My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields - Chapter 53: The Banquet (7)

PR: Ford 53 & Alive Sigh

The next day, the morning papers had a sensational headline.

[Count Nimrud Attempts Assassination on Elvus Grayman]

It was about Count Nimrud’s fight the day before.

And this was no ordinary assassination, but an attempt on the life of the third son of an imperial duke.

It was shocking news that shook the entire country, and the morning in the royal court was more chaotic than ever.

Tyria thought no differently.

‘This could have been bad.’

She skimmed through the article and saw a paragraph about how Elvus’ armed escort had narrowly thwarted the attempt.

Whoever did this deserved a kingdom-wide reward.

‘For preventing what could have become a war…’

Tyria’s eyes narrowed.

She realized that she had been lulled into a false sense of security that the war would remain confined to the west.

She should be wary.

If the war were to spread this far…

“Milady, what are you reading that makes you so gravely this morning?”

…Elric might be in danger.

Tyria lifted her head and looked at Elric, who had just entered the dining room.

His knee was still bothering him, and the way he was carrying his cane gave her cause for concern.

What would happen if enemy forces reached Yubin?

Unable to run, he would be decapitated in an instant.

Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of such a future.

The feeling of hopelessness that enveloped her was a bonus.

Tyria swallowed down her unnecessary anxiety and held out the newspaper to him.

“…I was just reading the morning paper.”

His eyes widened as she showed him the headline on the front page.

Immediately afterward, he chuckled softly.

“I guess this is just how things worked out.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Uh, it’s nothing, it’s just that our relationship with the Count is a bit bad, and so I said that this is a good thing…”

Ah, he was worried about what had happened with the Young Master.

Thinking about it, she was suddenly glad that Count Nimrud was the mastermind behind the assassination attempt.

Humans were such selfish creatures after all.

As she was thinking, Elric asked.

“So what will happen to Count Nimrud?”

“There will probably be an intense investigation. He’s not going to get off scot-free. After all, he did try to mess with the Graymans. The Count’s death is inevitable… hopefully, we’ll see the forfeiture of the noble title from the Nimruds as a whole.”

“Hmm, neat.”

Tyria tilted her head.

For some reason, she couldn’t help but feel pleased.

Elric seemed to notice the change in her emotions and straightened his expression.

“Well, a great crisis has been averted, right? I’m glad even beyond our personal feelings about the matter.”

“I suppose so.”

“But, let’s get ready. We’re going to the banquet again tonight.”

Tyria nodded, shaking off any lingering doubts.

The royal banquet was scheduled for three days.

No matter what, attendance was mandatory during that time, so she couldn’t use the current events as an excuse.

It wouldn’t look good for the royal family either.

Given their political position, they would probably be tempted to use this as an excuse to reassert their weakened authority.

As a newcomer to the aristocracy, the Portmans needed to be careful about these details.

It would be hard enough to be on the shaky ground of their nobility without the royal eye on them.

“Oh, and by the way.”

“Yes?”

“The same people who helped me with my makeup yesterday are helping me again today. I suggest you try them tonight. They are quite skilled.”

Suddenly, the unexpected benefit from the day before popped into her head.

His casual clothes had made him look ugly in every way, but there was something very pleasing about the way he’d made up his face the day before.

She wondered if he had a stake in the workers?

No, it wouldn’t even matter if he did.

Tyria was more than happy to let Elric talk her into something.

“I see.”

With that, she rose from her seat and went to wash herself.

“M-Milday, you’re ~so thin~!”

For some reason, the makeup artist was very tall for a woman.

She was a woman with almost mask-like makeup, who was about as tall as Elric, and was already waiting for her, as she immediately crouched over her.

A little bit of fear rose in her heart, but Tyria pushed it down.

After all, Elric had introduced her, so she couldn’t be suspicious.

“…Thank you.”

Tyria never realized it as she sat down.

That the man who was applying her makeup was the saddest, closest to death man in the world.

The former Moonling assassin, now Elric’s handmaiden, swallowed hard to keep back his tears and asked himself, ‘How did I even end up here?’

‘How the hell did I end up like this?’

Life sure was strange.

The strange woman in charge was certainly skilled.

Tyria let out a small sigh.

‘Professionals are different after all.’

Her makeover was basically the same as the day before.

A navy blue dress, her braided hair, and the pale makeup were the same, but the details were distinctly different.

It all exuded a sense of meticulousness that couldn’t be defined by a single word.

And it stirred up an unnecessary sense of anticipation in Tyria.

She wondered if Elric would compliment her like he had the day before.

