WFMW 64

Chapter 64

Actually, It Was Jealousy

Cedar was an exceptionally skilled hunter.

When I demanded that he show me a live Dark Wolf, he clicked his tongue in disapproval—but it wasn’t long before, as if by magic, he had captured one.

“Here, this is the magic stone. Promise fulfilled, right?”

Even the massive Dark Wolf looked like nothing more than a giant puppy as its neck was pinned beneath Cedar’s foot, making it whimper.

“Wow, wow. Wait a second.”

My eyes sparkled as I approached the Dark Wolf.

My sole goal was the magic stone embedded in its forehead.

To get a closer look at the stone, I wasn’t afraid of the warm breath or the large teeth of the Dark Wolf.

I focused on the stone and, using a small magical breeze, touched it without using my hand. It was an alternative choice, just in case touching it directly caused an accident. The stone emitted a loud, plaintive wail in response to the magical wind.

“It really feels like a heart. I can hear its pulse thumping.”

My cheeks flushed at the wonder of this discovery.

Cedar, glancing at my rapt expression, spoke in his usual blunt tone.

“Hurry up and examine it. Even for me, keeping a creature like this from moving isn’t easy.”

“Grrrrrrr.”

The Dark Wolf growled as though it wanted to bite my hand immediately.

It was just as fascinating in its own way. I clapped my hands and exclaimed.

“It’s huge. Anyone can see this isn’t an ordinary wolf.”

Its pointed fangs looked as big as my palm. When I spread my hand to gauge their size, Cedar warned me sternly.

“Dark Wolf fangs are venomous. A bite could be fatal. Don’t get your hands close.”

“Do you think I’d actually touch it?”

“Even getting this close is risky. You really have no fear.”

I whistled and pretended to be nonchalant. It wasn’t that I was fearless—I was blinded by curiosity.

‘Venom in its teeth!’

The only other creature I knew with venomous teeth was a snake.

I inspected them carefully, thinking maybe the teeth resembled a snake’s, but aside from their enormous size, there was nothing particularly unusual.

‘If it has venom, it must have venom glands. Does that mean its oral structure is different from a wolf’s?’

While pondering these possibilities, I asked Cedar,

“Is the venom extremely dangerous?”

“I told you—it can kill. There was even a member whose arm had to be amputated because the capable healer Jacques couldn’t heal it in time.”

“Would it be fatal for you too?”

“…….”

“Cedar?”

The man who normally answered promptly now remained silent. I lifted my head in confusion.

Cedar was staring down at me with a bewildered expression.

“You’re not suggesting I test it on myself, are you?”

Ah… I suppose it sounded that way.

I realized that in my excessive eagerness to observe the creature, I hadn’t considered his well-being.

“I wouldn’t conduct such an experiment, no matter how curious I am.”

Yet knowing that the person in front of me was a Swordmaster—a rarer being than the Dark Wolf—made me think of all sorts of questions.

I rested my chin in my hand, narrowing my eyes.

“But I can understand why the professor wanted to dissect you. I’m curious how a Swordmaster’s heart works. If the venom spreads, we could learn how it differs from a normal human’s heart, right?”

The moment I finished speaking, Cedar’s expression darkened.

He crossed his arms protectively, as if shielding himself from a pervert, and spoke in a hesitant tone.

“…I think you just said something truly horrifying.”

“I said I understand a little, that’s all. I’m not actually planning an experiment.”

“That’s exactly what’s horrifying.”

Cedar sighed and swung his sword.

Clang!

The magic stone shattered like glass at the tip of his blade. The Dark Wolf let out a final, pitiful scream and collapsed to the ground.

It was dead. A faint black smoke began rising around the corpse.

‘So this is a magical artifact.’

I had expected a foul stench, but surprisingly, there was none.

Observing the magical energy carefully, I shook my head.

“Hmm, it seems similar to mana. But I’ve never seen how magic leaves a body at death, so I can’t be certain.”

Cedar flinched at my words, keeping his guard up.

“I said no. Don’t dwell on it.”

