“Jealousy?”
At the unexpected word, Rishi’s eyes went wide.
“Yes, jealousy.”
“Um, all of a sudden?”
“It’s not all of a sudden.”
Kay gently took the Crown Prince’s reply from Rishi’s hand, fluttering it as he spoke.
“You’ve been staring at Iovet’s reply far too seriously.”
“Ah… I see.”
Rishi was bewildered.
She hadn’t been staring intensely at Iovet’s face; she had simply been reading his letter. Just what part of this was making this man jealous?
Misinterpreting the gaze Rishi sent in her confusion, Kay covered his mouth with one hand.
“Don’t look at me like that. Even I’m flustered by my own actions right now.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. It’s my first time experiencing something like this…”
Kay shifted his gaze to the side, as if he couldn’t look at Rishi directly.
For some reason, she found him endearing, and before she knew it, she reached out and cupped his cheeks with both hands.
His ash-gray eyes, which had fled to the side, turned back toward her.
“I understand, Rishi. I won’t get jealous over things like this. I know I acted a bit foolishly.”
“No, that’s not it…”
She didn’t dislike Kay’s jealousy. Although she was flustered wondering if this was truly worth such a reaction, she didn’t hate it.
“Kay, listen to me carefully.”
“You don’t need to worry about that part. A wolf’s hearing is—”
Cupping his cheeks, Rishi pressed her thumb against his lips to stop his babbling. His lips, soft against her thumb, felt pleasant.
“I may continue to speak the names of other men, stare intently at them, or smile at men who are not you.”
Kay narrowed his eyes.
“But Kay, you must know this: every action I take is entirely for your sake. And I will never do anything that would compromise my dignity and honor as the Countess Green.”
The crease between Kay’s brows slowly smoothed out.
“How about it? Can you understand that?”
Kay parted his lips and gave a gentle, painless bite to the thumb still blocking his mouth. His eyes gleamed playfully.
“Good. But there is one thing you must understand, too.”
“What is that?”
“That I am a man who gets much more jealous than you expected.”
“I had already noticed that.”
“My wife is sharp as ever.”
Kay wrapped his arms around Rishi’s slender waist and pulled her close. The moment his lips slowly approached to meet hers, Rishi suddenly recalled what the Crown Prince was doing during this period.
“Ah!”
With a gasp, she pushed against Kay’s chest with both hands. She then spoke to a startled Kay, who was taken aback by the denied kiss.
“Kay, you must brag about me to the Crown Prince.”
“Huh? No, of course I intend to show you off, but…”
“The level you’re thinking of isn’t enough. Brag about me until even you wonder if it’s too much. Brag about me to the point where he thinks, ‘Is this guy’s head a bit off?'”
“Ah…”
Kay stood dumbfounded, staring blankly at Rishi.
There were times when he thought she was an inscrutable woman, but he had never felt so puzzled as he did now. To think she would so strongly request that he brag about her to another man.
Rishi pointed to her own temple with her index finger.
“Especially brag about this part.”
“I’m sure he already knows you’re beautiful without me needing to mention it separately.”
“No, not that. My head.”
“Your head? You want me to brag that this pretty head of yours is sometimes a little strange?”
Rishi, who had been serious since the topic of bragging came up, giggled.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Kay. I must have looked a bit crazy just now.”
“No, not crazy, just… a little?”
Kay used his index finger to twirl around her temple.
Rishi burst into laughter. She hadn’t even done anything particularly funny, but the fact that she was laughing so lightheartedly made him happy.
“Tell the Crown Prince that I am a very clever woman with foresight.”
“I like that you describe yourself as clever and having foresight. You are very confident, my wife.”
“Don’t tease me.”
Rishi tapped his chest with her fist, though it didn’t hurt at all.
“I understand. You’re not going to tell me what you’re planning to do with this, are you?”
“I’ll tell you.”
Surprisingly, Rishi leaned into Kay’s ear and whispered her plan. As her story progressed, Kay’s eyes grew wider and wider, and when she finished, he said:
“You are, truly… clever and have great foresight. On top of that, you know how to read people.”
Rishi smiled elegantly.
“Indeed. So, go to the Crown Prince and tell him nothing but the truth. About the woman named Iris Green.”
+++
Eldhert frowned as he looked down at the garden from the window.
Kay and Rishi were walking through the garden, holding hands. Occasionally, Kay would tuck Rishi’s hair behind her ear or share a giggle with her, playing around.
It was his first time seeing Kay act that way. Kay, when he was next to Rishi, truly seemed like a different person.
“Go easy on the jealousy, Eldy. That’s why people say you have a brother complex.”
Jen, who had appeared beside him at some point, spoke up.
“No one tells me I have a brother complex, Jen.”
“I just did. If you keep glaring at Rishi with eyes like that, others will start saying it, too.”
“That woman’s soul is strange.”
“It’s Sister-in-law, not ‘that woman.’ And just because you’ve never seen it before doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Your horizons must be narrow.”
“Why on earth do you like that woman so much?”
Jen turned to look at Eldy.
“She’s the person Kay loves.”
“If a brother loves the wrong person, it’s a family’s job to stop him.”
“Rishi isn’t the wrong person.”
“That woman’s soul is…”
“And what of Beastmen?”
Eldy opened his eyes wide.