The thought of it made her feel a little better.

“You have done well. I will tell my lord that you have been a great help.”

“You don’t have to…”

“No, Ma’am. A job well done deserves to be paid in equal favor.”

The woman’s face twisted into a strange expression.

Puzzled, Tyria came up with a plausible answer.

‘I’ve heard it’s said that some of the nobility look down on them and don’t pay them in full.’

Perhaps she was relieved to not be treated in that way.

Tyria stood up from her seat.

“Never mind it. It’s just the right thing to do.”

“Haha…”

“Well, I’d better get back to work.”

With that, she left the room and found Elric at the doorway.

The moment their eyes met, Elric’s eyes widened.

Tyria watched his reaction closely in anticipation.

She could see the slightest tremor in his eyes and the tendons running up the back of his hand hardening where he gripped his staff.

It was embarrassing.

“…Their workmanship is very good.”

Tyria stepped closer and looked up at Elric.

Elric pursed his lips, then stuttered.

“Y-You’re even prettier today.”

As he spoke, he shuddered.

Tyria felt her heart beating steadily and rhythmically.

Happiness rushed through her, stabbing throughout every part of her body.

“…My lord is handsome, too.”

She said, as she stretched out her hand.

Elric quickly brought her into a clumsy escorting position.

In that moment, Tyria felt as if all her other worries had been erased from her mind.

They’d be hanging out in the corner until they were allowed to leave the banquet.

She didn’t think she’d be able to make any connections with other noble families this year, but so what?

She got to spend all her time with him today, and that was all that mattered.

Tyria’s little fingers still dangled in between Elric’s as they climbed into the carriage.

Thank goodness it was a narrow carriage.

He didn’t know why he was feeling so feverish.

Elric felt all his nerves focusing on Tyria’s little fingers dangling from between his fingertips.

They were so thin that it looked like they would fall off if he bent his hand.

He was terrified that it would happen, and that was why he couldn’t fully hold her hand.

He felt so silly, but he couldn’t go any further.

Maybe it was because she was suddenly starting to be in his thoughts more.

Elric watched Tyria as she stared out the window.

All he could see was her jawline, her earlobes, and the nape of her neck.

He caught a glimpse of her eyelashes, too.

That struck a nerve in him.

Her expression was obscured, yet his imagination was running wild.

He wondered what Tyria looked like now, as she was looking out the window.

Would her expression be as impassive as usual?

Most likely, yes.

But her little fingers were curled up in a meaningful way.

Elric tried to imagine her blushing face.

Yet he quickly felt ashamed of himself for such disgusting behavior.

His whirling mind was already working overtime, trying to crystallize his imagination.

It wasn’t a good look for her anyways.

Elric had never seen her make any other expressions after all.

Like being at a loss for words for example.

The carriage arrived at the castle in the midst of all his woe.

“Let’s go.”

Finally, Tyria showed her face.

He felt sorry for his lack of manners.

So, he hid his feelings and escorted her into the banquet hall.

“There’s a lot of noise today.”

Why was that?

It was probably because of the incident with Count Nimrud the day before.

And then,

“Thank you all for your concern, but I’m fine. I’m here, aren’t I? And, I’m used to quite a few assassination attempts.”

The other party had put his face out in the ballroom as if nothing had happened.

Elric felt his breath catch in his throat.

Elvus Grayman.

A friend, but not just a regular man.

‘I’ll just have to stay out of his way.’

In such a public setting, there were roles for everyone.

Elric didn’t want to be the center of attention for the kingdom’s nobility.

He had already realized what kind of place “Elric Portman” held in the aristocracy.

To make the Portmans look any worse would be a disservice to Tyria, who had single-handedly protected the family name.

“We should go over there.”

“Yes.”

And with that, he led Tyria to the corner where they had spent the previous day.

“Ah! There he is, Baron Elric Portman!”

Elric’s body stiffened.

He jerked his head toward the voice’s owner, Elvus.

The fucker was grinning, revealing his full set of white teeth.

“Baron Portman saved my life yesterday! He fell forward and pushed me out of the way. At that exact moment, the assassin’s secret weapon happened to fly right past where I was!”

Was this fucker crazy?

As Elric’s thoughts were paralyzed, a gruff voice came from beside him.

“…I thought you said you were just going to the restroom.”

Tyria’s voice was quite rigid.

Elric didn’t dare look at her face.

Instead, he turned to his other other half.

“Hey, Baron, come here!”

Elvus Grayman.

If he had a death wish, then Elric would be able to help.

After all, a friend could certainly do that much.

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