Chapter 73: Strange Feeling
Clint looked down at his wrist. The mark she left were scanty like her tiny body. He chuckled, taking out a small chest in his pocket . He turned around in a semicircle, grabbed her hand, and opened the chest. It was a simple ring.
“Clint…”
He smiled at the woman who could not utter a coherent sentence. Putting a ring on her finger, he said, “Diamond wedding rings are usually gifted in the empire, but here in Excalibur it is ruby.”
Ailea wore a blank stare.
Ruby. It was Excalibur’s symbolic love.
“How is it?” he whispered. “Did I surprise you?”
She nodded. “…Yes.”
“You know, Ailea, I think I’m becoming weird. It’s like my taste has changed. I love being punished by you.”
She blushed at his joke, hitting his arm lightly, and he smiled in return.
“Bite me! don’t hit me!” He rubbed his arm, exaggerating.
“Y-you…”
Clint laughed. “Let’s go inside and see how ruined the castle is.”
Ailea nodded, following him. “Thank you, Clint.”
Clint held her hand as if to say that it was nothing much.
She noticed a ruby gleaming in his ring finger. It finally hit her that she and Clint were a married couple. She realized that she did not mind dying by his side. But if it was only her who passed, then Clint would be able to live on and live happily.
Ailea was grateful for this fleeting moment of happiness. It was all thanks to Clint. He had given her a chance to live again. With that thought in mind, she had a new goal to herself: she would make the people of this land love him.
Please don’t let me fall deeper in love with him wanting and desiring his love. This much is enough. I don’t want to rob him of his potential. I hope… I hope that this beating heart is fleeting and will pass.
***
Ailea raised her finger toward the sky and gazed at the shining red ruby.
“Do you like it that much?” he asked, pulling on Velvet’s rein. She looked like she had never seen a jewel in her life.
Ailea nodded. “I do.When I was small, Father’s subordinate gifted me a necklace on my twelfth birthday.
“Necklace?”
“Yes. It was so beautiful that I walked around with it day and night.”
Clint’s lips raised slightly.
“When I was to go to the Imperial Castle, the house chores that I usually did were handed down to my sister Sophie. I had nothing to give her, so I gave her that necklace. This ring reminds me of that necklace. You gave it to me with sincere heart.”
Clint did not answer.
“It’s very pretty.”
“How was it? The necklace, I mean.”
“There was a little diamond in the middle—”
“Was it in the shape of a rose?”
“How did you know?”
“Rose shaped jewels are common.”
“Ah, is that so? But you’re right, it was in the shape of a rose.” She laughed. “As expected, Clint. You know a lot of things when it comes to women.”
“No, it’s more than that. House of Risher’s banner is also in the shape of the rose.”
“Is that so?”
Clint nodded, smiling.
As night fell, two hearts made their way to Excalibur through the night. When they arrived at the castle, Clint brought Velvet to the stables and called for the waiting maids over to guide Ailea inside the castle and his men for an awaiting order.
“Go to Euliana Castle and ask Lady Sophie Elgar Euliana Castle to return the necklace Ailea gifted her seven years ago.”
“Necklace?”
“Yes. It belongs to the House of Risher. Bring it here at any cost.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
His subordinates soon departed, and Clint followed after Ailea into the castle.
Ailea had shut her eyes, though briefly. The smell of blood permeated in the castle. The maids had wiped the stains of blood clean, but the scent remained. Traces of a war that occured months ago lingered. There were chipped off metals and broken furniture, but it was better than nothing.
As she walked around the castle, she began admiring it.
Clint walked past her and said, “We’ll have a banquet here as soon as possible.”
“What?”
“Haa… the weather is nice.”
“W-wait a minute! A banquet?”
Clint rolled his eyes and quickly fled. But he was not fast enough. Ailea spread her arms open and blocked his path.
“Clint!”
“Ah, don’t worry. Don’t worry. I’ll help you. Why would I allow you to hold a banquet all by yourself?” Clint fibbed. “And if we don’t hold a banquet, Sutton’s aristocracy will send letters of reproach. They haven’t had a banquet all year since the war due to their low social status based on age-old etiquettes. What do you think? Isn’t it better to hold a banquet?”
The dumbfounded Ailea looked at him in silence.
Clint’s timber voice grew quiet. “For commoners, nothing much will change. They care not whether they’re governed by Teniac men or the Khanna Empire so long as there is food on their table. But this is not the case for the nobles. They have their pride, their ego. We’ll have to hold a banquet as soon as possible.”
“But why are we talking about that now?”
Because I forgot to tell you earlier.
There were a lot of things on his plate that needed to be done but this woman was making him lose his rationale. He was like a lovestruck puppy in front of her that for a moment he had forgotten why he was to rule over the fiefdom. And to bring this issue all of a sudden in front of her without settling first would surely irritate her.
Clint held both her hands and wagged his tail. “Come on, my lovely wife. Your room is clean. Let’s go there.”
He dragged Ailea to her room in a hurry.
The room faced the sun. When the sun rose, the room would bask in the sun’s light. The worried Clint sighed in relief, noticing that Ailea loved her room to the point that she did not pry about the banquet.
Ailea smiled. She would be living here with Clint.
She looked at him. “I understand. I’ll prepare for the banquet. I’ll have to write the invitations first, though.”
“I’ll help too.”
“Aren’t you going to be busy tending to your official duties?”
“Ah, yes…” Clint nodded. He had thought that his beautiful wife would have nagged needlessly, but she did not. He laughed heartily.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Hm? Me? I would never,” he said, snorting.
She slapped his arm. “Stop playing around.”
Clint blushed, rubbing his face. He surprisingly loved this and wanted her to do it again and again. What a strange feeling. Was he a closet pervert all along?