The Reward for Saving The World is a Husband - Chapter 23
“You need a plausible status and family, a huge amount of wealth for the deal of a lifetime, and finally, the emperor’s permission.”
I blinked at him, taken aback. The list of requirements was far from what I had expected.
“You and I are together like this, and all that is still necessary?”
“Yes.”
His firm response left me stunned.
Even though I had boasted to Beric, a noble birth and family were beyond my power to provide, in either my world or this one.
Money… money could be managed somehow…
“Can’t we do without at least one of those things?”
“…”
“Can’t I stay by your side…?”
The arm I had wrapped around his neck fell limply.
‘There must be a good solution.’
How could I create a plausible status?
‘What if I take over some country in the corner of the continent and become a queen? Or maybe find a suitable noble family and brainwash them into thinking I’m their lost daughter?’
Neither option was impossible. But both would take a considerable amount of time, and I worried about being apart from Elias during that period.
‘But if I don’t meet Elias’s conditions, I can’t stay by his side.’
While I was deeply pondering what to do, a hesitant, sighing voice reached my ears.
“To get married… you need all those things.”
My ears perked up, and I looked up at him.
“It sounds like there’s another way for me to stay by your side besides marriage?”
After a brief silence, he spoke again.
“A relationship as lovers… wouldn’t require such stringent conditions…”
“Relationship?”
I rolled the unfamiliar word around in my mouth several times, just like with the word ‘marriage.’
“Can we still have children with that?”
He gave a dry laugh at my question.
“It’s not impossible. If that’s all you’re aiming for.”
Then, how is that different from being Pairs? If we can stay together and have children, isn’t that the same?
Up until now, Elias’s negative responses had made the road ahead seem long, but suddenly, I felt like I had found a shortcut.
“Then let’s do that!”
Smiling brightly, I grabbed his hand.
“Let’s start there, together.”
If we built up our time together and I fully adapted to this world, perhaps a more perfect Pair bond would open up for us.
“Do you… really understand what that means?” he said, narrowing his eyes.
“As long as you’re my lover, you can’t claim any rights related to Rachdel. The only thing you can demand is me. Even if you have a child, that child won’t be Rachdel’s heir.”
“That’s fine. All I want is you.”
I felt a bit sorry saying it, but I wasn’t really interested in his domain. If I were to aim for something, it should be his family’s main estate, Tenaclade.
“As long as I have you, Elias, I’m happy.”
He stared at me intently as I answered excitedly, then murmured in a low voice.
“Have I gone mad too?”
Then he leaned in until our noses were almost touching.
Blinking to adjust to the sudden closeness, I felt a large, warm hand cupping my cheek.
“Why do I keep getting swayed by your nonsense?”
And then something touched my lips.
“…..!”
As I realized that the soft, warm thing was his lips, a shiver ran through my body.
His lips.
Simply pressing our lips together, used for eating or talking, felt like so much more.
It felt so good that I didn’t even question why we were doing it.
It felt like a ritual to share life.
Or perhaps it was the first step toward a spiritual connection.
Otherwise, it couldn’t have been this sweet and blissful.