Side Story 2: Love vs Stanning (2)
Hades stared at me for a long while, looking flustered, then turned his head with his mouth shut.
I approached him and asked as I tidied up the messy blanket, “Is something the matter?”
“Why are you here?”
“Huh? What do you mean why am I here?”
Was there a time we slept apart for the last four years, aside from the times when he had left the castle for a monster expedition every now and then? Either he came to my room or I to his.
So it was definitely odd to see him ask such a question on my visit. It was only natural that I came.
I was sure something was up.
“What’s wrong?”
I was about to sit next to him when Hades shot up and turned to get off the bed.
Looking at his back dumbfounded, I heard him speak.
“Go to bed first.”
“…Huh?”
…I even came wearing undergarments I struggled to get from the capital all for the sake of making Abel’s younger sibling!
As I sat there baffled, unable to tell him about it, Hades said something that was out of the blue.
“I have training at dawn.”
“A training at dawn all of a sudden? I already know all your schedule though.”
“Yeah, it just came up.”
“What?”
While I was baffled, Hades left the room like the wind, leaving his word behind.
“It’s going to be like that for a while. Let’s sleep apart for the time being.”
My days.
Left alone, I was lost for words in shock, blinking for a good while.
A training at dawn out of nowhere.
This, this…
Was a definite…
Demand to use separate rooms.
* * *
The next morning.
Hades left the room late at night and he really did stay in the training grounds until dawn and skipped breakfast to sleep.
Since today was a day of regular health check-up, I was facing the doctor who visited me early in the morning.
Bella Limonad, my doctor, was a young woman who originally worked for the Imperial house. Hades had brought her to Louvremont for my sake four years ago. She was brought in through salary negotiation involving astronomical figures.
What she was focusing the most on recently was…
“Your menstruation… you said it happened about fifteen days ago, right?”
“Yeah.”
…A healthy pregnancy!
Checking my status for a few minutes, Bella carefully spoke with reddened cheeks.
“Duchess, this is a good timing since it’s ovulation season. Didn’t the young heir say he would like a sibling?”
“Yep, he did.”
I could calculate my ovulation period without a problem myself. That was why I went to visit Hades in… that underwear yesterday, after all. Though, I came back not able to do anything due to an unknown change in his heart…
Seeing me looking gloomy for some reason, Bella asked worriedly. “Is something the problem?”
“Problem? Hm, well…”
It knew it wasn’t something to ask the doctor, but I had no idea what Hades was thinking, so I told her about it feeling like grasping at straws.
“You know, Bella,”
“Yes, duchess.”
“What could the reason be if my husband asked me that we use separate rooms all of a sudden?”
“…Huh?!”
As expected, Bella was lost for words with her eyes widened.
Hades’ reaction yesterday could not be mistaken for anything else.
Many things happened during the past four years we lived as a wedded couple. Although one of us would get upset at the other or we would quarrel from time to time, not once, did I or Hades announce that we use separate rooms.
Even when we had disappointments about each other, we would get to bed together and wake up kissing each other the next day.
…That used to be the norm!
“C-could it be that His Grace has something he was upset about you, duchess? Perhaps you two fought…”
“No, I would be the first to notice if that was the case.”
The first thing I was suspicious of was obviously that I might have done something wrong, but no. Hades couldn’t be more affectionate during lunch earlier that day. What could have possibly happened during the short period of one afternoon?
No matter how hard I tried to look for the reason why, I couldn’t figure it out and it was frustrating. I pulled at my hair and sniffled.
“It wasn’t just yesterday. He said ‘for the time being.’ He said that we should use separate rooms for a while.”
“Whaaat?”
“What could it be? There must be a reason, right? Could it be that he realized that I was dead prepared yesterday? No, so what if he realized? Does he not like it? Is he…” I flinched mid-sentence, “…could it be that he doesn’t want a child?”
‘Let me think, how did Hade respond when Abel said he wants a sibling for his birthday?’
When I thought back, he didn’t seem all that enthusiastic.
“That shouldn’t be it,” Bell said firmly. “Do you recall the reason why I came here in the first place?”
I do.
After we wrapped up everything and I could finally catch a breath, Hades brought Bella into the castle out of nowhere, saying that she was a prodigious doctor from the Imperial house.
And asked her to…
“He was very curious whether you were pregnant or not, do you remember?”
“Yes, he was.”
That was really out of the blue. He asked about thirty times asking Bella to check my state and see if I really wasn’t pregnant, like he was onto something.
Seeing him, I had thought, ‘Ah, he must want a child!’
But well, things don’t always go as we want to.
Since then, I was cautious to check my menstruation cycle and such, but Hades himself seemed to pay no attention to it.
And that was four years ago…
I sprawled over the table once again, thinking about the other concern I had apart from Hades.
“But why is there no news at all? I can’t possibly be trying any harder…”
Looking at my gloomy face, Bella spoke as she patted me on the shoulder feeling sorry, “Don’t be too upset, Duchess. There is a right time for the child to come to you. Since you are in good shape and His Grace doesn’t have any problems, it won’t be too long.”
“Right. Thank you, Bella.”
“It’s nothing. Anyways, why would he have said such a thing? Wouldn’t it be better for you to ask him in person?”
“Right.” I agreed to Bella’s words.
