My Wife Waited in the Wheat Fields

PR: Woober

It was the village elders who found Tyria lying on the ground that day, having heard the news late.

Luton, who had watched the demon’s arrival from afar, had been the one to spread the news.

Tyria lay unconscious in her room for about three days afterward, much to the chagrin of Baron Wyvern.

What she remembered when she woke up was the coolness of the manor when she awoke, and the low chatter of the maids as they exchanged gossip.

-”I heard that Young Master Portman went missing too, and that he was only found yesterday?”

-”Tell me about it. Didn’t the Baron make a great fuss about going straight to Portman Street to ask for reparations? He seemed to have concluded that the young lady had been kidnapped.”

-”The Portmans, I suppose… they’ll just settle it with money. They’re a lot richer than we are, aren’t they?”

-”Come on. If you think about it, don’t you think this whole fuss by the Baron is just about getting paid?”

At the time, she hadn’t understood much of it, just that Elric was safe, and so she was relieved.

However, upon further reflection, there was more to it.

Her father must have been glad to be able to blame Portman for this mess. The last thing he needed was for word to get out that he had been beating his daughter.

And as icing on the cake, he had gotten paid for it.

Of course, that didn’t mean Tyria was safe.

“Do you know how disappointed I am?! From today on, stricter supervision will be imposed! Remember deeply that it’s because of you that I am so disappointed!”

That dreamy day eventually ended.

Reality began to haunt Tyria, sharper and more harshly than her dreams.

She was not able to go out.

She was only allowed an hour or two in the garden under strict surveillance, and her education, complete with corporal punishment, was more rigorous than ever before.

Only one thing had changed.

‘I’m not sorry.’

Only Tyria had changed.

Now she understood.

She had done nothing wrong. There was no reason for her to be in this much pain, and no reason for her to be reprimanded by these people.

Elric had taught her that.

He had taught her to love herself a little more, and to love others.

Also,

“If you want to be a graceful lady, you’ll have to start walking again!”

“Yes.”

He had planted a dream in her.

Now, Tyria didn’t question why she should be a good wife.

She wanted to be a good wife through her own will.

She could use her dream of being his bride as a springboard.

If previously, she had been walking through a never ending cave, she was now walking on a path in which she knew what the end was.

The promised reward kept her from falling.

She pushed herself harder, and if she stumbled, she would just get back up.

Even after she grew her hair a little thicker.

Even after she realized the absurdity of her dream of marrying Elric, those memories kept her upright.

It was more than just a fleeting crush.

Those brief memories that she had of Elric had been the crutch that had kept the woman known as Tyria Wyvern from giving up on herself.

He had given her the sensation of being loved.

And she had shared her body heat with him.

He reminded her that even in the midst of a dark winter, spring would come.

So that was what kept her going.

“I am to marry into the Portmans.”

He appeared in front of her once again bearing the name of spring.

Just like the miracle that had come that fateful day.

Tyria groggily opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw in her dazed state was a messy botanical encyclopedia.

She must have fallen asleep while reading.

For once, she had had a good dream and felt refreshed.

It wasn’t just because of her mood, in reality, the heavy feeling in her heart had almost entirely dissipated.

It was at that moment.

“Are you awake?”

Elric’s voice called out.

Tyria’s head snapped up, startled.

He was standing by the window, staring at her.

His smile was peaceful.

“I remember telling you to go to bed early, but you seem to have stayed up late. Why?”

Despite the sternness in his voice and his open emotions, he didn’t look angry.

Suddenly, she felt a little of a disconnect between the man in front of her and the child she remembered.

‘Of course…’

He’d grown quite a bit since they were children.

It was an unfamiliar sight to Tyria though.

If it weren’t for the occasional vestiges of his youth, she might have forgotten that he was the same boy she loved.

She didn’t know how he’d survived the last ten years, but that puppyish temper he had had definitely died.

“Milady?”

