“Um…… sir?”

When Bellota, who hadn’t noticed who was standing behind her, called out to the man uncertainly, Seiden’s eyebrows rose sharply. When the man gestured with his eyes to answer quickly, the frozen merchant finally looked back at Bellota.

“Didn’t you say you had a favor to ask?”

When Bellota asked innocently, Seiden’s expression became even more menacing. Hiic! The merchant, who shuddered at the killing intent he felt on his skin, took a moment to collect his breath and quickly changed his stance.

“Yes, yes. I did say that. I said I had a favor.”

“Are you alright? You don’t look well……”

As Bellota said, the man’s face had instantly turned pale blue, and he was sweating cold sweat despite the cold. With his keen survival instinct, the merchant realized he had touched something he shouldn’t have. And that he needed to get out of this situation quickly.

“I-I’m fine. My favor is, well, that is, ah! Yes! I want you to take all these herbs! Please, take them all!”

Bellota’s face became bewildered.

“What……?”

“Ha, these haven’t been selling at all and have been quite troublesome. So please, miss, take them all.”

“But just before……”

“Please forget everything I said before! Please just take these and use them well. That’s all I wish for.”

The man was now pleading with a face that looked about to cry. While Bellota stood there unable to continue speaking in confusion, a thick arm smoothly settled on her shoulder.

“How fortunate. You said you wanted to get herbs.”

At those words, Bellota turned to the side in surprise. There stood Seiden, who had apparently finished his errands.

“Rick……”

When Bellota murmured his other name that only she knew, Seiden gazed at her affectionately.

At that sight, the merchant’s heart sank. The two appeared to be a married couple. The thick arm wrapped around her delicate shoulders clearly asserted that fact. When Seiden’s gaze, filled with silent warning, smoothly turned back to the merchant, a chill ran up his spine.

“But just before, you said these herbs were very precious……”

“No, really! I was just saying that!”

The merchant, who jumped up before Bellota could finish speaking, hurriedly pulled out a bag and began sweeping herbs into it. After stuffing herbs into the bag until it bulged, he hastily thrust it into Bellota’s arms.

“Now please, please leave, quickly!”

Then in his urgency, he tried to push Bellota’s shoulder, but that irreverent hand was immediately caught by Seiden.

“Aaaagh!”

“How dare you lay a hand on her.”

When Seiden, now truly angry, growled lowly, the merchant, overwhelmed by his aura, swallowed a scream that threatened to tear out and shed a tear. Just before the merchant’s wrist was about to break, the startled Bellota came to her senses and stopped Seiden.

“Rick, don’t! He probably didn’t mean any harm!”

Though Seiden’s face showed he didn’t agree with those words, he nevertheless smoothly released the merchant’s hand. The merchant collapsed to the ground, clutching his battered wrist.

Bellota hurriedly placed 5 gold on the counter from her purse and grabbed Seiden’s arm.

“This will pay for them. Thank you. Rick, let’s go quickly.”

Though still wearing an unsatisfied expression as he glared at the merchant, Seiden shuffled along as Bellota led him away.

The merchant, who had crawled under his counter to avoid meeting the man’s eyes, clutched his wrist and swallowed his tears. Intense pain surged through his wrist, which was certainly at least fractured.

* * *

“I’m never going shopping with you again.”

When Bellota, clutching the bag full of herbs, muttered in what seemed like an annoyed voice, Seiden’s eyebrows rose.

Look who’s talking. Seiden himself was mentally repeating for the hundredth time his vow to never again take Bellota to places crawling with strange men.

Even today, if Bellota hadn’t begged to go sightseeing in the market, he would never have brought her out. Unfortunately, it all started when he had to visit the blacksmith because the dagger blade he used to catch monsters yesterday had become bent. He didn’t want to take Bellota to a place full of unpleasant heat and loud noises, but during their brief separation, another one of those flies had started buzzing around her.

He truly couldn’t take his eyes off her for a moment. Bellota was too beautiful to travel this vast and treacherous continent, and the flies drawn to her were countless. Moreover, Bellota couldn’t understand that people could harbor such terrifyingly base malice in their hearts. So what could he do? He had no choice but to stick close by her side wherever they went. He had to keep his guard up to protect her.

“From now on, I’ll go by myself.”

At those indifferent words, Bellota’s steps came to an abrupt halt. Pressing her lips together, she turned to look at the unyielding Seiden with apparent annoyance.

Ridiculously, his stubbornness melted away instantly at that look. Seiden remained a surprisingly easy man when it came to the woman before him. To the point where even seeing that prim gaze made him happy. To the point where even this ticklish lovers’ quarrel was this enjoyable.

“……Fine.”

Finally swallowing a small sigh, Seiden said words he didn’t mean.

“I was wrong.”

At Seiden’s sincere apology carried in that quiet voice, Bellota’s stern eyes softened.

Bellota knew that Seiden had contracted a very serious illness because of her. It was an illness that even her holy power, growing frighteningly stronger by the day, couldn’t cure.

Overprotectiveness. If one had to define Seiden’s condition, that would be it.

While traveling with him, Bellota realized that Seiden was protecting her to a serious degree. Though she understood where those feelings came from, it wasn’t right for him to be wary of all men who approached her. In severe cases, they ended up with broken arms or legs or serious injuries, which troubled Bellota.

Of course, she couldn’t deny that in most cases, the situations warranted such actions. During their continental travels, Bellota had to meet people she had never encountered before. Monster hunters who tried to kidnap her, an innkeeper who tried to spike her food with strange drugs, and suspicious mages who followed her for days.

They were all severely punished by Seiden before they could lay a finger on Bellota. Of course, Bellota didn’t know that ‘severely’ meant right up to the point of death.

In any case, whenever such things happened, Bellota felt both troubled and embarrassed. It felt like she had become a child who needed overprotection. Especially on days like today, when such things happened just from going to buy herbs.

However, when Seiden said “I was wrong,” Bellota had no other options. She couldn’t help but soften when she saw those large, animal-like eyes looking at her with a pitiful light. Above all, Bellota knew that Seiden always yielded to her in the end. And that this was limited only to her.

As proof that her anger had subsided, Bellota’s steps, which had been ahead, slowly decreased until she was beside Seiden. Yet she stubbornly kept looking straight ahead as if to show she hadn’t forgiven everything. Seiden’s lips curled up at that lovable sight. A small whirlpool of desire rose within him. In the past, he would have forced himself to endure it, but……

“……!”

He no longer needed to hold back. When Seiden suddenly lowered his head and planted a kiss on Bellota’s sulking lips, her eyes widened. Seiden wrapped his arms around Bellota’s waist, carelessly dropping the bags he held in both hands into the snow. Then he skillfully released her just as her shocked rigidity began to fade and her reason started to return. Bellota’s mouth fell open at what had happened in an instant.

“Seiden……!”

When the surprised Bellota forgot to use his alias and called his name, Seiden raised his eyebrows shamelessly.

“Someone might hear.”

At those leisurely words, Bellota covered her mouth with a “Huh.”

The two were on a journey that no one knew about. Fortunately, just by leaving the capital, the number of people who knew their faces decreased significantly, so they didn’t need to use Yevar’s ring every moment.

However, they couldn’t hide their names that had shaken the entire continent. During their travels, they decided to use special names that only they could understand. Their private nicknames were Rick for Seiden and Bell for Bellota. It was because they were still newlyweds too shy for endearments like ‘honey’ or ‘darling’.

“The sun will set soon. The children must be getting hungry waiting for us.”