“I’m not. Who’d mistake me for a murderer? Besides, even if I charged at you, you wouldn’t be in danger, right?”

“You’ve at least thought about charging me?”

“No!”

Even as I loudly denied it, Cedar seemed convinced I wanted to dissect him.

He placed his hands on my shoulders and spoke earnestly.

“Wait until I die naturally before you take my heart. I’ll allow that—but even as a corpse, being gutted isn’t something I like.”

I understood the gravity of his decision. I wouldn’t want to be dissected posthumously either.

‘Still, I’d like to decline such a resolution.’

And why bother worrying so much over something impossible in the first place? I smiled faintly.

“You’ll likely live three or four times longer than me; no need to fret so much.”

“That’s uncertain. You might live far longer than me.”

“Even a glance at past records would show Swordmasters often outliving Archmages.”

“….”

Cedar had no rebuttal. He knew well that since becoming a Swordmaster, his body aged much slower than others’.

‘When a human body surpasses its limits, it becomes free from the constraints of time—a miraculous, magical phenomenon.’

Sadly, this miracle doesn’t happen to mages. I smiled wryly.

“You’re lucky. I won’t have to worry about charging at you.”

I half-joked, but Cedar didn’t smile. His expression only grew more serious. I tilted my head in confusion.

He wore a solemn expression.

“I can’t allow it. I’ll manage your health from now on.”

What!

“Y-you don’t have to! Health management is not your job!”

Even now, Cedar’s nagging was endless.

If he tried to make me healthier than I already was, I’d never keep up, having lived a lifetime ignoring my own health.

But Cedar was resolute.

“You claim you can’t live long on your own. I can’t leave you be. Anyone sane would do the same.”

“That can’t be….”

So all the people who had passed through my life weren’t sane? Of course, it was true that the Academy lacked sane professors. They would call a seven-year-old student a researcher first, child second.

“What exactly will you manage?”

I decided to hear him out first.

‘Maybe his idea of health management is much gentler than I imagine?’

Of course, Cedar betrayed that hope.

“Eat more vegetables, exercise. From today, I must teach you horseback riding. That way, you won’t ride ahead of another man.”

I felt a little wronged. I had wanted to ride in front of him.

Wasn’t it Cedar himself who sent me to Jacques’ instruction instead of letting me ride?

Yet now, using that as an excuse to make me ride seemed illogical.

‘I was so upset because of that.’

Thinking of the confusion I felt then still made me a little bitter. I crossed my arms and asked in a petulant tone.

“Is nagging your hobby? Why do you care about my health?”

“Because I’m your husband. Your health is closely tied to my life.”

“A contract husband, that is. You ignored me all day, now you pretend to be a normal husband—it feels strange.”

For the first time, I felt a strange discomfort at my own words.

‘What is this?’

Until now, my world was clear: good was good, bad was bad. Facts didn’t ruin my mood.

Yet somehow, the fact that Cedar Grenite was only a contract husband made me uneasy.

‘Why?’

This confusion persisted even when he avoided my gaze.

Even knowing he couldn’t fully care for me, I resented that he didn’t.

My emotions and logic seemed completely reversed.

‘Why don’t my feelings match my thoughts?’

The answer was within me.

It was simply my first time experiencing it, but records show that humans often act irrationally.

Exactly.

“…Actually, it was jealousy.”

“Huh?”

I opened my mouth in surprise and turned to Cedar.

His sun-kissed face glowed faintly red—cheeks, earlobes, and even around his eyes.

His silvery-gray eyes, like a rippling lake, gazed straight at me.

“I sulked all morning because I was jealous.”

“Why would you be jealous…?”

“Are you really that clueless, genius?”

He gave a faint, powerless smile, a hollow laugh escaping.

“Because I’ve ended up liking you.”

Cedar clearly remembered Grisha’s mother, Princess Aristella.

Elegant, dignified, and glamorous—she suited the title of princess more than duchess.

When I stayed quietly in the annex with Lady Briar, I never crossed paths with Princess Aristella.

But after Cedar showed talent in swordsmanship, he had to train in the main building, and meeting her became inevitable.

That day was one of those days.