Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband

Sid’s words triggered a belated memory in Kairos.

“Ah, that’s right, my wife was a former member of the imperial knights.”

He recalled.

Sid looked at him with a puzzled gaze but quickly lowered his head again.

“That aside, it seems that for now, it would be best to avoid any confrontation.”

“Then, see if there’s another purification stone available.”

Kairos has been suffering from inexplicable and persistent headaches for over a decade. No doctor he consulted could find the cause, and all the remedies he tried were in vain. However, a few years ago, he coincidentally obtained a purification stone from another noble in exchange for a debt, and it miraculously freed him from the long-lasting pain.

Despite being someone who dealt with dark magic and had resistance to it, the purification stone had the opposite effect on him, numbing his senses and providing a calming effect.

Naturally, ordinary purification stones had no effect at all. Unlike ordinary purification stones that emitted a white light, the purification stone that worked for him had a rare blue light and gave a significantly better performance.

The reason he wanted to obtain the purification stone was actually more because of his impulsiveness than his headaches. He would suddenly feel his mood plummet or become deeply captivated by certain desires.

Kairos preferred everything to move according to his will.

Being someone who disliked looking up to others and enjoyed ruling, it was extremely unpleasant for him to lose control over his own emotions. These impulses occurred more frequently in the morning.

There was even a time when he lost his sanity, albeit just once, to the point of breaking his purification stone. The problem was that he had no memory of that night, so he still didn’t know why he had been so enraged to the point of losing his sanity or how it had been shattered.

Fortunately, since meeting Hazel, he had been experiencing similar effects to the purification stone.

Strangely enough, when he embraced Hazel and slept, he could smell a sweet and comforting scent from her, which brought him some stability and improved sleep. Sometimes, when he touched her small, soft hands, and adorable feet, he even forgot that he had headaches.

Although it was not a fundamental solution, the purification stone was no longer needed as it had been somewhat alleviated. However, that was only a short-term solution.

After getting rid of Hazel, he would need a replacement.

Still, it was pretty troublesome. If only the purification stone he had hadn’t been broken, there would be no reason to suffer like this.

“Yes, understood. And, I have captured the one who betrayed us and escaped. I will dispose of—”

Kairos’ gaze suddenly shifted towards the clock. It was almost an instinct.

Indeed, it was soon Hazel’s time to leave work. He needed to leave now to ensure that he didn’t make Hazel wait and could escort her to the carriage. It wasn’t something he did every time. It was more of a spontaneous act or when he had the leisure to do so.

Though today, he would go to pick her up.

Usually, she would jump into his arms with her smiling face. Of course, it wasn’t for the sake of that smile. It was simply because he wanted to do the same things to the end and complete them perfectly.

Observing Kairos, who stood up a bit more hastily than before, Sid raised an eyebrow.

“Your Excellency…?”

“What now?”

“Should I take care of them?”

“Just handle it yourself and prepare the carriage.”

Saying so, Kairos left the room.

Meanwhile, Sid remained frozen with wide eyes. Normally, he would do other tasks, but when it came to dealing with traitors, Kairos tended to handle it himself.

Ah, right. The carriage!

“Yes, yes! Understood!”

Sid hurriedly followed along, forgetting about the thoughts.

* * *

After enjoying a fancy dinner outside and going on a date, Noah and I returned home late at night today. As I cuddled with him and immersed myself in a book, I couldn’t help but steal glances at him as he absentmindedly played with my fingers.

Why on earth was he playing with my fingers like that?

Occasionally, he would playfully tickle my foot while we lay in bed, bringing a smile to my face. At first, I thought it was a sign of affection. But there was no way Kairos Hadid would ever do something like that. When I go out next time, I should change my registered fingerprint just in case.

…I hoped he was not even remotely considering the thought of cutting off my limbs.

Even though I tried my best to see him as Noah, to avoid any slip-ups in front of him, moments like these always left me feeling suspicious. Nonetheless, every time moments like this happen, I couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

Pretending not to notice, I placed the book on my lap again and retracted one hand as I turned the pages. After flipping through a couple of pages, a knocking sound echoed at the door.

Noah went to check and returned inside after a while.

“Just a moment, Hazel. It seems like the task I gave them earlier has been completed. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay, take your time.”

He then gave me a brief peck on the cheek and left.

Simultaneously, I quickly got up from the bed. I pressed my ear against the door and focused on their conversation.

Their voices were faint.

“Yes, due to the rain that day… it took several days… to restore… today, the recovery…”

What? What collapsed?

I pressed my ear even closer. While it was frustrating to hear it intermittently, still, this voice… I recognized that.

It was Noah’s aide’s voice, a man named Sid with brown hair.