Since I wouldn’t know the reason why by thinking about it alone no matter how long I do, I should ask him in person.
About the reason why he declared using separate rooms after 4 years of peaceful marriage.
* * *
Hearing the butler’s report that he was out in the training grounds again after merely 3 hours of sleep, I couldn’t bear it anymore and headed to Hades. The knights were being trained in the training ground.
I could see Hades in the distance and Abel was there too.
“Mother!”
Having found me, Abel threw away the sword he was swooshing for a long while and came running.
“Son, were you training hard?”
“Yeah!”
Last year—if I could recall correctly—Abel grew up all of a sudden to be about a head taller than me despite being only 14.
It was almost difficult to hold him in my arms despite him not being so old, he had grown so big and reliable.
“What’s the matter?”
“Ah, I have something to relay to His Grace.”
“Father? Father is right over…”
Abel turned around to find Hades, turning his head here and there, and I followed his eyes and looked around.
“Hm? Where did he go?”
“What? He was here just now, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah, he was right here…”
I saw him for sure, but somehow, he was gone without a trace in the short amount of time while I was saying hi to Abel.
This is…
‘Could it be, he’s avoiding me?!’
I was one hundred percent sure of it.
“Hm… What are you going to say to him? Should I deliver the message when he comes back?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing…”
Shaking my head at Abel looking curious, the knights of the raiding party approached.
“Duchess! What are you doing here?” Vice-chief Jax asked in a friendly manner.
I eyed Jax and Azar beside him in means of salutations and answered, “I came to see His Grace, but…”
“Ah, he’s here… huh? Where did he go?”
“I’d say. Where did he go off to?”
Jax and Azar also seemed to be wondering the same and I couldn’t hide my upset feelings.
“Anyways, chief. Please don’t leave work right away and have a drink with me. Hm?”
“Ugh, I said no!”
Jaz hung onto Azar, feigning crying uncharacteristically while Azar shoved him away looking creeped out.
Jax clung onto other knights about him as well with a desperate expression on his face.
“I really don’t want to go back home. Can’t someone drink with me throughout the night? I said it’s on me.”
“Is something the matter? Why don’t you want to get back home?” I asked and Azar answered instead of Jax with a tired expression on his face.
“He says he’s scared of his wife.”
“…Huh? Did you two fight?”
Vice-chief Jax, who was unmarried the first time I saw him, succeeded in getting married to his childhood friend 4 years ago.
Since their honeymoon period was around the same as ours I could still recall how Jax was smiling all day.
“No, it’s not that we fought…”
“Then?”
“Ugh, my wife told me to come back home in a hurry this morning with an indecent look in her eyes.”
Ah.
Well, we all know what that means. We know all there is to know.
Before Abel asked further what that meant with a look of curiosity, I cut in in a hurry, “But what about it?”
“What do you mean, you think I’m good with it?”
‘Then, you aren’t?’
When I blinked in puzzlement, Jax scratched his head with a sigh.
“You can only do it with glee for so long, ugh, that woman is more fit than I am and is draining me out every day!”
“…Hey, the Childe is present.”
“Agh, so what?! The Childe is all grown up now! Anyways, it’s been hellish everyday recently! She can’t take a hint even if I try! Ugh!”
“H-hellish? So, Sir Barial you… d-don’t want to do it?”
“It’s not that I don’t like my wife, doing the deed! Is what I don’t like! I had no idea either that I wouldn’t want to do it!”
I froze in shock. “I see…”
When I thought about it, it was quite natural. A person couldn’t be consistently… rearing to go.
‘No way, could it be that…’
The reason why Hades looked upset seeing me enter his room in surprise, as well as the reason why he announced using separate rooms, could it be…
For a moment, I stumbled and Azar got a hold of me in surprise.
“What? What’s the matter?”
“No, I’m just, a little tired.”
Unable to keep a straight face there, I bid farewell to the knights and Abel in a hurry and returned to the castle.
* * *
Hades kept avoiding me. Not only did he not join me in dining, he left his room and his office vacant every time I tried to visit him.
There was me desperately trying to strike a conversation with him and Hades, trying to run from me no matter what. The game of tag that only the two of us knew about continued all day.
I felt my insides boiling from frustration, when I was able to meet Hades in an unexpected place.
At Abel’s room.
On my way out from giving Abel a good night kiss, I encountered Hades in the hall, probably heading to his room.
“Honey!”
Hades seemed surprised, staring at me without a word, his eyes wide. Then he hastily turned around.
Hah, he is avoiding me this obviously now?
“Wait up! Stop right there!”
Though he would have clearly heard me, Hades half-ran as he ran away from me.
Feeling baffled, I ran after him, feeling somewhat tragic.
‘He is being too cruel.’
At least let me know the reason why before ignoring me.
No, I have a vague idea of what the reason is, but if that’s really the reason…
‘He could just tell me the truth. He could just say he is too tired for the day. Why does he have to make me feel so pitiful?’
Tap-
As I barely managed to get a hold of his arm with all kinds of things passing through my mind, I felt like crying at his reaction of not even turning around.
“Really, why are you…”
I felt the tip of my nose getting chilly and even my voice was mixed with tears.
Flinching, Hades finally turned around.
He looked more surprised than when I just bumped into him and grabbed a hold of my shoulders.
“What the, why are you crying?”