My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields

“Chairman, we will arrive soon.”

Somewhere in the first class of the continental railroad.

Upon hearing his secretary’s voice, Edward felt a surge of exasperation so strong he almost wished he could hang himself.

‘Ah, I don’t want to get off.’

A soulless laugh escaped, his face pale.

His body lacked any strength, and even his voice was listless.

“Yes, I must go…”

It was the moment he got up with a rustle.

“Oh, and…”

“What now?”

“There are others disembarking with us in first class to Wiven.”

Edward’s body jolted.

His gaze turned to his secretary, who bore a serious expression.

“…From the Empire.”

“Damn it, really.”

Edward clicked his tongue and his head spun.

‘I absolutely refuse to let the situation get any more complicated.’

Whatever it was, he couldn’t avoid dealing directly with it.

As he thought, he was already moving out of his seat.

Indeed, just as the door was opening.

“Oh, what brings Goldsmith here?”

A man in a wheelchair emerged.

Beside him, another man wore a bowler hat, towering like a pole.

Edward had to struggle to maintain his composure.

“Is this an incredible coincidence?”

“A coincidence? I don’t think so.”

Elbus Graham, a central figure of the Empire, replied with a cunning smile.

Edward’s fist clenched.

‘Why him… no, it makes sense since he’s Kasha’s friend. Then the one next to him must be here on some related business.’

Despite wearing a bowler hat, the lower part of that pole-like man’s face was all too familiar.

Of course, it would be absurd to conduct business without knowing the face of such a public figure.

Edward bowed his head.

“…An honor to meet nobility.”

The third prince of Mahir from the royal family was here.

The goal was obvious.

‘It’s not just me thinking about Kasha.’

The war in the West was intensifying.

Those who desired victory were making their moves.

To secure the wild card known as the Sword Demon.

*

The atmosphere at the Portman estate was more chaotic than ever.

It couldn’t be helped.

A wizard.

Moreover, a high-class wizard with gold embroidery on his robe had visited this rural estate, so naturally, the servants were tense.

And there was more.

“Did you come to meet the young master?”

“He looks quite young, doesn’t he? And a woman…”

“What has the young master been doing to meet someone like her?”

“What, don’t you know? It could be a lover he met during his wandering days…”

“My goodness, that would be scandalous…”

Thump!

A fist pounded the wall.

The maids gasped upon seeing the woman who appeared.

“Yikes! The stewardess?!”

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you all getting back to work?”

To Elric, she was a warm grandmother, but to the maids, she was akin to the Grim Reaper—this was Stewardess Ronda.

As she spoke sternly, the maids bowed their heads deeply and left the room.

“…You may come out now, ma’am.”

As the maids left, Tyria, who had been standing behind the door, finally entered the room and sat at the desk.

Ronda’s gaze upon her was filled with pity.

‘The young master really shouldn’t have come out like that.’

The moment Tyria brought the magician, Elric immediately took her away to the parlor to have a private conversation.

He even dragged her by the wrist, a scene all the house servants witnessed.

Meaning, the servants saw Tyria left alone in the aftermath.

It was an undeniably provocative scene.

In other words, it was a scene that undermined the discipline of the mansion.

Isn’t it said that rumors worth chewing over indicate a weakening of respect and fear towards the master?

Especially now, she should be stricter with the servants…

“Ma’am?”

“…I went out alone and I’m tired.”

Tyria was not in a state to handle more.

Ronda had been the one to observe her closest since Tyria first entered this household.

She couldn’t help but know.

That the expressionless face was a mask, and the real Tyria Portman inside was actually a very delicate girl.

But she could not offer premature consolation.

She knew it would only make Tyria more miserable.

It wasn’t a servant’s place to pry open a mask her mistress didn’t want to remove.

“I’ll go attend to the guests for now. You should…”

“Rest here for a while. Please let me know when the master leaves the parlor.”

“Yes, I’ll be back.”

Click, the door closed, leaving Tyria alone in the room.

*

‘I want to lie down.’

As Tyria hunched over in the chair, this thought crossed her mind.

But she couldn’t because today’s schedule had not yet ended.

After the meeting in the parlor, she would have to go down again to meet the two people, and lying down might mess up her hair or wrinkle her clothes.

Even at such moments, she thought she must maintain the dignity of a noble.

Tyria splashed her face with water.

