My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields - Chapter 21: Guests (4)

He had to somehow silence the Empire’s supply officer’s mouth.

Faced with such an overwhelming task, it was clear to him that this was a situation that he could not rush.

For one, there were eyes watching them.

He couldn’t question him in the presence of Armin and Disha’s supply officers, and certainly not in the presence of the people working in the mansion either.

The key was to get away from these people and create a situation where they were alone.

To do that, there was one person he had to eliminate first.

“Greetings, I am Tyria Portman. It’s an honor to meet you, heroes from the West.”

It was Tyria herself.

She was so strict with her etiquette that she had even given the title of “hero” to the supply officers, and she had gathered everyone in the manor at the entrance to welcome them.

Even in this situation, her short bow was dignified.

“Milord, may I ask you to introduce me to them?”

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

He really hoped that he hadn’t sounded too awkward.

Elric stood beside Tyria and addressed each supply officer.

“This is my wife, the one who is in charge of the actual management of this estate. My lady, these gentlemen are….”

It was human nature to be more awkward the harder you tried not to be. And so it was with Elric.

In an attempt to feign casualness, he had acted more over the top than usual, and had smiled too often.

Going along with it, Elric wrapped his arm around Tyria’s waist.

He had addressed her as “my wife” after all.

And although Elric did not know it, it was an action that made Tyria feel deeply embarrassed and excited inside.

Shortly afterward, a scarecrow-like man stepped forward with a crooked smile and greeted them.

“Ahem, I am one of Armin’s supply officers.”

His gaze swept Tyria up and down.

In that moment, Elric felt anger surge within him.

Perhaps it was because his nerves were already on edge due to Polo’s presence, but every little gesture was getting to him.

“And am I correct to assume that your wife will be the one handling the transactions…?”

Armin’s supply officer looked down at Elric with a condescending gaze.

Elric felt a flush rising to his forehead as he replied.

“Haha, I’m not very good at this kind of thing, and so I’ll be leaning on my wife’s wisdom.”

“Well…”

Armin’s supply officer smirked.

It was at that moment.

“Well then, let’s get inside! We can’t stand at the doorway forever!”

Said Polo urgently.

He had done so to save Armin’s supply officer, and it seemed to have been effective.

At least Elric would not explode for now.

“Yes, this way then.”

Tyria led the supply officers into the mansion.

Their luggage had already been taken care of by the servants, and so they were headed for the dining hall.

And this was a problem for Elric.

‘I need to find an opportunity to create an opening!’

There was a ticking time bomb in this group that could go off at any moment, and if they went into the dining hall, then there would be no way to stop it from going off.

The plan had been to visit him while the supply officers were unpacking and being shown to their respective rooms, but Tyria’s meticulous planning had prevented that from happening.

It was probably the only moment in his life where he resented her competence.

“I’ve heard that the meals available on the train are on the blander side, so I’ve personally put together a selection of fresh foods which I hope you’ll like.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

As Tyria served them, she was able to maintain her characteristic elegant air to make sure it wasn’t awkward to serve her guests in any way.

The meal was served in courses.

Thus, meaning that the conversation here would continue for at least an hour.

“Well then… shall we start with the meal?”

Elric spoke up, hoping to get them to focus on the meal, but his wish was not granted.

Once again, it was Armin’s supply officer who stepped forward.

The man’s mouth was so light it was almost as if it were flying.

“Well, this is a pretty quiet city. Don’t you ever get tired of living here?”

“I was born and raised here, so I don’t really feel that way, and the countryside has its own little charms.”

“Hmph, is that so? I hear from the people of the town that the lord of the mansion…”

Elric felt his composure falter as the conversation turned back to him.

The ten years that he had run away had been like a nasty stain for him.

And now, with how this man was bringing it up right in Tyria’s face, he couldn’t help but be suspicious of the man’s motives.

“Everything I’d heard was about how you’ve been guarding the mansion alone, and so I’m quite surprised to see the lord back here.”

“…It hasn’t been that long.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know about that.”

The smirk on his face was unmistakable.

It was a clear provocation.

Elric’s hand involuntarily tensed up.

Crunch–

The knife in his hand bent.

It was at that moment.

“…It’s important to see the world and broaden your horizons.”

Tyria’s hand touched Elric’s thigh.

Startled, Elric’s body trembled.

His gaze shifted to her.

But Tyria was still looking at Armin’s supply officer, her face expressionless.

“Even during our separation, we had continued to write to each other. Also, Milord had been traveling to other countries to learn about methods that could lead to the further development of the territory. Whilst he had been working on these external matters, I had turned my focus to domestic affairs.”

It was a lie.

However, it had been clearly a response that was typical of her.

