MAS 37

Chapter – 37

“There’s something I want to see. Would you come with me?”

At Lilia’s words, Sideron almost blurted out, “With those legs?”

But at that moment, Herden’s words came to mind:

“Just do what the other person likes.”

Suppressing his urge to argue, Sideron smiled.

“If that is a husband’s duty, then.”

Lilia looked somewhat uneasy but didn’t contradict him.

Sideron liked that.

But as soon as he saw Lilia hobbling forward, his brows furrowed again.

He immediately approached her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and gently lifted her.

Her waist was so small that she could fit entirely in one arm.

He thought anew, She really is such a tiny person.

But the thought froze the instant his eyes met those of a woman.

Pure white hair. Sky-blue eyes.

His gaze was inexplicably drawn to her.

An unfamiliar rush of emotions erupted in Sideron’s chest—emotions he had never experienced before.

“What… is this?”

He couldn’t even think of moving his body.

The surge of feelings was so strange that simply processing them overwhelmed him.

It was completely different from how he felt when looking at Lilia.

If Lilia resembled spring, this woman was like early winter, transitioning from autumn to winter.

Just looking at her made his chest tighten and his throat constrict.

But more than the sensation itself, what gripped his nerves was the question of why he felt this way toward a woman he had never met before.

Sideron’s eyes narrowed.

“Who are you?”

Unlike Sideron, the woman seemed to know him.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be looking at him with such direct, unwavering eyes.

Yet her expression was bitter.

Sideron didn’t like that expression.

“Why?”

A woman shrouded in mystery from beginning to end.

If he tried talking to her, perhaps he could learn something.

But the moment he stepped forward, Sideron realized the emptiness on one side of his arm.

Something was missing.

“…Lilia?”

He felt his heart drop.

Even when he had almost died on the battlefield, he had never felt such utter despair. He frantically scanned his surroundings.

Biting his lip, he felt anxious, as if he had lost something vitally important.

“Where the hell did that troublesome woman go…?”

Twisting his body to search for Lilia, any memory of the mysterious woman he had just seen vanished from his mind.

By the time he found her on the terrace after searching the banquet hall, he felt his entire body, stiffened from tension, relax all at once.

He still couldn’t define what this feeling was.

But even without defining it, he knew he couldn’t let this feeling slip away.

Come to think of it, why did Sideron act that way back then?

At the time, I was too focused on getting off the terrace to notice anything strange.

Why did he pull me along? Why was he so urgent? There were so many questions.

But the one I was most curious about was this:

“What happened to Adrina?”

Did she… leave the main heroine alone?!

I wish I could scold him for that.

“If that had happened, my situation wouldn’t have gotten this complicated.”

I sighed deeply, reviewing the situation.

“Yeah. No matter how much of a side male character he is to the heroine, it’s weird that he sticks to her like a magnet without any connection.”

Was this some kind of contrived plot power from the original work? I was foolish to hope for that.

No, that wouldn’t make sense either—because then being inside the book wouldn’t make sense.

Clang.

The sound of a dish falling pulled me from my thoughts.

…It fell again.

I looked at the fallen dish, then raised my head to meet a piercing gaze.

Sideron’s sharp eyes were staring at me.

“Um, your eyes are a little… really scary?”

Judging by his expression, something must have happened yesterday, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask.

Just then, a maid placed a new dish on the table, and I thought I should just eat.

I cut into my steak, and then—clang—again.

The cold atmosphere made my neck feel tight.

This was already the fourth dish I’d dropped.

Trying to break the tense mood, I spoke.

“Haha… did someone oil the dishes or something? Why are they so slippery…?”

Sideron’s eyes widened.

If anyone else heard that, they’d think it was a joke, but I felt a bit wronged.

My table manners might have been lacking, but today my cold sweat made the dishes slip from my hands repeatedly.

Anyway, it was my fault, so I quickly looked away.

At that moment, Sideron finally spoke as he entered the dining room.

“Never….”

“Huh?”

“Don’t disappear without saying anything.”

Huh?

I didn’t immediately understand what he meant.

He must have been referring to yesterday, but something felt off.

Usually, Sideron would say something playful, but yesterday was the day he met that Adrina.

And yet, this was his reaction?

I glanced at him and our eyes met.

For some reason, his bright yellow eyes seemed to flicker with a larger flame today.

I quickly looked away.

Of course. Why wouldn’t I?

“Seems like I really annoyed him yesterday.”

Sideron has been kind to me lately, so I’d forgotten, but he’s still Sideron.

I firmly believed that human nature doesn’t change.

Even if he acts friendly now, he might turn on me according to the book’s route.

“Better be careful from now on.”

Under his demanding gaze, I quickly nodded.

“Y-yes. I will.”

Luckily, his fierce look softened a bit.

Realizing this was the perfect chance to ask about Adrina, I hurriedly spoke.

“Um, Sideron.”

“…?”

“The banquet yesterday, did you see a woman?”

“A woman?”

Sideron’s eyes narrowed.

Oops. That wasn’t how I should ask.

“Um… she was really beautiful! Silver hair, blue eyes—I thought maybe you saw her.”

Hearing me, Sideron continued cutting his steak, his delicate brow briefly furrowing.

Sideron doesn’t notice emotions well.

He also doesn’t remember people in detail.

So the fact that he was momentarily disturbed meant he definitely remembered her.

And that meant…

“He felt something when he saw Adrina.”

Sideron put down his dish and spoke.

“Lilia, I don’t know why you keep bringing up other women, but there’s no need to worry about what you think.”

I blinked, then responded a beat later.

“Worry…?”

Worry about what?

For some reason, he looked triumphant.

“Herden told me that your reason for wanting a divorce is that your position feels unstable. So I’ll make your position secure so you won’t feel anxious.”

…I think you’re seriously misunderstanding something.

“Sideron, I don’t know why you think that, but…”

“Then do you mean there’s another reason?”

There is—an extremely big reason.

But is it really right to say it?

Even if I say it, it won’t solve anything, and might just stir up trouble.

“…No. There is no other reason.”

“I promise. I won’t see another woman.”

Sideron said this confidently.

I half-hoped he would see another woman instead.

(Of course, there’s probably only Adrina for him.)

Wait…

“Has Sideron really not set his heart on Adrina?”

Of all times, leaving that place was such a mistake.

I need to know what happened after, to plan my next move.

“Did nothing happen?”

I tried to glance at Sideron to gauge, but that wouldn’t tell me anything.

“I need to find out more.”

I couldn’t focus on eating, thinking that my carefully laid life plans might be disrupted.

During the meal, only one thought filled my mind:

Notebook, notebook, notebook. Ah, here it is.

I searched the drawer for my notebook and finally found the one with the original story notes.

I even locked the door, in case someone tried to peek.

Plopping down on the bed to calm myself, I opened the notebook reverently.