Chapter 4

Like a girl cherishing something precious, Violet thought about him for a very long time, giving the matter considerable thought.

It had been no less than three years—long enough for the seasons to change ten times.

It was the height of summer.

Violet had just returned from the village after going down there for groceries and to find some work.

Ever since she had begun living alone, whenever she had to go into the village, Violet would pull an old, oversized robe over herself. The hooded robe was something she had found in Aldrick’s wardrobe.

Even that wasn’t enough to ease her anxiety, so she deliberately smeared dirt over her face, walked with a hunched back, and made herself look as though she were suffering from some sort of physical ailment.

A young woman living alone could easily become a target, so Violet always had to remain on guard like that.

Fortunately, her disguise seemed convincing enough. The villagers simply assumed she was a middle-aged woman living alone at the foot of the mountain.

After finishing all her errands and returning home, however, Violet’s mind was unusually unsettled.

It was because of something she had overheard from a passerby.

“I heard the war with Aslan is over. Once the knights and soldiers return, the village is going to be bustling for quite some time!”

At those words, carried to her on the wind, Violet’s heart began pounding like mad.

She didn’t even know why she was so startled. Violet returned home as though fleeing from something.

Once she had calmed herself down, reality began to sink in.

The war was over.

The knights were returning.

Which meant…

Aldrick would be coming back soon, too.

Aldrick had said the war would probably last around five years. Apparently, that had only been a prediction, because the war had ended much sooner than expected.

The thought of him returning caused her heart to stir inexplicably once again. But that feeling lasted only a moment before Violet suddenly became frightened.

Would he really be able to return?

What if he had been horribly wounded somewhere and was now crippled? Or worse, what if he had been killed in battle…?

No.

For a moment, a despairingly sad feeling washed over her.

Before, even when she thought about his possible death, it had only left her feeling somewhat uneasy. It had never felt as though a piece of her heart were being torn away like this.

It seemed that, without realizing it, she had grown attached to him.

It was a little ridiculous that she had grown fond of someone entirely on her own, especially when he wasn’t even there in front of her. And yet, somewhere along the way, Aldrick had become her husband in earnest within Violet’s heart.

No. He’ll be fine.

Violet decided once again to think positively. Nothing would change simply because she worried herself sick about him.

If he returned alive and well, she would welcome him sincerely.

She didn’t want to think about the alternative, but if he returned as a cold corpse, then… there would be nothing she could do about it.

She would mourn him with all her heart.

That was the best she could do.

And so Violet continued her uncertain wait, half worried and half excited.

Then, three months after she first heard that the war had ended, he finally returned.

It happened quite suddenly.

That day, Violet woke earlier than usual.

She had no particular premonition. As far as she was concerned, it was simply the beginning of an ordinary day.

She lazed around in bed for a little while before going to the kitchen for breakfast. Then she folded the laundry, watered the flower bed, and mended some clothes.

After spending a leisurely morning, she went out into the garden to see if there were any eggs she could use for lunch.

That was when an unfamiliar yet familiar voice reached her ears.

“You…?”

For the first time in three years, Violet saw someone standing at the door of the house.

It was Aldrick.

“Huh…?”

Their reunion was so sudden that Violet couldn’t say a single word. Like someone who had swallowed a mouthful of honey, she could only stare stupidly and make a few meaningless sounds.

She had hoped he would return, but at the same time, she had half given up on the possibility. That was why it felt so strange.

As though a dead person had suddenly come back to life, Violet forgot what she was supposed to say and simply stared blankly at his face.

“You. What are you doing here?”

Yet for some reason, his voice was sharp and edged.

The voice she hadn’t heard in so long sounded even lower and deeper than she remembered from three years ago.

And it wasn’t just his voice.

Violet’s husband had now become a fully grown man. He looked much bigger than she remembered.

Had he grown even taller?

His body, which had already been sturdy to begin with, seemed even more rugged and powerful than before.

Violet found herself at a loss for words as she looked at the broad-shouldered man standing firmly in the garden of what she had thought of as her home.

No, that wasn’t quite right. She needed to be precise.

This wasn’t just her house. It was his house, too…

So it was their house.

Her thoughts were all over the place.

Perhaps her confusion was partly because the face she was seeing after three years was so different from the one she remembered.

His handsome features were unchanged.

Had he always been this handsome?

His face was so striking that she found herself appreciating it all over again.

His straight forehead and well-shaped nose went perfectly with his shining blond hair and green eyes, as though they were ornaments made to complement one another.

But the boyishness she had sensed when she first met him was gone, replaced by hard, mature features.

Standing before Violet was a man with tightly set lips who, depending on how one looked at him, could even seem somewhat intimidating.

“Why are you still here?”

