“There was a large gauze on his small cheeks, bandages on his temples, and countless wounds on his arms and fingers. The wound on his neck didn’t heal well, and the bandage covering his throat was stained with the vivid color of blood… Even a grown man would have been in agony from the pain of the injuries itself and the fever that accompanied it.”

There were scars on Arnold’s neck from old injuries.

The scars were large and deep, as if he had been stabbed repeatedly with a blade. She unconsciously clutched the hem of her dress.

“Despite all that, my little master sat on the chair without a care in the world and showed no sign of distress. On the contrary, his eyes were cold as frost as he rested his cheek on the armrest of the chair.”

She might not have witnessed that scene, but she could picture it.

At nine years old, he was younger than the current Leo and Myria. But even just imagining Arnold’s expressionless face after being seriously injured was bizarre.

And yet, the sight of an expressionless Arnold despite being badly injured was bizarre to even visualize.

“He was born with an exquisite appearance, so I guess it was the combination of his features and aura. I couldn’t believe that a young child unleashed such a tremendous sense of intimidation. The people around me were trembling under My Lord’s pressure.”

“You told me at noon that he killed a vassal.”

“Yeah. It has been customary since that incident for My Lord to have few servants.”

Rishe kept silent when he shared dryly.

Oliver spoke lightly, but Rishe knew that he wasn’t going to tell her the details of the matter.

“Many things happened at that time, and I chose to serve my lord. As he recovered from his injuries, his talents became increasingly apparent… However, no matter how much he grew up as the Crown Prince, his character remained somewhat distorted.”

Oliver looked down at Rishe with the gaze of an older brother talking about his younger brother.

“That’s why… I am relieved that he chose someone like you as his consort.”

Rishe blinked as the conversation took an unexpected turn.

“I have nothing to offer His Highness Arnold.”

“Nothing of that sort. Besides, he seemed to be enjoying himself very much. I’ve never heard him call someone’s name so gently.”

“M…”

Now that he put it like that, it made her feel shy to hear him just call her name.

Oliver blinked with an “Oh” when Rishe hung her head somewhat shyly.

“You look much different from before.”

“Huh?”

“When you first came to Garkhain, you didn’t seem too happy when I told you that I had never seen him so happy. I’m glad to see that you’re developing a good bond with us, hahaha.”

“N-That was…! You got it wrong. I didn’t mean to imply anything special!”

If not, what was it then?

Now I’m happy when His Highness smiles…

She couldn’t help but feel troubled with that certain fact.

Rishe stood up, flustered and bowed to Oliver.

“I’ll go call His Highness. No matter how much work he has to do, he still needs to eat!”

“Thank you very much. If Rishe-sama can speak to him, he’d be happy to round up his official duties.”

“I-If you’ll excuse me.”

Rishe raised her head and hurried out of the dining room and into the hallway. She never looked back at Oliver and began to walk to the east side of the temple.

“My Lord, you’re cruel to your future wife.”

Oliver muttered, but it remained unheard.

***

My cheeks are burning from all the strange thoughts I’ve been having.

Rishe left the guest house and headed through the corridor to the tower where Arnold was. The cool night breeze might have cooled the heat a bit.

As she followed Arnold’s signs and looked for the room he was using for the meeting with the bishops, she overheard something.

“But still, Lady Rishe will make a wonderful wife for you.”

“?!”

It was Schneider’s voice, the archbishop’s assistant.

W-Well, another strange topic! And this presence…

As Rishe came to a sudden halt, she heard Arnold’s voice from the other side of the hallway.

“Anyone from the Order has no grounds to evaluate my wife.”

The echoing footsteps stopped abruptly.

The only people ahead of her seemed to be Arnold and Schneider.

Rishe masked her presence while Schneider frankly spoke.

“Your Highness, all marriages are united by the blessings of the Goddess and the Order. We are a part of your marriage.”

“Shut up… First, it’s a pointless debate about what kind of Queen she will be.”

Arnold spelled out in a more frosty and savage voice than usual.

“Because she’s only going to be my nominal wife.”

In a blind spot in the corner, Rishe gasped.

“W-What do you mean? You looked on good terms earlier, aren’t you?”

“That’s worth using. It was merely a matter of respecting her until we get married… Once I take her as my official wife, I won’t lay a finger on her. I’ll just lock her up in a detached palace and tame her.”

Although he sounded displeased, his words carried weight.

Schneider, who was listening at his side, stated in confusion.

“Y-You can’t keep her till she dies…!　It is against the will of the Goddess to treat your wife in such a manner!”

“I don’t give a damn about that.”

“Your Highness Arnold!”

“…”

Riche pondered for a moment, then withdrew without making a sound.

She counted for about ten seconds and then turned down the corridor toward Arnold and Scheiner with her shoes clacking.

“I-It’s Rishe-sama.”

The bishop, Schneider, looked at her somewhat perturbed.

Rishe smiled and greeted, “Good evening.”

Next, she looked up at Arnold next to him and said with a different expression.