Chapter 18
Amin glared at the woman with red marks all over her neck.
‘Looking like that…’
His jaw tightened.
He hadn’t come after her because she went outside the castle to find a blacksmith.
There had been reports of dwarves appearing near the Mern River by Urd Village, so he had come for an inspection.
[Two of them were lingering on the other side before they vanished.]
[It looked like they were standing guard.]
After gathering these strange bits of intel, he found himself naturally thinking of the woman as he stood by the riverbank.
Her curly pink hair.
Her light green eyes.
That strange red sword aura that constantly surrounded her.
And—
[I guess “careless” really does suit her.]
The feel of her soft lips, too.
If he touched that woman again, he might really want to take control—completely.
Like any swordsman who’s found a blade too tempting to ignore.
While thinking that, Phares brought news of the woman.
[Sir Soren, who was escorting Her Highness, says she vanished. It seems she was browsing a shop, then slipped out the back. She was unaccounted for about thirty minutes before being spotted near the market with a blacksmith, riding away in a wagon—]
His blood ran cold.
That pink hair he had almost reached felt like it was drifting farther away.
[Tell me properly. Are you saying she was kidnapped? Threatened? Or—]
[According to Sir Soren—]
Phares hesitated before speaking at last.
[It looked like Her Highness deliberately tried to shake off her escort.]
She ditched them?
Why?
He had been baffled at the time—but now it was becoming clearer.
[Leon! Move!]
The moment he heard that shout.
“That’s surprising. I thought my wife’s type would be… scummier.”
He gripped Diana’s chin.
And in that moment, the red sword aura wrapped around her flared to life.
It was undeniably seductive.
Forcing himself to ignore it, Amin stared at the red marks on her neck.
“Well? Scummy enough?”
“This, this is…”
Just as Diana started to speak, Amin pulled her into his arms and leapt back.
At the same time, his sword clashed with Leon’s.
This time, Amin didn’t hold back.
Naturally, Leon’s sword was knocked from his hands and fell to the ground.
Leon dropped to one knee, clutching his wrist.
He didn’t scream, but his face twisted in pain.
“Wise choice,” Amin said with a crooked smile.
“If you’d gripped it any tighter, your wrist would’ve snapped.”
He picked up the fallen sword.
As he did, the sword’s aura shimmered into view.
A bright crimson glow.
He’d noticed it during their first clash—it was a good blade.
Not at the level of a “legendary sword” like Gram, but it had a vivid, living aura.
It wasn’t like mass-forged blades from molds.
Nor was it the crude work of mediocre blacksmiths.
It was strong enough to withstand a blow from him and perfectly balanced.
‘You made this?’
A mere wandering blacksmith who dragged around a cart?
Surprising.
But what drew his attention even more was the aura.
A shade of red—almost like Diana’s—but a bit duller. Crimson.
‘They’re alike.’
That fact nagged at him for some reason.
Amin placed his boot on Leon’s kneeling leg.
“Should I make sure you never walk again? Or do you prefer another punishment?”
As he said that and turned, Diana pressed a hand to her forehead and muttered,
“You lunatic…”
“I can hear that.”
“I wanted you to hear it!”
Diana shouted, her eyes flashing.
Whenever she got like this, her doll-like green eyes turned into the wild green of a dense forest.
“You realize I wasn’t kidnapped, right? You knew the situation. So why deliberately act like you didn’t and mess with people? For fun? With someone’s body?”
“Leon’s a blacksmith. I came to ask him about drainage work!”
She ground her teeth and glared at Amin.
Sharp, as always.
Amin’s golden eyes looked lazily at the man still kneeling.
A strong body honed for forging.
A sturdy-looking face.
And unsettling brown eyes.
Why was the aura this man produced so similar to Diana’s?
He wanted to know—but this wasn’t the time.
With a soft chuckle, Amin raised his hands as if to say it had all been a joke.
“Right. A blacksmith. My wife’s out here looking for a blacksmith.”
He squinted down at Leon.
“Is this your sword?”
He gestured to the longsword in his hand.
“…You’re…”
“Amin Wilhelm. Lord of this territory. And husband to the woman you dared to lay hands on. So don’t think a sprained wrist is enough to earn an apology from me.”
Amin’s eyes narrowed as he smiled.
“If I were just a little more hot-tempered, I would’ve slit your throat the moment I walked in.”
But his words were laced with intent.
Leon felt it, hesitated, then slowly opened his mouth.
“…My apologies, Your Highness. I didn’t realize—”
“Your eyes don’t look sorry at all.”
Amin pointed his blade at Leon’s eyes.
Leon stared back at him, unflinching.
“No way.”
Diana stepped in to defuse the tense atmosphere between the two.
As she looked between them, she could tell something was seriously wrong.
Especially from Amin Wilhelm, who was practically radiating rage.
‘How the hell did he even get here?’
No, the how didn’t matter as much as why he was this angry.
She had informed the head butler she was leaving the castle. That meant the lord would know too. She’d taken knights with her, and didn’t think she needed further permission.
‘…Honestly, needing permission is weird enough.’
Sure, ditching the knights might’ve been a problem—
‘But not this big of a problem.’
If anyone got hurt, it’d be her. If anyone died, it’d be her.
It wasn’t a marriage built on love.
It had started as a disgrace—and even if she died in the street, it wouldn’t harm Amin Wilhelm in the slightest.
He might caution her, sure. But he had no reason to be angry.
So the only thing that made sense was that Amin thought she and Leon were hiding something.
Yeah. If that’s what he thought, maybe a calm explanation would clear things up.
Diana began to speak.
“Leon and I have known each other since childhood. I recognized him immediately, and I felt the need to speak with him privately.”
“What kind of need? This kind of need?”
Amin, sword lowered, nodded at the red marks on her neck.
“…I did that.”
Amin let out a short laugh and whistled.
“So I’m learning about my wife’s tastes right here and now.”
“That’s disgustingly low.”
Leon stood up, glaring.
Amin responded by kicking Leon hard in the shin.
Leon groaned and dropped to his knees again.
“I don’t recall telling you to stand, blacksmith. And even if my wife’s tastes are trashy, it’s your job to talk her out of it.”
Diana frowned at the scene.
She still couldn’t understand why he was so furious.
“Leon’s mother was my wet nurse. My father took an interest in her, and so…”
She clenched her fists.
“A predictable story. I get the idea.”
Amin shook his head, signaling her to stop.
He looked at her strangely, like he was trying to read something in her eyes.
Then turned to Leon and crouched down in front of him.
“So what? You became a fine blacksmith thanks to all that?”
He stabbed the longsword into the ground with one hand.
“And now you want revenge on the daughter of the man who ruined your mother?”
Leon frowned, then answered.
“I’m not looking for revenge. I came here searching for someone.”
Amin raised a brow.
“A woman, I assume.”
“…”
Leon looked away in silence.
Amin let out a dry laugh.
“What’s her name?”
He asked.
Leon glanced at Diana briefly, then turned his head and said quietly,
“Diana.”
