Chapter 45
“I’ve never seen such a good artifact before either.”
It was also the first time Eliot had climbed a snowy mountain with so few people. Although an expedition had climbed the mountain before, they likely didn’t use such quality equipment.
Albert had winked and said he’d prepare the best since the two of them were going. He’d certainly gone all out.
Eliot sat on the bed and slowly pulled up the blanket. It was as high-quality as the ones he used himself.
He let out a faint chuckle, sensing Albert’s intentions in the soft blanket.
“Ahem. Please wash up first.”
Eliot offered the bathroom to Evelyn first.
“I’ll get the meal ready.”
It wasn’t as if much needed preparing, but when Evelyn offered to help, Eliot gently pushed her into the bathroom instead.
“Eliot, you should go in now.”
Wearing a robe and drying her damp hair with a towel, Evelyn’s eyes widened when she saw the food laid out on the table.
Was this a banquet hall?
“Please, have a seat.”
Eliot pulled out a chair for her.
“I told the butler to prepare a high-calorie meal, and it seems he got a bit too enthusiastic.”
Not just the butler—apparently all the staff had taken this seriously.
“This is better than I expected. Honestly, I thought it’d be more grueling, so I should prepare gifts for the staff when we return.”
“Time off or a bonus should suffice.”
Crunch.
The salad was crisp and fresh. Evelyn, having cleared her salad and soup, heaped her plate full of neatly sliced meat.
“Where do you think the legacy was hidden? It must be somewhere safe and accessible.”
“I’ve thought about that too. That’s why I searched around the territory and near the mountain entrance.”
“And still couldn’t find it, huh.”
What kind of legacy was it? A weapon?
Just as she was thinking the meat was delicious, Eliot began piling more onto her plate.
“Given how secretly it was hidden, I suspect it’s a special technique capable of defeating the evil god.”
Eliot casually replied as he gave her more than half of the meat.
“You’re not eating more?”
“I’ll eat something else. Since there’s already the holy sword, I doubt it’s another weapon.”
“But I thought it might be a weapon.”
“Oh?”
Eliot asked as he neatly took a big slice of meat into his mouth.
“Yes. I couldn’t use it since I was moving too fast for the monsters to catch up, but if the holy sword doesn’t recover, we’d need a replacement—”
Vrrrooooom!
“Huh, was I wrong?”
The holy sword on the table began vibrating strongly.
“My bad. I take that back,” Evelyn said, winking toward the sword.
She had tried using the holy sword to fight monsters, but since she moved faster than them, she never had a chance to swing it.
“I’ve heard the holy sword was a weapon bestowed by the gods, so it shouldn’t break or get damaged. There must be a reason for its current state.”
“Then what kind of legacy did the previous hero leave behind? Surely not a pile of gold and iron to make weapons?”
“If it’s not in the snowy mountain, maybe we should check the mines.”
Their conversation continued smoothly. Evelyn couldn’t stop the smile tugging at her lips during the entire meal.
Even though they were only talking about work, she felt happy. She hadn’t drunk a drop, but she felt a little tipsy.
Though she had already given Eliot a small corner of her heart under the title of “companion,” it felt like that space had grown just a bit larger.
Only Raven had ever made her feel this way before.
Even while suggesting they climb higher tomorrow, Evelyn couldn’t take her eyes off Eliot.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No. I was just thinking how nice it feels to have a warm space and a delicious meal in this freezing mountain.”
She nearly blurted out that she felt more comfortable around him. Evelyn tried to calm her pounding heart.
She took a big gulp of water and changed the subject nonchalantly.
They had agreed not to assume divorce was inevitable and to do their best. Eliot was simply fulfilling the contract faithfully.
Nobles who entered political marriages often pretended to get along, even without genuine feelings.
So she shouldn’t assign meaning to every little thing Eliot did. But her heart kept being drawn to him.
