WFMW 23

Chapter 23

Why Are You So Nice to Me?

Even if he’s disappointed in me, there’s no reason for me to feel hurt.

After all, he and I are bound only by a contract, and nowhere in that contract does it say we must be faithful as husband and wife.

So, the fact that Sidor takes care to prepare my meals is nothing more than his kindness. And it’s not as if I’m obligated to eat everything he serves.

No one’s required to return kindness with kindness.

‘But still… it bothers me.’

I could just tell him I don’t like vegetables, that we’re in a temporary arrangement so he doesn’t need to bother with balanced nutrition — but strangely, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

And what’s worse, I didn’t want to disappoint Sidor.

‘Why do I even…’

Confused by my own conflicting feelings, I hesitantly lifted my head to sneak a glance at him.

I wanted to see his expression — though I was certain he’d be looking down at me with that disappointed, exasperated face — so I couldn’t actually raise my head all the way.

After staring at me silently for a moment, Sidor—

Clack—

—pulled out a chair and sat right beside me.

“Eh?”

I thought he’d be angry that I wasn’t eating properly, but why would he sit next to me?

‘Wait… don’t tell me he sat there to scold me up close?’

Blinking, I looked up at him — but his face was as blank and stoic as ever.

He picked up the fork in front of me, speared a piece of vegetable, and held it toward my mouth.

“Say ah.”

“Huh?”

My brain stopped working for a moment. Sidor tilted his chin, urging me.

“Come on, ah. I’ll feed you.”

“Ahh?”

Before I knew it, the fork slipped into my open mouth.

The taste of greens — the kind I hated — filled my mouth, but I was too shocked to even register the flavor.

Since I couldn’t talk with my mouth full, I hurried to chew and swallow.

Just as I was about to protest, Sidor stabbed another piece of vegetable and held it out again.

“Ah.”

“W-wait a second!”

There’s no way I was going to keep letting this happen. I clamped one hand over my mouth and waved frantically with the other, terrified he’d shove more food in the moment I opened my mouth.

Sidor raised an eyebrow.

“I said you have to eat everything.”

“No! I didn’t mean I wouldn’t eat!”

Actually, I didn’t want to eat it, but now was clearly not the time to say that!

Shaking my head, I quickly tried to correct the misunderstanding.

“Why are you feeding me, though? I can use my own hands! Give me the fork, please.”

Even my parents had never fed me like this! Sitting this close to a man I barely knew made my heart pound wildly.

Tensing up, shoulders stiff, eyes narrowed, I heard Sidor sigh through his nose.

“You’re just sitting there because you don’t even have the strength to eat, aren’t you?”

“That’s not true!”

“Sure it isn’t. You don’t even realize your own condition.”

Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist, lifting it lightly and giving it a slow shake.

“See? A tree branch is thicker than this.”

“Hey! It’s not that bad!”

The distance that made my heart explode didn’t seem to faze him at all.

His completely calm, almost teasing tone made my face flush red.

‘Ugh, he’s so annoying sometimes!’

I hadn’t realized it before, but now I knew — the reason Sidor never talks much is probably out of consideration.
Because the longer he talks, the more irritating he gets!

‘And lately, he’s been nagging more, too.’

Was he always this much of a nag? I wanted to tell the whole world that Duke Sidor Granit, the Empire’s stoic Swordmaster, was actually an incorrigible busybody obsessed with fixing other people’s eating habits.

While I puffed up my cheeks like a goldfish to show my frustration, another piece of vegetable slipped into my mouth.

Sidor, diligently stabbing at the plate, said flatly:

“Enough. Just eat. When someone feeds you, you say ‘thank you’ and eat. That’s all.”

Absolutely not!

Apparently deciding that arguing with me would only prolong the meal, Sidor gave me no chance to speak and just kept feeding me bite after bite.

Before I knew it, the plate was empty.

I was so full I wanted to flop face-down on the table, but my stomach was too tight to even bend.

Leaning back in the chair, I groaned softly.

“Ugh, I feel like I’m going to burst.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“It is! I ate way too much — I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Then you should exercise.”

