My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields

Elric wasn’t the only one surprised.

Tyria’s stomach churned with panic due to their sudden encounter.

“Well, I’ll be going then!”

The maid scurried away with her nostrils flared, as if she’d been stung by her earlier imitation of Elric.

Neither lord nor lady paid her any mind.

They were too consumed by the bewilderment, relief, excitement, and other complicated feelings they felt in the moment they saw each other.

Tyria was even more than consumed.

-“Of course! The master was so worried too, he came by here every day to check on you!”

Here was someone who had worried about and took care of her while she slept.

Her doubts deepened.

Why did he treat her so nicely now, after leaving her like that?

…No, why was her heart being like that?

This was what bothered Tyria so much.

“…Why are you here?”

She asked in a hushed tone, whilst his answer soon came.

“You’ve awoken.”

Elric’s jaw clenched.

The corners of his eyes drooped, a hint of relief appearing.

But it didn’t last long.

“You’re finally awake.”

“Yes…?”

Elric’s eyes narrowed.

There was still concern, but there was also anger in his eyes now.

He strode toward her, cane in hand.

Tyria clenched her hands in bewilderment.

Elric stepped closer, his voice flat.

“Why did you do that?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?”

He hadn’t realized it was that bad.

When times were busy, Tyria was used to enduring minor aches and pains

Especially after the death of the former Lord, Hoven Portman.

Over the past year, she had actually had more days of exhaustion than days of well-being.

She was used to it, so she had assumed that this time would be about the same.

But, should she tell the truth?

No, it sounded like an excuse.

Tyria suddenly felt resentful.

She had only followed Elric out of concern for him, so why should she be scolded?

How could he be so insensitive?

Of course, she hadn’t explained her reasons beforehand, but he should have at least interpreted her actions positively.

It was her childish heart speaking.

Although she should have felt embarrassed, Tyria couldn’t easily escape from such sentiments.

Perhaps it was because she was still unwell.

And so her next words were drunk with emotion.

“I was fine, at least until we had gotten up there.”

Tyria was surprised at herself for blurting that out.

She hadn’t expected to sound so blunt.

Naturally, she caught Elric’s attention.

His expression hardened even more.

Her heart dropped and as she was about to add an excuse.

“I’m the one in control of my body…”

“I was worried.”

Shudder–

Tyria’s body stilled.

Her gaze snapped to Elric.

She stared at him, wondering if she’d heard him right, and her worries grew stronger over his anger.

She must have misheard him.

‘Worried?’

Him? For me?

She soon realized the meaning behind his words.

Was the reason for his worry simply due to their formal connection as a married couple on paper, or was it because she, the person who should be working, was resting, or perhaps…

‘…No, let’s not get carried away.’

Tyria was well aware that expectations usually led to a greater sense of betrayal.

Every big event in her life had been like that.

It had turned into a learned fear.

She knew painfully well the feeling of loss when expectations were thoroughly run over.

All she could manage was an apology.

“…I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“I didn’t say that because I wanted to hear such words.”

Elric sat down on the bed.

His hands closed around Tyria’s fist.

“Look at me.”

Tyria was taken aback.

Her gaze had drifted to their fingertips, but had gone back up again due to his words.

His demeanor had softened. Yet, his face remained stern.

The feel of his rough palm on the back of her hand was an alien sensation to her.

The sense that the distance between them could be closed with an outstretched arm brought a suffocating feeling to her throat.

Her fever rose.

A voice telling her that that wasn’t the reason swirled around in her head.

“You need to take better care of yourself, Milady, for I have observed over the past few days that your body is truly weak.”

After a long pause, only one word stayed ringing in her ears.

‘Milady.’

The word he used when they were with others, he was now using when they were alone.

Was it impolite for her to attribute meaning to it for no reason?

No, it wasn’t rude.

“Struggling so much with this body, please, don’t collapse from exhaustion. Trust others a little. In this mansion, there are many who can assist you.”

Tyria turned to Elric.

‘Why…’

Why are you saying that?

Why are you confusing me with words like that?

Why are you giving me hope?

“Are you listening to me?”

It was not easy for her to manage her facial expressions.

The act of tilting her upper body to meet his eyes touched a root of emotion deep within her.

Tyria was barely able to nod her head.

“…Yes.”

