“About a month from now.”

“No wonder you’re feeling anxious.”

It suddenly hit me that three years had already passed. Surveillance being set up. I didn’t want to realize it this way.

As if to comfort my dejected self, Cedar gently rubbed my head. It was a rough but warm touch.

“Family isn’t anything special. Humans are inherently lonely beings. I hope you won’t think things like ‘How could my sister? Why my sister? What did I do wrong?'”

“Is that from personal experience?”

“Who knows.”

Cedar shrugged his shoulders. Then, with a playful smile, he whispered.

“Well then, as my wife requested, I’ll go pull some weeds.”

“Ah, w-wife?”

My face flushed at the unfamiliar term of endearment.

Cedar winked and went outside the mansion. I stood there for a moment, fiddling with the hair he had stroked.

‘Cedar seems to feel more friendly somehow.’

It wasn’t just my feeling, but Cedar’s gestures and expressions when dealing with me had become much more comfortable than before.

He even makes jokes like this that I thought he’d never make.

‘Has it been like this since I said I wouldn’t divorce?’

Even though I’m just a wife by contract, does he consider me his person?

‘Cedar might be a lonely person too.’

The man who was like a big leopard suddenly felt pitiful.

Feeling like I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else if I went up to my room, I just curled up again on the reception room sofa.

‘Among the herbs I planted, we use young leaves of mosse, so I’ll be able to make magic potions soon.’

I need to sell them quickly and save money. It would be good if I could sell them before going to receive the inheritance.

While thinking about this, I dozed off. It was really just a short nap, without even dreaming.

‘Ugh, it’s cold.’

I should have covered myself with the blanket Cedar gave me. But it was too bothersome to open my eyes.

While frowning and squirming alone, suddenly a thin blanket covered my body.

Warm again, I became drowsy and smiled lazily.

A large hand patted my shoulder gently. It was an affectionate and soft touch.

I narrowed my eyes like needles and mumbled, calling the owner of that hand.

“… Cedar?”

At my call, the hand that had been patting me pleasantly flinched and pulled away.

Aw, it felt nice. I opened my eyes to ask for more pats and was surprised to see who I faced.

“Grisha?”

“It’s finished.”

“Oh, really? I must have slept for a long time?”

I hope I didn’t drool.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and sat up, causing the blanket to slide off. I smiled brightly.

“You covered me? Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Grisha had his usual gentle expression, but having observed him for a long time, I quickly noticed that he wasn’t in a good mood.

‘Is he tired?’

His already pale face seemed even paler. I reached out and touched Grisha’s forehead.

“Are you okay? Are you sick?”

Grisha’s ocean-blue eyes wavered. He chewed on his lips and then bowed his head.

“Maybe. I do feel a bit tired…”

His black hair flowed down his long, slender neck. I brushed his hair behind his ear.

“Your hair has grown quite long. Isn’t it bothersome?”

“You know. Even if it’s bothersome, I don’t have time to cut it.”

“That’s true.”

The Academy professors should look at themselves instead of lamenting why talented people don’t stay at the Academy.

Who would want to stay when they don’t even have time to cut their hair?

‘And they should get rid of that chrysanthemum tea and Jerusalem artichoke tea too. Who started that weird trend?’

I like drinking tea too, but I buy tea leaves to drink.

With all sorts of teas becoming popular, even the work of harvesting and drying fruits in autumn was being dumped on prospective wizards.

‘Jerusalem artichoke was a real nightmare. If you dry it even slightly wrong, it gets moldy, rots…’

While reminiscing about those times, hair tangled around my fingers.

Grisha had pushed his head under my palm.

His round, puppy-like eyes looked up at me pleadingly.

“Please tie it up for me later. It feels awkward when I try to do it myself.”

“Alright.”

Our Grisha has grown up so much, but why is he still so cute?

As I was gently stroking Grisha’s hair, Jack, who had come to the reception room, spoke with a slight smile.

“You two really get along well.”

Grisha is the only person who truly thinks of me as family. I shrugged my shoulders. Then I asked how he was doing.

“Lord Jack, how are you? Are you alright?”

“I am sincerely grateful to you for introducing me to such a great wizard, my lady.”

Jack bowed deeply to his waist to express his gratitude.

“From today on, I will serve you as my benefactor. Not just me, but all the forest tribes will regard you as a brother.”

It was too generous a vow. I was startled and waved both hands.

“But, but Grisha was the one who treated you! You don’t need to do this for me!”

“But if I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t have discovered the connection either. I feel it was God’s arrangement.”

“Haha…”

No matter what, it doesn’t seem like something I should be thanked for this much.

I turned to Grisha, meaning for him to stop this. Grisha explained about the curse with a serious expression.

“It was a terrible curse. It was too complicated for me to fully decipher it all. But if you give me about a week, I think I can decipher it.”

“A week? Isn’t that fast? I don’t know much, but you said it was a very complex and old curse.”

“This person is that great of a wizard.”

For Jack, who has lived for many years, to say something like that.

It was clear that the deciphering Grisha was talking about so casually was no ordinary feat.

‘Oh my, what a precious child.’

You really studied hard and became an excellent wizard. A fond smile naturally appeared. Jack cleared his throat.

“Since I received such great help, I should pay the price I promised to you, my lady.”

That seems to be content that Grisha shouldn’t hear. I asked Grisha if he could let me be alone with Jack for a moment.

Grisha left the reception room without a word and even closed the reception room door tightly.

Even though it was just the two of us, Jack lowered his voice significantly and explained in whispers.

“To solve the magic depletion phenomenon, you need to be near a being that constantly emits magic. Very close.”

But despite speaking so carefully, the content was extremely ordinary.

I couldn’t help but laugh disappointedly.

“A being that constantly emits magic? Does such a being even exist in this world? Only a legendary dragon might be possible.”

“You’re already doing well, my lady.”

“It’s not like dragons are just lying around anywhere…”

As I was responding indifferently, one person came to mind.

A man whose internal magic reserves were so high that, like how the area around the sun seems distorted by light, even his surroundings rippled.

‘Wait a minute. Didn’t they say Cedar’s ancestor was a dragon?’

That’s why the Academy was abuzz with his name when Cedar became the youngest Swordmaster.

Could a dragon ancestor really influence descendants, is his heart the same shape as a normal person’s heart?

All sorts of hypotheses poured out, and I had to stop crazy professors who wanted to go find the real Cedar to verify their hypotheses.

Yes, Cedar Granite. That man was by my side.