My Husband is Suspicious - Episode 23

Finally, Eleanor spoke.

“Alright. Then, once things are somewhat finished, let’s walk together.”

As Eleanor spoke, Mackiv smiled broadly and nodded.

“Thank you for understanding, Lady Eleanor.”

Eleanor was quite flustered by Mackiv’s excessive delight but soon nodded. After all, Mackiv knew she was married.

‘It must be because walking together is better than walking alone.’

Eleanor organized her thoughts that way. She was too tired to think any deeper right now. There was still a lot of work left to do.

________________________________________

Eleanor checked the tracker. Dreid was still in the same spot.

“By the way, where are we going now?”

Mackiv stood beside Eleanor and glanced at the tracker she was looking at. He quickly calculated the numbers on the tracker in his head and said,

“It’s Alferno Cafe.”

At his words, Eleanor looked up.

“You’re quick with calculations.”

“It’s nothing, it’s the reason I came here.”

Mackiv smiled broadly. He seemed to be in a strangely good mood since earlier. Eleanor looked at him for a moment.

As if sensing Eleanor’s gaze, Mackiv met her eyes even more directly. His innocent eyes seemed to sparkle more than before. There was a strangely passionate feeling to them.

Eleanor blinked. The atmosphere felt different from before. Mackiv stared intently at Eleanor without avoiding her gaze. For a moment, Eleanor felt embarrassed and turned her head.

Then Mackiv spoke.

“Shall I call a carriage?”

“Yes, we should head that way. Even though it’s late, he’s there.”

Eleanor spoke deliberately, as if nothing was amiss. Mackiv, seemingly without much thought, nodded and called for a carriage. Shortly after, the carriage they had arrived in stopped. Eleanor said to the coachman,

“To Alferno Cafe, please.”

The coachman nodded and picked up his whip. The carriage soon departed.

Eleanor stared blankly out the carriage window. Perhaps because they were near the hotel, the beach was clearly visible.

Truly, if it weren’t for Dreid’s business, it would have been a sea worth getting lost in. The happy faces of people enjoying themselves were clearly visible.

Eleanor felt a sense of bitterness for some reason and turned her gaze back to the tracker. It was still in the same spot.

Who would Dreid be meeting there?

‘It’s not a woman, is it?’

No matter how she thought about it, it couldn’t be a woman. Dreid had always been good to Eleanor, kind, and very considerate.

‘Right, it can’t be a woman.’

Eleanor concluded that way. Yet, somewhere in her heart, she seemed to hear the voice of Mrs. Dellakid.

‘Lady Eleanor, you should be careful too. No matter how devoted and kind your husband is, you never know what’s in a person’s heart.’

Eleanor fiddled with her hands. They were already damp with sweat.

“Lady Eleanor, are you not feeling well?”

“……”

“Lady Eleanor?”

Only then did Eleanor look up.

“Yes?”

“Are you perhaps feeling unwell?”

Mackiv asked with concern. He bent down to examine Eleanor’s face.

Startled by Mackiv’s sudden proximity, Eleanor recoiled. Yet, his gaze did not leave Eleanor’s face.

He spoke in a serious tone, unlike before.

“It looks like you’re breaking out in a cold sweat.”

Eleanor quickly took out a handkerchief and dabbed her forehead a few times.

“…I’m fine.”

“Are you really alright?”

“Yes.”

As Eleanor nodded, Mackiv leaned back in his seat, seemingly resigned. At the same time, a faint jingling sound echoed around them.

“If you’re feeling sick to your stomach, please tell me.”

Mackiv said so, then opened a pocket on his clothes. Various unfamiliar medicines spilled out.

“You carry medicine with you?”

“Yes, as a traveling salesman, I never know what might happen. I often go to places without pharmacies, and I can’t buy medicine then.”

“So……”

“I always carry it.”

Mackiv said with a gentle smile. Eleanor looked at Mackiv anew. There was a reason for his good sales performance. He seemed like a very prepared person.

“Here.”

Mackiv offered a white pill. Eleanor hesitated to take it, looking at him with suspicious eyes. Seemingly guessing the distrust in her gaze, Mackiv burst into laughter.

“It’s a medicine to calm your nerves when you’re tense. It’s not poison.”

Mackiv said lightly and extended his hand again. But Eleanor’s hand still didn’t reach out.

“Shall I feed it to you myself?”

“No.”

Eleanor said firmly and took the medicine, albeit reluctantly.

“You can just chew it and swallow it. It’s a medicine that doesn’t require water. I often don’t carry water when I’m out for this job.”

Eleanor awkwardly chewed the pill. A characteristic bitter taste filled her mouth, making her frown involuntarily.

“It’s quite bitter.”

Eleanor said, but Mackiv didn’t reply. Wondering what was wrong, Eleanor looked at him. He had a somewhat dazed expression.

“Mackiv?”

