Time flows and flows.

A marriage in name only, veiled as a political union—but in truth, more of a forced marriage, if not outright abduction.

A month had already passed since I entered a marriage that could bear any number of negative prefixes and still make perfect sense.

People often say that marriage is a grave.

For me, that wasn’t just a metaphor. From the moment I accepted this marriage, I saw it as nothing less than a full-speed sprint toward my final resting place.

I had abandoned everything, thinking that if sacrificing my life meant keeping the other members of the House of the Sword safe, then that was enough.

After all, it was the least I could do—to repay my elder brother, who had given his life to protect me and even entrusted his name to me.

That was why, when the imperial family sent down their unilateral decree of marriage, I resigned myself to my fate completely.

The wedding itself was so simple, so utterly devoid of extravagance, that calling it modest would be an overstatement—especially for a marriage between the heir of a ducal house and their spouse.

I still remember the moment Aslin had stepped into the bridal chamber.

With that unreadable, enigmatic expression on her face, she had silently observed me—until she suddenly raised her sword in greeting, as if that were the most natural thing in the world.

At the time, I had no doubt that this so-called marriage was nothing more than a glorified hostage situation.

Yet, as time passed, I found that life at the ducal estate—or rather, my “married life” (if I could even call it that)—wasn’t as grueling as I had expected.

When we first met, Aslin had been nothing but an unknown entity, a source of fear. But as my wife, she treated me with surprising respect.

Not that our time together had been without its share of incidents.

Once, when I insisted on fulfilling my duties as her husband, I accompanied her on a monster subjugation mission—only to get caught up in the sudden intrusion of that lunatic Khalid, whom Aslin had to rescue me from.

Whenever I left for my responsibilities as the young lord, she always made sure to assist me.

And as soon as my mana core had fully recovered, we started sparring at night, training together in swordsmanship.

And at night…

…Ugh. My face is heating up again.

Most things about living here felt natural, responsibilities I could fulfill without hesitation.

But going to bed… That was a different matter entirely.

You’d think sleeping would be a simple thing, right?

But imagine trying to get a decent night’s rest when Aslin, a woman who could annihilate monsters with ruthless precision, clings to me like a pillow—so tightly that I can’t tell if I’m her husband or his favorite plush toy.

I have to regulate my body and mind every night, praying that I don’t lose control and do something regrettable.

My self-discipline has gotten so extreme that my own hands have taken to smacking me as a form of self-inflicted punishment. My cheeks are perpetually swollen at this point.

I could endure almost anything else, but dealing with Aslin wrapping herself around me like that was… an ordeal.

How could a body, trained to wield the strongest sword on the battlefield, feel so soft?

Her scent, subtle yet intoxicatingly close to flowers, made my head spin every time she leaned in.

The gentle laughter she let slip whenever she buried herself into my embrace, as if it brought her comfort.

And even when she wasn’t laughing, the mere sound of her steady breathing played havoc with my heart.

When she held me in bed at night, Aslin was a force of nature—one that I was completely powerless against.

And shaking her off was no solution, either.

Because every morning, when I somehow managed to pry myself away, she would simply look at me with a silent yet pointed expression, as if wordlessly protesting my escape.

Even today, as soon as we made eye contact after waking up, I tried to express—very subtly—just how difficult this situation was for me.

But her response?

“Maybe we got off to a strange start, but we’re still a married couple, aren’t we? Isn’t this only natural? …Unless you find it uncomfortable. Do you… dislike it? Then, I suppose…”

As soon as she said that, a shadow fell over her expression.

I couldn’t bear to say anything harsh. Instead, I blurted out a lie I didn’t even mean.

“Huh? No, that’s not it. I just… woke up to something so beautiful that I lost my senses for a moment.”

“…Do you say things like that to other women, too?”

She stared at me with an unreadable expression, making it impossible to tell whether she was pleased or upset.

And then—

“If something like this already flusters you, then you really don’t know what true distress is, do you? Tonight, I’ll make sure you understand what being truly troubled feels like. So… look forward to it.”

The way Aslin murmured those words, with that strange, expectant look in her eyes, left me feeling distinctly uneasy.

…No. There’s no way anything worse could happen.

Surely, Aslin wouldn’t—

…Snap out of it, you idiot.

I forcibly shoved that dangerous thought out of my head.

With the monster subjugation complete and the ducal estate in a rare period of calm, I found myself with an unusual amount of free time.

And much of that was thanks to Aslin and her… peculiar form of consideration.

“Never thought I’d see the day where letters from the House of the Sword arrived without being censored.”

