If You Wish For A Married Couple’s Duties - Chapter 68

“He said that even if it’s true that the count is trying to use a wizard to harm him, he said that he’ll settle that matter on his own. He also told me not to go near him.”

 

“What?”

 

Dooha frowned like it was ludicrous.

 

“He’s going to settle it by himself? How is he going to settle it by himself when his opponent is a wizard?”

 

In the first place, how does he know that Count Jive was only going to use the wizard? What if the count ordered for the soldiers he’d brought to attack them suddenly?

 

What the hell is that man thinking?

 

“Right?”

 

Meanwhile, Daniel recalled what Leonhart said to him and gave a bitter smile.

 

“Even if Count Jive’s attempt to assassinate me is the truth, how can I believe your words when you’re ultimately from the same party as him?”

 

“You’d believe it if it wasn’t my words, but the Madam’s, right?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

Leonhart’s voice was extremely firm.

 

“How would I know if you’re lying about whether my wife had said that?” 

 

The blue eyes were as dark as the imperceptible bottom of a lake.

 

“I don’t trust you. Whether your words were true or not.”

 

“…You’ll regret it.” 

 

“Don’t worry. I’ll regret it less than my past, when I trusted a punk like you.”

 

Eventually, Daniel was unable to continue speaking and withdrew.

 

Truthfully, he had expected the duke’s reaction to a certain extent, so it wasn’t surprising to him.

 

However, he felt complicated.

 

About the fact that he didn’t manage to persuade the Duke for Dooha.

 

“I’m sorry, Madam.”

 

Daniel smiled helplessly.

 

“I can’t be of any assistance to you this time as well.”

 

Dooha’s temper flared up when he gave an apology.

 

“What are you talking about! The one that should be apologetic is the Duke, who didn’t believe your words.”

 

As Dooha recalled her husband’s face, she gritted her teeth.

 

He doesn’t intend to break that bad habit of taking care of everything by himself.

 

What the hell is he thinking?

 

If he can settle everything by himself, why would he request for reinforcements, why would he get hurt?

 

Dooha calmed down, took a deep breath and raised her head.

 

“First of all, I’ll have to think over this. Even so, I can’t just wait and see like this…….”

 

“Madam.”

 

The voice was overly subdued for some reason, causing Dooha to turn her head.

 

A pair of light green eyes which were dyed a hue that’s as dark as this forest was looking at her.

 

“Why are you doing so much?”

 

“Why?”

 

“No, what I mean is…”

 

For some reason, Daniel had a distressed face.

 

“How is it that you’re able to do so much?”

 

Instead of responding, Dooha looked at him with a frown.

 

“What I mean to say is…”

 

Daniel paused momentarily and opened his mouth again.

 

“Even if you’re a married couple, in the end, aren’t you two separate people? I don’t know why you are taking such a risk to help the Duke.”

 

Even when relatives that shared the same blood were asked to risk their lives for the members of their family, they would naturally be hesitant to do so.

 

However, why was Dooha angry at the Duke’s uncooperative attitude, and was willing to step up for him even when she didn’t know when the monsters might strike?

 

On top of that, towards someone that she didn’t marry out of love, but merely the other party in an obligatory marriage that’s for the sake of the alliance between two countries.

 

It was hard for Daniel to understand.

 

“In that case, what about Daniel?”

 

“…What?”

 

“Why did you follow me?”

 

“Because Madam requested me to…”

 

“Did you follow me here because of a request? You’re someone that’s fully capable of refusing something like my request, Daniel.”

 

“No, how can I refuse Madam’s request? How can I remain still when Madam says that she’s going to dive headfirst into such a dangerous situation…”

 

When Daniel answered rather zealously, Dooha smiled.

 

“That’s why.”

 

“…What?”

 

“I have the same reason as Daniel.”

 

Does she require a purpose and reason to save someone beside her?

 

She dashes in because it seems rather precarious, and extends her hand to those that look like they require assistance.

 

Ever since Dooha had made up her mind to do that, she had always been that kind of person.

 

“Of course, there are times when the Duke is a bit of a jerk, and times when he is unfathomable.”

 

She reminisced about Leonhart.

 

Although he was miserly with affection and was awkward when shown kindness, his sense of responsibility for those who trusted and followed him was stronger than anyone else’s at the same time.

 

Although he was quite detestable, she didn’t hate him.

 

“It’s because I’m well aware that he doesn’t deserve to die.”

 

“……”

 

“The same goes for Daniel.”

 

Dooha smiled at Daniel.

 

“And I have something I want to say to the Duke.”

 

She adjusted her shoes with a bow slung across her back.

 

“I’ll take a look around before going to bed. Just in case the Count or the wizard had already done something. I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry too much.”

 

Dooha tapped on the shoulder of Daniel, who stared at him blankly, a couple of times.

 

She left the place nimbly, like a squirrel.

 

Daniel, who was left alone, reached out to the side where she disappeared and slowly got off.

 

“…I won’t.”

 

He murmured in such a low voice that no one could hear him.

 

“Perhaps my heart isn’t like yours, Madam.”

 

The voice that was bitter and empty for some reason was covered under the sound of the wind and disappeared without a trace.

