-17-

Of course, it’s natural that Roan is stronger. Roan is the strongest in this world with his sword. At that moment, he raised the sword he had carried.

I thought to myself, could it be? Is he really going out?

My doubts about it became real as Roan took a step forward.

“Ro, Roan!”

I urgently called out to him.

“Are you really going out?”

“Well, trying it once wouldn’t hurt.”

No, it might hurt. I couldn’t shake off the thought that he might get hurt.

“It’s dangerous. What will you do if you get hurt?”

Upon hearing my words, he smirked or maybe chuckled lightly. What an ironic expression.

“If I were to get hurt with that sword, I wouldn’t have existed in this world.”

I was a little lost for words. But even so, I was worried about him. Isn’t that the way a parent’s heart is? No matter how strong their children are, they still worry about them!

“Then why are you going out knowing you’ll win?”

After hearing that, Roan remained silent for a moment and then said with an uncertain expression.

“Well, maybe I just want to fight after a long time.”

There was determination in his eyes.

In the end, I raised both hands in agreement with his determination to fight. If he seems to be in danger, I should tell him to stop immediately. Roan stepped into the arena.

“I am Roan.”

Roan calmly stated his name to a man named Shubi. Shubi smiled chillingly as he twirled his dagger in his hand. How could he smile like that, giving off such a creepy vibe?

Seeing that smile, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy despite knowing Roan would win.

“Shubi.”

Thud. Why do I feel more tense than Roan? Although I was on edge, unlike me who felt nervous, Roan showed no signs of tension at all.

Roan wore an iron mask, but I could tell his face beneath it was as calm as usual.

I nervously watched them, trying to calm my pounding heart. Please don’t get hurt.

The referee shouted that the match had begun.

“Wow!”

The same cheer I heard earlier echoed.

Shubi and Roan were not attacking each other immediately but seemed to be assessing one another.

Shubi was the first to move. In an instant, he approached Roan and aimed his sharp dagger at Roan’s neck. Why his neck now when they were supposed to fight?

Shubi’s speed towards Roan was incredibly fast. I involuntarily closed my eyes in dizziness.

Thunk.

There was a dull thud as something fell to the ground. What, what happened? I cautiously opened my eyes again.

Huh? My eyes widened in surprise. I couldn’t see my own face, but I must have looked extremely shocked.

Shubi’s dagger was stuck in the ground. How could this happen?

Was Roan really this capable? Until now, I had only read about his skills in words and had never seen them in action. I finally felt his strength.

Shubi stood dumbfounded with a look that seemed to indicate he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. Meanwhile, Roan calmly stood with his sword in hand, as he had before.

“That was easy.”

Roan casually remarked, almost as if he was teasing someone.

It felt like he was sending a message.

Then he swiftly turned towards me. From afar, he looked at me and raised the corners of his mouth. The woman standing beside me squealed.

It seemed like Roan was saying to me, “See, I told you I’m stronger.” It felt like watching a puppy show off to me.

Of course, Roan didn’t resemble a puppy, though. Maybe more like a Siberian Husky?

At that moment, Shubi shouted in a tone that seemed to deny something.

“I challenge you to another duel.”

This time, there was no hint of his previous smile. Roan accepted without hesitation, as if it were no trouble.

Thus, the duel began again. Shubi made a fierce expression and rushed towards Roan. He was fast before, but this time it was almost impossible to follow with the eyes.

Thunk.

Roan deflected Shubi’s dagger with his sword. The dagger flew in a circle and landed firmly on the ground.

There was a breathless silence for a moment. And then.

“Wow!”

The loudest cheer I had ever heard erupted.

“Roan! Roan!”

The audience chanted his name. I joined in. Why do I feel so proud? He won again, yet I seemed more excited.

Ladies and gentlemen, this man is my husband!

I felt like boasting. Of course, I didn’t act on it. There were women behind me screaming like they were his fan club.

