Side Story.2

‘Ahhh, I’m late.’

Now that she had finally shaken off her drowsiness and come to her senses, Agnes remembered everything.

Today was the day Kallion had joint training with another knight order!

Not wanting her days of preparation to go to waste, Agnes rushed into the laboratory and quickly sat at her desk.

‘What if it’s already started?’

On the desk was the latest version of Dralon. Agnes quickly launched Dralon and sent it toward the Imperial Palace.

To be precise, to where Kallion was.

The latest version of Dralon was on a whole different level compared to the one Agnes had made seven years ago, when she was twenty-one.

Back then, it had felt rather like a large bug, but now it was even smaller than a passing mosquito.

It didn’t even make a buzzing noise.

Even its remote control range was astonishing.

Unlike the first version, which could barely cover the academy campus, this new Dralon boasted a range wide enough to easily reach from the Earl’s residence to the Imperial Palace.

Dralon moved swiftly in the direction of Kallion.

‘Please, don’t be late.’

The improved Dralon, designed to pick up Kallion’s unique energy, soon found him.

Agnes had spent several sleepless nights developing Dralon just for today.

She wanted to see her husband’s face, even if it was just through video!

If she recorded it, she could watch it whenever she missed him.

“Please, I’m begging you!”

Perhaps thanks to Agnes’s desperation, Dralon soon approached very close to Kallion.

Fortunately, the training was still underway.

“Wow, look at that jawline.”

As Kallion’s face appeared on the magical device, Agnes couldn’t help but exclaim.

Her husband’s looks were almost excessively perfect.

Every time she saw his face, which seemed to transcend human limits, Agnes was left speechless.

“My eyes have been opened.”

There was no need for magic lamps in the Earl’s residence. Kallion’s radiant face was enough!

If she hung this video in various places, it would surely light up the night all by itself.

Ah, but wouldn’t that blind all the mansion’s servants?

Yes, for the sake of the servants’ eye health, Agnes decided to keep this wonderful thing(?) to herself.

“Wow, what was that look just now!”

Now in his late twenties, Kallion had become even more handsome.

It didn’t even make sense that he could become more handsome than before, but now he even exuded a dangerous aura he never had in the past.

The depth of his now more mature eyes seemed immeasurable.

“I’m so happy…….”

Just a few days ago, she had been feeling down.

But the moment she saw Kallion’s face, she felt energized.

She should have done this sooner!

Soon Dralon began to focus on Kallion’s body.

“Oh my!”

Kallion was continuing his training with his shirt off.

In fact, this was the real purpose.

Kallion’s bare body.

To capture this sight, Agnes had spent several nights developing the new version of Dralon.

“Look at those back muscles.”

Of course, she had seen her husband’s bare body countless times in the bedroom, but usually, she saw mostly his front.

Besides, when they were together, she was so overwhelmed by the pleasure he gave her that she barely remembered what she saw.

So seeing her husband’s back after so long—especially with nothing covering his upper body—was not just wonderful, it was breathtaking.

“Ahh! What do I do.”

Every time her husband swung his sword and his muscles rippled, Agnes’s heart raced.

She planned to save this whole process as a video.

That way, even when Kallion was away, she could endure by watching this blessed sight.

‘Has it been seven years?’

Her last close observation had been in her second year at the academy. After she started dating Kallion, she hadn’t spied on him, so it had been just about that long.

Hehehe.

A happy laugh slipped out between Agnes’s lips before she knew it.

It was because she was enjoying her close observation of Kallion after so long.

This was truly the best vitamin and supplement for Agnes.

***

‘Ha. How many times is this now.’

That afternoon, upon receiving an order at the Imperial Palace, Kallion was filled with irritation.

Even the horse he was riding seemed to sense his master’s foul mood and was running faster than usual toward the mansion.

Normally, Kallion was happier than anyone when returning home after work.

There were even times when he unconsciously hummed a tune, thinking about seeing his wife, but now his displeasure was written all over his face.

He had originally planned to return home before evening after finishing training.

He wanted to hurry back to see Agnes.

He was already unhappy enough that his return was delayed by a summons from the Emperor—

“The eastern border, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, I hear there are bandits appearing.”

The Emperor ordered his knight order to head east the very next day.

“…Understood.”

A knight must obey all orders from his superiors. No matter what, unconditional obedience was the principle.

But lately, Kallion had started to feel doubts about the path he’d walked as a knight.

Because of his beloved wife.

“Kallion, welcome home.”

Seeing Agnes, who had waited for him and hadn’t eaten dinner until late, made Kallion’s heart heavy.

“Aren’t you hungry? Come in.”

Sitting across the dinner table from Agnes, Kallion hesitated to open his mouth.

“Agnes. Today at the palace, I met His Majesty…….”

He had only just returned home after a month.

And now he had to leave again tomorrow?

Agnes must have been looking forward to spending time with him.

His heart felt as heavy as if a stone had been placed on it.

Kallion couldn’t bring himself to say that he would have to leave again tomorrow.

‘Sigh, His Majesty is too much.’

Agnes looked at Kallion with pity. Of course, she already knew everything.

She had watched Kallion receive the order from the Emperor.

Especially since the latest, improved Dralon could record sound as well as video. The conversations were clear enough to understand every word.

It would have been a disaster if the Imperial Security Bureau found out, but Agnes was confident she wouldn’t be caught.

She didn’t intend to use it for anything bad, only to observe her husband!

Of course, this was top secret.

“Did he order you to go to the border again?”

So Agnes spoke first, to be considerate of Kallion.

“Yes, …the east.”

“From your expression, I guess he told you to leave as soon as tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry, Agnes. I think it’ll take about a month again this time.”

Kallion’s eyes drooped.

Even that was so cute and handsome that Agnes wondered if she was addicted to her husband.

She was once again speechless at the onslaught of his face, but Agnes managed to answer quickly.

She didn’t want Kallion to feel sorry toward her.

“No, be careful, Kallion. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll come back as soon as I can, I promise.”

Besides, Agnes really was fine.

“I said it’s okay. You’ll hurt yourself if you push too hard. Take your time and come back safely.”

In the past, she might have felt a little down, but now she had collected plenty of videos of Kallion.

While he was away, she could indulge in admiring her husband to her heart’s content.

That would be enough to get her through a month.

Agnes was quite satisfied with her newly rekindled hobby.

Just thinking about admiring her husband brought a smile to her lips.

She had no idea what kind of misunderstanding this smile might cause her husband.

***

After two days of riding, Kallion arrived near the eastern border. He couldn’t focus on his duties.

As the commander of a knight order, this was unacceptable, but he just couldn’t help it.

‘She seems a bit different these days.’

Recently, Agnes had changed.

‘No, am I just worrying for nothing?’

Was I just confused because I hadn’t seen her face?

If so, that was miserable in its own way.

To not know his own wife well—what a failure as a husband.

Ever since he became commander, Kallion’s repeated deployments meant he couldn’t spend much time with Agnes.

Especially this time, after finally coming home after a month, Agnes had fallen asleep first, so he couldn’t even hold her.

Still, he thought there would be no more long deployments for a while, so he’d planned to spend lots of time with his wife.

‘D*mn.’

Why was I at the eastern border now?

Even if it was an imperial order, to be sent on these border inspections every time—  

Kallion was displeased.  

He was so irritated with his work these days that it was hard to endure.  

‘No, it’s almost over.’  

But now, there was not much left.  

This would probably be the last time. That must be why the Emperor, thinking of it as the last, sent him east one more time.  

Endure it, it’s just one month.  

Once he pulled himself together, his mind felt a little clearer.