Don’T Get Caught By Your Husband! [EN]: Chapter 30

#30. Was That All the Gratitude You Had?

2024.03.30.

Escalion held my hand as we walked out of the castle. I noticed the servants gathered in a circle, their attention fixed on something.

It seemed that even for the Griblatans, witnessing a wizard conjure a giant portal was a rare spectacle.

“Ah, Lord!” Wolf called out, spotting the lord and his wife emerging together. The surrounding servants quickly parted to make way for them.

‘Is that him?’ Belladonna wondered, walking alongside Escalion as they approached the wizard, who stood with his back to them, clad in a robe.

“Fabion.”

“Yes, Lord. Thank you for summoning me.”

At Escalion’s summons, the wizard named Fabion turned, removing his blue robe.

‘Oh…’ Belladonna thought. An old man with white hair, appearing well over 100 years old, faced them.

Belladonna was taken aback by the wizard’s surprisingly advanced age and glanced up at Escalion.

‘To entrust such a complex task as creating a portal to such a frail old man… isn’t Escalion being too harsh? Is this elder abuse?’

Fabion bowed to Escalion and said in a soft, raspy voice.

“Um… I will create it around here. It’s wide open in all directions, so this place seems suitable.”

“Do as you wish.”

“Wow…!”

“It’s starting!” The servants, who seemed to understand the old man’s quiet voice, were filled with anticipation, their excited chatter filling the air.

Fabion turned back to his original position and traced a large circle in the air with his staff.

After clearing his throat, he closed his eyes and muttered something incomprehensible. Blue flames began to rise from the circle he had drawn.

“Look at that…!”

“Wow!!” The cheers of the people grew louder.

The blue flames also grew larger, and soon they had expanded to a size that could easily accommodate a large carriage.

Belladonna opened her eyes wide, gazing up at the portal he had created.

Right now, it resembled a blazing fire, but it was clear that a new landscape awaited beyond it if she closed her eyes and stepped through.

‘Wow… This is the first time I’ve seen such a big portal!’

“Is it done?” Escalion, standing beside her, asked in an indifferent tone.

Fabion nodded slowly, appearing even older than he had just minutes ago, likely due to the exhaustion of his magic.

He seemed to have used up all his energy just to speak.

“Alright. Then everyone, prepare yourselves,” Escalion instructed the surrounding servants, still looking unimpressed. They slowly returned to their places with reluctant steps.

Belladonna turned to find Cindy, but someone grabbed her wrist with a firm grip.

“W-wait a moment!” a voice croaked.

‘Huh?’

Surprised by a sensation different from Escalion’s touch, she turned her head and saw the wizard, who had approached her, breathing heavily and staring intently at her.

Belladonna looked down at the old man’s gaunt hand that gripped her wrist with a bewildered expression.

Fabion frowned deeply and opened his mouth.

“Y-you, Saintess…?”

“Do you have business with my wife?” Escalion quickly knocked Fabion’s arm away, his golden eyes flashing fiercely.

But Fabion seemed unfazed by his intensity and didn’t take his eyes off Belladonna.

“This is a bit strange… Are you really the Saintess?”

Beneath the crinkled wrinkles, dark eyes shone with unnerving intensity.

‘What is this old man saying? Could it be… that he knows I’m not the real Saintess?’

Belladonna couldn’t even blink, paralyzed by the sudden tension.

His gaze felt like it was binding her.

“What is this impudent wizard babbling about?” Escalion stepped in front of Belladonna, his voice a low growl.

Only then, freed from his gaze, did Belladonna let out a stifled breath.

“If you received money, do your job properly. Don’t meddle with other people’s wives.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have been mistaken,” Fabion said, bowing and stepping back at Escalion’s fierce tone.

Belladonna, hiding behind Escalion, placed her hand on her rapidly pounding heart and watched Fabion return to the portal.

‘Does that wizard really know something?’

“Are you okay?” As soon as Fabion was out of earshot, Escalion quickly turned and examined Belladonna.

He carefully lifted the wrist that Fabion had grabbed.

“That damn old man… He didn’t grab you too hard, did he?” Belladonna shook her head lightly. Fabion, in his weakened state, didn’t have the strength to cause any harm.

“If there’s even a slight scratch or swelling… I won’t let that wizard get away with it, portal or anything. He claimed to be experienced, but he’s just senile,” Escalion muttered, clenching his jaw. He then gently wrapped his arm around Belladonna’s shoulder and guided her towards the carriage.

“Go inside first. We’ll be leaving soon.”

After helping her into the carriage, he spoke to Wolf, who was standing nearby.

Belladonna quickly moved to a seat inside the carriage and opened the opposite window.