“…Ah.”

Tyria ran a hand through her hair and answered softly.

“I must have fallen asleep early, I don’t remember reading for long.”

“I really couldn’t stop it.”

“Forgive me…”

There was a pause, and Tyria’s words trailed off.

In their place was a faint smile.

-“Don’t apologize without a reason. You’ll look shallow if you’re the first to apologize.”

She didn’t know why that had come to her mind.

Tyria wiped the smile off her face.

She closed the encyclopedia immediately.

Elric drew the curtains.

The winter morning sun poured in, blindingly brightening the room.

“It’s a nice day today, although a little dazzling. It’s probably because of all the snow.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, out with it. What do you want to say?”

With a small laugh, Elric wiped a hand across the frost on the window.

His mouth quirked up into a smile.

“Isn’t that the way it is in this country? There’s nothing but shiny things year-round. In the spring, the seedlings are bright green, and in the summer, they become lush and bright. Fall is golden, whilst the winter shines with a white purity.”

A short pause followed, and then Elric spoke again.

“This is what I missed while I was away.”

He turned his head to look back at Tyria.

She wondered if she should feel bad for him as he was being so sentimental.

A brief thought flashed through her mind.

Elric, who, of course, had no way of knowing, smiled slightly mischievously and continued.

“So, there was something I was thinking about last night.”

“What is it?”

“The landscape of Yubin, while serenely colored, is a bit too monotonous, don’t you think? And even more so inside this mansion. The damned thing is too stark.”

Tap, tap.

Elric tapped on the window.

“So why don’t I and Milady plant some flowers in the manor garden, come springtime?”

“Flowers… What do you mean?”

“You like gardening, don’t you?”

Tyria’s eyes widened.

Her mouth dropped open in surprise.

Her heart clenched, whilst a pleasant tightness spread through her body.

Tiria hesitated, then asked.

“…Do you know?”

“Hmm? About your gardening? I remember hearing about it when we were married, or am I mistaken?”

She had tried to pry again.

Tyria shook her head slightly, clutching the blankets unnecessarily tightly.

Then Elric laughed heartily.

“Thank goodness, I remembered correctly.”

Not really.

“…Thank you.”

Still, even she didn’t remember everything that happened on that day.

So he probably didn’t remember much either.

It had been said that when he had returned from his disappearance, he had forgotten all about the day’s events, and that it had been extremely difficult for him to piece back his memories together.

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m grateful you remembered.”

“Don’t mind it.”

It was a shame that she was the only one who remembered that day.

But it was okay.

It was selfish of her, but he still had a trace of the day beneath his earlobe, even if his brain couldn’t remember.

It’s a little shameful that she was feeling satisfaction for a wound that she had caused on another person.

What could she do though, this was just the kind of person she was.

Elric tilted his head at Tyria’s gaze.

“What are you staring at… Oh, this scar.”

Elric rubbed his neck.

“I got it when I was a kid. I used to play really roughly.”

Tyria tightened her grip on her expression, realizing that her dazed state was a source of laughter for him for some reason.

Then she nodded.

“Yes, I’ve heard about it.”

“…For some reason, I’m getting a feeling that that’s not a good thing.”

“Don’t worry about it, more than that, I’d like to get dressed, and so I was wondering if you could excuse me for a moment?”

“Oh, sure. It looks like your fever’s gone down quite a bit. I’ll be right back.”

Elric turned on his heels and left the room.

Only after the door closed behind him did Tyria place her hand over her heart.

Thump– Thump–

Her heart was beating extremely loudly.

Suddenly, it occurred to her that she might have already achieved half of her dream.

Because the first thing she had seen when she opened her eyes was his smile.

It had been a long time coming, but it was finally here.

Her days would now be filled with such sweetness.

-”Ma’am, I’ve brought you water to wash your face.”

“…Ah, come in.”

…Her face had grown uncomfortably hot.

She needed the cold water.