No matter what, her mind was unsettled, and her stomach was churning.

Taking deep breaths seemed to only intensify the anxiety inside rather than calming it.

“I… marriage…!”

“He might be using… an alias.”

“I’ll… take him away.”

What came to mind was a girl filled with shyness.

A girl whose blushing cheeks during their conversation clearly showed her feelings, and who had a painfully clear reaction the moment she faced Elric.

Facing that expression, her thoughts continually spiraled.

Despite promising not to inquire, she wondered what Elric’s past 10 years had been like.

What kind of life he had led and who he had met while they were apart.

She was curious yet fearful.

Afraid of hearing something she didn’t want to hear.

Afraid that his relationship with that girl was exactly what she had imagined.

“Ah…”

How foolish.

She felt incredibly foolish for torturing herself with these thoughts alone.

Yes, that could be possible.

After all, wasn’t he a wanderer during his prime years?

It would be more surprising if he hadn’t formed any significant connections among the many people he met.

The reason such a fact hurt was probably due to her expectations.

The higher you are, the harder you fall, as they say. It was because Elric had returned too kindly.

She shouldn’t dwell on such thoughts.

She tried to steady her mind, but her thoughts kept veering in an unwelcome direction.

What ulterior motives might Elric have had in pulling her into his embrace that moment they met?

Did he not want to show his expression?

Was it an instinctive desire to hide the fact that he might have been unfaithful?

No, was it even right to call it infidelity?

“…Lord”

She murmured inwardly.

Whenever she sought the reason for her anxiety, there was only one answer.

“I am…”

Anxious.

Afraid that you might leave.

Afraid that, just like that girl said, you might leave this place with her.

Afraid of being left alone again.

That fear was overwhelming.

To the extent that she regretted the happy days they had spent together.

“Huh…”

A shaky breath escaped her.

Her head ached.

*

Elric reminisced.

It was about the several battles he had with Ygrett Valentina.

‘I should have killed her the first time we met.’

He had thought about it over and over.

It had been a mistake to just knock her unconscious, thinking she was just a child.

Especially considering how she had continually interfered on the battlefield afterward.

Thinking about today’s events made it even clearer.

He should have killed her.

It was his complacent sympathy that had created this situation.

With that regret in mind, Elric looked at Ygrett.

Click.

The atmosphere in the parlor was sharply tense.

Sitting opposite him, Ygrett was sipping tea with her robe pulled down.

Regret was futile now; he had to think ahead.

Why hadn’t she used magic straight away, knowing her nature as he did?

‘It must be mana depletion. The mana I sense from her isn’t yet fully restored.’

Then, why hide her identity?

‘She must not want to be noticed, especially since the conflict of the Seven Forces has begun.’

The situation wasn’t entirely dire.

The best course of action was to negotiate her departure.

Winning without fighting was undoubtedly the best strategy.

But if that fails, the next best option would be to secretly kill her at this point.

The body could be handled by Danal.

And,

‘To implement the backup plan, there’s a prerequisite task.’

Who else knows she’s here?

Who else would need to be killed to make her disappearance perfect?

The answer was obvious.

‘Goldsmith.’

Goldsmith’s connection with Ygrett was already well known.

It made sense since she held 10% of EW’s shares in her grasp.

Thus, it was clear that her location being exposed was due to Goldsmith.

Maybe I should have taken care of Goldsmith on the train that day.

‘…No, killing Goldsmith on the train would have made it impossible to escape the investigation.’

It’s truly painful that it had to come to this.

Elric gripped his cane tightly.

And spreading a chilling murderous aura throughout the space, he asked,

“Why are you here? I haven’t heard that story yet.”

Ygrett slightly lifted her head in response.

She was red. Her hair, her eyes, her clothes, and her skin.

“Uh…”

She avoided Elric’s gaze as she answered.

“…you seem to fit well with your wife.”

Elric’s brow twitched.

It didn’t seem like a threat, nor did it seem like something Ygrett of Yeomhwa could have said with such a gentle voice.

“What?”

“It looked good. Just…”

Ygrett bowed her head deeply.

“…I hope it continues to go well. Because it looked nice. Yes. That’s why.”

‘Is she crazy?’

Elric thought an unseemly word.

He couldn’t fathom her purpose.

Was it a gesture of goodwill, or was it a threat?

“Did you come just to say that?”

Discomfort began to rise sharply within Elric.