MHHASCD 24

After the examination, I went straight to the guild.

With Asti’s introduction, I registered my name in the rolls. I couldn’t take quests while pregnant, but I could still procure ingredients and brew my own recovery potions to sell—just realizing that steadied me with relief.

While I was there, I asked them to confirm whether I’d received the compensation from Leon.

The answer came back cleanly.

No deposit. Nothing held on my behalf.

Had my demand been too high…?

It wasn’t as though I depended on it to live, but I knew the amount I’d named was within Leon’s means. I’d even left enough margin that he could still support Ciara and her child. It was money he’d had after we split living costs and Sheila managed the household—so I’d assumed it would be paid quickly.

“Speaking of compensation…”

“Eh—?”

My heart gave an unflattering jump. It was unsettling when someone began speaking of the very thing I’d been turning over in my head.

“We can also file a claim against Ciara.”

I forced my breathing to settle and looked straight at Asti.

It was true—an affair doesn’t happen with only one person.

But if I demanded money from Ciara, what then? If her life grew desperate… if she took it out on little Lilia… the thought made my chest tighten. I couldn’t step forward so easily.

“Is Ciara working?”

“I don’t believe she is, not now. Her living expenses… are likely covered by Leon. From what I saw, she managed within what he provided.”

My brow knitted before I could stop it.

In our marriage, we both contributed. Leon earned more, so it was natural he paid more. But if he could maintain another household with what was left over—then Ciara wasn’t living on her money at all.

If I took compensation from her, the source would still be Leon’s pocket.

What meaning would there be in that?

“If she isn’t working, where would it come from? Leon, wouldn’t it. If I’m going to receive anything, I’d rather it be paid with money she earned herself.

“But… I want Lilia to be raised properly.”

When people are pushed to the edge, they often lash out at those who cannot resist. I couldn’t bear the idea of that child becoming the target.

“I understand. But if you change your mind, tell me at once.”

“Thank you.”

Some might call me soft.

But for now, this was enough.

Life after that passed in quiet days.

The baby grew steadily; after three months, my belly began to show a little. Soon it started to flutter now and then—soft, insistent movements that made my affection swell day by day.

I’d wondered if I would feel lonely, if living alone would be hard.

But I had already spent more than half my life waiting alone—Leon gone on expeditions. In truth, I did not find it unbearable.

If anything, not having to sit with a knot of worry in my chest while waiting for someone’s return made me feel lighter.

And yet—

There was one problem I could not ignore.

My recovery potions, the foundation of my income, did not sell here as they did in the capital.

I didn’t think it was because I was a newcomer. People did pick them up and examine them with interest.

Asti and the knights of the capital had praised them so highly… and still, in this place, they simply didn’t move.

Was my work never as valuable as I believed?

Regret, sharp and unpleasant, pressed in—especially when I thought of the “punishment” I’d imposed upon the knights by raising my prices again.

I began to feel I needed a plan.

“Lady Sheila, you look pale. What’s wrong?”

Perhaps my lifeless expression during my prenatal checkup had been too obvious. Doctor Bella asked with open concern.

“I… I’m just feeling anxious about the future.”

“The baby is doing well. But… is there something else troubling you?”

I hesitated. Was it acceptable to speak of money like this?

But I still had no one here I could consult easily.

In the end, I drew a breath and told her the truth.

“My income has decreased from before.

“I’m supplying the guild with recovery potions, but the sales… aren’t very good.”

From my space magic, I retrieved the potions that had been returned and set them before her.

Because the ingredients came from the Spirit Forest—rich with dormant power—these batches felt even stronger than what I’d produced in the capital.

Yet demand was poor.

The forest’s materials sold out whenever they appeared, but I couldn’t gather them often. And now that my belly was growing, bending to harvest was already becoming difficult.

If I was to live here, I needed at least enough sales to eat without worry.

But at this rate… it was honestly tight.

“Hm… yes. These are very high purity—upper-tier potions, certainly. But…”

“But?”

“They may not suit the people of this town.”

“…Is that truly the case?”

“Yes. Your potions are what I’d call balanced—useful in a wide range of situations.

“But the adventurers here… many of them fight recklessly. What sells best right now is a potion that drags someone back from the brink—near-death to full recovery.”

“…What?”

“And that sort of medicine is already being made by Delila.”

So that was it.

My potions were excellent—but because their effects were steady and evenly distributed, those who wanted an immediate surge found them lacking.

And if someone else already supplied the town’s most sought-after product, of course people would flock there.

“Is there any good method…?”

“Then why not look through Lady Misty’s collection? She was famous even around here. There must be research notes or texts.”

Misty.

Asti’s mother—the woman whose grave I had greeted when I first arrived.

Since then, I’d visited regularly, offering prayers and often seeing the spirit lord as well.

“But… it would be rude to look without permission.”

“That’s true. Then ask Asti. Honestly, you should be speaking to him about this in the first place.”

The words struck me cleanly.

It was true. Ever since Leon, I had leaned on Asti again and again. He gathered evidence. He moved first, guided me, supported me before I even knew what I needed.

And yet… I feared relying too much. I feared becoming a burden. Even when he stopped by simply to check on the house, I couldn’t fully relax.

“I worry that if I depend on him too much, it’ll become a nuisance.”

“A nuisance? Asti is very fond of you, you know.”

I had heard it once, from his own mouth.

At that time, I still had a husband—at least in name—and I’d brushed it off as a joke.

Even now, I was indebted to him beyond measure. He didn’t even accept rent, insisting that an empty house only rotted.

“And besides,” Doctor Bella continued gently, “even without romance, he’s a good man, isn’t he?”

That, I could agree with without hesitation.

If Asti hadn’t been there, my love for Leon would have cooled more slowly. I might still have been in that house in the capital, waiting for Leon to return.

He was the one who guided me when I couldn’t be calm.

Thinking of it made something in my chest stir—softly, awkwardly, like the brush of a fingertip against a bruise.

That night, Asti came by.

Perhaps because Doctor Bella’s words still echoed in my head, my greeting turned stiff. Uneven.

Asti, however, wore the same easy expression as always—so naturally untroubled that it felt absurd I was the only one flustered.

I shoved the memory down.

“Um… I have a favor to ask. Would it be all right?”

“Yes! Of course—what is it?”

The way his eyes widened, the bright delight on his face—something in me tightened sweetly, painfully.

“If it’s all right… I was hoping you might let me see any books Lady Misty left behind.”

“My mother’s books? Ah. They’re on the second floor.”

“Let’s go,” he said, and held out his hand.