My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields

It didn’t take long for the evening to come.

It felt that way, at least.

Elric was wondering how he should apologize, what words he should use, and whether he should rush it or not.

He had never faced a situation like this before, and he couldn’t come up with an easy answer.

In the end, he realized that he had to just try and see what happened.

So began his first dinner with Tyria since returning to Wevin.

“Am I late?”

She appeared just as the appetizers were being served on the table.

Her attire was different from what she had on during the day. 

Hearing her, Elric shook his head.

“You’re just in time. Please have a seat.”

He rose to greet her, though he couldn’t be sure if he was adhering to the etiquette of nobility. Elric was largely ignorant in this aspect.

Not only that, today’s course-style meal was the first of its kind in Elric’s life.

In retrospect, his childhood had been characterized by his father’s emphasis on efficiency, with dinners consisting of a single dish.

And on the battlefield, there was no time to spare for mealtimes and hours of conversation.

He worried that he might have offended her, but fortunately, Tyria didn’t seem to mind it much.

“Please take a seat, Tyria, you must be uncomfortable just standing there.”

Elric gave a small smile and nodded as Tyria sat down in the chair.

“Let’s eat first.”

He picked up the utensils.

Elvus Grayman had told him at one point that there were over ten types of dishes needed for a meal of nobility, but that wasn’t the case for their course.

A spoon, a fork, and a knife. It was simple, and that put Elric’s mind at ease.

As he chewed on a small, refreshing herb, he observed Tyria.

She was eating gracefully as usual, without making a single sound.

“Ahem…”

Wait, no, wouldn’t it be sudden to bring up the main topic so soon?

Let’s start with a casual conversation.

“How was your day today?”

“The wheat is in good shape, and we’re looking at a decent yield this year.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it’ll be the biggest harvest we’ll see since seven years ago.”

“I see….”

The conversation trailed off.

Elric broke out in a cold sweat.

Was conversation always this difficult? Elric pondered on this thought and eventually realized something.

He couldn’t remember having much of a conversation with anyone since he had left home.

The one time he had had anything resembling a conversation, it had been with Elvus Grayman, but he was a man who could have carried the entirety of the conversation himself.

It was a frustrating moment to realize that all he had were his sword skills.

“Uhm….”

Thinking he should continue the conversation, Elric rattled out a series of topics.

It was mainly about the mansion.

But they were also the kind of questions that didn’t lend themselves to long conversations, like:

“Isn’t the weather beautiful today?”

The awkward atmosphere didn’t dissipate until the main dish arrived.

Elric felt restless as the minutes ticked by, and eventually let out a long sigh.

‘What’s the point of all this?’

He chastised himself.

For some reason, his behavior felt cowardly.

He had called her in to apologize, but was wasting time with unnecessary questions. Wasn’t he just acting like a child reaching out to avoid a spanking?

No matter how much small talk they engaged in, he wouldn’t be able to lead the conversation into and create a connection with the apology.

It was like how one could not defeat an enemy without drawing a sword.

Clatter.

Elric set his tableware down.

He lifted his head to look at Tyria.

She, too, had lifted her head at the sound of the noise.

He could finally see her face.

There was a certain indifferentness, a certain bluntness, a certain high-mindedness.

She looked like someone who would hold her ground no matter what happened.

But that wasn’t all there was to it.

Tyria Portman had lived a life in which she couldn’t afford to break in the face of any hardship.

According to Elvis Graham, you were what you grew up to be, and she had grown into the woman she was today due to the fact that she had stood alone in a life where no one had stood with her.

And it was Elric who had been the one to leave her.

“Actually, I have a purpose for calling you here, the thing I told you about in the wheat field earlier today.”

“You said you wanted to have a conversation.”

“That’s right.”

“Please go ahead then.”

Tyria lowered her head slightly.

Her gaze was fixed on the table, and her hands were neatly clasped together on her  lap.

For some reason, the sight made Elric’s stomach turn.

She had adopted the posture of someone who was about to be chastised.

She looked like she was stretching her neck over a chopping block.

Did she think that she was going to be reprimanded for something that happened in the time that he was gone?

If not, then….

