Chapter 1

“Even though they live in Semia, the Nueno people are said to have a short lifespan.”

Marie’s gaze, as she spoke, was not directed at Kalik. She was elegantly stirring her tea with a teaspoon instead of a fork and knife. 

Kalik wondered if that could be considered a meal, but when he thought about it, he had never seen this woman eat. Occasionally, maids would come out of her room with empty dishes, so she must be eating something…

“Why are you bringing up the Nueno people during a meal?”

More than that, he was curious why she suddenly said such a thing after not speaking a word until now.

Marie’s gaze was strangely fixed on Kalik’s plate.

What’s this?

She couldn’t possibly want to eat it. The same goes for speaking. Whether she wanted to point out the method or the form, Marie Odillia was not the type of woman to engage in such trivial conversation.

Kalik stopped eating and fell into thought. Even if he tried to ignore it and continue eating, something was bothering him. There was no basis for it. If anything, it was because she twisted her words when she could have just said them directly. In any case, she was a woman who made him interpret her words two or three times like an oracle, so there must be a hidden meaning in her words.

The Nueno people are a minority in the Semia Kingdom, located far South. Semia is known for various specialties, but the most famous is that its citizens’ average lifespan is 10 years longer than that of other countries on the continent.

However, the people of Nueno, like residents of hot countries, are less active and optimistic, but their lifespan is short. It’s lower than the Semia average and 10 years shorter compared to other countries on the continent, making them a symbol of short life.

One of the causes of their short lifespan, as pointed out by many scholars, is their unique eating habits. Their staple food is salted and dried goat meat, and they consume it with additional salt…

“Are you trying to point out that I’m eating too salty?”

Marie smiled faintly.

Instead of answering, she took a sip of her tea. Her eyebrows shot up for a moment, then relaxed into a gentle arc as if nothing had happened.

“…”

Yes, she was that kind of woman. If she had something to say, she could just say it outright, but she always twisted her words about 180 degrees. Then she layered a fake over it, leaving you wondering if it was that or not.

In short, a refracted way of speaking, there’s no other way to describe it.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

When Kalik put down his knife, Marie pretended to be concerned and set her cup down as well. It was as if all her nerves were concentrated on her face, as her eyes, which had risen earlier, now drooped. If not for the conversation they had just had, he might have been deceived. She seemed like a very proper and kind-hearted woman.

Although he was aware of his salty eating habits, he didn’t think it was a habit he needed to change. Eating this way was a means of replenishing the sweat he lost, and anyone who trained as much as he did would naturally seek salt.

If she had kindly suggested that he eat less salty for health reasons, he might have felt embarrassed but not resentful.

But Marie Odillia would never say it like that. She’d rather bite her tongue and die than say it that way.

“You seem displeased with this meal, so I’ll prepare vegetables for the next one.”

“If you want to eat your fill, you’ll need to harvest about a field’s worth.”

Bang.

In the end, Kalik couldn’t hold back and stood up. He snatched his coat from Dawson, who had brought it as if waiting for him. Normally, a wife would help in such a situation. But unfortunately, she was not a typical wife.

“I’ve eaten my fill, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Marie didn’t even look at Kalik as he spoke. Of course, Kalik expected this too.

He spoke kindly to Marie, who was elegantly drinking her tea.

“I often hear that I’m quite dull, but even the dullest person notices changes if given some distance.”

Marie wondered what he was getting at and listened quietly.

Kalik, having tidied his clothes, looked her up and down and said,

“You should consider a vegetarian diet more than I should, Marie.”

And then Marie couldn’t hold back her question.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that your surface area has increased since I last saw you.”

Immediately after, Kalik left without looking back. Marie, left behind, pondered what area he was talking about, and belatedly realizing the meaning, she exploded with anger.

***

“Really, Miss Marie is too much.”

As soon as they left the garden, maid Lily vented her pent-up frustration. She was seeing off Kalik along with his aide, Dawson. This was originally something Marie should do, but as the only daughter of the Odillia family, it was unthinkable for her to do such a trivial task. If he asked her to see him off, she would probably scoff at him, asking if he couldn’t even leave for work on his own.

In fact, she had already said as much on the fourth day of their marriage. She asked how long she had to keep seeing him off after three days.

“No matter how you look at it, she treats her husband like an enemy. Are you going to leave it like this?”

Dawson lowered his voice, glancing toward the garden. The garden was a compromise for Marie because she didn’t want to meet Kalik in an enclosed space. No matter how hot or cold it was, meals were to be taken in the gazebo of the garden.

Of course, this unreasonable request disguised as a notification was not immediately accepted. Exactly half of the staff expressed dissatisfaction. They were the staff of Escael. They argued on behalf of their master, saying, “It’s only once a week; do we really have to go that far?” But their master himself…

“Understood.”

He complied meekly, leaving them speechless.

Moreover, once he allowed it, her words didn’t stop there and gradually led to more uncomfortable remarks. Picking fights at every turn…

However, the staff brought from his family were firmly on Kalik’s side. Not because they were paid by that family, but because, from what they saw, Marie’s words towards Kalik crossed the line. Considering the background of this marriage, there were parts of her behavior that could be understood, but that didn’t mean all her actions were forgivable.

“Right! Even if the husband is a fool, one shouldn’t be treated like this!”

“Lily.”

“Why!”

Lily, who was reprimanded by Dawson, jumped up like a grasshopper being fried. Kalik was looking at her with a displeased expression.

Realizing her mistake, Lily hurriedly tried to rectify the situation.

“Oh no! Oh no, what do I do! I didn’t mean it like that; it was just an example!!”

“It’s okay. I must be worse than a fool.”

“No, I didn’t mean that! I misspoke, Young Master!”

“It’s fine. Since I’m worse than a fool, I’m not even upset.”

“Oh dear, what are you saying? Of course, Young Master, you’re much better than a fool!”

“Lily… please.”

“Oh dear, what should I do? I’ll just keep my mouth shut…”

Pale-faced, Lily covered her mouth with both hands and hid behind Dawson. However, the thin Dawson was insufficient to cover someone twice his size.

“But you didn’t lose today either.”

Kalik looked at Dawson, who was assessing him with a serious face. At least he seemed sincere. Did he really think it was normal for a man and a woman in their early twenties to have a meal together and exchange comments like, “You eat salty, so you’ll die young,” and “No, you’re large”?

“Sigh… Dawson.”

“Yes.”

Dawson was confidently meeting Kalik’s gaze. There was not a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

In the end, Kalik turned his head away first.

“…Well. There can be such a perspective too…”

It’s not a crime to take sides. They were just reveling in the adversity of “this side is being wronged,” without really considering whether Marie Odillia was truly the perpetrator. That’s why, on the other side, Kalik was probably the villain.

“I’ll leave things to you while I’m gone. If anything happens, contact me… or rather, yes, contact me.”

Kalik almost said ‘the main house’ but swallowed it down. If this side called the main house, that side would call the main house too. Whatever the issue, it would be an eye for an eye. Fortunately, Marie never acted first in such matters.

Lily shrugged her shoulders and replied.

“I’m sure there won’t be any issues, as always.”

“It seems likely, but you never know what might happen.”

“Aren’t you worrying too much?”

“It’s never too early to be prepared.”

Even if something happened, it wouldn’t be a big deal, and there was nothing he could do, but somehow, whether she was left alone or not, Marie seemed likely to cause trouble, making him uneasy.