Episode 108. Honeymoon (3)

After that, Percy continued in the same manner. He promised to put me down when we reached solid ground, but instead of doing so, he kept coming up with excuses to keep holding me. And when we returned to the carriage, he would once again place me on his lap. Whenever I tried to complain, even just a little,

“We haven’t even seen each other properly these past few days. I’ve been missing you terribly, but it seems you haven’t felt the same way.”

He would say things like that, making me feel guilty.

‘Maybe I have been too harsh.’

Overcome with guilt, I ended up playing along with Percy, but soon I started to feel overwhelmed.

Even the most beautiful flower viewing is only enjoyable for a while, and as Percy continued to shower me with affectionate words, my guilt quickly evaporated.

“Well, I suppose you didn’t miss me much, seeing how soundly you’ve been sleeping. You were so deeply asleep that I couldn’t even touch a single finger.”

“And you’ve been sleeping in late every morning.”

“Besides, you’re a bit clueless, aren’t you? If you’re not careful, your brother could lock you up, and you wouldn’t even notice.”

As his laments went on endlessly, I came to a conclusion:

‘I’d rather be teased by the maids.’

Just then, the carriage stopped at the first village. The head butler, who had accompanied us, said,

“It’s a small village with no inn, so we’re currently arranging for a suitable place to stay. Please wait a moment.”

It meant we’d be staying overnight. I pushed Percy away with both hands. Although I expected him to cling to me more persistently, Percy surprisingly let go without resistance.

I hopped out of the carriage and waved at Percy.

“I’ll go explore the village with the maids.”

“In that case, I’ll…”

But when Percy tried to follow me out, I shook my head firmly.

“I’m going to walk on my own. Don’t follow me.”

“Then what am I supposed to do here?”

Percy gave me another pitiful look, but after dealing with that expression all day, I wasn’t falling for it anymore.

“If you really have nothing to do, just exercise or something.”

“Carrying you while walking is the best exercise I can get…”

“I already told you I’m the one who’s going to exercise! Just leave me alone!”

“Understood.”

Percy sat back down in the carriage. I marched off briskly. The maids, who had also gotten out of the carriage, were watching me.

‘He’s not going to suddenly follow me, is he?’

I glanced back suspiciously, but Percy remained inside the carriage. Finally feeling relieved, I crossed my arms and addressed the maids who were watching me.

“Now that I’m mentally prepared, go ahead and say whatever you want. I won’t get hurt no matter how much you tease me.”

Go ahead, tease me. Tease me about my swollen lips, my disheveled appearance—whatever you want.

As I tilted my chin up, daring them to make fun of me, I was met with an unexpected response.

“My lady, you’re so pitiful.”

What?

What on earth are they talking about? I looked at them in disbelief, and the maids, fidgeting with their fingers, explained.

“We can see where this is going.”

“It’s possessiveness, yes, but it’s a kind and loving possessiveness, isn’t it? I think the most important thing is how you feel about it.”

“He’s doing it out of love for you, my lady. I think there’s room for understanding.”

Wait a minute? These are completely different from what I expected them to say!

Blinking in confusion, I frowned and asked again.

“…So, you’re saying you feel sorry for me because I’m being overly doted on?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Even these girls, who are always jumping around talking about true love, think Percy’s possessiveness is over the top?

‘This is all Percy’s fault!’

No matter how much we’ve been apart, isn’t it a bit much to carry me around all day? Sure, we didn’t see much of each other during the week of honeymoon preparations, but still! Even if Julius did interfere with us a bit too much!

I shook my head and clenched my fists, responding with determination.

“It doesn’t bother me at all! And do you think he’ll keep this up every day? He’ll get tired of it eventually.”

Right now, he might be enjoying carrying me around because of my squealing reactions, but Percy is bound to get bored of it sooner or later.

When I spoke nonchalantly, the maids looked a bit disheartened.

“Wouldn’t you feel a bit sad if that happened? Wouldn’t it be better if he continued doting on you like this?”

“That…”

Now that I think about it, they have a point.

