I Became the Villain’s Wife - Chapter 55

“No! Who’s mad at whom?”

“I think you’re angry. Did I perhaps interrupt your good time with them?”

Eun-woo raised her head, looking into his eyes, muttering.

“… You know that’s not the case.”

His eyes looking down at her suddenly deepened.

Eun-woo sensed the dangerously changing air and looked around anxiously.

His blunt knuckles were still gently stroking her fingertips.

She then felt that the atmosphere inside the terrace, which was seconds ago cool, became muggy. Probably due to Anit, who had wrapped shawls in thin layers.

“Are… you going somewhere?”

Eun-woo asked, spitting out a voice that didn’t want to come out.

He wasn’t dressed formally, thus she assumed that he looked like from somewhere, and seeing that he was wearing armor, it must be because something had occurred in the Knights Templar.

Sure enough, he answered.

“It seems that a distinguished guest has visited the Imperial Fortress. I have summoned all the knights, including the commander.”

His face turned serious in an instant.

“Even though he was formally classified as a distinguished guest, it was a sudden visit that’s more or less a one-sided invasion.”

“Wh, who is that?”

She asked with a concerned face. Tashian turned to her, wearing a light smile as if assuring her, and replied.

“Karxzion Ubera, the head of the Mezlin Knights, along with some of his minions.”

Eun-woo thought deeply about the class she had under Johannes.

If it was Mezlin, it was the continent to which Miremba belonged; a country with Antasion, a floating city that could only be reached by crossing the sea. If it was the central knight of that continent, it was one of the historic knights that produced brave knights over the centuries that have passed.

Eun-woo tilted her head at the name she seemed to have heard somewhere.

“If it’s Sir Karzxion, is he the one who made an alliance with the Hellasium army in the Battle of Great Genova……?”

Tashan nodded his head.

“That’s right. We promised to procure supplies and provide rear support under a temporary agreement.”

“Why are those people arriving in Hellasium now……?”

Tashian opened his mouth as he raised his black hair that fell below his forehead.

“The Empire has scheduled to invite reinforcements whether in and outside the next month to celebrate the success of the alliance. But time had come a bit too early. It was probably because of Karzxion.”

He frowned slightly as if he was in trouble.

“He’s a person who’s addicted to alcohol and pleasure. It was said that there’d be a big festival which will be held in Cremons- he seemed to be the first to arrive.”

“Ah ….”

Eun-woo nodded her head with a light of understanding.

If he was the Karzxion Ubera, then he’s the one who’s definitely a famous knight in Mezlin that’s on par with Tashian’s popularity. And Karzxion’s fame spread throughout Cremons, the capital of Hellasium. She had heard the rumors circulating about him too. The rumors described Lord Karzxion to be a ferocious one with a manly person as much as his achievements.

However, from what she knew, this battle of Great Genova was not the first encounter between the two of them. They already had a past when they temporarily joined forces in the Third Continental War, which gave Hellasium the supremacy of the Uvant continent.

“Since the Mezlin Central Knights are a group that is completely driven by the will of the Knights Templar, there is virtually no one above to stop Karzxion Ubera.

He frowned and muttered.

“It is easy for such an accident to happen.”

Eun-woo looked sympathetically at his face, which seemed to be suffering from a sudden headache.

In an instant, she had overcome the urge to use her fingers to smooth his wrinkled forehead. At the same time, she was also curious about Karzxion’s face, the head of the Central Knights, that made Tashian, who never got tired even with his eyes wide open for days, look so tired.

“You should go see him soon.”

“Um. I’ll go.”

He hesitated for a long time as if he was unsure, and finally let go of her hand. Eun-woo looked at his dissatisfied expression and got up to see him off.

His large back turned around and seemed to be particularly tired today. Unwittingly, Eun-woo reached out a hand and placed her hand on his straight gauntlet.

“Oh, and…”

Then his body turned around. Her willow-like body staggered and twisted as he suddenly turned around. Eun-woo widened her eyes when Tashian suddenly grabbed her waist.

Eun-woo screamed a bit and put his hands on his breastplate. His face with his head bowed was right in front of her.

“I’m sorry, are you okay?”

Eun-woo was surprised by his face so close, and she didn’t even have the heart to reply to his apology. Even as she hurried to get up, his stiff arms gripped her waist so tightly that she couldn’t get out. Wearing his armor, he does look like a vicious person.

She quickly shook her head with a puzzled expression. At that moment, the piece of iron that was tightly wrapped around her waist slowly receded.

But for a moment, he stood still, resting his hand on her waist.

For a few seconds, Eun-woo made eye contact with the man looking at her with his hands lightly around her waist. She could feel him contemplating of something.

Does he have anything to say? On the other hand, he thought blankly, ‘If I had known that the shawls around her shoulders would feel so stuffy, I’d have left them behind.’ His copper-colored cheeks were slightly reddish, as if he felt the heat of the sun while wearing heavy iron armor.

He finally opened his mouth.

“… Are you planning to go to the festival?”

Eun-woo blinked for a moment at his question. He hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth again.

“The Flora Festival is held in several regions at the same time, but since candidates for Saint Flora are only recruited at Cremons Square, many people will gather in the capital.”

He spoke with a very solemn face.

