I Married a Sick Husband

“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve been to the city!”

 

As they rode the carriage into town, Diane let out an exclamation as excitement filled her face.

 

“It’s been a really long time, Your Majesty, hasn’t it?”

 

“Yes. This is my first time since becoming the Empress.”

 

But in fact, even before she became the Empress, going out was not an opportunity she was given very often.

 

This was because the Duchess of Schwartz hated the idea of her going out.

 

In such a condition, Meredith would always take advantage of Duchess Schwartz’s outings and sneak out without being noticed by other people.

 

Although she was still not allowed to go out for other reasons, the sense of freedom that going out brings was no less than before.

 

“Ah, we have arrived, Your Majesty.”

 

At that time, the carriage stopped.

 

Meredith got off with Diane’s support.

 

“Where are we going from here?”

 

“Let’s go and get the required materials first.”

 

She had about two hours left until she was due to board the carriage again.

 

It may seem like a long time, but once you go out, it disappears in the blink of an eye.

 

She would not allow the unfortunate event of being distracted by sightseeing around the city to lead to her failure of achieving their original purpose.

 

Meredith and Diane walked around looking for a suitable store.

 

As she took each step, Meredith couldn’t hide her exhilaration and it was very much evident in her expression.

 

“I guess it’s been a while since I’ve been here, but just walking down the street is fun.”

 

Diane agreed with what Meredith said.

 

“Me too! I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve been travelling around freely like this.”

 

“We’re like this too, but His Majesty must be even more uncomfortable, right?”

 

Meredith said to herself in a slightly pitiful voice.

 

“Because he was born and raised in the imperial palace. I think he had stricter restrictions on going out. He couldn’t have imagined moving around so freely.”

 

“I know, right. I think His Majesty has come to a place like this more rarely than Her Majesty the Empress.”

 

“Yulia told me to take guards with me, so she must have… ah.”

 

At that time, a nice-looking store came into Meredith’s field of vision.

 

“Let’s go there.”

 

***

 

Fortunately, the store that Meredith chose had something she liked.

 

‘If I hadn’t found what I was looking for here, I would have had to find another store.’

 

It was fortunate that such a hassle was eliminated.

 

“Everything I’m looking for is here, so I don’t have to look anywhere else.”

 

“So are you leaving like this?”

 

“No? There’s still some time left. Let’s go take a look around the city.”

 

“Aaaah, good!”

 

Diane wrapped her arms around Meredith with a genuinely excited look on her face.

 

“Is there a reason why you are preparing everything so carefully?”

 

As Meredith was looking at the people on the street for a while, Diane asked her a question.

 

“Just like the previous empresses, a cake was enough.”

 

“Officially, yes.”

 

Meredith nodded her head.

 

“However… I think it would be a bit disappointing for someone to celebrate their birthday only officially.”

 

“Is that so? I think it would be better.”

 

“It seems like you only care about what other people think when you give gifts. I feel sad because it doesn’t feel sincere.”

 

“Well, you might feel that way.”

 

“And His Majesty and I are a married couple.”

 

… At least for now.

 

“I want to treat him well while we’re together as a couple. Perhaps, treat him like other couples.”

 

“You have a good attitude. But will His Majesty really like ‘that gift’…?”

 

“Actually, I’m not sure about that. Although I made it with all my sincerity…”

 

Meredith answered in an uncertain voice.

 

“Still, His Majesty said he was the only one who liked… -Ack!”

 

At that time, Meredith’s body swayed greatly.

 

Someone had hit her hard and ran away.

 

Meredith’s body stumbled in surprise, and Diane quickly helped her up.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Oh, yes… I’m okay.”

 

“Have you ever seen such a rude person? What is one supposed to do if people run that fast on such a narrow road? See, you almost got hurt!”

 

“It must be that there was something quite urgent. Don’t be too angry. I’m fine….”

 

But at that time, Meredith couldn’t finish speaking as an extremely flustered expression appeared on her face.