When Eleanor called his name, Mackiv seemed startled, tidied his expression, and smiled as if nothing had happened. However, his cheeks were slightly flushed.

“It’s hot.”

He awkwardly fanned himself and looked around the carriage.

“It’s not that hot…”

As Eleanor mumbled, Mackiv paused, then suddenly began to detach the magic orbs hanging from his clothes. It was as if he needed something to concentrate on, creating work for himself.

Despite the carriage shaking considerably, he paid no mind and succeeded in detaching all the magic orbs hanging from his arms.

“What are you doing?”

Eleanor was genuinely curious. This was the first time she had seen Mackiv, who had seemed so relaxed until now, act this way. He spoke without looking at Eleanor, as if he had very busy work to do.

“Ah, I’m going to reattach these. I have to change their positions periodically.”

Eleanor found his words utterly incomprehensible. Well, it was difficult to fully understand since she wasn’t a magic orb salesperson. Eleanor just nodded.

Looking out the carriage window, they were approaching Alferno Cafe. The cafe’s symbol, a large tree, was faintly visible in the distance.

Eleanor said, looking out the window,

“Mackiv, you should reattach your magic orbs quickly.”

“Why?”

“We’re almost at the cafe.”

“Already?”

“Yes, we should arrive soon.”

“…I’ll tidy them up quickly.”

Mackiv said in a somewhat dejected voice. He seemed somewhat embarrassed by the situation. Eleanor watched him reattach the magic orbs with skilled hands, then turned her gaze back to the tracker.

Dreid was still in the same spot. Perhaps it was for the best.

“We’ve arrived.”

The coachman stopped the carriage a short distance from the cafe. Eleanor scanned the area outside the window for Dreid before getting out of the carriage.

Mackiv also seemed to have quickly tidied his magic orbs and soon got out of the carriage. As he emerged, a faint jingling sound was heard.

“The person we’re looking for is here, right?”

Mackiv asked. Eleanor nodded and checked the tracker once more. It was still there.

“Fortunately, he seems to be in the same place. Let’s go in.”

“We need to be careful not to be seen, right?”

Mackiv whispered to Eleanor. Eleanor paused. It felt strange that Mackiv was speaking so close to her. But she soon replied as if nothing was amiss.

“Yes, of course, we must be careful. We need to look carefully to see if he’s there. If we’re spotted, everything we’ve done so far will be in vain.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful not to cause any trouble.”

As he whispered beside her again, Eleanor took a slight step away from him. Seeing Mackiv look puzzled, Eleanor said,

“It feels a bit too close.”

“I’m sorry, were you uncomfortable?”

Mackiv said with a smile. The man she saw inside the carriage was nowhere to be found. He seemed to have returned to his usual relaxed self.

For a moment, Eleanor wondered if she had seen something wrong inside the carriage, but then she dismissed the thought and walked on.

Now was the time to focus on Dreid.

________________________________________

The cafe was quite crowded. Still, it wasn’t so bustling that Eleanor and Mackiv couldn’t find seats. Looking around, Eleanor soon found someone familiar.

It was Dreid. He was leisurely crossing his legs, reading a newspaper. Dreid’s aura was certainly different from others. He seemed like a person from another world. Eleanor could see people glancing at him.

Eleanor herself had been like them once. She had been instantly captivated by his beauty. Dreid certainly had something that drew people’s attention.

He looked neat and presentable, with an appearance that warranted attention. He was beautiful enough to fall for at first sight. Moreover, his demeanor exuded consideration.

‘It was understandable to fall for him at first glance.’

Eleanor admitted to herself and took a seat far enough away not to be noticed by Dreid. Mackiv followed her and sat down.

As soon as they sat, a server approached and asked kindly,

“Would you like to order?”

“I’ll have chamomile tea.”

Eleanor spoke first, then gestured to Mackiv. He immediately replied brightly,

“I’ll have chocolate milk with lavender on top.”

The server smiled, nodded, and left. Eleanor asked Mackiv with curiosity,

“Does it taste good like that?”

“Yes, it’s incredibly delicious. Haven’t you ever tried it like that?”

“No.”

“Then try some when mine arrives.”

“No, thank you.”

Eleanor said with a grimace, and Mackiv smiled as if amused. Eleanor looked back at Dreid.

He lowered his head while reading the newspaper. He seemed to be looking at the shirt he was wearing.

‘Did he get a stain on it?’

She wondered what kind of stain it could be, given how long he was looking. At that moment, Dreid’s lips curved upwards. Looking closely, he was looking at a paperclip. Dreid smiled and fiddled with the paperclip, as if just looking at it made him happy.

Eleanor felt a strange sensation.

‘Is there perhaps an unavoidable reason why Dreid can’t speak?’

Then Mackiv spoke.

“It’s as if he’s waiting for someone, and yet not.”

Mackiv was openly staring at Dreid, even resting his chin on his hand. Eleanor was momentarily surprised.

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