My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields - Chapter 13: Harvest Festival (2)

Of the four seasons, Fall was the most beautiful among them in Wiven.

The only beautiful one as a matter of fact.

Even among the small countries in the eastern corner of the continent, Wiven was the most remote and desolate territory, with its only claim to fame being its flat terrain and mild climate, making it a rural area where almost all the inhabitants engaged in agriculture.

So, besides the golden wheat fields, there wasn’t much to brag about in Wiven.

The world was in the midst of upheaval as steam machinery clashed with pure magic, but living in Wiven made it seem like this conflict was worlds away.

It would take a bit more time for the changing times to have an impact on Wiven.

In this case, it was a good thing.

Elric looked out the window at the wheat fields where the harvest was in full swing.

Despite the cool weather, the farmers’ cheeks were beaded with sweat.

Bending over and working seemed like truly exhausting work.

Still, it wasn’t a pitiful sight to see because,

“A good harvest is a good harvest.”

For he could see the joy on their faces.

“Yes, this year’s harvest is unusually bountiful. Only the second time in less than a decade, and it’s the first time you’ve seen such a sight since you were born, Milord.”

He nodded at Aldio’s words.

Certainly, Wiven had never been so densely packed with wheat in Elric’s memory.

It was beautiful.

The sight of the wheat fields which shone red and brilliantly in the fading light of the sunset was a far cry from the stark barrenness of the battlefield.

Elric’s expression softened as his mind relaxed.

In the midst of it all.

“Hmm?”

Elric spotted Tyria near the entrance of the mansion.

It seemed like she had also noticed Elric as she quickly shifted her gaze towards the window before bowing her head briefly.

Elric smiled and waved at her.

Looking at her, he remembered something.

‘The Harvest Festival will be here soon.’

It was only the second time since his childhood that he would participate in such a festive occasion.

The first time had been the Imperial Banquet that he had attended with Elvus Grayman.

As he thought back to that day, his breath caught in his throat and his nerves kicked in, but he quickly shook his head and the nervousness away.

‘…No, it’s absurd to compare the festivities of Wiven to the banquet of the Imperial Family.’

After all, wasn’t it the same festival that they had been enjoying since they were young?

There was no way that this festival would be the same as the battlefield of nobles wielding swords made of rhetoric.

All he had to do was help Tyria deliver her speech.

“Aldio.”

“Yes.”

“How is the speech for… being prepared?”

“She writes her own speeches, just as your lordship did.”

“Well, she knows the mannerisms of nobility, so she must be a good writer.”

“Last year’s speech was actually quite good. It played an instrumental role in calming the public sentiment during the confusing period after the previous lord’s passing.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, that man’s death was around this time.”

He found himself wondering about that speech again.

Would she answer him if he asked her about it? Probably, but he felt hesitant to ask her for some reason.

‘After all, what’s the point of digging into such details?’

Elric shook off the thought.

“Let’s go have dinner then, since she’s come back from working.”

“Yes, Milord.”

Stepping away from the window and heading to the dining hall, Elric went down to join Tyria for dinner.

Nowadays, the two of them had become close enough to have dinner together.

One morning, a few days later, at breakfast, Tyria spoke up.

“Um, would it be possible for you to go out with me today?”

“Kek!”

At the abruptness of her words, Elric spat out the water he was drinking, displaying a lack of manners.

Quickly realizing his mistake, he wiped his mouth and looked at Tyria.

She didn’t seem too bothered by it….

“For work, work.”

…She replied hastily, sounding as if she was just coming up with an excuse to be with him.

“The local residents are decorating the square for the harvest festival. It’s something we always do, so there shouldn’t be much to worry about, but I asked if you would like to join me just in case we need to do a safety inspection. You need to learn about these things too….”

As Tyria spoke, her gaze momentarily fell on Elric’s leg.

“If it’s inconvenient for you, I’ll go alone.”

“No, let’s go together.”

It was ridiculous to refuse what she had previously suggested.

Although he had shown her a poor example of himself all this time whilst relying on his cane, there was nothing particularly difficult about this.

He could just sit with her and watch her work.

If necessary, he could stand on one leg whilst doing so.

“Are you sure you will be okay?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem.”

At that moment, Tyria’s eyebrows parted slightly.

It was so slight that it took Elric’s superhuman eyes to notice it.