Fabion was still near the portal, looking around.

‘I need to have a conversation with that man…’ she thought.

‘Will I have a chance?’

The portal’s maintenance time was less than an hour.

They had to move quickly, and once they arrived safely in Shirenia, the wizard would surely return to wherever he came from.

“Haa…” she sighed softly. Escalion, having finished talking to Wolf, entered the carriage.

He sat right next to Belladonna, leaned comfortably against the chair, and stretched out his legs.

His thighs, much thicker and longer than hers, stretched out far in front.

“They said that if you go through that portal, you’ll arrive at Titisee, the intermediate village, and if you create one more portal there and pass through it, you’ll arrive at Shirenia.”

“…”

“Unlike public portals with short travel distances, it can be dizzying. You might as well just fall asleep.”

After speaking, Escalion moved slightly and pulled Belladonna towards him.

As she relaxed and yielded to his pull, she soon found herself lying on his lap.

Belladonna blinked up at him from her position on his rock-hard thighs.

Escalion was stroking her stomach with clumsy hands.

“Sleep.”

“…?”

‘Sleep?’

Belladonna burst into laughter at the gesture, as if putting a child to sleep.

Escalion, who was staring silently at Belladonna, who was shaking her shoulders and laughing without a sound, turned his head away and gazed out the window.

Her smiling face was beautiful enough to want to keep looking at it, but at the same time, it stirred something within him that he couldn’t quite understand.

Feeling a strange emotion rising again, he felt a stuffiness in his chest.

Even though he was wearing thin clothes, he felt hot and feverish.

“We’ll be departing soon! Please take the portal in order from the front carriage!” Wolf’s voice announced from outside.

Escalion lowered his hand and brushed Belladonna’s fallen bangs from her face.

The carriage they were riding in slowly began to move forward.

* * *

As the wizard had said, it was less than half a day before they arrived in Shirenia.

Belladonna gazed at the Shirenia villa, which quickly came into view after passing through two portals.

“Are you dizzy?” Escalion asked from the next seat.

Belladonna shook her head. There had been a slight moment of unease during the journey, but it hadn’t led to motion sickness.

Escalion, satisfied that his wife was alright, followed her gaze to the approaching villa.

“It’s been a while. Was it always like that?” Unlike Griblata Castle, which had a cold and imposing presence due to its dark and hard materials, Shirenia’s villa, made of smooth marble, was a beautiful townhouse in its own right.

Belladonna admired the elegant building design.

‘I should have told you to come sooner! It’s so beautiful!’

“If I had known you liked it this much, I would have brought you sooner,” Escalion chuckled, turning to look at Belladonna’s sparkling eyes.

Belladonna, feeling a bit embarrassed, turned to face him.

The golden eyes that came close filled her vision.

“If you’re grateful, give me a kiss.”

‘Huh?’ Belladonna raised her eyebrows, wondering if she had heard correctly.

‘What did you say?’

Escalion repeated himself without changing his expression.

“I quickly hired people to make the villa usable, and I summoned a wizard to create a giant portal. Besides, I even took time out of my busy schedule to come with you, so don’t I deserve praise? So hurry up.”

“…”

“Aren’t you going to do it?” Escalion asked, slyly raising the corners of his lips.

‘He was truly a shameless man. Well, who told you to come along?’

As she was wondering how to refuse, she felt the carriage stop smoothly, signaling their arrival.

‘Nice timing! Get out of the way because I have to get off now!’ Belladonna raised her arms and gently pushed his chest.

But he didn’t budge.

“If you don’t do it, I can’t get off,” Escalion said, as immovable as a rock. Belladonna looked up at him, dumbfounded.

“I’m serious.”

Outside, the servants who had been riding in the front and rear carriages were disembarking and unloading the luggage.

Wolf, noticing that the lord and his wife’s carriage hadn’t opened, was about to knock on the door.

‘Ugh… You sly bastard… I’ll do it, I’ll do it!’

Belladonna decided it would be better to get it over with quickly, so she pouted her lips and leaned in for a quick peck.

*Peck!*

After the light kiss, she quickly tried to pull away.

“…!” As if he had been waiting for it, he grabbed the back of her head and tilted her head.

Surprised, she stared at his closed eyelids and punched his hard chest with her fist.

‘This sly fox…!’

Escalion, who had deepened the kiss and lightly explored Belladonna’s mouth, playfully nibbled on her lower lip before finally breaking the contact.

He wiped his red lips, glistening with saliva, with the back of his hand and smiled with his eyes.

The slender eyes were also slightly red.

“Was that all the gratitude you had?”

“…”

“Say something.”