Chapter 54
When Kaiden nodded lightly, Reina, who had been hiding behind his back, poked her head out and looked at Arteon.
He quickly met her eyes and said,
“Might you be the Princess Reina who came to marry into the North this time?”
At the attention directed toward Reina, Kaiden stepped in front once more.
“That’s correct, but?”
“Just as I heard, she’s a beauty. The rumors weren’t lies.”
Kaiden’s eyebrows twitched at Arteon’s frivolous smile and words.
Seeing Kaiden exuding a menacing aura, Arteon added a remark.
“Rein in that killing intent a bit. It’s not like she’ll wear out from being looked at.”
“If you don’t like it, just don’t look.”
“How can I not look at what’s right in front of me?”
Arteon shrugged his shoulders. It was an unusually casual attitude toward someone he’d just met.
But Reina could sense it.
Beneath that casual demeanor lay a sharp, probing gaze.
Yet, there was no hostility in it.
Peep, peep.
At that moment, Ritsi let out a small chirp to announce its presence.
Arteon recoiled in disgust, stepping back.
“Ugh, a bird!”
Judging by his overreaction to the tiny finch-like bird, he seemed afraid of birds.
Reina didn’t bother mentioning that Ritsi had been there from the start.
The head merchant showed interest in the bird. He was changing the subject as the atmosphere grew tense.
“It’s a very rare bloodline of bird.”
“You recognize it?”
When Reina responded, the head merchant said,
“Of course. This bird is called the ‘Rediglin,’ also known as a descendant of the phoenix.”
“But the Rediglin is supposed to be extinct.”
“I thought so too, but apparently not. To see with my own eyes a creature thought to be extinct—live long enough, and you’ll see everything.”
Arteon peeked at Ritsi from behind the head merchant.
Ritsi puffed out its chest proudly at the man who recognized its lineage.
Peep.
Then, it glared at Kaiden, as if blaming him for his poor discernment.
The head merchant continued.
“The Rediglin has a small, cute appearance like a finch when it’s young, but when it matures, it grows as large as an adult man and becomes one of the most dangerous predators. It’s difficult to tame, but I’ve heard its loyalty is exceptional once you do.”
He seemed to believe Ritsi was the rare species Rediglin.
‘To be precise, it’s a divine beast with the blood of its ancestor, the phoenix…’
Reina was impressed by the head merchant’s keen eye in recognizing Ritsi’s lineage at a glance.
It would be hard to identify immediately without extensive knowledge of birds.
Sensing Reina’s gaze, the head merchant added,
“Ah, I once worked in bird research. The border count has a great interest in ornithology, so he selected me. The original reason I started the merchant group was to safely transport rare species.”
At that, Arteon rubbed his arms and said,
“Whew, if my father had seen that, he’d have wanted to stuff it right away.”
Peeeeep!
Ritsi flew into a rage at the word “stuff.”
It fluttered up and began pecking at Arteon’s head, making him scream.
“Aaah! Has this bird gone mad? Why is it suddenly doing this!”
“Ritsi, come here.”
The fuming Ritsi landed on Reina’s palm and rubbed its beak against it.
Seeing this, the head merchant marveled.
“It already sees you as its master. Impressive.”
After exchanging a few more words, the head merchant bid farewell.
“Then, I’ll see you soon, Your Excellency.”
“Take care.”
At that moment, Arteon extended his hand to Reina.
“Princess, see you then.”
Just as she was about to shake it reflexively, Kaiden intervened.
“……I was offering the handshake to the princess.”
“Take care.”
“Your Excellency must let go for me to leave.”
Before he knew it, his hand was trembling uncontrollably.
Kaiden glanced at Arteon’s hand, which had turned pale and bloodless, and murmured softly.
“Stop whining.”
If you keep whining like that, your hand might get cut off.
Arteon swallowed the words he wanted to say, holding them back firmly.
It was because he had a rough idea of why the man was hostile toward him.
Arteon shook his stinging hand as he glanced at the departing couple.
He had only come because he was worried about his friend’s younger brother.
But now he was worried for a different reason.
Arteon shook his head and muttered to himself.
“Jeffrey, it seems your little brother has gotten tangled up with a really strict guy… What to do?”
Well, having a husband who’s on bad terms with the imperial family might not be so bad.
* * *
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Reina glanced at Kaiden’s expression.
He seemed oddly irritated, but she couldn’t figure out why.
“Kaiden, try this. It’s really delicious.”
Reina offered a forkful of well-cooked mushroom.
Kaiden stared at it intently, then suddenly grabbed her wrist and brought the mushroom to his mouth.
“!”
Naturally, the hand that had been about to transfer it to a plate lost its direction and was pulled along.
“It’s good.”
Her face flushed hot at the sight of Kaiden’s wry smile.
He was such a strange man.
At times like this, he acted so casually, yet at other moments, he would step back and keep his distance.
Then, Kaiden cut a piece of his own meat into small bits and held it out.
“You try this too.”
“Ah, thank you.”
As Reina moved to take the plate, he thrust the fork forward and said,
“No need—just eat it.”
“Huh?”
“Open up. Ah.”
“Huh?”
“How long are you going to keep saying ‘huh’? My hand’s getting tired.”
At Kaiden’s words, accompanied by a grin, Reina opened her mouth.
He popped the meat right in and, propping his chin on his hand, asked,
“How is it?”
The meat melted softly in her mouth. Reina’s eyes sparkled.
“It’s delicious. What is this?”
“Snowflake pork roast. It’s usually greasy because of the fat, but this place cooks it well.”
Just as Kaiden was explaining patiently, he held out another dish.
“Then try this too.”
Reina hesitated at the fork extended once more.
Once was fine, but twice felt a bit embarrassing.
“I-I’ll eat it myself.”
She politely expressed her refusal, but he remained firm.
“Ah.”
His gaze seemed determined to hold out until she accepted.
It was Kaiden being stubbornly insistent in the oddest way.
“……Ah.”
In the end, unable to resist his persistence, she opened her mouth.
After that, Reina ate the food from Kaiden like a baby bird being fed by its mother.
She couldn’t tell if the food was going into her mouth or her nose.
The awkward motions gradually became more natural with repetition.
It felt bad, like being treated like a child, but at the same time, the sense of being cared for made her heart tingle.
By the time they finished the meal, the sun was dipping low on the horizon.
Seeing this, Kaiden wore a troubled expression.
“Oh no. We’re going to be late.”
“Are you going somewhere?”
“Hmm.”
He looked somehow anxious. After a moment of contemplation, he turned his back to Reina.
“Get on for now.”
“Huh?”
“Your pace will make us late, so hurry.”
“Ah, okay.”
Reina quickly climbed onto his back, and Kaiden began walking briskly.
‘Where on earth are we going…?’
Thinking there must be some urgent matter, she stayed quiet and held on.
A full-grown woman being carried on a man’s back drew glances from passersby.
It felt like they were an overly affectionate couple, and she ducked her head in embarrassment.
Naturally, her breath brushed deeply against his neck.
It was an action that tensed Kaiden as he quickened his steps.
“……”
Kaiden adjusted his posture without showing it.
But he couldn’t prevent his shoulders from stiffening or the strength from tightening in the arms holding her.