‘Does she think that she’s going to be kicked out?’

There was a hint of resignation in her attitude, which was quite sad.

It was the thought that she would take it in stride even if such a thing were to happen.

She didn’t deserve to be treated like this at all.

Elric clenched his fists.

Then, he spoke carefully.

“…I’m sorry.”

Tyria’s eyebrows narrowed.

She raised her head immediately, a puzzled look in her eyes.

Elric smiled bitterly.

“I am sorry. I invited you here to apologize to you.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

It would be appropriate to accept an apology no matter what it was for, but why was he apologizing?

Elric spoke up immediately.

“For everything. I want to apologize for leaving you ten years ago, for only coming back now, for not looking for you along the way.”

It was in that moment.

For the first time in his life, Elric could clearly see her expression reflecting the emotions on her face.

No, it was not the first time. When he had met her for the first time in that wheat field in Wiven, didn’t she show a similar reaction?

Her green eyes peeked out from beneath her long lashes, her eyebrows gently curled, and her red lips parted in a small smile.

Her shoulders slumped back, accentuating her graceful neckline.

She looked surprised.

Elric continued.

“It may sound like an excuse, but I still feel the need to explain myself. At the time, I was too young and it was an impulsive decision.”

At first, it was to prevent Tyria from marrying someone she was unhappy with, but in the end, it was his father’s words that had driven him to run away.

“Do what you were raised to do.”

That verbal dagger had stuck with Elric to this day.

“The reason why I couldn’t come back was, firstly, hatred, then urgency, and finally hesitation. Ten years ago, I left this land because I hated my father too much. I didn’t know that it would make things so difficult for you. I had assumed that you would return to your home…”

…No, this was just an excuse.

Considering that this marriage had been forged as a strategic contract, the likelihood of such a thing happening was low.

If he had thought a little more deeply about the Wyvern Family’s situation, it would have been something that was obvious to him.

However, the reason he couldn’t think about it until the end was because he had unconsciously avoided the topic.

Elric clamped his mouth shut and bowed his head briefly.

“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to apologize with just words. I will make reparations…”

“It wasn’t me?”

“…Huh?”

When he looked up, she was covering her mouth with her hand.

It was a gesture of realization. [1]

“…I’m sorry. I interrupted you.”

Oh, it was only because of that.

It was so lady-like of her.

Elric shook his head.

“It’s okay, and yes, you weren’t the reason I left.”

You were just unfortunately caught in the issues between my father and I.

This was what Elric had said.

He didn’t dare ask for forgiveness.

Ending with a mere apology that only dirtied the other person’s time was something more shameful than not apologizing at all.

Elric would have to pay a price for what he had done.

Fortunately, there was something he could offer her.

‘The inheritance.’

His father’s legacy.

It was everything his father had worked on his whole life, and it was the estate that Tyria had helped build up with her own hands.

It was her rightful share in the first place.

In addition to that, his territory and the family name were also rightfully hers, as she had upheld her responsibilities and obligations until the end.

Elric had ran away from it all his life

Since his responsibilities had already been given to another person, the only thing he could do was fulfill his obligations.

There was no other way.

It might have been different ten years ago, but so much had changed.

The young boy who had used to steal had become a mercenary who killed people for a living. The girl who used to cry alone in heartbreak had become a woman who knew only how to endure things alone.

To change something, he would have to travel back to that day ten years ago.

Sitting here with his arms crossed, he knew he couldn’t start over from that day. To interfere now would only make him a plunderer taking away what she had earned.

Knowing that they were better off staying apart, Elric finally made up his mind.

‘Let us diverge from each other.’

He would give her everything that she should rightfully have.

And on the day his leg healed.

He would give her all of the Portman Family, so that her time would not be in vain.

“Would you accept my apology?”

Elric asked politely.

Tyria, who had regained her composure, replied,

“…You have no reason to apologize, for I have never resented you.”

She responded in her usual manner and continued the meal as if nothing had happened.

The sound of utensils hitting each other clattered for a moment, but soon everything fell silent.

I was puzzled, but I didn’t bother to unravel her intentions.

My resolution was already firm.

[1. Well someone finally figured it out…]