(From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Ah, you''re already here," I said as I entered the dining room and found my wife waiting for me. "I got a bitte... I am sorry."


    She was dressed in a pink gown. Her skin toneplimented it perfectly, and she looked stunning in it. But the fabric- it was surely not from here.


    I knew a lot about fabrics because I chose my own as well as the fabrics for my wife''s dresses. That was why it did not take me long to notice which fabric it was. It was called ''May Bane'' It was named after the woman who invented the method for producing this fabric.


    "It''s alright. I got here just now as well," she smiled. "The bath took a bit long..."


    "... This dress suits you. You look lovely," I said.


    "Thank you...," she blushed.


    I wondered if she bought it from Ataraxia. But she did not mention anything to me. She usually talked about everything to me, just like I did with her. It was our rule to share every single piece of information.


    I did not ask her anything about it. Rather, I decided to get to eating since she must be hungry. After all, she practiced for a long time. I could not watch her practicing because of two things. First of all, I was talking to the doctor. And then, Kenzo, the beta brought some reports that needed to be taken care of immediately.


    "The steak is good...," she mumbled with a satisfied face.


    I always felt contented and relieved when she liked the food. She never ate enough, so I was always worried. Every time she finished the food properly, I gave the chef a bonus.


    "Yeah, it''s good," I said.


    ''I think I should give the chef a bonus.''


    "By the way, how was your training today? You didn''t push yourself too much, did you?" I asked.


    "No, I did not. It was actually pretty fun. Though it''s a bit tiring, it''s still amazing and I like it. When Ezekiel was teaching me, I hadpleted the first phasepletely."


    Hearing that bastard''s namee out of her mouth made me want to bring him back from death and kill him again. I should not have let her get involved with him. And because that bastard was always wearing a silver essory, I could not read his mindpletely. His thoughts were always hazy. Later I found out the reason- it was because the silver was not pure.


    So, it could block his thoughts partially only. And the thoughts that he did not let anyone hear were the ones I could not read.


    "I showed her the first phase and she said I did well. So, now, she started with the first division of the second phase," she said.


    It was not easy toplete the first phase in a month. But she did it anyway. Even I was taken aback.


    "You did well. I am proud of you," I said with a smile.


    "... Thanks... But I will try harder so that one day I can protect myself without anyone''s help," she said firmly.


    "You know, I am always going to be there to protect you," I said.


    "Why would I rely on you all the time? It is important for me to be able to protect myself properly as well," she said.


    How could I say I did not want that? I was afraid that if she learned to survive without me, she was going to leave me one day. What would happen to me then? How would I live without her?


    "It will be good for both of us. In the future, if we expand our family, both of us will be able to protect our family together," she added.


    ''Ah, so you are not nning to leave me...? That''s good then... I will ept whatever you do, if only you stay by my side.''


    Even in the future, I did not want to expand our family. It would be better if it was just the two of us. But for her, perhaps I would have to change my n a bit.


    "All right, just don''t push yourself too hard," I said, taking a forkful of meat. "I don''t like it when you''re sick and in pain. I can''t take away your pain. So it''s difficult to watch you like that."


    "I won''t push myself too hard," she said. "I will practice three to four hours a day, then I will rest. Is that okay?"


    "... Okay. Just keep in mind what I said."


    Even without training, she was good at protecting herself. It was like she was born to hold a weapon in her hand. The way she protected me that one time, the way she got away from two strong werewolves all by herself- it was impressive to think that a mere human did it.


    If she practiced swordsmanship and then awakened her power as well, she would be one of the most powerful people in the whole world. It would be no surprise if she would surpass me and could threaten two or three Alphas at the same time.


    "Try the sd too," I said. "And drink some water first."


    "Hmm...," she mumbled as she sipped her water slowly. "Did you meet Mother, Evelyn, Merrick, and Ava?"


    "No, I was busy."


    "I wanted to greet them," she said, "but I heard they were too tired."


    It was not like they were too tired. It was just they arrived too early in the morning and I wanted my wife to sleep a bit more. So, I made them say it. Not that I could tell her that...


    "You can meet themter," I said, clearing my throat.


    "Yeah... And little Ava hurt her little finger."


    "She did?"


    "Hmm, Ruby told me about it," she gave a nod. "She said Ava tripped over and fell and hurt her little finger.


    I had no idea she would even fret over a matter like this. But the more I saw her, the more amused I got. She was adorable.


    "They have gone out, I heard. I will meet her as soon as shees back," she said. "I miss her, you know."


    "Don''t you miss me?"


    "We are together all the time, Dem..."


    "Yeah, but it kinda hurts my feeling that you miss everyone else other than me."


    "You... you are really..."


    "Yes?"


    "Nothing. Let''s just eat," she mumbled, looking down and pretending to concentrate on her food as her face turned as red as a tomato.


    I chuckled in amusement. It was great to tease her, especially her reaction was worthy to watch.


    "I talked to Ruby today," she said after a while. She seemed to recover from her shyness.


    "Hm, about what?"


    "You knew that Luc and Ruby are mates, right?"


    "Yeah, why?"


    "Why?" she repeated. "Why didn''t you tell me then?"


    "It was not important," I shrugged. "Or, was it?"


    "... Luc is our friend, and Ruby is someone very close to me as well. It is important," she said.


    Well, it was true that those two were among our close circle. But I still could not see how the fact that they were mates could be important. It was their business after all. What would we know knowing it?


    I did not tell her thinking that it was not important as well. But now looking at her face, I had a feeling that perhaps I should have told her about it.


    "So, you talked about her and Luc?"


    "Yeah," she nodded. "Luc said he wants to marry her."


    "Luc and marriage?" I almost choked on my drink. "I haven''t met him for a long time, so I didn''t know... But marriage? If you said Luc wants to expand the height of the magic tower that would be believable."


    "Luc is a responsible guy. He is doing it for Ruby, considering Ruby''s feelings," she said. "You know how she feels about Luc, right?"


    "I think she feels something weird about him..."


    "She likes him! Jeez!"


    Since there was no one in the room, we could discuss freely. Or my wife would never bring something like this in front of others. All the servants were to leave the room when it was just my wife and me.


    "She likes him? Luc? That silver punk? What does she see in him? He is ugly and he has a nasty personality!"


    "What are you saying? Luc is the second most handsome person I have seen in Querencia. Even though I haven''t met that many people, I still know that he is good-looking. Even at the banquet, he was surrounded bydies. And nasty personality? He is a very considerate person," she said.


    "Handsome...?" I mumbled. "Second most handsome?"


    That was the part that hit me hard.