 

A pair of eyes, which resembled the vast greenery, could only stare into the deep darkness.

 

* * *

 

Rustle—

 

Dooha walked through the bushes that surrounded the campsite.

 

The wizard’s boundary magic surrounded the campsite in the form of a purple thread that weaved in between trees.

 

Once a monster approached, the thread would glow while making a sharp sound.

 

Dooha stared beyond the boundary magic and listened attentively.

 

Fortunately, there weren’t any presence or visible shapes beyond the bushes.

 

It seems like today’s battle was quite arduous for the monsters.

 

‘There isn’t anyone that’s particularly suspicious.’

 

Dooha looked around and yawned loudly.

 

She had been on the move without pause since yesterday, so she was also exhausted.

 

‘Should I get some shuteye?’

 

Dooha stretched and looked upwards.

 

When she was young, she would frequently climb up trees and sleep in order to avoid the older brothers that kept bullying her.

 

She might have forgotten about it while in the empire as she always had an overly soft bed, but the rough bark of a tree was a comfortable resting place for her.

 

Just as she raised her arm to climb up the tree.

 

“Is it a hobby of yours to wander around by yourself?”

 

At this moment, an opponent made his appearance, one that she didn’t want to meet alone.

 

Dooha turned around slowly.

 

“Is it because you’re full of guts, or because you’re ignorant when it comes to manners.”

 

The duke, Leonhart, looked downwards at her with a frigid gaze.

 

She was sure that she hadn’t detected the presence of others, so when did this person appear?

 

Dooha stared at the duke with an unsettled posture.

 

“What will happen to your master if you’re wandering about alone again?”

 

It was a question that she found difficult to give a response to.

 

How should she respond?

 

To keep an eye on Count Jive, and guard against his meddling?

 

Because an unidentified wizard was patrolling, and could attack at any given time?

 

Unable to come up with a response, Dooha inadvertently asked in return.

 

“In that case, why is the Duke wandering around here without an escort?”

 

Those words weren’t something that could be said to the Duke by a mere escort.

 

Leonhart raised an eyebrow.

 

“You’re quite proficient at speaking your mind without answering. Are you so arrogant because you take after your master?”

 

When he discovered the fact that the escort in front of him was actually his wife, he would realise that he’d freely spoken something that was shooting himself in the foot.

 

“Or are all Bashalians as gutsy as you are?”

 

“Then are all the Imperial citizens as arrogant as the Duke?”

 

“Arrogant?”

 

Unlike his low voice, interest filled the duke’s sharp gaze.

 

“Why are you just sitting on the sidelines even though you’re aware of the Count’s plan?”

 

“What? How did you…”

 

“How can I not know what my master is aware of?”

 

Dooha looked at Leonhart evenly.

 

“And the Duke seems uninformed about the facts that even an escort would know.”

 

“What is it that I’m uninformed about?”

 

“You’ll suffer if you let your guard down.”

 

At Dooha’s words, Leonhart looked at her blankly as though he was just thumped in the back of his head.

 

Then he suddenly burst into laughter.

 

“Hah, I’d never thought that I’d meet another person that can talk like that in front of me.”

 

The blue eyes seemed to be looking at something in the distance, and not at the person in front of him, as though he was thinking of someone.

 

Leonhart, who seemed immersed in his thoughts for a moment, turned around like he had nothing left to do.

 

“Right, was that what you wanted to tell me?”

 

Dooha didn’t answer.

 

In any case, the words she wanted to say were already spoken by Daniel.

 

“If you are patrolling under the orders of your master, you can return now. I’ve already checked everything.”

 

The smile that was on his face previously disappeared without a trace, and he reverted back to the Duke of Esbaden’s appearance in the blink of an eye.

 

“Or did your master have an ulterior motive?”

 

This time, Dooha took a step back instead of responding.

 

“…What a cheeky fellow regardless.”

 

Upon seeing that, Leonhart was slightly dumbfounded, before he shook his head and moved his feet to leave.

 

No, he was about to leave.

 

“Hey, escort.”

 

Dooha raised his head at the sound of the Duke’s voice calling her.

 

“You said that my guard was lowered.”

 

He smirked.

 

“I’m glad that that’s how it looked in your eyes.”

 

“…What?”

 

“Well, we’ll have to wait and see which side’s guard is lowered.”

 

Those blue eyes that didn’t lose their gleam even amidst the endless battle shone more intensely.

 

Just like a hawk soaring in the sky and foraging for food.

 

“Then, I hope that you’ll be able to get through tomorrow in one piece.”

 

At the end of his sentence, Leonhart disappeared into the darkness.

 

Dooha was left by her lonesome and stared blankly in the direction he left towards.

 

* * *

 

Biiii—!

 

Dooha’s eyes opened widely at the sharp sound that was piercing her eardrums.

 

It was the sound of the boundary array placed by the wizards.

 

The knights that were keeping watch at night ran around and shouted, and the sleeping soldiers reflexively grabbed their weapons and got up.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“What else can there be! It’s the monsters! The monsters have appeared—!”

 

“What, monsters?”

 

At the word ‘monster’, fear rose within the eyes of the soldiers

 

It was true.

 

Just before dawn

 

The monsters, which had been holding their breath the entire night, made the first move.

* * *