My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields - Chapter 12: Harvest Festival (1)

The meal ended without any further comments.

Just because he had offered an apology didn’t mean everything would be instantly resolved.

They were still strangers to each other, and it was awkward for them to have meaningful conversations without knowing much about each other.

Eventually, the atmosphere became awkward again, and so they finished their meal, went to sleep, and woke up the next morning.

“Are you awake, Milord?”

“I’m up.”

Elric climbed out of bed, feeling the chill in the air.

As the cold washed away his sleepiness, his mind flashed back to the previous night.

A bittersweet smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

It was refreshing to finally have a destination that he would aim towards.

“Mm-hmm….”

He pushed himself to his feet, dragging his uncomfortable leg behind him.

He had decided to leave once his leg was better, but it was clear that this would not take a short amount of time.

At the very least, he would have to spend the winter here. And if he gave himself a little more time, there was a good chance he’d still be here in the spring.

Whatever happened, he would have to spend that time helping Tyria.

He couldn’t do much with his body like this, but he couldn’t just sit around and do nothing either.

“I’m coming in.”

Aldio opened the door.

Behind him, a maid was holding a basin filled with cold water.

“Water to wash your face, Milord.”

“Thank you. You may go attend to your duties now.”

He still wasn’t used to waking up and having someone else take care of everything for him.

He waved his hand to dismiss the maid and then washed his face.

The cold water completely woke him up, and after roughly drying his hair and changing clothes, he was finally ready to go out.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, the lady is already waiting for you.”

“She must be busy.”

“Breakfast is for the family, isn’t that the rule?”

Elric chuckled.

It was. His father was the one who had always insisted that the family should gather and have breakfast together. He was a person who was obsessively attached to his schedule, so if Elric broke that routine and missed breakfast, he sometimes had to starve all day long.

This culture must have been still present in the mansion.

“Let’s go down then. I’ll catch a cold if we stay here like this.”

Leaning on his cane, Elric left the room.

When he arrived at the dining room, Tyria briefly lowered her head.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

For a moment, their eyes met.

Tyria blinked and Elric smiled lightly.

There was no need for them to act differently than usual, even given the previous day’s events. However, it was still awkward for them to not be a little more casual with each other.

“Let’s sit down and eat. You must have a lot of work to do.”

“Yes.”

Breakfast was the same as always: bacon, bread, and eggs.

It filled them up without being too much, or, in other words, it was a menu that quickly liberated them from such awkwardness.

With a clink of cutlery, they began their meal. They ate quickly, knowing they had much to attend to regarding the affairs of the mansion.

It was at this moment that Tyria made up her mind.

“…It’s almost harvest season.”

Tyria spoke up.

“It will take about a week before all the wheat is harvested.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes.”

Elric looked up, a little surprised that she’d brought up a topic first for a change. Tyria was still munching on her food.

Elric felt a strange pressure.

‘What am I supposed to say here?’

For some reason, he couldn’t help but think that since she had brought up the subject, he should answer her.

It felt like he would be a very bad person if he were to end the conversation now.

He broke out in a cold sweat.

“Uhm….”

The Harvest Season.

Focusing on those words, Elric realized that he had started reminiscing on old times.

“…Brings back memories.”

“What kind of memories?”

“During the harvest season, all the adults would gather and work in the fields. So what else do you think the rest of us kids would do? We’d get up to pranks we couldn’t normally get away with.”

Pranks… he had said this, but they had actually been doing quite dangerous things.

Exploring the back mountains where monsters occasionally roamed, or playing war games outside the territory.

On second thought, it was a wonder that no one had died.

“You were a troublemaker?”

Feeling embarrassed, Elric’s heart sank.

-You troublemakers!

The shouts of the restaurant owner who had given him snacks every time he had visited came to his mind again.

His head bowed down naturally. His fiddling hands became faster as he was unsure of what to say.

In the midst of it all, Tyria seemed hesitant.

Well, he thought that it was probably hesitation. He couldn’t think of a better way to describe the way she was staring at her plate, picking at her food.

“…Is there something you want to talk about?”

“Ah.”

He could see that she was holding her knife a little too tightly.

Soon after, Tyria pursed her lips, then spoke.