She now understood the noblewomen who had fallen for Eliot. Evelyn’s light mood quickly sobered.
Why am I thinking like this?
She found it strange that she was feeling affection toward Eliot. The more she reflected on it, the more it felt like her feelings had gone beyond what one would expect from a companion.
Without even realizing it, she had been giving Eliot pieces of her heart.
“Are you done? You’re eating less than usual.”
Seeing Evelyn empty two plates of meat, Eliot asked with concern.
Was their brave hero’s appetite waning?
His worried gaze made her chuckle. No way she could let herself fall for that guy.
Evelyn shook her head.
“No, something just crossed my mind.”
“Can you tell me? It’s usually faster to solve a problem when we think it through together.”
Eliot’s words, telling her to share everything, made Evelyn hesitate.
They say worries are lighter when shared, but there was no way she could tell him something like, “I’m starting to like you.”
“It wasn’t a big deal. I was just wondering how many more days we might have to stay here.”
She smiled. She just hoped Eliot wouldn’t notice her feelings.
She didn’t want things to become more awkward than they already were. As she boldly resumed eating, Eliot also quietly returned to his meal.
*
SCREEEECH!
“If I ever meet the old hero, I’m going to kill him.”
Evelyn gritted her teeth as she slashed down a monster.
“Agreed. Other than the change in the holy sword, we’ve gained nothing.”
Eliot, who had just stabbed a monster charging from behind, rarely let his emotions show, but he did this time.
When monster blood splashed on the holy sword, a small bit of rust fell off. After seeing that, Evelyn began hunting monsters by wrapping the sword in aura.
They’d used their honeymoon as an excuse to search the snowy mountain for nearly two weeks, but the legacy was nowhere to be found.
‘Hero or not, I’m not letting them off easy.’
Now the only place left was a canyon with sheer cliffs. Evelyn turned her head and looked down at the abyss where even light didn’t reach.
“Should we try down there too?”
“It’s time to return.”
Eliot objected. They were already well past the date they had promised to return.
“We’ve checked the remaining areas. We can use a subjugation as an excuse to come back next time.”
“That’s a shame. It was convenient fighting monsters together.”
“How about going on a proper trip next time?”
Eliot made the suggestion, responding to her words that it was nice being with him.
“After everything is over, right?”
Evelyn winked as she mounted her horse. The two swallowed their regrets and headed back to the Grand Duchy.
It took a full week just to descend.
“Your Grace!!”
Evelyn waved at Tinya, who looked as if she was about to cry as she ran toward her.
She had kept their destination a secret from the maids, but since they were late returning, everyone had figured it out.
“Thank goodness you’re safe.”
Sob sob sob.
Tinya hugged the Grand Duchess and burst into tears, bringing tears to the eyes of many northern people watching with sympathetic expressions.
They too had been shocked when they first heard that the Grand Duke and Duchess were going on a honeymoon to the snowy mountain.
Although they had felt somewhat reassured knowing the Grand Duchess was a Sword Master, they still couldn’t understand the decision.
“Tinya, now that you’ve become the mistress of the North, you need to know about the snowy mountain. There was no danger at all.”
Evelyn feigned ignorance of Tinya’s reproachful gaze and patted her on the shoulder.
“Thank you all for protecting the North in my absence.”
The Grand Duke commended those who had come to greet them. The knights and servants bowed.
Even Tinya, barely holding back tears, bowed deeply and followed behind Evelyn.
“You really are too much.”
“Hahaha. Were you that worried?”
Tinya followed Evelyn into the bedroom and took her outer robe.
“When I first heard you went to the snowy mountain, I almost fainted.”
“She really did almost collapse. Anna and Seril had to catch her.”
Rone playfully winked.
“It’s not like it was my first time climbing the mountain—”
“But we didn’t expect you to actually go! I was just as shocked when I found out you were a Sword Master, you know!”
Tinya pouted with a face full of hurt and resentment.
