Side Story 4 – The Farther the Beast, the Less You Should Feel Safe (Part 1)

Ria visited the Carlisle Ducal Estate for the first time in a long while. As the weather grew chillier in mid-autumn, she came to check on the greenhouse Eden had gifted her.

Before giving birth, she had been too overprotected to leave far from home, and after giving birth, she had been too busy taking care of their two children to visit. Even when she had a moment to spare, the greenhouse Eden had built for her at the Astina Ducal Estate meant she didn’t think of traveling all the way to the Carlisle Ducal Estate.

Eden had told her it was fine since he had helped prepare the greenhouse at the Astina Estate as well. However, Ria could sense that he felt a little disappointed.

It was such a subtle difference that others wouldn’t notice, but she was certain of it.

She had thought about visiting for a while, and the opportunity finally came when Rune and Kahin finished their work early and offered to take care of the two children all day. This unexpected free time led her to decide to spend her day at the greenhouse.

“Wow, it’s been well-maintained.”

As Ria stepped into the greenhouse, she marveled at how clean and orderly it was, with not a single weed in sight. The flowers had even been changed according to the season, different from the ones she had seen when the greenhouse was first gifted to her.

Admiring the vibrant array of flowers one by one, she followed the path deeper inside and soon arrived at a resting area. Since she had informed the butler of the Carlisle Ducal Estate in advance, a simple tea set and refreshments were prepared on the table.

Stretching her arms wide, Ria carefully dragged the table closer to the sofa. True rest, after all, started with lying down.

At that moment, as she bit into a madeleine with a satisfied expression and sat on the sofa, a vibration came from the small bag she had brought along.

After sipping her tea to refresh her throat, Ria rummaged through the bag and pulled out the vibrating object. It was a communication stone, shaped like a round orb.

—Ria.”

As she tapped the communication stone twice, a familiar voice immediately came through. It was Eden’s voice.

—Have you eaten? Did Lionel and Rizer give you any trouble?

Before she could even answer, his voice was filled with concern for her, bringing a bright smile to Ria’s face.

In truth, another reason she had come to the greenhouse today was because she missed Eden terribly.

“Yes. I ate earlier with the children. They were well-behaved, so it wasn’t difficult. How about you? Did you eat lunch while working? Did you sleep well?”

—I can’t sleep well without you.

“You still need to get some rest, even if just a little. You must be so tired.”

Hearing the worry in Ria’s voice, Eden let out a low chuckle.

Currently, he was on a diplomatic trip to another country. As the Empire became more active in international exchanges and trade, delegations were frequently sent and received between nations. This time, Eden had to go because the business he was handling was central to the exchange.

However, this was actually the first time he had gone himself. In the past, even in such cases, Rune, Eden, and Cherta had always sent their deputies or officials instead.

Even visiting the nearest nation took at least a few weeks. Visiting the farthest nations started at a few months and could easily extend to half a year if things dragged on.

And yet, they expected him to leave for such a long period? Away from Ria?

He couldn’t bear to be apart from her for even a day—no, even an hour. Ever since he had returned to work at the palace after her childbirth, leaving the mansion every morning had been torturous, and his feet had felt glued to the ground.

For Eden and the other three men, it was an impossible task. Truly impossible.

Because of this, the Emperor had been troubled when the first delegations were to be exchanged.

For the largest neighboring nations, there were times when the Crown Prince needed to visit in place of the Emperor. If the Crown Prince couldn’t go, one of the two highest-ranking Dukes had to go instead. But all of them had stubbornly refused!

Even when the Emperor tried to force them by issuing direct orders, he knew it would backfire. He was well aware of how counterproductive that approach would be, given their personalities.

On top of that, these clever men had even brought Lionel and Rizer to the Emperor, issuing a veiled threat. If they were sent away, he shouldn’t expect to see his grandchildren for a while.

