PLML 26

 CHAPTER 26

“I asked what you just did to my wife.”

Huh? But Ferus didn’t do anything. If anything, I was the one who covered his mouth.

“Brother, I didn’t do anything.”

Even as Theoris glared at him like he could kill, Ferus kept smiling.

“You just brought your mouth close to Jaina’s hand, didn’t you?”

Wait, what?

Jaina couldn’t take it anymore and stepped in between them.

“No, wait. Theoris, let me explain—”

“Jaina, please step aside for a moment. I need to speak with Ferus.”

Theoris said in a slightly calmer, polite tone.

“No. Theoris, talk to me instead.”

“It’s okay, Jaina. Please step aside.”

Ferus, still oblivious to the tension, spoke brightly,

“Jaina?”

A dagger glinted in Theoris’s eyes.

“Before you came, we decided to speak casually with each other. And about Jaina covering my mouth earlier… Oh, was that supposed to be a secret?”

“A secret?”

‘Oh, for the love of—! Can’t you see Theoris is one second away from exploding?!’

As Ferus kept adding fuel to the fire, Jaina finally snapped.

“Oh, shut up! Ferus, just shut it! And you too, Theoris—calm down already!”

She shouted. Ferus smiled and said, “Okay,” before falling silent. Theoris also closed his mouth.

“Ugh, seriously… It’s not some big secret, okay? I just mistook Ferus for Theoris when he walked in, and I asked him to bring me underwear, that’s all! We didn’t even talk about anything important!”

She covered her flushed face with both hands in embarrassment.

‘Did I really just say the word underwear in front of both my husband and his younger brother?! Seriously…’

Her hands trembled with shame.

But if this explanation cleared Theoris’s misunderstanding, then fine.

Jaina consoled herself with that thought.

“Jaina, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to doubt you.”

Theoris’s anxious voice made Jaina peek at him through her fingers.

The ice-cold expression from earlier was gone. Now, Theoris was sweating nervously, completely flustered. His hand hovered in front of her, unsure of what to do. After hesitating, he pulled her into a hug and gently patted her back.

Jaina quickly realized what was going on.

‘This is my chance.’

Forcing out tears was harder than expected. She curled her fingers and poked herself in the eye. It stung, and tears welled up.

She wiped just enough to leave the trace of tears and lifted her head. Seeing her watery eyes, Theoris’s expression hardened.

“Theoris, please don’t get angry like earlier again.”

“Yes. It was my fault. I won’t do it again.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

Theoris nodded repeatedly, like a scolded puppy. His expression was so cute that Jaina had to fight to keep her smile in check.

After the chaotic misunderstanding, the three of them sat down for tea.

“To be honest, I was really worried when I heard Brother was entering into a political marriage.”

“I see.”

“But now that I’ve met you, Jaina, I feel so much better.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Brother, you’re so lucky. I want to find a good partner and get married soon too.”

“Right.”

Theoris responded distractedly, clearly only half-listening. Ferus, however, kept talking happily.

Though he didn’t say anything outright, it was clear Theoris still wasn’t thrilled about how familiar Ferus acted with Jaina. But after the earlier incident, he kept his irritation to himself.

Jaina quietly nibbled on pastries, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.

As expected of royal refreshments, the desserts were fancy and delicious.

While sipping her tea and enjoying the aroma, she noticed Ferus looking at her.

“Oh, that reminds me—Brother, there’s something I’ve been meaning to show you. This is perfect timing!”

‘Why is he looking at me while saying that? That’s never good.’

Jaina forced an awkward smile. Ferus pulled something from his coat with a grin and unfolded a neatly folded piece of paper on the table.

BREAKING NEWS! Mysterious Woman Seen Controlling Monsters—Is She a Demon?

(Photo)

In the slums of northern Seronia, near an illegal trading post, a woman was spotted riding a monster. According to the source, the woman had pink hair and pink eyes. She was accompanied by a young girl. The monster she rode was the infamous Sayus Wolf, known for its ferocity. Who is this mysterious woman?

Jaina’s face went pale. Even Theoris, who had been ignoring Ferus the whole time, turned white.

Fortunately, the photo was blurry, and her face wasn’t clearly visible. But the article alone was enough to guess the woman was her.

Pink-haired people were rare. And those with both pink hair and eyes? Practically nonexistent.

How many pink-haired, pink-eyed women lived in northern Seronia?

