Chapter 279: It was about 'worth'
Lilith's POV
"So?" My husband, with a serious expression, questioned Kitty Anna.
"I~I am sorr~nya~ I was little hungr~nya, so..." Kitty Anna's eyes darted towards Scylla, who had a frowning expression, 'S-She will know I was the one who s-secretly ate those foods if I told anything n-now' Kitty Anna with fear..
"So?" My husband applied pressure to her response.
'Gulp'
"I-I opened the fridge and saw a 'Fairy Ice.' I thought it was a new kind of candy and would taste delicious... ha..ha..." Kitty Anna let out an awkward laugh, her gaze avoiding my husband's eyes, while Scylla's eyes turned ice-cold.
"...." My husband seemed unsure of how to react, and it appeared he was silently questioning, 'Why was the Fairy Queen in the fridge in the first place?'
Well, I found myself pondering the same.
"Oh!... Hmm, Hmm, I see now..." Scylla muttered, nodding her head with a cold expression that only intensified, causing Kitty Anna to stutter in fear, "So, you are the one responsible for the disappearance of meats and sweets?"
"N-N--"
"Hmm?"
"...Y-Yes. M-Master, P-Please help me!" Kitty shouted, attempting to hide behind my husband.
"My dear Kitty.... Face the consequences" he declared, effortlessly lifting her and throwing her towards Scylla, who caught her with a menacing look.
"NNNooooyyyyyaaaaaa~~"
"Hehehe..." I couldn't help but giggle at their cute antics. So this was what family feels like... ah.
After that, my husband checked Tiana's pulse and used some healing. A relaxed expression became visible on Tiana's face as she breathed calmly, yet she remained unconscious.
It seemed she had been frozen for some time. However, I couldn't help but frown,
'She is the Fairy Queen, right? Then why does she look weak? I heard she is the strongest Fairy Queen compared to previous Fairy Queens.... Hmmm, well, whatever' I shrugged it off, ensuring it wouldn't affect my husband.
My husband gently placed her on his bed, tucking her into a warm quilt.
Then he stared at me... It was evident he felt guilty about last night, prompting him to spend some quality time with me.
'OOHhh, so sweeeetttt!' I thought, hugging his arm as we left the house.
Scylla also joined us, wearing a dangerous yet satisfied smile....as if she had orchestrated something amusing with the 'poor' cat.
As we strolled around the buildings, my husband eagerly explained everything to me, his enthusiasm for this academic life shining through.
'He seems to be enjoying this academic life' I thought, observing his excitement with a gentle smile.
While walking towards his classroom, he suddenly muttered to me,
"I wish you were also here with me."
"...." I found myself at a loss for words when I heard, knowing it was impossible for me to venture outside. I was about to respond when,
"Well, as long as you are with me, I am fine" he assured, understanding the difficulty I faced.
"..." I witnessed his radiant smile, yet I couldn't ignore the small trace of sadness and... regret?
Staring into his eyes, I finally comprehended that it wasn't about me..... No, no, no, it was about me, and also it was also his first.
'I see...' I mumbled, slowly hugging him, then removing my veil. I was just about to kiss him when,
"Asher Eli, here you are. I came her----"
An old voice interrupted me.
We turned to look at the source and saw an old man, also known as the Headmaster of Nex Academia.
My eyes twitched with a hint of irritation as I noticed him staring at me with a dazed expression. Swiftly, I put the veil on my face, masking my discomfort with a glare.
"Arh" he suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and hurriedly bowed down, but an unseen force halted his movement. It was, of course, me.
I didn't want my husband to know about this; otherwise, he might think I am control-ahem ahem... Gently Monitoring time.
"Sigh, Headmaster, She is my wife. You can't possibly come here and reduce credits .... because she isn't studying here!!" my husband said with a tone laced with annoyance.
"O-Oh, I-It's fine. I came here for... another matter" he stammered, sweat starting to bead on his forehead as if he were facing imminent doom.
"..." I maintained a stoic silence, waiting for my husband's response.
He looked at me, and our eyes locked. We communicated without words, as he understood what I wanted.
"Well, you don't mind if they join" my husband pointed to me and.... Well, Scylla.
My lips twitched with a mixture of amusement and annoyance when I saw Scylla's triumphant expression. It was as if she were saying, 'We don't need to look because he already knows what I think'
'What is this, some kind of competition?' I couldn't help but snort at the little girl who was behaving like a brat.
However,
'Come at me, Bitch!!' I whispered silently, expressing my competitive spirit as I hugged my husband's arm and walked confidently towards the Headmaster's office.
'Snort' Scylla snickered and hugged his other hand.
Without waiting for the Headmaster's reply, he turned pale, as if his life were about to vanish into thin air.
.....
...
"You have a beautiful wife! Ash... Mr. Asher Eli!" The Headmaster exclaimed, his eyes fixed on me, and he rubbed his beard thoughtfully.
As we settled on the sofa, the Headmaster positioned himself opposite us, and I couldn't help but notice the fear glint in his eyes.
My husband shot the old man a sidelong glance before responding with a subtle edge in his voice, "Of course, she is so beautiful that even an old fool is dazed by her"
"cough, cough" The old fool coughed nervously, his face turning slightly pale as he looked at my husband, who maintained a blank expression.
