.jpg)
At his words, Iris frowned as if she didn't understand.
“Why do you say that? What about Rahan?”
Her words hit the core of the matter. Rahan laughed awkwardly.
“…You might not want to stay with me.”
Before things turned out this way, that had been a given in Rahan's mind.
The marriage between Iris Achen and him had been carried out hastily, and Rahan's thoughts were the same as Grand Duke Lacheis'. That Iris Achen would divorce him once she reclaimed her title.
“That's nonsense!”
Iris shouted loudly, appalled by Rahan's words.
“I've never even thought about that! In the first place, divorce is...”
Then she trailed off, glancing at him. Wondering what this was about, Rahan listened as Iris hesitantly brought up something that left him speechless.
“I heard the conversation you had with Ms. Riet back then...”
Good grief. Rahan sighed.
As expected, she must have overheard the conversation between Riet, Harris, and himself that evening. However, it was a conversation they would have to have eventually.
“…Did you really never think that you would divorce me once you inherited the Elector's title?”
Of course, Rahan roughly knew by now. This gentle and bright lady was not the type of person to casually think about things like being an Elector, a Duke, or a power base achievable through divorce or remarriage.
But still, hadn't the people around her told her?
Iris continued stuttering.
“…Actually, I didn't even have the chance to think that far...”
It had only been a few months since Iris learned the secret of her birth. Until then, stories of Electors and Emperors were very distant tales to her.
Even though she now knew she was a strong candidate to inherit the Elector title of House Achen, it didn't feel real. To be precise, she didn't even know what it was.
“I know that I can choose the Emperor. I also heard that it's a pretext for high-ranking people to target my life...”
But that was still a distant story to Iris. In the midst of all that, the only thing that had come close was the marriage.
Of course, that wasn't a welcome thing either. Until the day of the wedding, Iris had simply thought it would be nice to stay at the convent.
Thinking about what to do in the future using her status? That was something only someone who had enjoyed such status could do.
Marriage was the same. A girl who had never thought of marriage as the path she would walk for the rest of her life could not conceive of divorce as her own concern.
But now, it was a bit different.
After meeting Rahan, Iris was moved, thinking that marriage might be a better thing than she thought. Rahan was a good person and a fun friend.
When Iris said she thought potatoes were the most delicious thing in the world, he woke up at dawn to feed her something even more delicious.
On nights when Iris slept, he kept the fire going, and he fought to protect her.
Thus, Iris thought: Marriage is when you get someone who wants to feed you delicious things and fights for you.
And, though it's the most embarrassing thing in the world, it's a relationship where you share a joy you've never felt before.
“Are you going to leave me, Rahan?”
Before they knew it, they had reached the entrance of the village. The bustle of the village square where the Regular Market was held could be faintly heard from where they stood.
In the past, she would have run to the market with a pounding heart. For Iris, who lived in the convent, nothing was as exciting as the Regular Market.
But at this moment, none of that felt important.
“Iris. This is your marriage.”
Rahan smiled.
“Would you leave just because I asked to?”
His tone was very tender.
Normally, she would have giggled and said, "No!" and thrown herself into the man's arms. The time the two had shared over the past few days hadn't been strange.
But strangely, she felt like tears were about to fall now. Iris looked at him, somewhat dazed.
Under the fresh greenery of early summer, the sunlight shimmered beautifully. The shadows created by the leaves danced on the cheeks of the man she had come to love.
No, I don't want to. I don't want that. The words that came out of Iris's mouth were different.
“…What about Rahan?”
At those words, Rahan raised an eyebrow and lightly pinched Iris's nose.
“Who are you making the bastard here? Did you forget what you and I were doing until a moment ago?”
Only then was Iris's mind at ease. She smiled shyly and rubbed her face against Rahan's arm.
Rahan now knew that rubbing her face like a small puppy was Iris's habit.
Rahan wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead lightly.
“From the moment you kissed me, I had no choice.”
“Liar. You pushed me away.”
The grudge from the Sanctuary still remained. Rahan gave a short laugh and turned his head.
“I smell something delicious. You haven't eaten anything. Let's go.”
It was the Regular Market after fifteen days. In the middle of the square, all sorts of stalls made from modified wagons were scattered. The largest were the grocers selling smoked meats and spices, and the herbalists selling medicinal herbs, with others selling oil, alcohol, and farming tools here and there.
Most of them were surprised when they saw Rahan, saying, “Oh my,” but they quickly became kind in the face of the money he offered. They must have dealt with all kinds of people while traveling the Regular Markets.
“Shall we buy a bit more apple cider?”
“No, let's buy wine.”
“Oh, good choice! Our wine is truly excellent! It's brought from the Highlands up there...”
Rahan bought a cask of wine for the convent, as well as meat and flour. While doing so, he whispered a hint to Iris.
“Could you ask the grocer about the price of potatoes? And the spices too, please.”
“Ah, shall I? What about Rahan?”
“I have some business to attend to for a moment...”
Seeing him smile bashfully, Iris immediately noticed why he was acting that way.
“Don't worry and go ahead!”
“…Do you know where I'm going?”
Rahan asked suspiciously. Iris smiled playfully and winked at him.
“Didn't you say a lady shouldn't ask such things?”
What else could it mean when a person separates themselves and looks around restlessly? It must be a physiological need.
She figured he was acting that way because there was no proper place to relieve himself in the village since the Regular Market was in town.
“For your information, I recommend the back of the village communal stable over there.”
“…There's some misunderstanding... never mind.”
Rahan grumbled while messing up his hair and turned away. Iris chuckled and waved her hand. Rahan soon disappeared into the crowd.
The spices Rahan requested were various. The spice merchant clicked his tongue.
“Is your husband some high noble? Cardamom and pepper? Oh, I wish I even had them to sell!”
Even as he grumbled, he pulled out exactly twenty peppercorns he had saved just in case. After buying them—while he acted as if he were doing her a huge favor because they were so rare—Iris went to the grocer.
“Sigh, there are no potatoes today. Lately, the potatoes have all suddenly withered, and they say they aren't selling any because they don't even have enough for themselves.”
As expected, the grocer said so while waving his hand. Iris's expression hardened.
“Not a single one?”
“That's right. Today, we even came to Vandel to buy potatoes. Since this place is a bit far, we thought the Potato Blight might be less severe here. But they said there are none at all.”
Vandel was a small village. Most of the villagers made money by selling the food they grew or the by-products of hunting to the Regular Market merchants.
Potatoes didn't make a huge amount of money, but they were a major sales item.
And yet, they couldn't sell a single potato...
Thinking this, she looked around and indeed saw something she hadn't noticed before.
At a glance, they seemed cheerful, but those were mostly the Regular Market merchants or ignorant children. The expressions of the villagers were mostly troubled or bitter smiles.
‘What should I do...’
.jpg)