Chapter 12
Kaiden smiled at the corner of his mouth, anticipating Reina’s reaction.
The more he saw her, the more interesting a woman she was. So he wanted to keep her by his side and watch over her.
Because she was an interesting existence that suddenly jumped into his boring daily life.
Until before, he only thought she was a woman who had nothing to do with him.
If he had known she was such an interesting lady, he would have pretended to know her much earlier.
Kaiden impulsively touched Reina’s cheek.
They had known each other for a short time, but every moment was intense.
It seems like he really got an interesting bride.
He lightly wiped the soot and whispered softly.
“Was the fire play fun?”
Meanwhile, at his words, Reina opened her eyes wide.
When had he been here?
In the circumstances, it could look like she set fire to Isabelle.
Moreover, there was no one on her side here.
Thinking she might be framed like previous experiences, she hurriedly tried to explain.
But the other party seemed not to care about that at all.
Instead, she didn’t know how to answer the question asking about her own feelings.
How should she explain this feeling now?
It was refreshing to give a good hit to the one who usually bullied her.
Facing fear aroused more complex emotions than thought.
Reina lowered her head and muttered softly.
“It’s not bad.”
“Then that’s good.”
The warmth of the hand still holding her cheek was warm.
The smile on his lips also seemed to sparkle unusually under the moonlight.
It felt like they were alone in stopped time.
Gradually, the heightened emotions began to subside.
It was a strange feeling. To feel such stability just by looking.
Perhaps thanks to the time with him before regression.
The stability coming from blind faith towards the one who first reached out.
Then, belatedly, Wendy appealed to Kaiden.
“You saw it too, Duke? Reina deliberately set fire to Isabelle.”
It was exactly as Reina expected. Following that, Isabel’s sobbing grew louder.
It was acting to make it look like Reina bullied them to anyone.
But Kaiden’s reaction was still indifferent.
“Well. In my eyes, it seemed the opposite.”
Following that, he wrapped her shoulder and growled lowly.
“Originally, wasn’t that lantern Princess Isabelle’s?”
“Y-yes, that’s so! But Reina threw the one dropped by mistake towards Isabel.”
“It must have been a reflexive movement. Almost my wife got burned too, didn’t she?”
“…….”
Wife?
Reina flinched her shoulder at Kaiden’s shocking title. Wendy and Isabel were the same.
Although they announced the marriage at the banquet, it was the first time he directly acknowledged her as his wife.
He, who confused everyone, calmly continued.
“Look at this. How surprised she must have been to freeze standing. How are you going to take responsibility for this?”
This is just because of you that I’m surprised…….
While she couldn’t explain, he lifted her up like a princess.
Following that, he said to Isabel who was frozen like ice.
“Since the princess seems to have many people to take care of her, we will leave now.”
“Du, Duke!”
Despite Wendy’s cry, Kaiden unhesitatingly moved away from the fountain.
As if he wanted to get her out of here as soon as possible.
Reina, who was suddenly held by him and escorted, blushed with embarrassment.
Being treated precious like a child was awkward but not unpleasant.
Moreover, it touched her heart that he seemed to consider her as his own person.
At the same time, it was frustrating because she wasn’t completely innocent in the earlier situation.
A moment later, upon arriving at a deserted garden, Reina continued as if confessing.
“Actually, I did it on purpose.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
Reina looked up at him in surprise.
It was unexpected that he took her side even knowing everything.
He lowered his head to meet her eyes.
His purple eyes sparkled with moonlight. There was no condemnation in his gaze.
Instead, he continued with an interested face.
“I knew that they had been bullying you for quite a long time. My aide is quite competent.”
“Ah…….”
Indeed, he wouldn’t have proceeded with this marriage without that much investigation.
Reina felt embarrassed as if her shame was revealed momentarily.
Then Kaiden said.
“You did well.”
At that moment, everything that made her self-blame until just now became okay.
That one word became comfort to Reina.
When Reina said nothing, Kaiden muttered lightly.
“Rather, if you had just taken it without doing anything, I would have thought I misjudged you.”
“…….”
“After pouring it out, do you feel a bit better?”
“……Very much.”
“Then that’s fine.”
Kaiden smiled and put Reina down.
Following that, he lightly ruffled her hair and said.
“Do everything you want to do from now on. Leave the aftermath to me.”
At the kind encouragement, Reina felt a surge of emotion.
However, not wanting to show such feelings, she deliberately asked primly.
“How do you know what I’ll do then?”
Kaiden said with a voice full of laughter.
“Whatever it is, it seems fun.”
Because his attitude was as if it didn’t matter at all.
Reina, flooded with relief, then smiled and muttered.
“You’re really strange.”
“I hear that often, so it’s not new.”
Kaiden held out his hand.
“Shall we go back.”
Reina quietly looked down at that large hand and placed her hand on it instead of answering.
* * *
The next day, Reina left the tiresome imperial palace and headed north.
To be able to leave so easily.
What was so difficult before regression was being accomplished so easily after meeting Kaiden.
Reina stared at the scenery outside the carriage, feeling mixed emotions.
The carriage was heading to the grand temple where there is a portal to the north.
The grand temple was located on the outskirts a bit away from the capital.
Reina’s eyes sparkled as everything was amazing.
Kaiden, who was quietly watching that, said.
“What’s so amazing?”
“Because it’s been so long since I was outside the capital.”
“If you set your mind, you could have gone to the grand temple?”
Kaiden asked back with a puzzled face.
Because even as royalty, they aren’t restricted from going out nearby for fun.
At the light question, Reina’s expression became quite serious.
Reina bitterly stared out the window.
After the Eve family left for their territory, Reina had lived in seclusion for 3 years by herself.
Not that anyone forced her.
She doesn’t know why going outside the palace was so difficult.
Probably because there was no one to rely on, she isolated herself.
Reina recalled the past and muttered softly.
“Yes. If I set my mind, I could go. But that was really difficult.”
At Reina’s lonely answer, Kaiden silently stayed by her side.
A moment later, she turned and said.
“Now I know. I’ll try to be more courageous.”
Her brave smiling face somehow seemed pitiful.
So Kaiden impulsively opened his mouth.
“If you want, it’s okay to stay at the grand temple for a day or so.”
It was a funny thing to say because they were hurrying to leave due to the monsters.
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By Anna 💓