'CCUUTTTEEE!!!!' I internally screamed when I felt him holding my hand tightly.
That old fool quickly redirected the conversation to a safer topic, "You know that incident about the Guild Master"
"Yes" My husband's demeanour turned serious.
'Guild Master? Who?' I pondered. I found myself lost in thought, wondering about this 'mysterious' Guild Master.
"Well, it seems the King of Theos Kingdom wants to have a duel between his kingdom's hero and you" the old fool revealed, glancing towards me, and I felt a sense of increasing fear inside him.
"..." I glared at him as the old fool started to pour lots of lots of sweat.
"Hmm? Why would I even acc--" Before my husband could finish, the old fool interjected,
"Because you guys have already been linked by the Duel"
I was looking at him with dead eyes, 'Theos Kingdom? Oh, I remember now.... Hmm, right. I just annihilated a few bugs that tried to hurt my darling....' I thought.
"Hmmm" My husband stayed silent as he pondered.
"What's the catch?" Scylla interjected, her face etched with a frown, breaking the silence.
The old fool glanced at her before shifting his gaze back to me, "They simply want the Mythology Beast that Mr. Asher Eli is holding in exchange for the Guild Master's life"
My husband snapped out of his thoughts, "But Kayden and I never agreed to any conditions. It was a duel without any conditions" he asserted, his voice firm.
"Yes, but it wasn't about the duel; it was about 'worth'" the old fool explained, choosing his words carefully.
I snapped..."Pardon?" I couldn't contain my outrage, 'Worth? Is he calling my husband worthless and comparing that bug!!' and the room quivered with an unsettling black energy. Scylla swiftly activated her 'Timeless' Barrier, while the old man hastily deployed his own protective shield.
"I-I-It's...a-a..." The old fool stammered in fear, and the atmosphere became fraught with tension as an ominous black mana leaked from my body.
"What did you say? Worth? My husband is not worth? Or do. you. think.
you. are. worthy. than. my. husband, You.
horny. brat??" I questioned, my anger palpable, and I clenched my fists, ready to strike. The barrier around the old fool started to crack.
Just as I was about to unleash my fury, a warm hand gently wrapped around my hips, and my husband spoke with a soothing tone, "Cool down, My lady" planting a tender kiss on my hair. The room seemed to exhale as his touch quelled the rising storm within me.
"....Hmph" I averted my face while huffing. The tension in the room lingered as my body seemed to react instinctively to his words, calming down under their influence. Perhaps, without realizing it.... My body had already surrendered to him.
After the moment of emotional intensity, the old fool explained with a pale face,
"He said that Mr. Asher Eli's life's worth is not the same as the Guild Master, who was also the brother of the King. So, Mr. Asher Eli's life is not enough, and instead, they want his Mythical beast"
"...." My husband's gaze fixed on the ceiling, lost in contemplation. Then he asked, "So, they still believe I was the one responsible for his brother's death?"
"....Yes"
"So, this duel was..."
"Yes, Rock was the one who initiated it because he had no other choice. The other party is really set on killing you"
"..." My husband nodded, "When?"
"It was set to happen today; however, they changed it tomorrow"
"...Where is Rock?"
"... He said he would come to you as he has urgent business now."
"I see... Well, I agree" my husband said and stood up, and we followed suit.
"..." The heavy atmosphere in the room began to ease as the old fool let out a sigh as if the burden on his shoulder suddenly lifted. His gaze wandered over the cracked walls, and a sense of relief seemed to wash over him.
While the old fool busied himself with tidying the room, my husband walked towards his class with a thoughtful face.
"M-Master?" Scylla asked with a worried expression.
However,
"It seems that the old man knows you, right, Lilith?" He asked me.
My heart hesitated as I nodded, sensing a storm of thoughts brewing within my husband.
"Hmm... I see now why he was treating me very well" he muttered, a sly smirk playing on his lips, and then he nodded a few times, leaving us to wonder about the thoughts crossing his mind.
"Master?" Scylla called him again as if she wanted to ask why he agreed.
"Don't worry, Scylla. I didn't agree without thinking...." He said in a soft tone and, "I guess, Dungeon Walker was not enough..." muttered something cryptic.
Unable to hold back any longer, "I-I was the one who killed that guy" I confessed, fearing he was facing the consequences because of my irrational behaviour.
My husband halted his motion, his frown deepening as he fixed his gaze on me.
"You?"
"Y-Yes," I confirmed, my voice a mere whisper, the fear of disappointment clawing at my heart.
To tell the truth, I was a little scared that my husband hit me or be disappointed in me for my irrational behaviour.
However,
To my surprise, He came near me and asked, "But that dark mana had a different feeling?"
Biting my lips, "T-That was from my unsealed form.... My sealed form has less dark quantity while the unsealed form has a different quality".
".... Could you unseal your fingers? If possible, I mean" He asked with a deadly serious tone.
My heart skipped a beat, and I meekly nodded, not fully understanding the implications of his request.
I slowly unsealed my form in the right-hand index finger.....
'sshhhh'
My husband looked at my finger, which now turned a little pale white while the nail turned fully black as a large amount of dark mana leaked from my finger. I was about to seal it when,
'POP'
"Huh?"