妻子的秘密

“So will you explain to me why you would give out such horrible commands and when pointed out you do not listen at all? Are you an idiot!?”  Adel asked, staring at Baron Strands with an eyebrow raised and her arms crossed across her chest. She even had one foot impatiently tapping the floor, waiting for his answer. Since the beast tide was over, Sir Randford was taking care of cleaning up and ordering the guards while we were currently in the guardhouse.

“Pri….”

“Adel…” Adel said coldly. I covered my mouth, trying to hide my laugh. I mean, come on. The idiot already started saying your title. It does not take a genius to figure it out!  I saw Adel side eye me, so I stuck my tongue out at her. 

“Pri-Miss Adel… You do not understand I had everything under control. Then this demi brat came along and….” A loud sound of skin against skin rang throughout the room. 

I stared at Adel in disbelief. She had just smacked the baron so hard he fell to the ground in shock. “I do not want to hear you speak any discriminating words towards my friend. Faith is not someone you can speak to lightly, nor can you ever say anything that would offend her. Offending her is the same as offending the royal family.”_-.

“This….” 

“This, nothing! Now answer my question, are you an idiot!? If Faith had not stopped you and taken over command, the right flank would have been overrun. Thousands of people in this town could have been attacked by monsters and killed. This blood would be on your hands. You are lucky I do not have you dragged back to stand in front of the king  to be dealt with.” Adel seemed really mad. Her hand was very red. I pulled her back and cast healing magic on her hand to keep it from swelling. My guess is she used all her strength because the baron’s face was also swelling up.

One should not look down on a frail looking girl. They can produce some shocking power every now and then. Just as Adel did just now, she showed power beyond what I would ever expect. This was another reminder to myself to never underestimate anyone around me. No matter what they looked like, they could be super powerful demon lords, and I wouldn’t know it until it was too late.

“I… It was a lapse of judgment….” Baron Strands finally spat out an answer, but for some reason, he was glaring at me. What did I do? I saved him from doing something stupid. 

“Hmmm? I will be reporting this to the King. For now, me and my cute Faith will be heading back to the inn.” Adel snorted and grabbed my hand and was about to pull me out of the guardhouse when Baron Strands suddenly yelled out.

“It is fine for you to return to your inn, Miss Adel, but my town has a strict policy that no demi humans are allowed inside.” Baron Strands looked at me with his lips curled up as if he won some kind of prize. Did he really think I wanted to step foot into his lewd town? I mean, people are doing this and that in the middle of the road here. 

“Oh? So you are saying I am not allowed to go back to the inn room I paid for?” Adel asked coldly. I could see her purple gem like eyes trying to pierce through the baron’s head.

“Miss Adel, I said you can go in if you want, but the demi girl has to stay outside.” I guess this baron is truly an idiot. Did he think that Adel was trying to confirm his statement? Did he not realize what she was saying?

“Yes, exactly. Since Faith is not allowed in then, that means I am not allowed in. I never thought a town under the Gravos kingdom would rebel in such a way. It seems you need to be removed from your post and have your land and title stripped from you. What do you think, Baron Strands… Sorry, from this moment on, it is Mr. Strands. Sir Randford!” Adel yelled out. It seemed she was dead serious. I could only shake my head and sigh. It seems the baron did not have much of a brain. No matter how much you hate demi humans, you should not let your hate control your actions. Otherwise, it can come right back at you and slap you in the face.

“Miss Adel, you called?” Sir Randford walked into the guardhouse, his sword already drawn. 

“Take this commoner and toss him outside the gates. Anyone with the last name Strands is no longer allowed to take a single step inside any village, town, or city within the Gravos Kingdom.” Adel was merciless. I never expected that she would go this far. But in a way, it made me frightened. What if the two of us got into a fight? Would I be kicked out of the kingdom? Would my head roll? These kinds of thoughts began to fill my mind causing a cold sweat to roll down my back. I would need to make sure never to anger Adel.

“By your word.” Sir Randford stepped forward and grabbed Mr. Former Baron by his fancy shirt and began dragging him out of the guard room. 

“Wait! Miss Adel, I was wrong! I can change my ways! Don’t do this!” Surprisingly he was still calling Adel Miss Adel instead of the unfinished Pri title. This did show at least some loyalty to the kingdom. I mean, I believe if I spoke up for the baron and asked Adel to give him another chance, she might just do it but unfortunately, I was not that kind. I was already kind enough to help him protect his town,  but I didn’t do it for him, I did it for the people who lived here. While the guards and the baron might be demi haters, that did not mean everyone was. And even if it was only a few people, I hoped to at least keep those people safe. There were far too few people who did not mind demi humans after all.

“Sir Randford, you are moving too slow. I do not want to hear his voice anymore.” Adel said with a frown, completely ignoring the former baron’s plea.

“My apologies, Miss.” Sir Randford hastened his steps and quickly dragged the former baron away. The only ones left were me and Adel. 

“Now then!” Adel clapped her hands and slipped her arm around mine. “Us two will now head to the inn. I already have a room so you can share a bed with me tonight. I do so wish to get to know you better.”

I could only helplessly smile as Adel dragged me out of the guardhouse and into town. I did not mind sharing a bed as I used to do it with Rachel all the time, but Adel always had a strange vibe about her that made me wary of her. But this could just be my overthinking. Maybe it had to do with how she acted when we first met. I am not too sure.

The hustle and bustle of the town was nowhere to be seen. Everyone had cleared the streets. Under the order of Sir Randford, it seemed the law of the town had now changed. It was no longer a redlight district like it was before. Now there was no telling if this will last beyond this night or not, but it was at least quiet now, so I hoped to get some sleep eventually. 

The inn that Adel was staying at was actually quite expensive looking. It was much different than what I had expected in a town like this. It was very much the word high class. The inn itself had seven floors and even had a lift to reach those floors that worked using magic. When we arrived at the top floor, Adel dragged me along to the end room and opened the door using a key that was imbued with magic and brought me into what I would call a presidential suite. A large sitting room, dining room, a massive bedroom with a huge bath, and even a small kitchen at the side. To this world’s standards, it was very extravagant. 

“Come, I am sure you must be tired. The bath here is already hot so help yourself. I will ready some food for you. Believe it or not, I am not a bad cook!”  Adel said with her nose held high. I could tell she seemed to take pride in her cooking. It did make me smile, though, but what I did not get was why. Why was Adel being so nice? This seemed to be beyond her scope of duty, would it not? 

“Adel. I know this might sound rude coming from me, but why are you doing all of this for me?”