“Uhm….”

“Uhm?”

“…Could I ask you a favor?”

Why was she speaking so cautiously?

Elric nodded, feeling puzzled about what the favor could be.

“Please speak. I’ll do my best to help you if it is within my capabilities.”

“It’s about the Harvest Festival.”

“The Harvest Festival….”

It was a memory from his past.

Wiven’s Harvest Festival was a four-day festival that began on the day the wheat harvest ended.

It was an event that celebrated the people of the territory who had worked hard during the year, and it was organized by none other than Elric’s father.

He had no particularly good memories of it.

In Elric’s memory, the Harvest Festival was a time when his father was particularly distant.

“Is there a problem with the Harvest Festival?”

“Yes, there is. You see, the harvest festival in Wiven is still organized by the Portmans. Thus, on the final night of the festival, the Lord of the Portman Family must give a speech.”

“I do remember that.”

“Last year, the previous lord passed away, so I took on that role. But this year….”

Finally, Elric understood what Tyria was trying to say.

“You want me to give the speech?”

“…Yes.”

Tyria’s hands were completely still.

Elric hesitated for a moment. Was it right for him to take on the role of the head of the household at this point when he had already decided to leave?

Shouldn’t he entrust that role to her?

No matter how much he thought about it, his thoughts leaned in that direction.

However, he didn’t like the idea of refusing her request.

“Hmm….”

Perhaps there was a compromise.

As he thought, Elric soon came up with a solution.

“How about this?”

“Yes?”

“I’m not confident in my abilities to give a speech, but it would be strange for me to not show up as a representative of Portman. So, how about you give the speech whilst I stand next to you?”

Wasn’t it a pretty good idea?

It would give the impression that Tyria was the real power behind Portman, and her request was somewhat accommodated.

His only concern was whether she would accept it, as she did seem stubborn at times…

“…If that’s what you want to do, at least for this year.”

Fortunately, she seemed to agree with him.

Although she had added, “at least for this year,” a year was enough for him.

“Then let’s do it that way. If there is anything else needed regarding the harvest festival, please let Aldio know. He knows more about it than I do.”

“Yes.”

Tyria nodded along with him.

Something felt different, strange.

Tyria was lost in such thoughts.

She couldn’t help it.

Even though there was the fact that he had made such a displeased face at their wedding, and that he still considered her a Wyvern, aside from that, Elric’s demeanor was indeed gentle.

In other words, it was an attitude that created ‘expectations.’

He had apologized for the past ten years, for leaving everything behind.

She was surprised at how sincerely he had apologized, saying that he was sorry for leaving her and that it wasn’t her fault at all.

She had been so shocked that she had forgotten to manage her facial expressions for a moment.

Looking back, her heart started pounding again.

She felt her face heating up.

She really couldn’t tell if his words had been sincere, but she was greedy nonetheless.

Perhaps, maybe, just maybe, he didn’t really hate her.

That one thought seemingly couldn’t leave her mind.

Her request for him to work at the harvest festival was an extension of that ‘expectation.’

The pretext for her request had been that he was undoubtedly “Portman’s Heir,” but she couldn’t deny that her personal ambitions had been at play here.

What had come to her mind was the party after the speech.

“…The Fyre Festival.” [1]

That day, a huge bonfire would burn in the town square.

Then, the townspeople would dance around it.

It was a festival that Tyria had been to quite a lot since she was a child, and one that she had always dreamed of attending with Elric.

Now, was it not possible to realize that dream?

If he didn’t hate it, it was something that she really wanted to do.

Of course, he wouldn’t be able to dance because of his leg, she didn’t even expect that to happen.

She just wanted to be there with him.

Lost in thought, Tyria pressed a hand to her cheek, feeling the heat rising in her face.

It was fortunate that she was sitting alone in her office.

If she were outside, she would have had to use up all her energy trying to control these emotions.

“Haa…”

She released her held breath, shaking off the heat.

Knock Knock―

“Ma’am, may I come in?”

It was Aldio’s voice.

Tyria’s face immediately became expressionless.

“…Come in.”

Her voice quickly regained its normal tone.

She was a woman who did not show her emotions to others after all.

[1. Lol.]

PR: Dazed