Chapter 55

For two whole days, Rivera traveled by carriage, yet she never lost her smile. Simply being alone with him was enough to make her happy.  

Adrian and Rivera, who had smoothly begun their journey by touring the outskirts of the Bartman territory, found lodging in a nearby city. It was an old and shabby inn.  

After paying for their stay, Rivera flopped down on the bed as soon as they entered the room. Adrian, who had roughly unpacked their belongings, approached her and spoke.  

“You must be hungry. I’ll go out and get something to eat. Can you stay here by yourself?”  

Rivera nodded silently without saying a word.  

“Alright. I’ll be back soon. Don’t open the door for anyone, no matter what.”  

Rivera, who had rarely traveled long distances, was likely exhausted. She was pushing herself during the early stages of her pregnancy.  

Although Adrian had considered canceling the honeymoon after learning about her pregnancy, he eventually gave in to her earnest request. He even asked the Saintess to bestow another blessing for the sake of the child.  

The Saintess’s blessing was different from other priests’ blessings in that it protected life. For the next few months, even if Rivera overexerted herself, the child wouldn’t be lost. That was why it was a divine blessing and a miracle.  

Although the Saintess had directly assured them that it was fine to have marital relations during pregnancy, Rivera refused. She didn’t want to do such a thing while carrying his child in her womb.  

Leaving the room, Adrian quietly closed the door, taking in the stillness of the inn. Despite being located in a large city, the inn was completely devoid of other guests.  

‘As I thought… it wasn’t just my imagination.’  

As the faint scent of blood lingered in the air, Adrian silently opened the door to the next room.  

Creak.  

Inside, two men who appeared to be travelers lay dead.  

Adrian stepped into the room and touched the corpses. They still had faint traces of warmth.  

“They haven’t been dead long.”  

Rivera had always been known for her bad luck. Whatever she chose, it was never the right choice—whether it was men or, in this case, the inn.  

She had insisted they stop at the first place they came across, saying she was too tired to go any further, and of all places, she had chosen this one.  

“Why doesn’t she understand why I worry about leaving her alone?”  

Even if she claimed she wasn’t a child and could handle things on her own, her words carried no weight.  

As Adrian stood in the dim light of the hallway, another shadow appeared beside him. It was Ines.  

“What are your orders?”  

“Where are the escort knights?”  

“They’ve rented a shop across the street. They’ll come immediately if summoned.”  

Although Adrian had told Rivera he wouldn’t bring guards along, he had secretly stationed them nearby for her safety.  

As Adrian moved past the corpses toward the window, he spotted a general store beyond the inn. The knights were said to be stationed inside.  

“Where are the people we saw earlier?”  

He was referring to the man and woman who had pretended to be the innkeepers.  

The two had been working as a team, likely robbing and k*lling travelers in the area. If they were on wanted posters, all he had to do was capture them and turn them in.  

“They were whispering on the first floor earlier. They were saying the new guests seemed wealthy and that they should pull off one more heist.”  

“Sigh.”  

“And they also mentioned how you and Madam were so good-looking that you’d fetch a high price on the black market, Duke.”  

One’s true nature can never fully be hidden.  

Adrian, enraged by Ines’s words, descended to the first floor. The thieves who had been behind the counter were nowhere to be seen. Silently concealing his presence, he heard noises coming from the kitchen.  

‘So that’s the owner of the shop.’  

Behind the counter lay a corpse with wide-open eyes.  

When Adrian entered the kitchen, he saw the thieves spiking boiling water and prepared food with drugs. He silently listened to their conversation.  

“If they eat this, even the strongest man will pass out instantly?”  

“I’ve tested it before, so it’s guaranteed. I used it on that boss who used to work me to death—spiked his drink and killed him.”  

Ah, to think scum like this still existed.  

Adrian swiftly approached the kitchen, shoving the woman aside and grabbing the man by the head.  

“Wha-what…?”  

Splash!  

He shoved the man’s head straight into the boiling water. The man thrashed in agony from the heat, but Adrian, protected by aura, was unaffected.  

“Who… who are you?!”  

As Adrian dealt with the man and turned around, the woman lunged at him with a kitchen knife.  

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”  

“Shut up!”  

He had warned her.  

As the screaming woman charged at him, a thin wire glinted in the air. Ines, who had been hiding, used a wire to wrap it tightly around the woman’s body.  

“Gah… guh!”  

As the wire tightened, Ines braced his foot against the woman’s back and pulled hard.  

“The nonsense here is coming from you.”  

Squelch!  

Blood spattered everywhere. Ines retrieved the wire and bowed his head before Adrian.  

“It’s all taken care of.”  

The cleanup was flawless. He thought his master would be satisfied since he had eliminated the scum that had dared to offend him. 