Even saying it out loud, it still felt surreal.

For the first time, a letter from my half-sister had reached me without being intercepted or inspected.

All because of Aslin.

Our marriage had been anything but conventional, yet she insisted on building a genuine bond as husband and wife.

She granted me all sorts of conveniences, including this unexpected luxury.

“Just as a husband should trust his wife, a wife should also trust her husband, no?”

That was what she had said, as she allowed all correspondence and packages from the House of the Sword to reach me unimpeded.

Trust between husband and wife…

Hearing that, knowing how much effort Aslin put into looking after me… I couldn’t help but feel a bit pleased.

“…Enough to make my face warm up.”

No, it wasn’t just a feeling. My face was heating up.

But I refused to acknowledge it.

Fanning my face, I decided that this particular gratitude would be something I’d voice to Aslin later.

For now, I turned my attention back to the letter.

“…It’s a relief to hear that she’s doing well.”

And with that, I allowed myself a small, quiet breath of relief.

Now, I should focus on reading the letter from my half-sister, who sent her regards and asked about my well-being.

There wasn’t much in it. Ever since I had become the de facto hostage son-in-law of the Duke of Caladbolg, the imperial family had all but ceased its surveillance and suppression of the House of the Sword—once a primary target for their hostility due to its role as a key faction supporting the anti-princess side during the Succession War.

Thanks to that, the estate was able to maintain its dominance over the southern Zakrat Mountains, albeit not as firmly as before.

And then there was the matter of the marble quarries and mining rights in the southern part of the mountains, which I had managed to negotiate back from Aslin with just a few well-placed words. Because of that, we were finally able to pay the long-overdue wages for the estate’s retainers and knights.

Understanding the risks of having this letter intercepted, Lize—my half-sister and the newly appointed head of House Paleload—had carefully worded her writing, addressing me simply as “brother” rather than “second brother” to avoid unwanted attention.

The letter, written in her own careful and deliberate script, was filled with boundless gratitude and apology toward me.

“I barely did anything, but she’s making me sound like some grand savior.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my face and continued reading.

It made sense for Endymion, who had been born on the same day as me and had even given me his name and life, to show such sentiments.

But even Lize—who had once roamed the backstreets and suddenly had to accept me as her brother—was expressing such deep gratitude toward me.

It was a reminder that the House of the Sword had evolved beyond the wretched legacy of our father, who had only ever sought to use me as a tool.

“I’ve developed a sense of responsibility I never thought I’d have.”

The estate, once simply a place I had to endure, had now become something I felt compelled to protect—taking on the role that my brother was meant to carry.

Looking back, our former head was truly a fascinating piece of work.

A complete bastard of a human being.

And yet, every child he cast aside or raised under his rule had turned out far more decent than he ever was.

My brother went without saying. And Lize, despite only recently coming of age, had already proven herself a remarkably competent leader—capable of handling situations that would have left most noblewomen her age utterly faint.

Had it not been for our father, everyone associated with the House of the Sword and House Paleload could have led peaceful, fulfilling lives.

My brother could have inherited the estate smoothly and guided it toward prosperity.

Lize could have enjoyed the happiness befitting a noblewoman of her status.

And yet…

“…Brother.”

Creak—

Lost in thought, I suddenly clenched my teeth.

Despite being shunned by our father for lacking talent in swordsmanship, my brother had never once wavered in carrying out his orders.

He obeyed, endured, and continued to follow commands—until the day he was faced with a choice between duty and morality.

In the end, he made the right decision.

And yet, instead of being allowed to live with that choice, he died… trying to save someone like me.

‘You should be grateful that you burned to death.’

My grip tightened, and anger surged through me as I thought of our former head—the man I had been unable to kill with my own hands.

Only three or four years ago, I had been wandering the backstreets, convinced that I had no ties to matters like these.

And now, here I was.

Feeling responsibility.

Feeling belonging.

And feeling an ever-growing hatred toward my own father.

“…Hah.”

A bitter chuckle escaped my lips.

But this wasn’t the time to get lost in my own emotions.

“…I can’t afford to sit around wallowing.”

I shook off my self-deprecation and began thinking about what I could do for the estate.

With the estate’s influence weakened after the Succession War, it was now my responsibility—as the one who had inherited the pinnacle of Imperial Swordsmanship from my brother—to ensure that the House of the Sword did not lose its standing as a noble house of the blade.

“…No time to slack off. I should train today as well.”

With my mana core fully restored and my body back to peak condition, it was time to intensify my training—to push my swordsmanship to an even higher level.