 

Diane asked after seeing that.

 

“What happened, Your Majesty?”

 

“My pockets…”

 

Meredith opened her mouth with a confused look on her face.

 

“The purse with money is missing.”

 

“What?”

 

“I think that person from earlier took it. I guess he was a pickpocketer.”

 

Meredith muttered with a bewildered expression.

 

“I dressed quite plainly…”

 

“That’s because Her Majesty, even when she’s wearing nothing but a simple robe, her face oozes cuteness.”

 

“Oh my gosh, Diane…”

 

“What should we do if since we lost the purse?”

 

“It’s okay. Because there wasn’t a lot of money.”

 

“That’s a good thing. Is there anything else missing?”

 

“Eh. It’s okay.”

 

“Ahh! Can’t you let go?”

 

At that time, a harsh scream was heard from behind Meredith.

 

Meredith and Diane, as well as other people around them, looked turned around with surprised faces.

 

“Let go! Let go of me!”

 

A man with a good physique was being held down by another man, holding both his wrists.

 

“… That person.”

 

“Is that the guy from earlier?”

 

The person who was caught by the wrist was the pickpocketer who had stolen Meredith’s purse earlier.

 

In front of the two men stood a man whose face was covered with a black veil.

 

He took out a purse from the pickpocketer’s arms.

 

It was Meredith’s purse.

 

“Uh? That’s mine…”

 

Meredith muttered unconsciously, when suddenly the veiled man came towards her.

 

Meredith looked at the man approaching her with a confused look on her face.

 

Because of the veil covering his face, the only thing that was visible about the man was his physical appearance.

 

He was a very tall and sturdy man.

 

Meredith thought he looked just like Theodore.

 

And around that time, the man arrived right in front of Meredith.

 

Only then did Meredith see the man’s face.

 

Dark green hair that goes naturally with the black veil.

 

Red eyes that looked as if they were studded with rubies.

 

His features were as distinct and gorgeous as his strong complementary colours.

 

And he was a man with an even more impressive aura.

 

If the day came when they met again, it would be difficult to not remember such a person.

 

Above all, the impression was not unfamiliar. It was as if she had seen it somewhere before.

 

Otherwise, he seemed to resemble someone from those around her.

 

“This…” The man’s lips opened softly.“It’s yours, right?”

 

He had a beauty that resembled his appearance.

 

Meredith nodded her head.

 

The man immediately handed the purse to her.

 

‘Ah.’

 

His hand was warmer than she expected.

 

“Be careful. There are a lot of pickpocketers on this street.”

 

The man advised with a smile, and Meredith unconsciously nodded her head.

 

Only then did the man turn around.

 

Then he walked back towards the pickpocketer, and the man who was holding the pickpocketer asked him.

 

“What should I do with this man?”

 

“Hand him over to the guards.”

 

As the man gave a brief command, the pickpocketer screamed.

 

“No! Not the guards… Uck!”

 

Before he could finish speaking, the man, who couldn’t stand the noise, hit the pickpocket at the back of his neck.

 

The pickpocketer slumped forward.

 

Only then did the veiled man open his mouth with satisfaction in his voice.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

He walked leisurely to the other side.

 

But Meredith still couldn’t take her eyes off his back.

 

He was a man with an aura that made one look his way.

 

Then the veiled man turned around and saw Meredith.

 

Naturally, the two people’s eyes met.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

Without any words being exhanged, the two just shared an intense gaze for a few seconds before the man turned his head again.

 

“That man was a man with a very mysterious aura, wasn’t he?”

 

Hearing Diane’s voice from next to her, Meredith finally returned to her senses and looked at Diane.

 

“Anyway, I’m glad we found the purse.”

 

“…That’s right.”

 

Meredith nodded her head and fiddled with her purse that the man had retrieved for her.

 

“We’d better go back now.”

 

But still, that mysterious face remained strongly in Meredith’s mind and would not go away.

 

<Continued in Volume 3>

See you guys after a week~