What?! He stuffed me full and now wants me to work out?

I sat up, indignant — and suddenly, a brown straw hat dropped over my head.

Sidor stood and motioned toward the door with his chin.

“Let’s go. We’ve already wasted enough time.”

“Wait, go where?”

Wasn’t I supposed to be staying hidden? Not letting anyone see me?

Still confused, I pressed the hat down and got up. Sidor shrugged.

“You said you had fieldwork to do, didn’t you?”

“From here to here, right?”

His voice was so light — almost cheerful.

I stared at him blankly before mumbling under my breath,

“…That pickaxe suits you surprisingly well.”

After we finished eating, we’d gone to the small garden in front of the house.

He’d made sure I had a straw hat and handkerchief, yet he himself stood barehanded, gripping a pickaxe, without even gloves.

The sunlight gleamed on his dark hair like polished obsidian. His skin was a light tan, like ripened grain — not from farming, but from sword training.

And now, instead of a sword, he was holding a pickaxe.

‘If anyone from House Granit saw this, they’d probably throw stones at me.’

The Granit family — an unshakable line of warriors protecting the Empire.

And Sidor Granit, a Swordmaster born of that house, was their pride and glory.

And here he was, wielding a pickaxe because of me.

‘Not just his family — if anyone in the Empire who admires him knew, they’d be furious.’

So I wished he’d just put the thing down.

But Sidor didn’t seem to notice my unease at all. Instead, he lifted his head with an almost refreshing smile and declared proudly,

“There’s nothing that doesn’t suit me.”

Was being a farmer his secret dream or something? Why did he look so pleased?

Still, since he was willingly helping, I couldn’t reject his kindness outright.

‘Fine, let’s just finish this quickly.’

I rolled up my sleeves and explained what needed to be done.

“You see those lines on the ground? They divide the plots. We’ll be planting different herbs in each one. For today, we just need to raise the soil a little and make shallow furrows.”

“Like this?”

“Yeah — scrape the dirt and make it rounded like—”

It was hard to explain just with words, so I stepped forward to demonstrate.

But Sidor immediately waved both hands and shouted,

“Don’t you even think about stepping in here! Just sit over there and give instructions!”

“Huh? But still—”

“No buts! Sit down! I’ll do exactly what you say.”

“O-okay, fine.”

I mean, it was hard to explain everything from a distance…

But seeing the determined fire in his eyes — the absolute refusal to let me touch dirt — I couldn’t argue.

‘Sigh, it’d be faster if I just did it myself.’

Scratching my cheek, I followed his orders and directed him carefully while he clumsily but earnestly worked the soil.

‘He’s definitely strong, though.’

Each time he struck the ground, the hard earth split open with a sharp clang.

Even the occasional rock didn’t stand a chance — when he hit one, it shattered into pebbles.

‘But… is it really okay to just let him do all my work?’

He was doing it willingly, so I figured I shouldn’t stop him… yet watching him so seriously made my chest ache strangely.

‘Why is he being so nice to me?’

Even if ours was a marriage of convenience — a simple contract for mutual benefit — helping me with something this personal seemed to cross a line.

Not to mention, he cooks for me every meal himself.

‘Do I really look that helpless?’

That was the only explanation I could come up with.

Maybe he’d intended to leave me alone, but I must have looked so pitiful that he couldn’t ignore me.

‘He doesn’t seem like the sentimental type, though. I’m doing fine on my own.’

At the academy, I’d always been good at managing myself.

What’s wrong with eating boiled potatoes? Some seniors even burned their pots or, too lazy to cook, ate raw potatoes and fainted!

As I was lost in nostalgic thoughts of those tearful days of magic training, I suddenly felt a sharp gaze.

When I turned, startled, Sidor was watching me with narrowed eyes.

“W-what is it? Hic!”

Did I miss something he said?

Panicking, I started hiccupping uncontrollably.

Sidor sighed heavily, clearly exasperated.

“Even a newborn fawn would be sturdier than you.”

What’s that supposed to mean?! Even a fawn would collapse if it locked eyes with you!