Chapter 148
So are they trying to build an emotional connection instead of just having s*x now?
“…Brother, what’s gotten into everyone lately?”
Eugenie eyed the growing pile of meat in front of her with suspicion. Alfred acted as though he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.
“Hm? What do you mean, us?”
“It’s like you’re all obsessed with feeding me. And if I try to invite anyone else to join me for a meal, you guys make a scene about it.”
It wasn’t as if things had ever been perfectly harmonious back in the honeymoon house. But at least back then, they’d worked together well enough to each chip in for their own share.
Now, though, if Eugenie even suggested, “Let’s all eat together,” there was an unmistakable sense of tension in the air, like a fight could break out at any moment.
She’d brought it up once before, and the temperature in the room felt like it dropped below zero. She’d learned her lesson and kept her mouth shut after that.
‘Well, at least it’s made it easier for Elaine to observe each man, one at a time, to see if any of them are lying.’
It felt like something had shifted between the men, and she had no idea what it was.
“Seems like it’s been this way ever since we got back from the abandoned mine.”
“There’s a little tension, sure, but nothing you need to worry about.”
Alfred replied cheerfully, brushing it off. He wasn’t exactly wrong—though calling it ‘a little’ tension was a bit of an understatement.
It’s not like he was going to spell it out for her: ‘We’re all fighting tooth and nail every day for the right to be your only husband when you’re not looking’. There’s a matter of male pride, after all.
‘Only the final winner gets to brag about it. The losers have no right to whine about their sorry state to the woman they lost to.’
Eugenie pursed her lips, less than pleased by Alfred’s sunny demeanor. He was kind and accepting, but he was also stubborn; just because she asked for something didn’t mean he’d automatically give in.
‘Guess I should change the subject.’
Elaine was in the next room, listening in on her conversation with Alfred. If she wanted to help Elaine spot which man might be ‘lying’, it was best to keep things pleasant.
Besides, there was something she’d always meant to say.
“Brother. Did I ever properly thank you?”
“Huh? For what?”
“For saving me from Tristan. Twice, actually.”
“…!”
“I mean when you saved me when I was little. I saw your memory, but I just never found the right time to bring it up.”
So much had happened after she’d seen Alfred’s memory, especially being sick to the point of nearly passing out, that she’d never gotten the chance to say anything.
“Thank you, Alfred.”
“Haha, what are you saying…”
“But… Ha, Mom was something else. Making that a ‘contract’? She should’ve called for help instead, right then and there.”
Eugenie clicked her tongue, thinking back to the situation. What mother would use a contract spell to tie her daughter to someone when she was barely clinging to life?
‘Even if she was traumatized by what her husband put her through…’
The more Eugenie thought about Theodora Norton’s actions, the more bittersweet—and a little scary—they seemed.
“But if it weren’t for that magic, I probably would’ve died right there… Still, I have to admit, sometimes I regret it.”
“What? You regret that I saved you?”
“No, not that! I just wish you hadn’t left the capital after you helped me.”
Alfred burst out laughing at her offbeat answer, but his smile soon faded into something more wistful.
“After we made the contract, everyone back home kept pestering me to hurry up and come back.”
“Right, that’s when the Honegold pirates started causing trouble, wasn’t it?”
As she recalled those days, she realized something—she’d once been able to visit the Wilberforce family’s seaside estate as a child, but that changed once the Honegold pirates started running rampant in the south.
‘Even Alfred’s father and relatives died at sea back then.’
After that, Alfred barely had any time or energy left to write to her, and she could forget about going to the coast for rest or relaxation.
‘I never thought the Honegolds would get big enough to go toe-to-toe with the Imperial Navy…’
They’d started as just a small group causing the occasional incident in the strait—nuisances, but not enough to justify a full military response.
But now? They’d grown strong enough to threaten not only the Wilberforces, but the entire southern region.
It was almost as if someone had funded their rise from the shadows.
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