Villainous Husband

Chapter 41.1

Chapter 41 - Part 1

I instructed Cisen to watch Eden's movements.

It was because I was somehow drawn to the way he looked so different from Seraphina's description. Thankfully, without questioning why I was suddenly interested in the paladin of the paladin, Cisen faithfully did what I asked her to do.

And, the third day of the delegation's stay...

I was sure my senses were not wrong.

"Paladin Eden is said to not participate in the battle."

Upon hearing this news, I bit my lip.

'As expected, this is strange...'

The scene where Eden appears directly in the work without relying on Seraphina's reminiscence was at most three or four. Nevertheless, two of his personality keywords stood out clearly even in that small amount.

'Belligerence.'

Even though he was not the type to jump in blindly like Raniero, Eden did not avoid the fights that have come. He was also a little hot-blooded.

'The pursuit of honor.'

In order to elevate the name of the Temple of Tunia, Eden took the initiative in everything he could do. He knew how to rebel when power overwhelmed him. So, how could he not participate in a battle where his intentions were so clearly visible...?

Eden was an outstanding warrior. If he was absent, it was obvious that the power of the Temple Tunia's paladins would be disappointing. Did he deny it even after accepting it?

It was so peculiar.

He was so different from the original novel.

'What is he going to do after sitting out of the sparring?'

Outside of my influence, the character of the original novel suddenly changed. It was unclear how this would affect future developments. Because of that, I was nervous that things were going to get worse beyond my prediction.

I asked quietly without showing agitation as much as possible.

"What are you going to do after sitting out?"

Cisen answered in a low voice as well.

"I'm not sure about that, though I guess he would probably go to the library?"

"...Based on what you saw, I guess it makes sense."

According to Cisen, Eden had been reading books in his personal time. I thought it would be obvious that the paladin would read a book, although it did not seem like it.

"The book was different in size and shape from the temple that the priest carried. And, he seemed to be reading secretly."

"Secretly?"

"Yes. He hid the book under his clothes and read it in a place where no one was."

If he dared to read it secretly, it may be a book that conflicts with the doctrine of the God Tunia. In other words, forbidden.

In the original version, Eden hated evil as he regarded honesty as his number one value. The more I listened to Cisen, the more significant the gap between the image of Eden I knew and the Eden I saw. As Eden began to feel very suspicious, a hypothesis sprouted within me.

'...No way?'

I glanced at Cisen.

To confirm that the hypothesis was correct, I could not leave everything to her like I do now. Because no matter how loyal Cisen was, there were parts that I could teach her and parts I could not.

I had to contact Eden directly.

My heart started beating mercilessly, just like when I first encountered Eden.

'...Am I thinking too absurdly?'

Regardless, there was nothing wrong with checking it out. With that thought, I cleared my voice and said to Cisen.

"The spar, I won't be attending either."

Cisen's eyes widened for a moment. She seemed to have a lot to say.

"Your Majesty."

"Tell them that I'm not feeling well."

There was a reason why I had Cisen, not someone else, observe Eden was because she was loyal only to me. So, it meant that no matter what I did, she would not say anything useless to Raniero and would only devote herself to me.

I continued, holding her hand tightly.

"Please. I have something I must check."

Seeing that my eyes were more desperate than ever, Cisen finally nodded her head.

When I said that I did not attend the friendly match, the younger maids looked slightly dissatisfied. It was probably because they wanted to go see it, but since their master did not want to attend, they could not go either so they were dissatisfied.

Even though they were trying not to show it, it was quite obvious.

It was good for me.

After a little, I called the Duchess of Nerma and the Countess of Fallon before opening my mouth.

"You can go see the spar for a while."

Countess Fallon widened her eyes in surprise.

"Your Majesty. You're unwell and will stay in the palace, so how can we pursue entertainment?"

It's not going to be a big deal. Besides, it's only a few hours. That's enough for one Cisen to handle, so go ahead."

At my words, Duchess of Nerma and the Countess of Fallon hesitated and glanced at each other. In fact, they wanted to go see the spar, too.

After all, they were from Actilus, so it was understandable. However, they were not able to answer 'thank you' straightforwardly, perhaps afraid that I was testing them. In addition, they were afraid that they would be accused of leaving the Empress and going to see sparring like that.

Not long ago, they had been extremely careful with their actions since I reprimanded Duchess of Nerma at a social gathering.

...What should I say so that they leave in ecstasy?

—