“Well… as you can see, I’m practicing my swings.”
Yes, clearly, she was practicing swings. However, the fact that the Countess was doing this was strange enough, and the fact that she was doing it with a burdock root? That needed clarification.
“Why are you holding a burdock root?”
“The daikon was too heavy to swing, the carrot was too short to act as a sword, and the leek was too light to be reliable.”
That wasn’t exactly what he was asking, but her answer wasn’t wrong. Reizen reflected that his phrasing had been unclear, and so he carefully chose his next words.
“…Why are you practicing swings with a vegetable?”
“When I first tried to use a wooden training sword, I was embarrassed to find it too heavy to swing. Therefore, I decided to substitute it with the burdock root, as its length, thickness, and weight were just right.”
“So… the burdock root is a substitute for the wooden sword…”
At least now he understood why she was holding the burdock root. With that question answered, he decided to get to the heart of the matter.
“Why did you decide to start practicing swings in the first place?”
Reizen, with his usual expressionless face, asked calmly. Fina, who had also been answering with a neutral expression, suddenly hesitated, her cheeks flushing for the first time.
Reizen’s eyes widened as he noticed the change, and Fina, blushing, said shyly:
“…I wanted to become strong enough to protect you, Lord Reizen.”
In that moment, Reizen’s life changed dramatically.
He fell in love with his wife, who stood there holding a burdock root, shyly smiling.
* * *
The next morning at breakfast. It was the first time the couple sat at the table together.
The previous day, Reizen had fallen in love with his wife. However, he hadn’t yet realized that what he was feeling was love.
Feeling strangely unwell, Reizen had left his wife, who still held the burdock root, in a dazed state, took a bath, ate a light meal, and went to bed early. Since he had been working continuously, Fina and the servants assumed he was simply exhausted, and no one found it unusual.
Indeed, Reizen had been tired. A good night’s sleep had fully restored him from the fatigue caused by his work. The problem was that whenever he was in front of his wife, his mysterious illness seemed to return.
“…”
It was the couple’s first-ever breakfast together, yet there was no conversation.
After exchanging a few polite greetings, silence fell over the dining room, bathed in the fresh morning sunlight. Both Reizen and Fina were expressionless. The atmosphere was far from the sweet, awkwardness typical of newlyweds, and the servants were on edge, quietly fretting.
“…”
Reizen sat across from Fina, watching her intently as she ate her salad. After being stared at for so long, Fina, who had been diligently chewing, finally noticed his gaze and paused her meal. In a soft voice, she asked:
“Lord Reizen, is there something you need from my face?”
“No. Nothing at all.”
“I see.”
And thus, the conversation between the newlyweds ended in an instant—a conversation so brief it was practically fatal for a newlywed couple, resembling more a pair on the verge of divorce. The servants silently willed their master to be more cheerful, but Reizen had bigger concerns.
If Reizen could articulate the feelings swirling in his chest, it would be something like, “My wife is adorable when she’s munching.” However, the phrase “my wife is adorable when she’s munching” wasn’t in Reizen’s vocabulary. So, he had no idea what these feelings meant, and all he could do was continue to stare intently at Fina, his face as cold and expressionless as ever.
The servants grew even more anxious at the unusual behavior of their master. As for Fina, who was receiving this intense gaze, she simply thought, “Since my husband said there’s nothing, there must be nothing,” and returned her focus to her breakfast. The servants, now praying that Fina would find some way to prolong the conversation, watched in vain as she busied herself with picking out her next bite of salad.
As Reizen continued to watch Fina, who was now savoring her carrot juice with utmost dedication, another thought crossed his mind: “My wife is adorable when she’s drinking.” But again, he was unaware of this realization. Unfamiliar with the sensation of cherishing something, Reizen concluded, “Whenever I’m in front of my wife, I feel something strange. I must observe her closely and figure out the cause.” So, he kept silently staring at her.
* * *
That peaceful afternoon, after finishing his work, Reizen immediately headed for the garden. Of course, it wasn’t because he urgently wanted to see his wife. No, this was a necessary step in understanding the cause of his inexplicable feelings.
As he approached the garden, he heard the familiar sound of his wife’s spirited shout, “Hah!” Somehow, this filled him with a sense of joy. As expected, Fina was practicing her swings with a fresh burdock root.
“Fina,” he called.
Fina stopped her swings and, with the grace of a true lady, bowed her head and said, “Welcome home, Lord Reizen.” The way her hair parted at the crown of her head was adorable. No, that’s not why he was here. He had a reason for coming.
“Fina.”
“Yes?”
“…Fina.”
“Yes?”
Reizen, unsure how to start a conversation with his wife, found himself calling her name repeatedly without purpose. His wife’s polite responses were adorable. No, that’s not it. He needed to get to the point.
“You said you started practicing swings to protect me.”
“…Yes.”
Fina, who had maintained a calm expression until now, blushed and shyly lowered her gaze. This is bad. She’s too adorable. Reizen struggled to rein in his thoughts with his iron will, desperately trying to steer his consciousness away from the overwhelming realization of “my wife is adorable.”
“I’m not weak enough to need your protection.”
Unfortunately, in his effort to recalibrate, the words came out cold and dismissive. What’s more, due to his internal struggle, his tone was far frostier than he intended. Now Reizen was filled with an immense fear that he might have hurt her feelings. But Fina’s expression remained unchanged as she calmly responded, “I know that.”
“I’ve heard you use ice magic, Lord Reizen.”
Her words, delivered in the same soft, serene tone, left Reizen feeling both relieved that he hadn’t hurt her and slightly confused by the sudden shift in the conversation. “Yes,” he replied.
“I’ve heard that overuse of ice magic can leave you unable to move.”
“Ah,” Reizen responded.
Magic was indeed convenient, but it placed a considerable burden on its user. His subordinate who used fire magic would become overheated and risk heatstroke if he overexerted himself. Another subordinate, who used earth magic, once confessed that he craved chiffon cake after manipulating solid objects. A subordinate who wielded lightning magic found his hair frizzing and eventually turning into an afro when he overdid it. The recoil of magic was not something to be underestimated.
In Reizen’s case, overuse of ice magic caused his hands and feet to become numb. If he continued to push through, frost would start to form on his body, and his movements would slow down significantly. Though he had never experienced it, he suspected that if he continued using magic in such a state, he would eventually become encased in ice himself.
“I heard that during these past two weeks while I awaited your return, you were battling magical beasts,” Fina continued. “And… I couldn’t help but imagine you, after so many battles, freezing and unable to move. I know that you are incredibly strong, Lord Reizen, but once I started imagining it, I couldn’t stand still.”
Fina paused, her expression determined as she resolutely held up the burdock root.
“That’s why I decided that if there ever comes a time when you can’t move, I, as your wife, should be ready to come to your aid. I don’t have any magical abilities, so I thought I should at least improve my swordsmanship.”
“…”
1 Comments
That's so cute 🥰
ReplyDelete