“Everyone says Beastmen are wrong. That they are creatures cursed by the gods. If so, are Kay, or people like Eugene and Jamie, all wrong too?”
“That’s different!”
“It’s the same, Eldy. It’s the same.”
“No, that’s…”
“Rishi simply possesses a unique soul. Just as Beastmen are special beings, Rishi is just a little special. There is nothing wrong with her.”
Eldy could find no words to respond. Jen turned his gaze back to the garden.
“It seems Rishi was abused when she was at the Duchy.”
“What?”
“At first, I liked her because she was someone Kay loved, and she looked prettier and smarter than the rumors suggested. But now, I like the dignity she has—she doesn’t feel ashamed or avoid the fact that she was abused.”
He had suspected that Duke Glovern Witlow was trying to profit from his daughter, but he had never dreamed that Rishi had lived her life suffering their abuse.
As a Holy Knight of the Holy Kingdom, Eldhert had traveled to many places and met all sorts of people. Among them were children who had been abused by their families.
Those children all had dead eyes. Their souls were dark and muddy, or faint, as if they were about to flicker out at any moment.
There was nothing of that sort in Rishi’s soul. On the contrary, she had a soul that shone so brightly it hurt the eyes to look at.
“That doesn’t mean the pain of being abused just disappears.”
Jen added, patting Eldhert on the arm.
“Let’s not be the ones in our family to cause Rishi any more pain, Eldy.”
+++
Windy, as always, stayed glued to her mother’s side, puffing out, *prrr, prrr,* with her nostrils.
Her pitch-black eyes were filled with vigilance toward Rishi.
White, Windy’s mother, sent a look of pity toward Rishi, but Rishi was too lost in thought to notice.
The fact that Crown Prince Iovet was coming to the wedding was a very good thing for Rishi. Since she had returned from the past, it felt as though the world was moving just for her.
*‘Still, I must not be arrogant.’*
Just as she was offering an apple to Windy and pondering how to draw Iovet in, someone spoke.
“Your mind is elsewhere.”
A low-pitched voice echoed from behind her.
“Dealing with it like that… That little runt isn’t opening up to you.”
Eldheart walked up beside Rishi and snatched the apple she was holding.
Eldheart stared at the apple as if seeing one for the first time, and said,
“They say Kay gifted you a unicorn, didn’t he? Do you even know how incredible it is to be gifted a unicorn?”
Rishi tried to take the apple back without a word, but Eldheart moved his hand smoothly, dodging her grip.
“Seeing you off in your own world with a unicorn right in front of you, it seems you don’t realize its value… I honestly don’t understand why Kay would gift such a precious creature to a woman like you.”
“If you want to say I don’t fit into this family, go tell your brother. If you cry and beg, he might just say he won’t marry me.”
Even though Rishi spoke with sarcasm, Eldheart showed no signs of annoyance. Rather, he lifted one corner of his mouth as if amused.
“Do you treat Kay that way, too?”
“Of course not. I act cute, lovely, and frail.”
Eldheart let out a short laugh.
“It doesn’t seem that way to me. There are countless women who act cute, lovely, and frail. More than half of them want to have Kay, yet he hasn’t spared a single glance at any of them all this time.”
Eldheart strode toward Rishi, but Rishi stood her ground, not moving an inch as she looked up at him.
“You seem to have used some very peculiar methods to win over the hearts of my family, but winning my heart won’t be easy, Iris.”
Rishi realized that whenever Eldheart addressed her now, he didn’t call her ‘Iris Witlo.’
“Eldheart. I think you’ve misunderstood something. I wouldn’t even take your heart if you gave it to me.”
Once again, Eldheart didn’t take offense and merely grinned.
“Regardless, since you’ve entered the Green family, I will treat you as family in front of others. However, that doesn’t mean I trust you. I am convinced that you are no ordinary woman.”
“It’s a relief that you’ll at least keep up appearances. I was worried that your unruly behavior might leave a tiny scratch on my husband’s honor.”
Eldheart wrinkled his nose slightly before turning toward Windy. He tossed the apple into the air and caught it as he spoke.
“Like it or not, you are my sister-in-law. It would be a disgrace to the family if I said you couldn’t even tame a baby unicorn. I don’t want to suffer such shame because of you, so I’ll teach you how to handle a unicorn.”
It was an unexpected gesture of kindness.
*Right, Eldheart would know how Kay tamed the unicorn.*
Since even Kay wouldn’t help her, she was genuinely grateful for Eldheart’s meddling.
“Unicorns are intelligent creatures, so you must treat them with sincerity. It’s only natural that they wouldn’t accept an apple given while your mind is elsewhere.”
I see!
“Besides, that one is still a baby. You need to show it that you are focused on the little runt with affection. You have to convey the feeling of, ‘I cherish and love you dearly.’”
Eldheart cast a gentle gaze toward Windy. Then, miraculously, Windy, who had been stuck to its mother’s side, began to approach Eldheart bit by bit.
Eldheart offered the apple to Windy with a confident smile. Windy’s black eyes shone toward Eldheart with a different feeling than when they looked at Rishi.
“Eat up, little one. Move that stubborn snout of yours.”
With a playful whinny, Windy opened its mouth.
And then.
*CRUNCH!*
It bit down hard on Eldheart’s hand.