But Adrian silently stared at Ines. When he raised his head, unsure of what he wanted, he saw the displeased expression on his face.  

“Oh.”  

He realized then—his master was annoyed because blood had splattered everywhere.  

“Didn’t I tell you not to use that weapon when I’m around?”  

“My apologies.”  

Adrian, who insisted on sleeping in the same bed as Rivera even if they couldn’t be intimate, couldn’t return to her covered in blood. However, he also didn’t want to leave his pregnant wife in a place where multiple people had been killed.  

“Never mind. Report this to the guards. I don’t care what happens to these scum’s bodies, but the victims’ remains should be properly cremated.”  

Leaving those words behind, Adrian walked away.  

* * *  

The next morning, Rivera woke up and blinked, looking around.  

“Where am I?”  

White silk curtains, larger than herself, fluttered in the breeze from a massive window. Beyond it lay a vast sky and rough waves crashing against the sea.  

As the salty scent of the air filled her senses, Rivera rubbed her eyes.  

“Did I drink last night?”  

She hadn’t touched alcohol since losing her memory after drinking once. After learning about her pregnancy, she had been even more cautious, avoiding even light wine. The situation felt strange to her.  

The mansion she was in was so grand that most other estates couldn’t compare. It was just as luxurious as the Bartman Ducal House. Paintings adorned the walls, and one depicted a mansion that seemed to resemble this one, built by the sea to showcase its grandeur.  

“Yesterday, we stayed at an old inn… Am I losing my mind?”  

Tilting her head in confusion, Rivera searched for the door. The long hallway seemed endless, and there wasn’t a single person in sight.  

“Where’s Adrian?”  

Checking all the rooms would take too long.  

Cautiously stepping forward, Rivera decided to find someone inside the mansion. There had to be a manager or servant she could ask.  

As she walked down the hallway, searching for shadows of people, she caught the scent of meat wafting from the first-floor hall. Someone was grilling meat early in the morning.  

Following the smell, she found a barbecue party in full swing behind the mansion.  

“I want some too!”  

Rivera hurried over, demanding a share of the meat. Adrian caught her, warning her not to trip.  

“I saved some for you, but greet me properly first.”  

He lightly kissed her, caressing her waist. Wanting to deepen the kiss, he slipped his tongue between her lips. The knights, who had been eating, spat out their meat at the sight of such a blatant display of affection so early in the morning.  

“Are we even supposed to be here?”  

“Shh.”  

Even Rivera felt embarrassed by the public display.  

“Let’s… let’s stop.”  

She was mortified that the knights were watching.  

The table wasn’t fancy, but Rivera enjoyed the meat, filling her stomach.  

“Drink some water while you eat.”  

Adrian handed her water, worried she might choke.  

“But why are we eating meat this early in the morning?”  

The knights answered for him.  

“We rode all night without rest and missed dinner, that’s why.”  

“Why? Weren’t you all on vacation?”  

“Well…”  

The knights hesitated, unsure how to respond.  

“I called them. There’s been a rise in bandit activity lately.”  

“What?”  

“It’s dangerous to leave you alone.”  

“Then what about the room? Couldn’t we have stayed there for one night?”  

Adrian’s expression turned serious.  

“There were bugs.”  

“B-bugs…?”  

“Cockroaches as big as my fist.”  

Rivera’s eyelid twitched as she dropped the meat she was chewing. She hated cockroaches, centipedes, spiders, and maggots more than anything else.  

“…Did you kill them?”  

“Yes. But I thought there might be more, so I brought you here. You were so tired that I didn’t wake you.”  

“Phew, thank goodness.”  

Relieved, Rivera continued eating with gusto. She absolutely hated bugs.  

* * *  

Basking in the sea breeze, Rivera enjoyed her rest.  

Adrian, who had declared he wouldn’t push her too hard, focused his investigations on coastal areas. He worked tirelessly, often unable to return at night because most illegal activities occurred late in the evening.  

“Baby, your dad’s staying out again tonight. He never used to stay out before. There must be so many bad people in the world for him to be gone every night, even during our honeymoon.”  

Was it a mistake to plan a month-long honeymoon? Or was it because I refused to be intimate due to the baby?  

Even when Adrian did return at night, he tossed and turned, unable to relieve his frustration.  

Although the Saintess’s blessing ensured there would be no issues with physical intimacy, Rivera couldn’t shake her concerns about doing such a thing while pregnant.  

‘Normal people might resume intimacy after the early stages of pregnancy, but his… his thing is as thick as my arm. What if something happens to our baby?’  

Rivera tried to convince Adrian to endure for a little longer, even if it was difficult now.  

“He’s becoming more childish by the day.”  

While resting at the villa, Rivera heard from the servants that Adrian had captured the leader and remnants of a barbarian tribe.  

They also shared the morning newspaper with her. Curious, she asked them to bring it to her.