She seemed pleased.

“That’s good to hear. As the head of the family, there are things that are difficult to learn at any other time of the year, so I’m grateful for your consideration.”

So that was the reason.

Ellic chuckled and replied.

“Well, thank you for being considerate.”

This was just a roundabout way of avoiding needless conflict by promising her that he’d be doing it again next year.

“Let’s leave around lunchtime, then.”

“We’re not going right away?”

“…Well, I need to get ready.”

“Oh, I see.”

Come to think of it, a woman needed much more time to get ready for an outing than a man.

Elric chastised himself and nodded.

“I see. Then, please call me as soon as you are ready.”

“Okay.”

Tyria stood up after replying, leaving some food still on the table.

“Is she not hungry?”

It was unknown to Elric that she had actually forgotten to eat in her excitement and had eagerly gone to prepare.

Elric was very far removed from the concept of dressing up.

He was a man who believed that the role of clothes was to cover important body parts and to keep the cold of war at bay on wintery days, and as such, his fashion sense was hopelessly lacking.

Disaster was easily foreseeable.

“Milord, what on earth are you wearing?”

“Hmm? I tried dressing up a bit as I am heading out for official business in the territory.”

“There must be a new definition of ‘dressing up’ that I’m not aware of…”

Aldio’s lament was natural.

Elric’s appearance was truly unbearable, to the point where he couldn’t even open his eyes and look at him for a long time.

He wore a short-sleeved shirt, a tie, and a brown vest over all of that, whilst his pants fluttered only at the hem, and his shoes were pointed and white as if he wanted to kill someone.

It was a horrible, horrible mess, and the fact that he was the only one who didn’t recognize this fact and was smug about it made it all the more cringeworthy.

Aldio massaged his temples harshly and spoke.

“…I think it would be necessary for you to change clothes.”

“Hmm? Is it that bad? I’ve heard in my travels that these clothes showed off a man’s manliness.”

“Who said that?”

A mercenary.

Elric swallowed those words.

The outfit was from a story a mercenary had told to a group of soldiers around him about a woman he’d met in the west whom he had seduced.

Although he had been just fifteen years old, he still remembered the incident clearly, and that the mercenary had been quite handsome.

He doubted that such a man would talk about clothing lightly.

‘Of course, his fashion sense didn’t save his life.’

His throat had been slit, and he had died.

It was a moment of reminiscence for Elric.

“Please change your clothes quickly. I don’t want the mistress to see you like this…”

“May I come in?”

Tyria’s voice rang out from beyond the door.

Aldio felt a shiver run down his spine.

But, before he could intervene…

“Ah, come in.”

“Okay.”

Creak—

The door swung open.

Aldeo closed his eyes tightly, whilst Elric grinned.

“Are you…”

Elric’s greeting was cut short as his mouth fell open.

His gaze followed her absentmindedly.

Her simple and not too extravagent clothes emphasized her novel charm.

She was wearing a white, one-piece dress that extended in a straight line from her neck to her ankles, whilst a purple shawl was draped over her shoulders, drawing a graceful curve and revealing her nape.

Her overall elegant appearance and small head made her body proportions admirable, combined with her choice of clothing, her droopy eyes, and her long eyelashes, this all contributed to an enhancement of her mysterious and unreal atmosphere.

“Uh….”

Just as he was about to speak, Elric felt her gaze on his outfit.

She lowered her head.

In that moment, Elric felt a cold chill run down his spine.

‘Why am I wearing these clothes again?’

It was like he had just woken up from a nightmare.

The thought of walking next to her in this outfit gave him goosebumps.

Having another outfit to compare his outfit to had sobered him up and helped him regain his senses.

Elric raised his head and was left speechless.

“…”

Tyria’s pupils trembled as if a mini earthquake was occurring in her head.

This was definitely the first time she had shown such intense emotions.

Tyria’s mouth opened.

“Did you perhaps not want to go out…”

“No. I just dressed up like this to tease Aldio for a moment. I’ll change right now. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

His lie flowed out like oil spilling on ice.

Aldio’s face was momentarily colored with confusion, but he soon recovered and smiled.

“It was a funny joke.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Elric inwardly thanked Aldio with his eyes.

But inwardly, he desperately hoped.

Hoping that Tyria wouldn’t despise him for this.