Feeling stumped and unsure of what to say, I eventually made a pouty face.

If Percy overprotects me, I’m uncomfortable, but if he’s indifferent, I’m also uncomfortable!

I gripped my skirt tightly and spun around.

“Oh, forget it! Let’s just go explore the village together.”

The maids, finding my reaction amusing, burst into laughter.

The village was small. It only took about 30 minutes for the maids and me to walk around it entirely. Perhaps because we arrived in the evening, the streets were quiet with few people around. The shallow stream running through the village, with its stone bridge and willow trees, was charming, but that was about it.

‘There’s really not much to see here. It doesn’t even look like there are many shops.’

I thought I saw a tea house near the bridge over the stream.

‘A tea house in a small village with no inn? That’s odd, isn’t it?’

As I tilted my head in puzzlement, one of the maids clapped her hands and said,

“Oh? Now that I think about it, my lady, I think this village was on the itinerary you planned.”

“This tiny village?”

“Yes. You marked ‘Yufa’ on the plan, and this is it.”

When I widened my eyes in surprise, another maid helpfully handed me the itinerary I had written. Looking at it, I found the entry for Yufa and frowned.

Yufa: A town where sitting by the river, enjoying the breeze, is incredibly refreshing. Known for its clear water and famous scones served with tea. Nearby, there are lavender fields and a beautiful lake where fireflies dance at night.

I alternated between looking at the word “riverbank” written on my plan and the small stream in front of me. Then, I gritted my teeth.

“…Damn it. I should have looked at a more detailed map, regardless of whether it was top secret or not.”

The map book I had browsed described this place as being quite nice, but now that I was here, the reality left me feeling frustrated. I bit my nails anxiously.

‘If this is how things are, I can’t trust the rest of this plan either. What should I do?’

Although I had finally walked on my own, all I gained was a sense of unease. As I trudged back to the carriage, I found Percy standing outside with his arms crossed. When our eyes met, he greeted me with a warm smile.

“Did you enjoy your sightseeing?”

“And what did you do?”

“I was waiting for my wife to return.”

“…”

He might as well have just followed me. I pouted and kicked at a stone on the ground.

Percy approached me and gently cupped my face with his hands. The warmth of his touch sent a strange shiver down my neck. With a slightly mischievous tone, he asked,

“Why do you seem so down? Didn’t you want me to step back? You should be jumping for joy.”

“When did I ever say my wish was for you to step back? I just wanted to walk on my own. And I’m not really down. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

I gripped the plan behind my back tightly.

‘How embarrassing. I don’t even know what to say.’

As I lowered my head, Percy narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. Worried that he might press me further, I was relieved when the butler called out to us just in time.

“Your accommodations are ready. This way, please.”

“Let’s go, Percy!”

I grabbed Percy’s arm and pulled him along. Just as I let out a sigh of relief, Percy’s large hand caught hold of my wrist—the very hand holding the plan.

“What’s this?”

“Th-this is…”

I nervously rolled my eyes. Now that the plan seemed useless, I hesitated to explain.

In the end, I mumbled,

“It’s nothing…”

“There’s nothing that concerns my wife that isn’t important.”

“Ugh.”

Even that weak attempt was cut off by Percy’s firm tone. Realizing I couldn’t just brush it off, I reluctantly handed the paper to Percy. He took it with both hands and quickly scanned it. Feeling embarrassed, I sighed and explained.

“It’s just a plan I put together for our honeymoon. But I made it based only on what I read in books, so things are different in reality… That’s why I was a bit thrown off.”

“…Did you visit the lake?”

“What?”

Percy’s long finger pointed to a section of the paper.

“You noted here that there’s a lake in Yufa.”

Since I had only written it down without memorizing it, I didn’t immediately recognize what he was referring to. Blinking in confusion, I looked down at my own handwriting as if it were unfamiliar.

“Oh, I did?”

“Let’s go together.”

“W-what?”

Percy took my arm and linked it with his, smiling brightly.

“We don’t know when we’ll pass through here again, so we should visit all the places you’ve noted.”