Since then, the herb garden has been found destroyed several times.
I decided not to look for the culprit to question him.
‘…Should I kill him first?’
Unable to find the ring and with the herbs in disarray, I began to lose my patience.
“Who eats grass?”
“Enya?”
"Ah!
Dale?"
I saw Dale approaching in the distance and I ran towards him.
“Did you come to pick me up again today?”
Dale nodded, smiling.
Lately, Dale has been coming to pick me up every day after work.
Sometimes he looked around as if searching for something, but I didn't know why.
'Anyway, I think that's nice.'
She happily admitted having a contract husband with the best performance and personality.
Dale took off his gardening hat for me.
“What are we having for dinner tonight?”
“I'm thinking about making tomato soup and buttered turkey.”
“It looks delicious.
Can I look forward to that again today?”
“I will not disappoint you.”
Dale smiled gently.
He was doing well in his role as contract husband, devoting himself more physically and emotionally than a real husband would.
He would weed the garden, pre-chop the firewood, fix up the house, cook, clean, wash the dishes, do the house accounts, do the grocery shopping, dispose of the trash properly, wake me up when I overslept, take me to the lord's palace, and come pick me up.
If Dale ever accused me of an unfair contract, I should have been quietly imprisoned.
Most importantly, Dale had a handsome face.
And a good heart.
Is this the value of 10,000 Crobats per day?
No, Dale's kindness is a priceless talent that cannot be valued with money.
Meeting Dale was a stroke of luck.
“….”
"What?
Is there something on my face?"
Dale stood still with a curious expression on his face.
"… nothing."
He seemed to be smiling bitterly as he also tried to take off my gloves.
“I'd rather not take them off.”
“Aren't those gardening gloves?”
“Well, yes, but...”
If you take them off, he will discover that the ring is gone.
“My hands are so warm that I can't bear to take them off even if I die.”
"I didn't know.
Are your hands cold?"
“It's getting colder, isn't it?
Ha-ha, no other pair of gloves keeps me as warm as these.
Oh, my hands are freezing!”
“….”
I blew on my hand exaggeratedly.
I pretended to be cold, and Dale quickly took me to the carriage.
“….”
But inside the carriage, Dale kept looking at me.
It seemed like he had something to say...
“Actually, I went looking for you earlier.”
"when?"
“It was during the day.
I finished work a little early and went to see you, but you weren’t there.”
“Oh, right.”
“Did something happen?”
At that time, I was with Sophia.
Sophia was so embarrassed, she asked that we keep the etiquette lessons a secret between the two of us.
“I had some errands at the Lord's Palace.”
“May I ask what those missions are?”
“I had someone to meet.”
“Person...”
I felt the heaviness of the air in the carriage for a moment.
“Someone...”
Dale's facial expression complicated.
His face seemed strangely covered in shadows.
His handsome features seemed darker.
“….”
Could he have noticed that I lost the ring?
I gave Dale a sideways glance.
He didn't seem to know yet.
“But you came home early today too, right?
Has your workload decreased?”
She quickly changed the subject.
“I think I'll be home early for a while.”
For some reason, his gaze seemed a little disappointed.
“I will spend more time with you than before.”
“This is convenient.”
His eyes widened.
"You looked more tired every day, Dale.
I was worried about you."
Dale looked at me calmly, then shook his head.
"I'm not tired.
I'm fine."
“That's something my brother would say.”
I wrapped my cold body with both arms, then Dale took off his robe and draped it over me.
It was a high-quality robe made of a material that was light and warm at the same time.
"Thank you.
That's something my brother would do."
I couldn't help but smile.
"That's right.
I once saw Dale riding a horse from behind and I thought he looked like my brother.
You have the aura of a gentleman."
“….”
“Dale, you are truly capable of anything.”
He seemed confused by the compliment, and blushed, but he didn't seem to dislike it.
Dale couldn't really lie.
It was clear on his face.
“Are you close to your brother, Enya?”
“Yes, we are close.
I mentioned that I had a brother when I introduced my family, right?”
"Yes."
“My brother, ah, around this season, he starts preparing for winter training.”
The winter training, in which the Emperor directly participates, brings together all the knights in large-scale joint training.
In short, winter training is a survival challenge that involves the morale and honor of every knightly rank.
“And the time when the Emperor leaves the capital.”
This might be a good time to visit the capital.
There are plant nutrients available only in DC that I wanted to purchase.
I'm sure Emma would buy all kinds and deliver them if you asked her to.
“Dale, would you like to visit D.C. with me this winter?”
“Would that be appropriate?”
“Yes.
The Emperor will be far to the north.”
“….”
“The Emperor will not be there, and the knights will be few, so let us go to the capital.”
"Understood."
Dale looked out the window as if calculating something in his head, then nodded.
“Okay.
I'll go with you, Enya.”
His facial expression showed anticipation.
"But Duke Lockhart will be in the capital, right?
Will you be okay?"
"It's okay with my father.
He's not actively trying to arrest me."
I patted my chest.
“He's curious to see how far I can go.
That's why, even though he's close to the Emperor, he's only pretending to try to capture me without actually doing it.
I know it.”
I suddenly remembered something from the past.
“My father likes unusual things.
One time, he brought home a boy out of nowhere.”
It was a memory I had completely forgotten.
Who was that boy?
Was he a servant?
“Uh... who was he?”
I tilted my head in thought.
"I can't remember.
It must have been one of my relatives.
I think he lived at our house for a few days, but I don't remember anything beyond that."
“….”
Dale was watching me quietly.
He looked at me blankly and was silent for a moment.
"Understood."
Then he turned his head again towards the window.
“This is convenient.”
She grinned and blew on my cold hand.
* * *
“We have reorganized the knights’ supplies in preparation for this winter’s training.”
“….”
Dale's aides gathered around him to deliver the report.
With the tax season ending and the weather cooling quickly, they had to get into training soon, so they organized supplies in advance.
“We have eliminated all weapons that are not suitable for actual combat, and we have also replaced weapons whose replacement cycle has almost ended.”
Suho, the chief assistant, actively briefed him.
"The morale of both the first and second rank knights is extremely high.
They recently discovered and eliminated the dragon's nest, and recovered all the treasures."
“The commander of the Second Order Knights was Daniel Lockhart, wasn’t he?”
Dale, who was listening quietly, looked at one of the assistants.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“How is Daniel Lockhart?”
For a moment the assistants exchanged glances.
They couldn't understand why he was suddenly inquiring about the knight's condition.
“He...he's fine.”
“….”
Silence followed the assistant's hesitant answer, causing Suho to shoot him questioning glances.
“He's fine then.”
However, Dale did not reprimand the assistant.
His vague question left all the aides with question marks above their heads.
“By the way, Your Majesty.
Daniel Lockhart is currently recovering from the shoulder injury he sustained while killing the dragon.
Can he participate in the training?”
“It must come
The knight overcame that.”
Dale spoke indifferently.
“Daniel Lockhart is the commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division.
He cannot be left in the capital.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
Suho sighed inwardly.
There was no leniency in his treatment even if he were Miss Lockhart's brother.
Then Dale, who had been slowly examining the documents, narrowed his eyes.