Long gone were the days when the Imperial Family didn’t care about blood ties. The grandchildren, who resembled their beloved daughter-in-law, melted the hearts of both the Emperor and the Empress.

In the end, the Emperor had no choice but to yield to them.

Fortunately, Ria mediated the situation. In truth, she was the only one who could handle them, and this pattern often repeated itself.

Thanks to her mediation, the Emperor and the three men reached a compromise.

First, they would only send them to nations where the trip wouldn’t take more than a month.

Second, if they absolutely had to go to a nation requiring more than a month, they would ensure a significant portion of the work was completed so they could return briefly using teleportation magic.

Third, they would create communication stones that allowed Ria and the men to contact each other freely at any time.

The Emperor, seeing this as a reasonable deal, quickly agreed. As a result, the ones who suffered the most were the Imperial mages, who had to work tirelessly to make it happen.

Still, the mages had recently developed a teleportation stone that allowed all four men to travel together to Ria’s side. Thanks to their hard work, their abilities had advanced significantly, and they could now create long-distance teleportation stones that allowed travel to any part of the Empire, no matter how far.

Although the potential for international friction meant these stones weren’t yet available to the general public, high-ranking nobles on extended trips could request one for emergencies, provided they submitted detailed reports and obtained approval from the Imperial Family.

The issue was the communication stones.

While it was relatively easy to create them for use within the Empire, extending their range to other nations was a daunting challenge. Single-use stones were possible, but the three men wanted something that could be used over a long period.

Of course, as always, the Imperial mages eventually succeeded—though not without exhausting themselves to their very souls.

Thanks to this, the three men departed without complaint. While they couldn’t completely hide their reluctance and hesitation, it was still a significant improvement.

—I’m fine. More than that, I just want to finish my work quickly and return to you. By the way, where are you? It’s quiet without Lionel and Rizer.

Despite his words, his voice carried a faint trace of fatigue that he couldn’t completely conceal. However, since he didn’t seem to want to dwell on it, Ria simply answered his question. She had no idea that he had intentionally left his fatigue slightly evident, wanting to monopolize her concern.

“I’m at the Carlisle estate right now. I haven’t visited the greenhouse in ages.”

—Hmph, it’s chilly these days. Why did you go all the way there?

Though his words sounded critical, his voice carried a hint of joy. Finding this endearing, Ria chuckled softly.

“It’s a place you gifted me. I’ve always wanted to visit more often, but I couldn’t, and it’s been on my mind. Besides… I missed you a little.”

—I miss you too. I miss you so much.

When Ria honestly expressed her feelings, Eden’s voice grew slightly impatient. If he had been next to her, he would have wrapped her in his arms and kissed her all over.

—I’ll come back soon. I’ve stocked up on the coffee you mentioned.

Coffee! 

Ria straightened her back, which had been leaning comfortably.

The country Eden was visiting had a culture that favored coffee over tea. When she first heard this from Eden, Ria had been so excited that she forgot to breathe, bombarding him with questions.

‘Can you bring some back? Is it easy to prepare?’ and so on.

It had been a long time since Eden had reacted so enthusiastically. He meticulously noted down all of Ria’s questions and asked every person from the foreign nation he encountered as part of the delegation. As a result, rumors of him being a devoted husband spread rapidly. He even skipped non-essential meetings, saying he had to contact her whenever he had time. Naturally, the rumors spread like wildfire.

Eventually, Eden learned how to brew coffee and purchased an abundance of equipment and ingredients. The thought of Ria being happy made the money he was spending feel like nothing at all.

—I’m even working on importing coffee into the Empire so you can enjoy it as often as tea.

“Ah! Eden, thank you!”

Hearing her already joyful voice brought a bright smile to Eden’s face. His decision to proceed with importing coffee—something that wasn’t originally planned—was entirely to see her radiant smile.

Additionally, it was a chance to learn more about her past. She loved coffee so much that she practically lived on it during her school days and even worked part-time at a coffee shop during vacations.