“I’m glad you’re listening. Thus, I will speak to you as your lord.”

With a sudden jerk, Elric’s hand dug between Tyria’s fingers.

“Until your body is fully recovered, leaving this bed is prohibited. I’ll be personally monitoring you, so don’t even think about working.”

“But what about work…”

“I’ll bring the documents up here and take care of them.”

He was adamant, showing no intention of backing down.

To be honest, she was nervous.

Yet, she also felt an undeniable sense of joy.

Having someone to lean on meant that much to Tyria.

‘You haven’t changed. In this aspect at least.’

Tyria pursed her lips.

-”What? If you were in pain, you should have told me, you little shit! Come here! I’ll at least treat that ugly face of yours!”

Despite his grumbling, the warmth she felt when he tended to her wounds was still embedded in her, and Tyria could only feel relief and happiness.

“Answer me. Can you promise to stay still?”

Tyria was ashamed to show her emotions, so she bowed her head deeply and answered as she still had that memory in her mind.

“…Yes.”

A desperate desire stirred inside Tyria.

If the kindness she felt now was only an illusion, then please, let it remain unbroken until the day she died.

Elric shuddered with embarrassment as he left her room.

‘You’re the worst of the worst!’

When he had gone to check on her as usual, he had accidentally overreacted to her sudden awakening.

He had been so worried and angry at the same time that he had made an inappropriate comment.

It was a very shameful act of impudence.

He hadn’t even thought about the fact that he was part of the reason she had followed him into the snowy mountains, and so he had just blurted out his feelings without thinking about it.

Thankfully, Tyria hadn’t seemed to mind, but his embarrassment had been compounded by the fact that Elric had no way of knowing what was going on in her mind.

It was in that moment,

“Milord, where are you going?”

Aldio called from the end of the hall.

Elric quickly composed himself and answered.

“…Oh, I’m just going to my office to pick up some papers.”

“Hmm? You’re not working there?”

“I’ll be in my Milady’s room. If I leave her alone, she might start trying to work again.”

“I can’t deny that.”

Aldio chuckled.

“Why don’t you go back to your lady, and I’ll make the arrangements for you.”

“Hmm? Is that okay?”

“I’m sure you’d rather use me than go back and forth with that uncomfortable leg of yours, and I hear you’ve reopened your wounds after that trip into the mountains…”

Aldio gave him a disapproving look.

Whilst Elric was at a loss for words.

It was true that he had gotten himself into trouble and added healing time to his wounds.

In the end, all he could do was bow his head.

“I’ll be going then.”

Elric staggered back to Tyria’s bedroom in defeat.

He exchanged awkward glances with Tyria as she lay in her bed, whilst getting ready for Aldio.

With the help of two maids, Aldio set up a small nightstand, a chair, and a pile of papers beside the bed.

That wasn’t the end of it. Only after he had brought Tyria a warm cup of tea, and a cup of coffee for Elric, waiting for the room to be filled with their aromas, did Aldio leave the room satisfied.

Elric sighed heavily and dropped his shoulders.

“Aldio is so polarizing.”

“I think he’s a good butler.”

Tyria replied, her gaze shifting to the papers.

Elric narrowed his eyes, blocking her gaze with his hand.

“Don’t even look at them.”

“…Will you be alright?”

“I can at least do this much. You’re my teacher, you should know that. Do I appear to be a person who can’t even handle document processing?”

“…”

Tyria fell silent.

For a moment, Elric wondered how he should interpret the silence.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that all conclusions were not in his favor.

In the end, Elric coughed loudly and picked up the papers as if nothing had happened.

“Watch me. I can handle something like these documents in an instant…”

Elric’s pupils started trembling like there had been an earthquake as he read the title of the document.

[End of Year Financial Report for the Territory.]

A huge wall was blocking Elric from the start.

There were numbers.

Terrifying strings of numbers, ones even more terrifying than facing an army of thousands.

The moment he saw them, Elric felt his mind go blank.

His breath caught in his throat, as if the numbers had leapt from the paper and wrapped themselves around his throat.

Elric’s gaze snapped to Tyria.

She cocked back her head and asked.

“Shall I help you?”

Her words were sweeter than the devil’s whisper.

Elric had to think about it for a good three minutes before he answered that he would do it alone.

“…I’ll try to do it myself.”

Elric had a strong sense of pride after all.