Though it wasn’t exactly ideal, I decided to be magnanimous.

Just enjoy it now. After all, he’s my husband. I resolved to savor the privilege of the victor.

Leaving Shubi behind, visibly more shocked than before, Roan departed without hesitation.

“It felt like witnessing the reincarnation of San Carja!”

“You might as well call him Roan Carja!”

People lavished praise on his departure. I, too, expressed my admiration.

“Roan, that was truly remarkable earlier!”

“It was nothing. He wasn’t a strong opponent.”

“Haha, Roan, your strength makes it seem that way.”

I forced a nervous laugh. Shubi was no pushover; he was just exceptionally strong. Life really felt unfair at times.

We decided to explore the streets further. Feeling peckish, we bought snacks to munch on.

Roan seemed hesitant at first to try street food, but after one bite, he enjoyed it. Adorable.

We also played mandatory carnival games like shooting galleries and darts. It was during these that I learned Roan surprisingly didn’t like losing.

By the time we wandered around, the day had dimmed. We had lost track of time, lost in enjoyment.

Soon, the highlight of the night, the fireworks display, was about to start. It would be perfect if we caught that too.

“Roan, let’s go watch the fireworks later!”

“Sure.”

First, we decided to return to the inn we had secured earlier. As we approached, we noticed a crowd gathering outside. It seemed we weren’t the only ones here for the festival.

Here was where I posed the most important question.

“How many rooms do we have?”

He remained silent for a moment. Surely not two, right? This wasn’t some mansion; naturally, there’d be only one…

“Two.”

He dashed my hopes cruelly. My expression mirrored the bleakness I felt inside.

Why on earth?! I barely managed to restrain myself from asking. Of course, I wasn’t hoping for us to use two rooms, but for us to remain purely platonic. Just pure company. Yeah, that’s it!

“Roan, how about we share one room to make space for others?”

“Huh?”

Roan responded immediately. It seemed he hadn’t even considered that possibility.

“We’re married, you know.”

“Just because we’re married doesn’t mean we should share one room.”

He was firm. Very firm.

Didn’t we bond a bit today? I asked a bit sullenly.

“Roan, do you really not want to share a room with me?”

“……”

He seemed taken aback, saying nothing in response. With a pout, I continued.

“So, you don’t want to share a room with me…. Is that really so strange?”

“That’s not it.”

Unusually flustered, he replied.

Finding it amusing, I decided to tease him a bit more, like a sulking cat.

“Well… If you really don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do.”

Sighing deeply, I trudged off to my room.

Then Roan grabbed my wrist. I chuckled softly. But when I turned back, my face was grim.

“Duchess.”

“It’s okay. If you really don’t want to, I won’t insist.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to.”

My ears perked up. Really?

“Then why are you hesitant about sharing a room?”

I continued with a sullen tone. Roan brushed his hair back and said,

“Do I really have to say it myself?”

Roan looked frustrated.

“Would it really be okay with you if we shared the same room?”

“Of course. There’s no reason why it wouldn’t be.”

He chuckled softly.

“Are you really sure there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be okay?”

“Yeah. Unless you also dislike it, what reason could there be?”

“I’m not okay with it.”

“Why aren’t you okay with it?”

Roan seemed to have a genuine reason. By this point, I was really curious.

“If it’s not because you dislike it, then why can’t we share a room?”

Suddenly, Roan stepped closer to me. In a languid voice, he said,

“Because it’s hard to resist when you’re in front of me.”

Resist… what? I doubted my ears.

Did I hear that right? Resisting something suddenly craving a snack or something like that isn’t the meaning.

Could it really be what I’m thinking…?

“Th-th-that is…”

Caught off guard by such unexpected words, I stumbled over my response.

“I don’t want to share a room with you not because I dislike it.”

Then he smiled at me with a seductive charm I’d never seen before.

“On the contrary, it’s quite the opposite.”