I felt sorry for Sua, who must be struggling after losing her memory, but in her current state, she was quite fun to tease.
Her reactions were bigger than before she lost her memory, and she was too flustered to even think of counterattacking.
Even now, the sight of her frantically covering the exposed valley of her chest above her breastband—was it not adorable?
“Th-th-this is just because it’s uncomfortable to sleep in!”
And her expression brightened whenever I teased her, so how could I possibly stop?
The sight of that once-bright woman turning into rotten fish eyes day by day after losing her memory was still vivid before my eyes.
Fortunately, perhaps because yesterday’s conversation had gotten through to her, some vitality had returned now, but there still remained a somehow shriveled and gloomy air about her.
Until she regained her memories or opened her heart more than she had now, I had no choice but to wait while teasing her as much as possible.
“Seeing as you still haven’t covered up, perhaps you mean to show me?”
“Aaaaack! I’ll get dressed right now!”
More than anything, if I didn’t throw banter and joke around from my side, it was hard to endure.
I had just teased her that her clothes were disheveled and improper, yet rather than dressing properly, she returned with the jeoksam haphazardly draped over her shoulder, holding the front flap with her hand.
“Is this good enough now?”
What does she mean by “good enough”? Was she telling me to climb through that window frame and strip off that worthless packaging right this instant?
When she had poked her head out in the village, I thought I had teased her too much, but it seems it was actually permission.
Truly a vixen of a wife.
“Truthfully, I have a request for you, Wife.”
“A request?”
At this rate, I felt I really might end up climbing through the window frame, so I decided to deliberately turn the conversation to a serious topic.
I had originally intended to simply pay my respects and leave.
“It grieves me to ask this of you, who have no memories. But there is something you must do as the lady of the manor.”
Since this was something I had to tell her anyway, I thought it best to mention it as quickly as possible while I had the chance.
The more time Sua had to think it over, the better.
“Guests will be coming from a place called Geuminsan. As the lady of the house, I believe you will need to show your face.”
“Suddenly? Who is coming?”
“Tigers.”
Though Sua had lost her memory, the natural cleverness she was born with had not disappeared; upon hearing that Tigers were visiting, she was surely racking her small brain diligently.
Since word had spread that a black tiger was impersonating the Mountain Lord in my territory, I would call the Tigers and hold a hearing to settle the matter.
As it was such an occasion, she seemed to think that she, standing in the position of the manor’s lady, ought to show her face… roughly along those lines.
That was indeed the reason on the surface, but it was merely because I needed a pretext for her to meet one among the visiting Tigers who was close to Sua.
Since Sua was currently a patient recuperating, and their marriage had been postponed publicly, she did not necessarily have to attend official functions.
It would have been fine for her to meet friends in the manner of sick visits.
“Hmm. Will I be able to do it well?”
“It is not such a formal occasion, so do not worry.”
She herself did not know, but to the Tigers renowned as master artisans, Sua was virtually an object of worship.
That is, if she did not meet anyone at all.
If I permitted sick visits, even the old Tigers would come up with all sorts of excuses to pay their respects just to exchange a few words with her.
The knowledge from her previous life was worth more to them than gold and silver treasures. Even the “Mirror” had been created starting from a casually thrown remark.
Thinking of how Sua, who had left planning to visit Geuminsan for about three days, had been held up for a whole month back then still sent chills down my spine.
“Then I’ll try. I want to do what I can do too.”
It would be better to have her simply show her face officially at the appointed time, and spend her personal hours only with close friends.
Being harried all day long would not be good for Sua’s health either.
“I would be grateful if you did. The details will be lengthy, so it would be best to discuss them tomorrow.”
Sua nodded at my words. Things would get busy starting tomorrow.
“Then, having paid my evening respects in full, I shall take my leave.”
“Wait a moment!”
As I turned to leave after finishing the conversation, Sua urgently spoke up.
“There is something I wish to ask of you too!”
“A request?”
“Yes. It’s, well—”
She requested permission to create a place to protect the children who had lost their parents due to the accident that had occurred in the village this time.
It was a request befitting her, who loved children. I would have gladly granted it even if she had asked to fulfill some personal desire instead of such a thing.
Yet she wore an expression as if she had committed a sin even with such a request; I wished she would regain her memories quickly and become confident.
“I can try to obtain permission.”
“Really? Thank you!”
What was it to be so happy about?
She smiled so brightly at merely my saying I would try to talk about it, not even a definite promise.
Didn’t I want to tease her a little?
If she smiled so joyfully normally, I would have let it pass.
“But with bare lips?”
“Huh?”