He continued questioning her as though she were someone who needed to explain herself.

Violet, who had been stunned by his sudden appearance, slowly began to come back to her senses.

And once she did, his manner of speaking began to irritate her.

“‘Why’?”

“This is my home. Where else am I supposed to live?”

The sharp reply slipped out.

He was treating her as though he had seen a ghost, and Violet couldn’t help getting annoyed.

She had clearly promised herself that she would greet him with a smile, but their first conversation in three years couldn’t have been any colder.

Violet felt strangely hurt.

“I was just about to make lunch. Have you eaten?”

I’m a little older than you. I should be the one to hold back.

Violet sighed inwardly and asked him the question.

He shook his head, looking displeased about something.

“Then come inside. You can eat with me.”

She tried to speak as kindly as possible, but since he was acting like that, her voice still came out somewhat curt.

What was this?

He had just returned from the battlefield. Couldn’t she be a little warmer toward him?

She scolded herself for it, but somehow she couldn’t manage it.

Then again, this was the first time she had seen her husband since that rather haphazard wedding ceremony.

Aside from the fact that they were married, they were practically complete strangers. There was no reason warmth would come naturally.

I’ve struggled so much all this time.

An unexpected sense of grievance suddenly rose inside her.

When she thought about it, she had managed to build a somewhat pastoral life and live quite well…

But he hadn’t exactly been off enjoying himself, either…

Still…

With her thoughts thrown into chaos by his return, Violet stomped her way into the house.

She had known for a long time that life never went according to plan.

But she hadn’t expected their very first day of reunion to turn out this much of a mess.

Carrying their unsettled emotions with them, the two ate lunch in silence.

It was an oddly ordinary meal, almost as though this were something they did every day.

Yet Aldrick still seemed unable to resolve whatever questions were troubling him. His brows remained furrowed.

Even after finishing the meal, he didn’t get up from the table.

Instead, he folded his arms and looked at her, his suspicious gaze never leaving her.

“You’ve been living here this whole time?”

“Yes.”

Working like a horse every single day.

“But… I was told you would run away—or rather, return to your family—the day after the wedding…”

He paused.

“More importantly, how did you manage to live here alone all this time? You didn’t have any money.”

“The money you gave me was a little tight, but it was enough to live on. I also earned a little money here and there… so…”

“You lived for three years on that?”

“Yes. Why?”

“With that money, for three years?”

“Are you criticizing me for spending too much money? I didn’t waste any of it. I was careful with everything. I even had some left over.”

“No. That’s not what I meant.”

His expression softened slightly.

Instead, he looked somewhat confused.

“But you’re a noble lady. There was no way you could have lived in a place like this on that amount of money…”

“What are you talking about? Now that I think about it, a normal noble lady wouldn’t have entered into a marriage like this in the first place. I’ve always been accustomed to all sorts of things, so living here wasn’t difficult.”

It had been lonely and hard, but it really hadn’t been that bad.

Or perhaps she had simply spent all this time convincing herself that it wasn’t so bad.

“……”

Aldrick now looked completely lost in thought.

For some reason, that expression made Violet uncomfortable.

“Don’t tell me you actually wanted a proper noble lady as your wife after all this? Is that why you’re dissatisfied now?”

“That’s not it.”

It still felt unpleasant, but if he said it wasn’t, she had no choice but to believe him.

Violet’s confidence deflated once again.

She had been so flustered that only now did she properly take in Aldrick’s appearance.

He looked exactly like a traveler who had come a long way.

His clothes were covered in dust, he carried a shabby bag, and his expression looked slightly weary.

Violet’s heart softened a little as she asked,

“Are you hurt anywhere? Does anything hurt?”

She was startled herself when she heard how genuinely worried her own voice sounded.

“…No.”

He answered awkwardly.

“That’s a relief. Then go wash up first. And change your clothes. You’re covered in dust from head to toe.”

“…All right. I will.”

He still looked somewhat confused, but perhaps whatever suspicions had been troubling him had eased somewhat, because his expression was much more relaxed than before.

Of course, Violet still had no idea what those suspicions had been.

Their reunion had been a little awkward, but as time passed, Violet’s mood gradually improved.

After lunch, whenever Violet told Aldrick to wash up, he washed up. When she told him to sit, he sat. When she told him to rest, he rested.

He seemed like an easy man to handle as long as he had no particular complaints.

After getting Aldrick cleaned up and settled in bed, Violet went out into the sitting room alone and fell into thought.

What am I supposed to do now?

She had become so accustomed to being alone that she no longer knew what to do when there was someone else around.

He might not have any injuries, but he had still traveled a long way.

Perhaps she should make sure he ate well.

Violet briefly wondered whether she should catch one of the hens in the yard.