Theoris, regaining his composure first, spoke slowly.

“I’ve never seen this article in any paper.”

Jaina, dazed by the content, finally realized something was off too. She read the newspaper daily—she’d definitely never seen this before.

Ferus smiled leisurely.

“Of course not. This isn’t an official article—it’s a tip-off submission.”

“Who submitted it?”

“Before that, shouldn’t you be thanking me first, Brother? It took a lot of work to make sure this didn’t get published.”

“…Thank you.”

After receiving Theoris’s reluctant gratitude, Ferus chuckled playfully.

“As soon as I read it, I knew it was about Sister-in-law. I’ve already silenced both the tipster and the writer, so don’t worry.”

Jaina let out a relieved breath.

Ferus narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. Something about his gaze reminded her of a cat toying with a new, interesting toy.

“So, Jaina—how did an article like this end up about you?”

Theoris shook his head slightly, signaling she didn’t have to answer.

“Brother, you know this isn’t something we can just brush off. I haven’t told Father about it yet, but if you’re planning to stay silent, then I won’t be able to stop myself.”

Even under Theoris’s sharp gaze, Ferus didn’t flinch.

Jaina knew it too—monsters obeying her wasn’t exactly normal. This wasn’t something they could just ignore.

“Jaina, how did you tame a Sayus Wolf?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t do anything special…”

“Hmm… Just a moment, please.”

Ferus got up and left the drawing room.

Jaina and Theoris exchanged glances.

“Theoris, should we run away?”

Jaina whispered. Theoris nodded.

Just as Jaina started to rise from her chair, Ferus peeked his head back through the door.

“Just in case you’re thinking of running—don’t. Unless you want to become a wanted criminal~”

…Ferus, you weren’t like this before!

In the original game, Ferus Ri Akrana wasn’t like this.

If Theoris was the archetype of the cold and stoic northern duke, Ferus was the epitome of the golden prince—sunny, charming, and kind.

His warm smile, gentle voice, and sweet tone made countless hearts flutter. His perfect manners and gentlemanly conduct were the gold standard of nobility.

‘So why is this Ferus acting like such a sly fox?!’

Jaina gave up trying to understand.

“Jaina, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to stay here. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“No, Theoris. I’d rather not become a fugitive. I want to live comfortably at home, remember?”

“That won’t happen. And even if it does, I’ll make sure you live in comfort, no matter what.”

Jaina was both worried about what he might do and touched by how much he loved her.

“You’re so sweet, my husband.”

She reached out and patted Theoris’s head. Even sitting down, the height difference made it a bit of a stretch. Theoris immediately lowered his posture so she could reach more easily.

He leaned into her hand affectionately, like a big dog. Watching him, Jaina was reminded of Poppy—who used to nudge her hand for pets in just the same way, despite being huge.

“So now you’re not just taming monsters but people too?”

Startled by the familiar voice, Jaina quickly sat up straight.

Theoris stood, looking irritated at being interrupted during his affectionate moment. He shot a glare at the source of the voice.

“Long time no see, Theoris. And Jaina, was it?”

Ashins, draped in a black robe embroidered with golden thread, smirked at Jaina.

“Don’t call my wife’s name so casually.”

Theoris didn’t bother hiding his displeasure, but Ashins ignored him as if it were nothing new. His gaze was locked on Jaina.

“Didn’t I say we’d meet again soon?”

“So you did, Lord Ashins.”

Ashins—the current head of one of the three great magic towers and a man of the Imperial Court.

Seeing him and Ferus smiling beside him, Jaina quickly assessed the situation. She didn’t know exactly what was going on, but one thing was clear: she needed to stay on Ashins’s good side.

“I apologize for my behavior last time.”

Jaina bowed politely. Ashins looked pleased, like a grandfather indulging a child, and nodded.

“It’s fine. You’re still young—you might not have known better. Now sit.”

Once Jaina sat, Ferus and Ashins took their seats in front of her. Theoris sat right beside her, glaring at the two men like a guard dog protecting his owner.

“Jaina, Lord Ashins is a royal court mage and the head of one of the—”

“No need to repeat it. She already knows.”

Theoris cut Ferus off coldly. Ferus didn’t seem offended. “Is that so?” he said, then went quiet.

“Jaina, give me your hand for a moment.”

Ashins said, and Jaina hesitated before reaching her hand out—