“There will be a lot of girls who will run for St. Flora, and that’s how many scouts will be sent in their usual ships… …but it’ll be pretty dangerous because of the crowds from all over the country.”

Hearing what he was saying with a serious face, Eun-woo involuntarily wiggled her fingers that were resting on his breastplate.

Even though she hadn’t opened her mouth again, she felt like she knew what he would say next. His chest felt ticklish, and she couldn’t stand it.

So, before he could finish speaking, Eun-woo hit the bullseye.

“How about we go……”

“Tashian! Will you come with me?”

Oops, he wanted to spit it out, but she did not regret it.

Eun-woo couldn’t let go of the thought that he stopped like a painting for a moment. With his eyes wide open, he was completely stiff, as if he had been doing the same thing for several dozen minutes at the painter’s request to pose as if surprised by something.

Eun-woo’s gut feeling told her that he was embarrassed, but she didn’t stop. The thought of him being cute again, which she thought casually at any time, fueled her impulsiveness. Eun-woo raised her tiptoe and put her face close to his face, blinking her long eyelashes and opening her lips. Her cheeks flushed even more, but she didn’t care.

She has never hesitated to act in front of him, showing her deep closeness to him beyond her embarrassment.

“Come with me, Tashian. Hmm?”

Looking at her like that, Tashian widened his already wide open eyes and shrugged like an idiot.

***

“Wow……! Selena, look at that!”

“Eleanor! Let’s go together!”

The day of the Flora Festival was bright. It was an autumn day, and the sky was clear. The cool breeze made the warm autumn weather even more refreshing. Red leaves were flying and fluttering here and there, street vendors were yelling, and decorations made of flowers and cards were hanging all over the square.

Pumpkins, potatoes, eggplants, sweet oranges, sweet potatoes, rice, and wheat grains were lined up in baskets and brown jars overflowing with pumpkins, potatoes, eggplants, and sweet oranges all over the streets.

In their new clothes, the children were chatting and running, each holding snacks sold on the street one by one. Merchants were uninterested in their own business and were busy arguing with the shopkeepers of the neighboring stores. Village wives were carrying baskets of fruit with their heads full of fruit in the middle of the square, and the clerk who recorded them sighed as he looked at the long line with a sullen face.

In each house, leaves, dried fruits, beans, and corn were queued through red threads and hung on doorposts and window frames. Large yellow and orange fabrics were woven on the roofs of houses across the street, connecting buildings to each other. The huge awning it created served as a shade and protected passersby from the autumn sun.

In one corner, there was a street with only seafood brought from the seaside, while in the other corner, street performers’ charisma and fire shows were staged every moment. The streets were full of people, horses, and carriages arriving here and there.

“Selena…! This is it!”

Eun-woo was also mesmerized by the sight in front of him and ran around like a child. Selena, who hid her in a towel with red hair braided, followed.

“Eleanor! If you run, you will fall!”

At this moment, like all the young women in Cremons, they were wearing flirty white dresses. Selena had her overly bright red hair wrapped in a towel inconspicuously, and Eun-woo had her hair tied up in a single braid like a little girl, leaving her hair back to flutter behind her.

Eun-woo passed through the crowds and filled her eyes with all the sights she could see. Then she suddenly bumped into something hard.

“Ah! I’m sorry……”

“If you run, you will get hurt.”

Eun-woo lifted her head and looked up at what the pillar she had bumped into, suddenly spoke. The giant man was looking down at her with his displeased face and his arms crossed.

Eun-woo tried hard not to wiggle her lips as she looked at Tashian, dressed like an escort knight from an aristocratic family.

“Ah… I’m sorry Tashian. I must have been too excited.”

He gave her a naturally wary look around her, then warned her again.

“Please take a look ahead, alright? If you’re not confident about that, just stick with me or with Gerald.”

“Look, sir. Aren’t you ignoring me too much? You didn’t make a mistake by saying stick to you, did you?”

Eun-woo narrowed her eyes as she saw a wealthy merchant with brown hair in the distance following them.

Ikshid was running towards them, gasping for breath, in a flashy attire that anyone could notice his presence.

“Elli, what did you eat for breakfast, that you have so much energy? We shall eat that together.”

The crown prince, who barely reached where they were standing, glanced around and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Selena, who was beside him, gently wiped the sweat from his cheek with her sleeve.

And a tall knight with short gray hair was following them, watching them from a few steps away. It was Sir Gerald Ouns, a member of the Knights Templar and Tashian’s subordinate who agreed to accompany them.

They were a group of four in disguise to watch the Flora Festival. And Sir Ouns was a knight specially called out for their escort.

However, their camouflage was unexpectedly attracting the attention of many passersby due to the unexpected excessive aura of Ikshid.

Eun-woo was aware of the people who were glancing around at them and hit Ikshid.

“Imperial Brother, what are the rings on your fingers?”

“Oho, do you dare to vomit with my latent skills?”

Ikshid pretended to protect the colorful rings that were on his fingers and responded sullenly.

“…. Just what the hell are you trying to hide?”

Tashian muttered as if feeling pathetic.

As he said, Ikshid was armed with such utmost splendor. Gold and silver rings were hung from his ten fingers, and around his neck was a men’s shawl made of sable hair.

But above all else, the pinnacle of his attire was the red hooded cloak he wore as a hat.