MHOW 17

Chapter 17

Just like its shabby exterior, the inside was quite old, but fairly clean.

“I’ll have the fish stew, and for this side—”
“I’ll have the same.”

The owner, whose hair was nearly white, bowed with a warm smile and went into the kitchen.

“Doesn’t this place kind of feel like a hidden gem? Even the smell isn’t ordinary—there’s this sense that they really know what they’re doing.”

For once, Ares nodded at my words.

“Places that survive in one spot for a long time usually have a reason. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like he recognizes my face.”

As if relieved that the uncomfortable stares were gone, Ares took off his hat and glasses.

We sat at the wooden table and chairs, and before long, two bowls of steaming stew were brought out.

“Here’s the fish stew you ordered… and you two are lovers, aren’t you?”

Herina, who had been leaning over the bowl savoring the aroma, lifted her head and smiled awkwardly.

“Ah… no, we’re not lovers… We’re married.”

The owner set down a glass of wine for each of us and apologized.

“An old man’s judgment isn’t what it used to be. Or perhaps you haven’t been married very long. You’re both young, in the best of times. Usually, long-married couples look very familiar with each other, and they even start to resemble one another. You’re so young that this old man must have gotten confused.”

It was true—we weren’t exactly a couple who looked well-worn together.

Herina waved her hand, saying it was fine.

“We do resemble each other.”

It was Ares who spoke just as the owner was about to turn away.

Both the owner and Herina looked at him, unable to hide their surprise.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Appearance isn’t what matters. Our ways of thinking are very similar. That’s why we usually get along well.”

“You’ve met a good partner,” the owner replied with a kindly smile.

It was fortunate he took it well, because Herina, thinking what on earth is he talking about?, lowered her voice and scolded him.

“Why would you say something so unnecessary! What good comes from dragging the conversation out? What if he recognized you!”

Ares simply scooped up his stew and ate calmly.

“Wow. Look at how peaceful you are while I’m freaking out. Don’t say pointless things like that anymore. I was shaking earlier because I was scared we’d be found out.”

Trying to calm her frustration, she took a gulp of wine. Ares, watching her quietly, added a remark.

“I can’t promise that.”

Herina barely managed to swallow the wine she nearly spat out and stared at him in disbelief.

“What did you say?”

“I only stated the truth.”

No, the truth wasn’t the point—and besides, it wasn’t like we needed to look like a married couple in front of that man. She couldn’t understand why he was acting this way all of a sudden.

“As I’ve said before, I think we’re quite compatible. It’s true that we’re married. And I have no intention of denying that fact in the future.”

She didn’t know where things had gone off track, but seeing his stubborn expression, she nodded vaguely.

“Fine, fine. So worrying about whether your identity gets exposed is pointless, right?”

Ares shook his head, his expression firm.

“You’re the only one who worries about my identity. The only person who makes me who I am. My relationship with you is, in a way, my identity itself.”

Again—that strange, unsettling feeling rose up. Herina felt like biting her lip.

She knew he didn’t mean it that way, yet she was the only one being shaken.

“As long as you don’t let go, it’s a relationship I’ll never let go of either.”

It was a remarkably plain statement, but she didn’t want to admit how much it shook her, so she kept drinking the wine in front of her.

“I think you should stop now.”

Watching his wife drain even his glass, Ares voiced a bit of concern.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to make a scene.”

If anything, she was more afraid she’d cause trouble while sober.

After barely touching the food and finishing an extra bottle of wine, her body felt heavy as she stepped outside.

“The weather’s niiice.”

Seeing the hat she’d been wearing dangling precariously from her slender wrist, Ares clicked his tongue softly.

“Please pull yourself together. There are many eyes around.”

He caught her unsteady body, placed the hat back on her head, and firmly took her hand.

It was probably out of fear of the stares that would gather if a noblewoman fell, but for some reason, it bothered Herina.

“Wow, you’re holding my hand? You said I was absolutely not your type!”

Seeing his furrowed brows, Herina joked as if making excuses.

“What does it matter anyway? It’s just a marriage in name only!”

It was something she was telling herself as much as him.

Whether seventeen or twenty-four, she wasn’t drawn to Ares himself—that was the spell she cast.

Just as she finished speaking, her body swayed hard. Ares, who had been watching her all along, easily supported her back.

“That’s cheating, doing this over and over…”

At her drunken mutter, Ares’s expression stiffened.

“It does matter.”

Because you are the Duchess of Habinent, and for the sake of that dignity—

She knew the rest of the sentence was left unsaid.

But maybe because she was too drunk, her thoughts kept filling in the blanks however they pleased.

“You…”

“Oh! The sun’s setting! Have you ever seen a sunset? Let’s go look at it!”

Changing the mood, Herina grabbed his hand and ran.

In the clear breeze, both the drunkenness and the strange thoughts seemed to scatter away.

“That contradicts what you said about not drawing attention,” Ares remarked after catching his breath when they reached the riverside.

“Stop nagging and sit down. Don’t ruin the mood.”

She tugged on his wrist and plopped down, but Ares made her stand again.

“I said sit down!”

“Sit up here. You’ll ruin your clothes. The sand by the river holds a lot of moisture—it’ll be cold.”

He laid down a handkerchief, placed his jacket over it, made a seat for her, and helped her sit.

Feeling awkward about having snapped at him, Herina raised her voice again.

“Well, if you were going to be this considerate, you should’ve said so… Anyway, look over there! That’s the estuary connected to the river—the sunset is really something!”

She pointed, and at the tip of her finger was a sky dyed red.

After watching it for a long while, Ares spoke just before the sun slipped beneath the sea.

“I wanted to say thank you.”

“For what?”

Herina looked at his profile.

On Ares’s face, tinted red just like hers, there was a hint of relief.

“You made this, didn’t you? Moments like this, and the future I’ll see. I’m beginning to understand—little by little—why my future self chose you.”

Unlike Ares’s face, which seemed light and unburdened, Herina’s mind was a tangled mess.

“I didn’t do it with such grand feelings in mind.”

The confession slipped out before she realized it.

But Ares, facing her, simply shook his head as if even that was fine.

“It doesn’t matter. No matter what you felt, what I feel doesn’t change.”

In his deep, black eyes were trust—and something she couldn’t quite name.

She felt an urge to dig into that unknown emotion.

“You don’t mean… affection, or something like that, right?”

She saw his pupils waver for a moment at her question.

At the same time she thought he shouldn’t waver now, she also found herself hoping he would.

“Isn’t a bit of fondness acceptable? It’s something any human can feel.”

Ah, right—human fondness. The strange thing was how disappointed she felt without realizing it.

“I see. Still, I’ve moved up a level. From ‘absolutely not my type’ to ‘human fondness.’ I guess we’ve gotten pretty close over the past month.”

Flustered, she stood up with the now-set sun behind her.

The surroundings had grown dim, and a cool river breeze was blowing.

Ares folded his jacket and stood as well.

“Watch your step. It’s dark and dangerous. Hold my hand, and step only where I step.”