ââ¦â¦.â
Aedis was at a loss for words, but I gave my honest impressions nevertheless.
âThis is the first time you treated me so coldly. My heart is beating, achoo!â
Oh, itâs really cold here. Could it be the North 500 years ago?
I felt the warmth draining away, so I rubbed my arm. Then, all of a sudden, pajamas caught my eye. Everyone could tell that I was wearing pajamas, and that the cloth was thin. Cyclamen Castle is in the north, but the temperature is very well controlled.
I lightly stuck out my tongue and asked Aedis.
âAedis, take off your coat.â
âWhy should I?â
âBecause Iâm cold?â
Aedis tilted his head.
âAre you a beggar?â
âNo.â
I immediately denied it and pulled my clothes to straighten the crumpled part.
At that moment, my collarbone was exposed, and Aedis furrowed his eyebrows at the petal marks that seemed to have been carved by pressing down on the skin.
You engraved it.
Aedis said nothing and took off his coat.
âHow did you get here dressed like that?â
âWhere is this?â
ââ¦â¦.â
Aedisâ patience was reaching its limit.
I said quickly, not wanting to be killed by my husbandâs past self.
âIâm asking because I really donât know.â
ââ¦â¦ The land of the demons.â
So, is it beyond the Crystal Gate?
However, I didnât know if there was a crystal gate at this time or not. Iâll have to ask after clearing up my doubts.
I put on Aedisâ coat and buttoned it up. Aedis, of course, didnât wait.
âAedis? Where are you going?â
âTo a place where you are not.â
Excuse me?
âWait! Thereâs still things I want to say to youâ¦â¦.â
Aedis didnât even listen.
Donât be that cold-hearted!
I put the sprawling chick in my pocket and ran after Aedis. I hoped he didnât use movement magic.
Fortunately, Aedis stopped after a few steps. He turned his head sharply and looked at me.
âAre you going to follow me?â
âYes.â
âWith those feet?â
My feet were already covered in scars because the floor of the cave was uneven.
âAre you worried?â
ââ¦â¦.â
âI am not a suspicious person. Just tell me how old you are, and Iâll tell you everything.â
Aedis looked at me with eyes full of disbelief and replied.
âNineteen.â
Crazy. Crazy! Cute!
âWeâre already married, but letâs get married again.â
It must have sounded completely insane. Aedis seemed to regret his answer. His expression, his gestures, everything touched me vividly. But Aedis had never said that he had met a woman who looked like me in the past.
Iâm very, very clingy right now. Thereâs no way he would have forgotten about it.
⦠⦠It would make sense if he accidentally forgot.
Sensing the presence of the sleeping chick in my pocket, I laughed softly.
âAedis, we may soon forget, but we are a couple. No, we will become a couple. Mmmmm, roughly 500 years from now? I was born then.â
ââ¦â¦ what?â
I stood on my toes and pressed my face to Aedis.
âHow is it? Do you like your future wife?â
âI donât know what kind of confidence you have to ask, but of courseâ¦â¦.â
âOf course?â
ââ¦â¦.â
âWhy did you stop talking?â
Aedis furrowed his eyebrows.
âIâm trying to speak as purely as possible, so donât come near me. Donât even touch me.â
You have many demands.
Still, his true nature didnât go anywhere, and the stern face, like the Aedis I knew, was friendly. You must think Iâm crazy, but you donât even try to take my coat.
I looked tearful on purpose.
âButâ¦â¦ My feet hurt so muchâ¦â¦.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âOkay. Iâll cancel the plan to sneak up on you.â
Aedis let out a deep sigh and held me in his arms.
Um, thatâs awkward.
âWait.â
I figured it out and got into position. Aedis now looked full of energy.
âEven if everything you said is true, it may not be me, so donât you think itâs scary?â
âYes. So can I touch your face? I think your cheeks will be very soft.â
ââ¦â¦ you.â
âHuh?â
ââ¦â¦.â
Aedis hesitated. I laughed when I noticed what Aedis was about to ask.
âJust call me Eve.â
âYou mean you donât want to tell me your real name?â
Why would you draw conclusions like that?
I tilted my head to one side.
âAre you curious about my real name?â
âNot at all.â
My husband at this time was not being honest.
âActually, I was cursed with being able to tell my real name only when I received a kiss on the cheekâ¦â¦.â
âIs the beast in your pocket yours?â
My words were cut off, so I answered dumbly.
âItâs ambiguous.â
The chick listens to me, but even listens to what I donât say. It was not like a faithful follower who only followed the âordersâ it had been given.
