Chapter 106: Marriage
The first thing Edgar felt was warmth that didn’t come from his own body.
It wasn’t long before he felt something soft... something clinging tightly to him.
"...Hm?" His brows furrowed.
Still half asleep, he slowly opened his eyes.
Fluttering light filtered through the windows, illuminating the quiet main hall.
For a brief moment, his mind was completely blank.
Edgar slowly looked down to find that he wasn’t alone on the sofa.
"....."
A head of long silver-white hair rested against his chest.
Hera was peacefully asleep in his arms.
Her breathing was slow and steady as one hand lightly gripped the fabric of his shirt, almost as though she was afraid he would disappear.
"....."
Edgar blinked several times. His sleepy mind struggled to process what he was seeing.
’...Why is she here?’
He clearly remembered falling asleep while working on the steam engine. He definitely hadn’t invited anyone onto the sofa.
Looking at the girl’s peaceful sleeping face, Edgar scratched his cheek awkwardly.
’I don’t even know how to react to this.’
He carefully tried moving his arm but stopped when Hera frowned slightly in her sleep before hugging him even tighter.
"....."
’Seriously...?’ Edgar let out a helpless sigh.
He gently lifted her hand from his shirt. Being careful not to wake her, Edgar slowly slid himself away.
Fortunately, Hera merely rolled onto the sofa and hugged the blanket instead.
Edgar finally stood up, only to get tangled in Hera’s leg.
"Woah--"
He stumbled forward before barely catching himself on the nearby table.
The stack of parchments shook violently. "...That could’ve been embarrassing."
He rubbed the back of his neck before glancing toward Hera again.
The girl remained fast asleep.
’Why are you sleeping like an old woman?’
Without making any more noise, Edgar quietly walked toward the entrance.
Just as he reached the doorway, he paused when he found Reeba standing there.
The maid had probably arrived some time ago.
’...And she did nothing to help me.’
She quietly lowered her head respectfully.
"...My Lord."
Edgar nodded, ignoring her previous silence, and answered dryly,
"Morning."
"...I’m sorry."
Her unexpected apology made Edgar pause.
"...For what?"
Reeba glanced toward the sleeping Hera before lowering her head even further.
"For my lady. I don’t know when she came downstairs... nor when she..."
Her voice gradually became quieter. "I apologize if she caused you any trouble."
Edgar looked back toward the sofa where the girl slept peacefully.
He smiled helplessly. "...It’s fine. She didn’t do anything wrong."
Reeba’s expression softened. "...Thank you."
Silence settled between them for a few moments. Then the maid unexpectedly smiled.
"My lady has become very attached to you."
Edgar blinked for a brief second. "...Has she?"
Reeba nodded. "I’ve served Lady Hera since she was a child. She has become very attached to you."
Edgar quietly listened without saying anything.
He understood why.
After everything Hera had experienced, finding even a single person she could trust wasn’t easy.
Still, that didn’t necessarily mean anything beyond that.
"...She simply feels safe," Edgar replied calmly. "I wouldn’t think too much about it."
Reeba looked at him for a long moment.
"...Perhaps."
Edgar decided not to continue the topic as he turned toward the door. "I’ll leave her to you."
Just as his hand reached the handle, Reeba quietly spoke again.
"...My Lord."
He paused and looked over his shoulder. "Hm?"
"...Have you ever considered marrying my lady?"
"....."
The hall instantly fell silent as the blond boy tilted his head in confusion. "...Excuse me?"
Reeba remained perfectly serious.
"If Lady Hera married you, she would finally have a home again. And... I believe she would be happy."
Edgar stared at the maid for several long seconds.
"I think you’re worrying about the wrong things, Reeba."
Edgar gave one last glance toward the sleeping Hera. "Surviving should be our priority."
With that, he quietly stepped out of the house, leaving the maid standing silently beside her sleeping lady.
---
Walking out of the house, Edgar let out a deep sigh.
"...Marriage."
He rubbed his forehead.
’Why is everyone around me so weird?’
He wasn’t against the idea, but Edgar still didn’t think it was the right thing to do.
’Hera is in the most unstable state of her life. Anything I do now would be nothing but an exploitation of her trauma.’
Edgar shook his head.
’Let’s survive the Nightmare Tide first.’
Everything else could wait.
The cool morning air brushed against his face as he stepped onto the stone path.
The Fortress was already awake.
Smoke rose from several chimneys as breakfast was being prepared.
Farmers had begun making their way toward the Agricultural House, carrying wooden tools over their shoulders.
The rhythmic clang of metal echoed from the Smithing House.
"...Everyone’s busy." Edgar smiled faintly.
Just then, a familiar sensation spread through his mind.
The Soul Network.
One of his Soul Guardians was trying to get his attention.
Edgar instinctively focused on the connection.
His vision briefly split before shifting into the Guardian’s perspective.
The skeletal warrior stood atop a rocky hill several kilometres northeast of the Fortress.
It was staring down at the ground.
"...Hm?"
Edgar looked closer through its eyes.
There, half-buried beneath loose stones, was a vein of dull grey ore exposed by a recent landslide.
The Guardian had even broken off a fist-sized chunk and was holding it in its hand.
Edgar’s eyes narrowed. ’Is that...’
He couldn’t identify the mineral from sight alone, but it certainly wasn’t ordinary rock.
A smile slowly spread across his face. "...Looks like they really found something."
The Soul Guardian patiently waited for its next command.
Edgar thought for a moment before giving a mental order. ’Stay there and guard the area until I arrive.’
The Guardian immediately obeyed.
Its towering skeletal figure silently took position atop the hill.
Edgar withdrew his consciousness from the Soul Network.
"...Perfect timing."
Only moments ago, he had been worrying about finding iron.
Now, one of his scouts had discovered what could potentially be an ore deposit.
Whether it was iron or not, it was still worth investigating.
Edgar immediately changed direction.
Instead of heading toward the Smithing House, he walked toward the Fortress gate.
"Andrew!"
The young man, who had just finished inspecting one of the Watch Towers, hurried over.
"My lord?"
"Prepare three horses and call Gordon."
Andrew blinked. "We’re going out again?"
Edgar nodded. "I think we’ve found something interesting."