Her ability to handle someone’s rudeness without being impolite or too aggressive in return was something impossible for Elric.

Suddenly, Elric felt ashamed.

What would have happened if he had lost his temper here?

The deal would have been ruined, and so would have the whole point of concealing his identity as Kasha.

Aside from the fact that his emotions had been shaken by nervousness and anxiety, such an attitude would not have been in the best interest of Wevin.

Elric felt a sense of reflection within him.

Meanwhile, Polo spoke up.

“Jee wiz, does it matter what happened in the past? Just seeing you two getting along makes me happy. You look great together!”

Tyria’s hand trembled.

“…Thank you for your kind words.”

Polo inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as she briefly bowed her head to express her gratitude.

‘Even Ka-Kasha seemed to dislike him…’

He wondered if he had finally resolved the situation.

Polo glared angrily at Armin’s supply officer.

He had been so obsessed with killing a hornet that he hadn’t realized that he had kicked the hornet’s nest, but the fact that he couldn’t think straight, like a man obsessed with pussy, was the thing that had really made Polo sick to his stomach.

Armin’s supply officer continued muttering,

“Ah, how boring.”

‘Shut the fuck up!’

Polo screamed silently.

Polo had realized that neither Armin’s supply officer, distracted by Tyria, nor Disha’s supply officer, distracted by his meal, had seen it.

In that instant, he had seen that the knife in Elric’s hand, which he had quickly concealed, had been folded exactly in half and rendered useless.

It was a chilling display of strength.

-“Your body is so delicate. It’s a shame really, because if we had met on the battlefield, I’d have twisted your neck and ripped it right out.”

Why in the world had those words come to his mind now?

No, Polo knew the reason why all too well.

One wrong word, and either he or Armin’s supply officer would have their throats snapped like that knife.

Polo trembled in fear.

The rest of the meal ended without any more incidents.

The specifics of the deal would be negotiated after a little break, and so Elric had followed Tyria back to her office in the meantime.

He had originally planned to go find Polo right away, but she had called for him instead.

“Milord.”

Tyria said.

“You’ve endured well.”

She was looking out the window.

Elric’s head was down.

Somehow, with her help, he had managed to hold it together, but the behavior of Armin’s supply officer was turning Elric’s insides upside down even now.

He couldn’t even understand why he was so angry.

“…He insulted you, so are you okay?”

Above all else, she had asked him this question first.

Tyria’s gaze turned to Elric.

And Elric turned to face her.

“I can recognize that it’s wrong for the one who came to trade to exchange such disrespectful words with the seller. He broke common etiquette first. If you want, I can drive him out of this territory.”

Though, in any case, he was a supply officer from another country.

If he had to consider the aftermath, he knew he would have to get help from Elvus Grayman to deal with him.

Elric just strongly felt that she shouldn’t have to endure all these insults.

No, more precisely.

‘Have you been enduring it all this time?’

During the year since his father’s passing, he couldn’t help but think about how much more she might have gone through, and a sense of guilt surged through him.

It was ironic how he had to insert his own emotions to fully empathize with her situation.

It wasn’t easy for him to keep his anger in check when it was not only anger towards the man who had insulted her, but also anger towards his own ugly sins.

It was in that moment,

“If everything passes without incident, so be it. But considering the possibility that this incident might sow the seeds of turmoil, we must first rule out even the smallest dangerous possibilities before starting the discussions.”

Tyria stepped closer to him as she spoke.

Her hand reached out and rested on the back of Elric’s cane-holding hand.

“I will not assume that you do not know this, but I offer you words of caution, just in case.”

Her hand was thin and soft enough to break with a single blow.

And yet, somehow, Elric found her hand to be impossibly firm.

“A noble’s existence is a heavy thing, for every word, every action they take, carries the weight of an entire territory.”

In that moment, Elric felt it.

How strong of a person she was, how rational she was.

And how worthy of praise she was.

“I cannot allow any insults directed towards me to harm my territory. Especially as I am the one who leads it.”

Knowing how to put oneself down for the sake of others was undoubtedly something admirable.

Perhaps, when in similar situations in the future, he would find a way to suppress his own emotions, as she had today.

But, for now, Elric couldn’t be like her.

He couldn’t be the kind of person that Tyria was, and thus, their thoughts had inevitably progressed in opposite directions.

Tyria’s hand tightened around his.

She looked at him straight in the eye and spoke.

“But, thank you for caring. That’s all I need.”

Her face was expressionless, her words a cliché.

And yet, the moment he heard them, the moment he looked into her eyes, there was a thought that stung him like a thorn of regret.

‘If I…’

If he left again, would she have to live and experience things like the events today for the rest of her life?

The pain of that thought hit him inexplicably, and planted an emotion in Elric that he couldn’t yet identify as something more.

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