Chapter 9: Before the Wedding ⑧ ~At the Tavern~
That night, Edel headed out to a tavern for the first time in a while.
On days when Aria was away, he tried to stay at the estate as much as possible, but he had hit a wall with composing, so he decided to go out for a change of pace.
Of course, this was after obtaining the butler’s permission and on the condition that he bring a guard along, but the thought of a nighttime tavern for the first time in ages made him oddly excited.
“Thanks as always, Theodore.
I’m sorry you can’t drink since you’re guarding me even though we’re going to a tavern.”
“Don’t worry about it, Lord Edel.
I’m not much of a drinker to begin with, so guarding you is perfect for me.”
Theodore was a young knight and one of the guards who accompanied Edel when he went out like this.
Several guards rotated shifts, but when it came to taverns, it was almost always him.
The reason was that while he was skilled with a sword, his unarmed combat ability was also exceptional.
In taverns, things often literally came down to brute strength, so having someone who could fight barehanded made him ideal as a guard.
As he said himself, he did not particularly like alcohol, so he and Edel usually ended up dealing with drunk patrons while staying sober together.
Edel was not interested in drinking so much as gathering material for lyrics and compositions, so he simply listened to stories from drunkards that might or might not be true.
“Hey, Edel.
Long time no see.”
“Oh, you’re alive.
That’s good.
Mind telling me a story?”
“Huh? Already?
That was fast.
Sure, but the first mug of ale’s on you.”
“If it’s worth the drink, sure.”
To get the adventurers he now knew well to talk freely about their exploits, Edel treated them to the first round of ale.
“Alright, everyone!
Let’s tell Edel all about our adventures!”
“Yeah!”
With alcohol flowing and encouraged by Edel’s attentive listening, the men eagerly shared one story after another from their experiences.
“There are dragons in places like that?”
“That was close.
I might add some intense sounds there to heighten the tension.”
“So there really are colorless, transparent lakes out there.
What?
An underground lake?
Then I’ll never get to see one.”
Nodding and offering comments, Edel listened happily to each story.
Meanwhile, Theodore floored an adventurer who got drunk and tried to pick a fight, then somehow ended up winning an arm-wrestling tournament that broke out afterward.
Since the winner got a free drink from the owner, he ordered a non-alcoholic beverage without hesitation.
“Huh?
Isn’t that Edel?
Come to think of it, I heard you’re a minstrel.
Why don’t you sing for us?”
A female adventurer who had arrived later casually placed a hand on Edel’s shoulder as she spoke.
“Ah, sorry.
I decided I won’t sing anymore unless my wife is around.”
At that single sentence, the entire tavern fell silent and froze.
Wait.
A wife?
That was the mood, and Theodore nearly burst out laughing.
“…Did I hear that wrong?
Edel, say that again.”
“Huh?
Sure.
I won’t sing anymore unless my wife is around.”
Apparently, it was not a mistake.
Edel had clearly said “wife.”
“Hey!
You serious!?
A wife?
With that face?
You’re the one getting married, not becoming the bride!?”
At that, Theodore could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing.
He clamped a hand over his mouth, but his whole body shook, making it obvious he was struggling to contain himself.
“Isn’t everyone being a bit mean?
Is it that strange for me to have a wife?”
“It’s not strange exactly, it’s just…
Can you even hold your wife?”
At the blunt question, Theodore shook even harder.
Incidentally, he was the very one who had written the report stating, “Lord Edel has not yet been attacked by Lady Aria.”
That report was now properly preserved by his superior.
“Um, um, can I hold her?
Or wait, in this case, am I the one being held?”
Remembering that he would be wearing a wedding dress at the ceremony, Edel’s words only added to the chaos.
Please stop, Lord Edel.
My abs are going to give out.
No matter how much Theodore begged internally, the message never reached the oblivious Edel.
“Huh?
You’re the one being held?
Yeah, actually, that kind of makes sense.
But wait, your wife’s a woman, right?”
“She’s an incredibly cool woman!
Whenever I’m in trouble, she immediately takes action to solve the problem, and she’s really good with her hands!”
“O-Oh.
I see.”
Hearing that said with a cheerful smile completely destroyed Theodore’s abdominal muscles.
Please, say what’s in the parentheses too.
The way you put it makes it sound like Lady Aria is doing something she absolutely isn’t.
They had no such relationship at all, yet his innocent phrasing perfectly misled everyone in the tavern.
Even the seasoned adventurers and the battle-hardened tavern owner hesitated, unsure whether they should touch that topic.
The suspicion that Edel had actually given birth to Chronos seemed only to deepen.
No one here knew that Edel was the consort of Aria, the ruling lord, but if they knew he had a child, they would almost certainly assume Edel was the one who bore him.
“…Alright!
Listen up, everyone!
This world’s full of mysteries!
At this point, I wouldn’t even be surprised if Edel had given birth to one or two kids!”
“Come on, I definitely can’t give birth.”
“You could do it!!
Anyway, don’t mess with Edel, got it!
His wife sounds terrifying.”
At the words of the adventurer who seemed to be their leader, everyone in the tavern nodded.
The female adventurer who had been flirting with Edel said, “Sorry, I can’t handle that,” and withdrew.
“I feel like I’ve been misunderstood in a really strange way…
Well, she is amazing though.”
It’s your wording, Lord Edel.
If his true identity slipped and people found out his wife was Lady Aria, what would even happen?
When that time came, Theodore knew he would never survive it alone, so he vowed to drag as many others down with him as possible.
It looked like it would train his abs far better than any exercise.