At my single remark, Sua’s expression, which had been purely delighted, suddenly stiffened.
She was clearly recalling when she had been permitted her first outing.
Back then, she had been the one drumming up the whole mess all by herself, yet why was she looking at me as if she were the wronged party?
“After all, is this not a matter of presenting an opinion to the court? It is no simple task.”
“Urk….”
It was a simple matter. Merely one that required writing a few characters and sending them off.
“You may have heard from Hwaya, but obtaining permission is even more difficult.”
“I have heard so….”
It was not that difficult.
Since the royal family was favorable toward Sua, if she accepted a few conditions the court demanded, permission would come easily.
Though Sua, without her memories, did not know that.
“Then, for this husband who is busy yet granting his wife’s request, should there not be something to spur him to work diligently?”
“Wh-what is it you want?”
As if answering her question, I leaned my body against the window frame and stretched my upper body toward Sua.
“Does this make it clear?”
Hwaya, whom I had run into before coming here, had been boasting endlessly about what happened today.
To think Sua had received a hug first—one she hadn’t even given to me, her betrothed and lover. I had been considerate of Sua, who only had memories from when she was a man, and had kept contact to a minimum.
Whether out of spite or not, I had to receive a hug this time.
It was a rather petty and narrow-minded method for one who was betrothed and a lover, but what could I do?
“Are you really going to…?”
“Yes.”
She was even hesitating though I held her request hostage in such a petty way.
Thinking back, holding her hand, even the title “Husband”—I had achieved them all through dirty and petty methods.
But if I didn’t do at least this, given that we had the worst second first meeting, it would be difficult to advance our relationship again; it was an unavoidable choice.
“A-alright. I said I’ll do it!”
Perhaps because she composed her mind quickly, Sua’s two hands began slowly approaching me.
Wife. Please understand my heart that wishes to share affectionate moments, even in this manner.
As her hands mounted my shoulders, I spread my arms to receive her embrace.
—Smack.
A soft sensation on my right cheek accompanied by a short, intense sound struck my ear.
“I d-d-did it, so you really have to work hard on it!”
As expected, my wife is a fiery fox.
***
“Why won’t you answer me? I’m really embarrassed….”
Like a dirty and petty male protagonist, really.
It’s for the children, yet he tries to take a kiss hostage?
No matter how much it was for the children, I absolutely couldn’t join lips with a man, so I decided to give him one on the cheek and push through forcefully.
“…Husband?”
Sohwi, frozen in an awkward position with his arms spread, slowly raised his hand to his right cheek and looked at me.
“Wife.”
Was forcefully pushing through not enough after all? But joining lips with a man was absolutely impossible, so I had decided to land one on his cheek and push through….
“I said a hug would suffice.”
“Huh?”
“A hug. I was spreading my arms like this, yet you suddenly thrust your lips forward.”
So I had acted foolishly on my own misunderstanding again, just like during the first outing?
“Our wife is truly quite shameless.”
“No, no, no! You made me misunderstand! You stretched your face out and said something about bare lips, so I naturally—”
“What were you imagining, my shameless wife?”
“It’s not like that!”
It couldn’t be.
He was definitely teasing me.
Even so, there was no way that I, who was a man at heart, would mistakenly kiss his cheek of my own accord!
“Oh my, it has grown quite late. Then have a good night.”
Sohwi smiled in satisfaction and withdrew from the window.
Aaaaargh!
I don’t want to see his face!
I’m definitely not facing him tomorrow! I won’t even turn my head toward the garden!
Tell him to eat dinner alone!
Even after Sohwi left, my face burning with heat, I couldn’t fall asleep easily. I tossed and turned for a long while before finally collapsing from exhaustion into sleep.
***
And I came to regret it a little.
I had certainly thought last night that I didn’t want to see his face because I was embarrassed and frustrated, thinking along those lines.
“Hwaya… it hurts….”
It was that I didn’t want to face him because I was embarrassed.
It wasn’t that I was saying I wanted to lie down because I was sick.
If I’m sick, I can’t meet him. I can’t meet him, but…!
It hurt too much for it to be because of that.
“My lady.”
Twisting my body this way and that beneath the covers from a pain unlike anything I had ever felt in my life, I called for Hwaya with difficulty. She approached, took my hand, and put on a grave expression.
What could it be? What had made her put on such a serious expression?
It hurt even when I stayed still, and it hurt when I moved little by little too. I suspected someone might have embedded needles in my stomach while I was sleeping.
Even lying still, perhaps because of cold sweat, it was terribly uncomfortable, dizzying, and annoying….
“My lady. Your monthly visitor has come.”
“Eh… wh-what?”
“Your menstruation.”