Travel magic is affected by the weather, so it does not work properly in bad weather.
So he traveled to the wrong town and back three times before finally reaching Grunwald.
Dale took off his heavy clothes and changed back into his simple clothes.
The Dale that Enya knew.
He was knee-deep in snow, and it was easy for Enya to fall and hurt herself given her small size.
He must wake up at dawn and sweep the snow.
“…….”
Dale looked at his house and Enya's house.
It was a new house.
But he was still as unfamiliar as ever.
He couldn't get used to the fact that Enya was waiting for him there.
He opened the door and was greeted by Enya, who came out running at full speed.
She was running at full speed and seemed out of breath.
“Enya?”
Dale looked at Enya as he took off his robe.
Enya greeted him with an uncharacteristically happy smile.
Her bright smile melted his cold, frozen heart.
At the same time, he was astonished by his incredible good fortune.
“Did something happen?”
“Nothing, I'm just happy to see you!”
“…….”
“Is this house really exhausting you?
Why were you so late today, have you been working so much, and what’s wrong with you that you can’t get some rest?”
Enya seems to know him as a beggar.
Dale smiled and stood still, and Enya looked at him with pity, having misunderstood him.
Dale didn't bother to share Enya's concern.
“Then, Enya, why haven’t you slept yet?”
It was later than usual.
Dale assumed she would be asleep.
“Is it because you didn't eat dinner?
Are you hungry?”
“No, do you think I'll tell Dale to make dinner?”
"no!"
"no!"
Enya's eyes narrowed.
Dale wasn't good at reading other people's emotions, but he could read Enya's expressions.
It was a look of disbelief.
Enya was wrapped in a blanket as large as her body.
She had a pen in her hand, as if she had just come from work to greet him.
“Please wait a moment and I will make Enya’s favorite milk tea.”
Dale went up to his desk and changed his clothes.
He caught a glimpse of his bandaged body in the mirror.
He had not held a sword in his hand for what seemed like days, and when he picked it up again, he slouched and was shot in the shoulder.
It was a large wound from sparring with a real sword instead of a wooden sword.
“…….”
Dale loosened the bloody bandages and wrapped fresh bandages around his shoulder.
It wasn't easy for him to do it alone, but he had grown up without help since he was young, so it didn't take long.
Dale swallowed two bottles of painkillers.
The pain was unbearable at times, but the look on Enya's face made him feel better.
“Huh…….”
Dale grimaced in pain, but quickly softened his expression and went down to the kitchen.
There were only two times in his life when the former Emperor's abuse was useful.
One was when he allowed him to save himself, and the other was when he led him to Enya.
Dale entered the lounge on the first floor, bringing with him a milk tea sweetened with brown sugar to Enya's taste.
Enya was writing something in concentration, unaware that it had arrived.
"Ah!
Dale, thank you."
Enya took the milk tea with a bright smile.
Dale nearly spit out his coffee when he looked at what Enya was writing.
“Khhhh, what is this?”
“This?
I was thinking about how to decorate the house.”
“Well, Madame Marie asked me earlier how I was going to decorate my room, so I thought I would try this, what do you think?”
Dale blushed and reviewed what I had written.
“Bedroom…….”
Dale's eyes widened.
“There's only one bedroom?”
“It was Madame Marie’s idea that we should take two rooms and turn them into one large bedroom.”
“…….”
“There are people who use it, and the village ladies often come to serve us food.
Dale and I are newly married, right?”
“…….”
"So I was thinking, 'It's going to be weird if we have separate rooms,' and I could see that Mary was looking at us questioningly. ...Dale?
What's wrong, are you okay?"
The coffee must have gotten stuck in his throat.
Dale blushed and gulped in embarrassment, so Enya handed him a tissue.
The unthinkable came out of Enya's mouth.
She started reciting the plan innocently.
“Anyway, I think we should have one bedroom, and since we each have our own office, I don't think it would be a bad idea to put a small bed in there.”
“…….”
“Oh, I'm not forcing you, Dale.
You can have the big bedroom and the big bed, and I'll be happy with the small bed in the study.
I'll use it as a private room.”
Dale ran a hand through his hair.
He didn't know whether to be happy or sad about his good fortune in sharing a bedroom with Enya.
“I think Enya should have the bigger bedroom.”
“Dale is bigger?”
He couldn't answer that.
Enya was wise, quick, and strangely oblivious.
“Maybe we should think about that while picking out the furniture.”
I quickly agreed.
Dale stared at Enya as she wrapped the blanket around herself.
“But why were you in the hall all this time?
It must be uncomfortable.”
" Good…."
Enya's face looked troubled, as if he had asked her a question she couldn't answer.
She thought carefully, then smiled broadly.
“The weather was so bad today that I thought I'd stay up and see if Dale came, and if he didn't, that would be a shame, wouldn't it?
You were kind of fragile when we first met, too.”
“I understand”
She seemed excited to talk a lot.
“Madame Marie said that the Emperor was very careful about clearing the snow.”
“…….”
“I think this is a good idea.”
Dale stared at Enya.
The people he hired were all workers who had been working in the palace for a long time.
Without knowing it, Enya kept gossiping about Madame Marie's salary increase.
She had received three years' worth of bonuses.
Dale looked at Enya, who looked pleased, and smiled.
“Do you like Madame Marie?”
"Yes.
I think I'm all right, although seeing Madame Marie makes me miss my governess at home and I miss Emma a little."
“Do you…want to return to the capital?”
Enya shook her head at his question.
"Only in words, because if I come back, they'll both annoy me like crazy.
I miss them mildly when we're apart."
“How would you feel if I said I miss you?”
Enya's eyes widened at Dale's question.
He spoke with a blank expression on his face.
"I miss you every day.
I don't know what it's like to be a little nostalgic.
I felt like the longing was just longing."
His face was serious, and Enya met his eyes.
The way he looked at her, wary, was deceiving.
It was as if it was something he was saying to Enya.
“I missed you every day.”
His low voice dropped slightly.
Dale felt Enya's eyes and looked at her and sighed.
Maybe now is the time.
Now is the time, Dale thought.
He couldn't go on like this forever.
It's time to do that.
He couldn't hide the truth anymore.