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It was clear that he was Kairos’ right-hand man. Among his subordinates, he was the one I saw most often near Kairos.

Whenever I noticed him looking at me, he would glance away quickly, making me feel uneasy. However, now that I knew he was Kairos’ subordinate, it all made sense. Even though we exchanged greetings, we could never become close.

And now I can understand why.

“For the time being… put it on hold… as ordered… until…”

The voice was getting distant, as if they moved somewhere. What collapsed and was now restored? Could it be that they are referring to a hole that collapsed due to the rain and was now restored…?

“…That must be it.”

Buildings wouldn’t collapse just because of rain! Still, it seemed like he put the plan to make me disappear on hold for now.

Until further orders!

Right? Right? It fitted perfectly.

Perhaps my gift had slightly changed Noah’s mind. It could mean that there was some leeway in planning an escape! Hallelujah! Oh, divine being! I raised both hands toward the deity I didn’t even believe in at the thought.

Kairos, you’re still human after all!

He knew mercy. Even though he said he wouldn’t give me any mercy in the original story, it seemed like he was showing some leniency.

So, could I take a breath now?

As I thought so, I collapsed onto the bed, feeling a sense of relief spreading through my body. Then, I could afford to take it easy. Even though I was worried about making mistakes in a rush, I could be more thorough now.

That was great.

* * *

“So, the road repairs should be completed by tomorrow, and they said the fence you wanted to reinforce will be finished within two weeks. If there’s no rain, it could be done within a week.”

“That’s good news.”

Kairos replied, nodding in satisfaction.

Hazel rubs her chest in relief while Kairos and Sid were discussing the newly built guild building.

They were in the process of expanding Hazel’s two-story guild building to five stories. Originally, this was meant to be his anniversary gift for her. Even though Sid had questioned why they were going to such lengths when they were going to eliminate her soon, Kairos remained adamant.

Every time he saw the dilapidated two-story building where the thief had escaped after stealing his money, it didn’t sit well with him.

Besides, even if he were to get rid of her eventually, he didn’t want to witness such an unsightly sight. And, the greater the happiness she experienced, the greater the disappointment she would feel in the end.

It wasn’t like he was building a mansion, so there wouldn’t be a significant loss. If it became useless later on, it could be used as a storage space.

However, Hazel fell seriously ill over the weekend, and due to a sudden downpour, one side of the road leading to the entrance collapsed, requiring urgent road repairs. Taking advantage of the situation, he decided to construct a double fence for added strength and security.

There was even a close call with a monster suddenly appearing, putting her in danger. He wouldn’t let the monster steal his targets when it came to eliminating them.

No one but himself would be allowed to lay a finger on them.

Thanks to that, the gift-giving was delayed by two weeks. It wasn’t deliberately planned that way, but things took an unexpected turn.

“However, Your Excellency, isn’t it a bit too late for an anniversary celebration?”

“She’s not the kind of woman to be disappointed by that. We can proceed without any issues.”

“Yes, I will make sure it’s properly finished. I will also find the purification stone even if I have to search the entire Empire for it. Please give me a little more time.”

After sending off Sid, who made an admirable remark, Kairos returned to the room. In the meantime, Hazel had put down the book and fallen asleep on the bed. He wondered if he should listen to her soft breaths.

Unable to help himself, he lay down next to her.

Turning over on his back and crossing his arms, he gazed at her face for a long time. He could see her hair slowly slip down her smooth forehead. He also noticed a frown in her neat, light brown eyebrows.

Her eyebrows seemed to tremble slightly.

A sigh escaped from Kairos’ lips for a moment.

Occasionally, he would see her go through a difficult and tormenting night alone. It seemed like she was struggling with something, so he pretended to sleep because he was afraid to disturb her. He decided to pretend to sleep so that she could rest peacefully.

It was interesting to witness the moments when she would actually fall asleep. Her expression would immediately relax.

He quietly observed her in that state.

He noticed that her hair had a vibrant color, while her features seemed to be soft. There were no sharp edges, and looking at her forehead, the tip of her nose, chin, and ears, it almost seemed as if they were formed by various sizes of rounded circles.

It was quite fascinating.

Kairos reached out and gathered a handful of her disheveled hair, bringing it closer to himself. Sometimes, he would see that her hair was unusually bright, like just now. He clenched his fist and covered the light as if extinguishing a flame.

Well, it wasn’t like her hair was glowing, but it gave off a certain luminosity.

Finally, Hazel’s breathing became more relaxed. She had fallen asleep.

Why did she want to expand her business when she didn’t have the stamina to endure it? What was the point of making that little money?

Since then, he had been watching her for hours without any interruption, even without realizing it himself. Although it was unlikely, if she were to escape, it would be difficult to catch her. So, he had to observe her closely as an excuse.