But just as I was about to steel my resolve—

“…Hmm.”

My eyes caught the final paragraph of Lize’s letter.

The rest of the letter had already contained more than enough good news.

Yet, at the very end, Lize had carefully written that there was one more especially good piece of news she wanted to share.

Her handwriting, as if brimming with excitement, seemed more deliberate than usual.

As I read the last lines, I found myself pausing.

“…Hmm!”

Without realizing it, I let out a deep, weighted sigh as I read the letter.

The contents weren’t just good news—they were something I couldn’t afford to take lightly.

(Excerpt from the Letter)

(Omitted text)

“We have received intelligence that the Paleload sword, which vanished alongside Father’s body during the Succession War, is set to appear at an auction in Blood Haven, located in the Central Islands.”

“As an unworthy girl who has somehow inherited the title of family head, I should be the one to go there immediately and claim what rightfully belongs to our house. However, my current situation makes it impossible for me to leave, even for a moment. So instead, I entrust this matter to you… Brother. I apologize for bringing turmoil into your life when it seems you have been living well.”

(Omitted text)

This was something that could never be taken lightly.

“Lize… well done.”

The words of praise slipped from my mouth almost instinctively.

And why wouldn’t they?

The Imperial House of Ascalon.

The Sword Spirit Caladbolg.

In this empire, where swords were revered to the point of being enshrined as family names, reclaiming a blade that bore the name of our house was of paramount importance.

Though it was of a lesser rank compared to the two famed Dragon Slayer Swords, this blade had played a crucial role in establishing House Paleload as a noble family of the sword.

Securing it was imperative.

If we wanted to prevent the House of the Sword from collapsing entirely and restore its former prestige, we had to retrieve it.

My gut urged me to drop everything and rush to the Central Islands immediately.

But…

“…I suppose I should ask Aslin if she’ll accompany me.”

Even if I felt relatively at ease here, I was still more of a hostage than a free man. Traveling to the Central Islands alone was out of the question.

Determined, I took a deep breath and made my way to Aslin. If she refused, I was fully prepared to drop to my knees and bang my forehead against the floor until she agreed.

But life never unfolds exactly as planned.

Today was one such day.

The moment I stepped into Aslin’s office—

I forgot everything I was about to say.

Because there she was, sitting at her desk, her expression utterly crumpled.

Eyes brimming with unshed tears.

A look of devastation as if her entire world had collapsed.

The sight alone sent a jolt of worry through me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, concern filling my voice.

Aslin sniffled before managing to respond.

“My… my mother….”

Her voice wavered. It was clear her emotions were quickly spiraling into sorrow.

.

.

.

A Moment Later

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Y-Yeah… thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for? It’s only natural for a husband to comfort his wife when she’s upset.”

“…That’s… true. We are married.”

Aslin agreed, albeit with a slightly flustered expression. Her reaction was oddly cute—but I didn’t have time to dwell on that.

“So. Are you going?” I asked.

Her grip tightened slightly on the letter in her hands.

“My mother’s health has taken a turn for the worse. My father even sent a letter… how could I not go?”

Her answer was firm, her resolve evident.

After a moment, she placed the letter onto the table and met my gaze.

“I’ll need to… act more like a wife. Would you come with me?”

Her voice was slightly tense.

“Of course, I will. I’ve never even set foot in the Central Islands properly since becoming a noble of the empire—this seems like the perfect excuse to do so.”

The words flowed smoothly, but they carried a subtle meaning. Unlike me, who had spent my childhood navigating the backstreets of the Central Islands, my brother had never left House Paleload due to his frail health. His experience was different, but it provided the perfect reply.

This was an absolute win for me.

I wouldn’t have to grovel. I gained Aslin’s favor. And I secured my way to the Central Islands. Two birds, one stone.

…Though, the realization that I was only now setting foot in my in-laws’ territory after marriage was somewhat amusing.

‘Let’s focus on the goal.’

I shoved aside my unnecessary thoughts, my mind wholly focused on reclaiming our ancestral blade.

“I already had Katarina book us seats on the Continental Express High-Speed Train, which will take us from the duchy straight to the Central Islands in one go. We just need to head to the station.”

“That was fast.”

“In this day and age, if you’re slow, you only lose out.”

With that brief exchange, Aslin and I prepared to embark on our journey to Silventrium, leaving behind any plans for sword training.

Had it really been four years?

Four years since I was dragged away from my hometown—no, more accurately, the backstreets of the Central Islands—by my brute of a father and thrown into the House of the Sword?

And now, I was returning.

This time, of my own free will.