âYou didnât come here on your own, did you?â
I was wearing pajamas and no shoes, so Aedis quickly guessed.
Wonât he think so?
It would be absurd to hear that I came from a distant future.
I answered while observing Aedisâ reaction.
âStill, Iâm glad I met such a cute husband.â
âDonât even add unnecessary worry.â
ââ¦â¦.â
The demand has increased.
âItâs just a bunch of abilities. Absorb it, put it under full control, or deal with it, or the nuisance wonât end this time.â
Aedis gave a rather stern warning. Again, there was no doubt.
âDo you believe me?â
âI canât believe you.â
Nineteen-year-old Aedis, who was disingenuous, sat me carefully on a flat rock even as he spoke negatively.
âThen why are you so nice to me?â
Aedis didnât answer right away.
He paused for a very long time before opening his mouth.
ââ¦â¦ I donât want to believe it either.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âFrom you, thatâ¦â¦.â
Suddenly, Aedisâ face turned red.
âWhat, what is it?â
âThe, the smellâ¦â¦.â
Smellâ¦â¦ ?
I sniffed on my arm. I had applied balm after taking a bath last night, so I could only smell the faint scent.
I didnât know what Aedis smelled, but it was impossible to catch it with my own sense of smell.
âIs that why you told me not to come near you? Because I smell?â
Iâm really hurt this time
âItâs not like that, my magical power is too much for youâ¦â¦. Oh, there is such a thing anyway.â
What do you mean?
âI will ask again. Do you believe me?â
ââ¦â¦ for now.â
Because of the smell?
I stared at Aedis blankly.
What is that scent, to trust me without going through the verification process? I said that I was not your enemy, but your wife.
At this point, the odor was an excuse, and I began to suspect that my husband was trusting people too much.
Looking back, Aedis hadnât been hard on me even before hearing the situation. Itâs good that my husband was friendly, but if he just blindly trusted anyone, I couldnât help but worry.
Besides, he is nineteen now, is he? He was still very young.
I was nineteen a few months ago, but Iâm still young!
âAedis, even if someone buys you something delicious, donât follow them.â
I hoped that Aedis would not forget this request. The world is very rough.
It would be embarrassing if someone noticed the kind heart hidden behind Aedisâ villainous face and tried to scam him.
âWhy are you saying that?â
âYou trust me so easily. I havenât proven anything yet.â
In my previous life, I thought I would be good at voice phishing.
âDo you want me to be suspicious?â
Aedis bent over toward me, asking a question as if he had heard something strange. It seemed that he was thinking of treating my feet. But Aedisâ hand stopped just before it touched my feet.
âWhatâs the matter?â
ââ¦â¦ I have never treated anyone.â
A few seconds passed, and Aedis sighed and withdrew his hand. It was a contrast to my husband 500 years later, who was good at everything.
âIt would be better for you to go back to where you lived and receive treatment. I cannot take a risk against you.â
It was so nice to hear the low tone that was full of regret. And, of course, he thought of me as a precious thing that left him bewildered.
âWhy canât you take a risk against me?â
âYou are myâ¦â¦.â
Aedis shut his mouth in the middle again. I narrowed my eyes.
Like a 19-year-old with many secrets. Iâm looking at him now because heâs cute, but Iâll have to find out.
With a firm resolve in my heart, I returned to the original subject.
âWell, I can get treatment later. Itâs not too painful. I want to see your face a little more than that.â
ââ¦â¦.â
It was pure sincerity, but Aedisâ brow hardened. If he hadnât told me to not touch him, I would have pressed him hard.
âYour expression is not good. Are you very worried? But if you really look at my face, it doesnât hurt at all.â
Despite repeated sweet whispers, Aedis did not relax his expression. Rather, he had a serious face as if he had taken on all the troubles of the world.
What is he thinking, my nineteen-year-old husband? Donât say he would be divulging his secrets already.
I waited quietly while Aedis sorted out his thoughts. Soon, his mouth twisted.
âYouâ¦â¦.â
âHuh?â
âDid you marry me because of my face?â
âPpfftt!â
No, why did you come to that conclusion? And why are you so serious?
âSorry, sorry for laughingâ¦â¦. Because youâre so cuteâ¦â¦ puhâ¦â¦.â
Aedis looked at me sadly as I laughed so much that I couldnât breathe.
âAre you not denying it?â
âHang onâ¦â¦Iâm still laughing.â
Seeing the tears forming in the corners of my eyes, Aedis wrinkled his expression.
âAre you crying or laughing, just do one.â