“I may not be home for most of the month, but this is the house I return to. That’s why I want you to protect it, Sheila.”
Those were the words my husband, Leon, used when he proposed to me.
I first met him in a tavern in town.
At the time, I already had a party with my friend Amelie. We were having a small celebration when a group of thugs started harassing two women nearby. One of the knights who chased them off was Leon.
“Two women alone like this—it’s no surprise people think you’re asking for trouble.”
“If someone like that shows up again, I’ll knock them flat!”
When I snapped back at him without hesitation, Leon and his fellow knight stared at us in shock before bursting into laughter.
I was grateful for the help, but I thought, what a rude man, and after thanking him briefly, we left.
Or so I thought.
“Ugh.”
“That’s rude. What’s with that reaction?”
We ran into each other again the very next day at the guild, while I was accepting a quest.
He told me he worked for the Royal Knights and had come to buy healing potions.
“I can’t think of a better word when running into someone rude again.”
“I see.”
Perhaps because he was in uniform, his smile twitched awkwardly as I stuck out my tongue and went ahead with my quest.
“You’re going alone? That’s dangerous.”
“I’ll knock them flat, so don’t worry!”
Leaving him standing there in disbelief, I ran off.
After that, for some reason, he would talk to me every time we met. I was tired of it, yet somehow, I enjoyed it.
“Did you make some of these healing potions?”
“I sell them sometimes. When I’m extremely bored.”
“Then I’ll buy them all.”
“Huh? Why?”
“So I can look like a good man to the supporter woman who makes amazing potions?”
“Huh…?”
Those small, meaningless conversations were fun.
When Amelie and I drank together, Leon’s colleague—the one from that night—would often join us.
That colleague fell in love with Amelie, and she returned his feelings.
So then, what about the two leftovers? That was how it started, casually and without much thought.
After that, Amelie and I would visit the knight order together to bring refreshments. It was a very ordinary relationship.
The difference between Leon and his colleague was that Leon went on expeditions often.
He said the pay was good, and traveling to different towns was exciting.
We couldn’t see each other every day, but that only made the days we did meet feel more precious.
On his first expedition after we started dating, I gave him a charm.
“Thank you. I was jealous seeing the others get things from their girlfriends or wives.”
It was an embroidered sword belt.
Not just embroidery—I had woven my magic into it, adding protective blessings.
I poured everything I had into it, so the exhaustion afterward was intense, but seeing how happy he was made it worth it.
I was lonely with him gone so often, but hearing about his achievements made me proud.
I believed I was supporting him so he could shine.
Around the time I started thinking I wanted to stay with him forever, he proposed.
“I may not be home for most of the month, but this is the house I return to. That’s why I want you to protect it, Sheila.”
At the time, I was practically living at his place already, and caught up in the moment, I accepted without hesitation.
Amelie had just married Leon’s colleague as well, and we laughed together, saying we’d get along as fellow knights’ wives.
We submitted the paperwork at the guild and got married.
Our parents lived far away, so we only informed them.
During our one-month newlywed leave, we lived together, and for a while, I could feel that he loved me.
But his expeditions never decreased.
After a year, then two, even holding me became rare. He would only touch me when he felt like it.
Time passed like that, and we never conceived a child.
Amelie, on the other hand, had two children in the five years we did not, and was now expecting a third.
Her husband limited his expeditions for her sake and helped with housework and childcare. I envied her deeply.
When I asked Leon’s colleague whether Leon couldn’t reduce his expeditions, he looked troubled.
“If you have a child, they take that into consideration. But for couples without children, you’re more likely to be sent. Even so, Leon does go more than usual.”
He explained that expedition posts were usually filled by unmarried knights, with married ones only sent as backups. Normally, Leon should only be gone a quarter of the month.
I tried talking to Leon about it.
“Leon, don’t you think it’s time we tried for a child? I want you to reduce your expeditions.”
“Sheila, I want to earn while we don’t have kids. Once we do, I’ll cut back.”
“But it’s because you’re always gone that we can’t have one. Timing matters.”
“Even couples with lots of expeditions have many kids. Are we done? I’m tired after returning, and I don’t want to hear depressing talk.”
That was the end of it.
Looking back now, he must already have been cheating. He probably didn’t want a child with me because he already had one elsewhere.
Now, does he still want to return to the home I protect?
Or would he rather return to a house with a child who adores him, and a woman he truly loves, who smiles just at the sight of him?
If so, then what about me… and this child?
The thought terrified me.
“You’re no longer needed. We were leftovers from the start. I have a woman I truly love, and a child. You’re in the way. Die.”
“—Hah!”
I woke up drenched in cold sweat.
Even knowing it was a dream, my chest felt tight. I clutched the blanket desperately.
“Sheila, it’s okay. Slowly breathe out.”
I heard a voice and followed its guidance, exhaling slowly.
“That’s good. Now slowly breathe in. Yes, well done.”
As I obeyed the gentle voice, my breathing gradually calmed.
When I looked around, I realized I was lying in bed. Asti sat beside me and smiled when our eyes met.
“Sorry for coming in without permission. I went out to buy something you might be able to eat, and when I came back, you’d collapsed. I called a doctor and had you changed.”
“Oh, the changing was done by a female party member. I told the leader too—we’ll stay in town for a few days before returning since you’re unwell. I said I’d stay as well, since I was worried. By the way, the doctor says the baby is doing fine, so don’t worry.”
He spoke quickly, one thing after another.
I widened my eyes, and he looked awkward.
Without thinking, I placed a hand on my stomach.
Ah… you’re really there.
A warm feeling spread through me.
“I’m sorry, Sheila. I said a lot of harsh things while you were confused.”
“…It’s fine.”
Everything he said was something I had to think about.
Whether I left Leon or tried to rebuild things, with a child involved, I couldn’t run away.
“Maybe that really was just someone who looks like your husband. Maybe the child is hers, and your husband was only checking on them as a knight. Like, ‘Oh, it’s the knight from before!’ ‘Can I call you Papa?’ ‘Let me thank you with a meal.’”
“That’s enough… really.”
I could deny every possibility he offered.
What I saw wasn’t simple kindness. It was intimacy. It was a family.
Even so, that man was still my child’s father, and for now, still my husband.
“…Since we’re in this town, let’s find out the truth properly. Deciding based on imagination won’t bring peace, right?”
Asti looked at me seriously.
“I’ll help. I’ve already placed farsight and surveillance magic. If you don’t want to go, you can watch from here. If you don’t trust me, we can go together.”
Surveillance magic consumes mana constantly.
Knowing he was using it for me made me feel guilty.
He had probably already explained things to the leader and prepared everything so I wouldn’t delay or avoid the truth.
“…Why are you doing all this for me?”
“Because I like you.”
I couldn’t help but frown.
That reaction, at least, couldn’t be helped.
