The Strongest Magician Can Only Love His Dead Wife — After I Reincarnated, My Cute Younger Husband Turned Yandere - Chapter 2

It took considerable effort to become friends with the boy who rejected everything like a thorny briar.

Being ignored when greeting him was a given, and even when spoken to, he’d only respond with “Yeah,” eventually glaring and telling me, “Shut up, you’re annoying.”

But no matter how much he found me bothersome, Rubia didn’t give up. Persistently and with a smile, she continued talking to Arsenio.

Greeting with a smile; that was Rubia’s belief as the foundation for building relationships.

The maids who initially watched with exasperated laughter seemed gradually moved by Rubia’s demeanor. Eventually, they began supporting this patient bride, and in the end, they even formed an organization called the “Madam’s Support Squad.”

However, not everyone was favorable toward Rubia.

It was about a month after Rubia had married into the family, I think.

It started when one of the maids disparaged Rubia as an “upstart native,” provoking Arsenio’s anger.

Even if only in formality, Rubia was the duchess. It was no surprise that Arsenio, as the head of the household, was enraged by the maid’s disrespectful words and actions.

But the problem came afterward.

Arsenio tried to hurt her using his magical power.

—To be precise, his magical power, responding to his anger, went into a semi-rampage and attacked the maid.

Though Arsenio was still young, he usually managed to control the immense magical power dwelling within him well. But once enraged, his power would interpret his will and move to eliminate everything he deemed an “enemy.”

It was a vortex of primitive, overwhelming “power” that could hardly even be called “magic.”

Fortunately, the maid wasn’t injured, but faced with the rampaging magical power unleashed like a beast freed from its chains, everyone was terrified and scattered in panic.

Amid it all, only Rubia approached Arsenio, trying to calm his fury.

“Please calm down, Your Excellency. I don’t mind it.”

In the center of the roaring, swirling black magical energy, Rubia looked straight at Arsenio and spoke to him.

His eyes, usually golden, had turned fiery red, perhaps due to the rampage. But strangely, Rubia didn’t find it frightening.

Probably because she knew he was angry on her behalf.

“That maid insulted you, the duchess! She deserves to be hurt!!”

“I don’t want Your Excellency to hurt anyone.”

“That’s just empty idealism! You’re scared of me too, aren’t you!”

As if answering Arsenio’s agitated voice, the window glass shattered with a crack, and the scattered fragments cut Rubia’s cheek.

“Ah—”

Rubia didn’t miss the moment when Arsenio grew slightly calmer upon seeing the trickle of blood.

“I’m not scared.”

Gently placing her hand over Arsenio’s slightly trembling fist, she clasped it softly.

“Because Your Excellency is a kind person.”

“I’m kind?”

After staring blankly for a moment, Arsenio pursed his lips tightly and glared straight at Rubia.

“If that’s what you think, there’s something wrong with your eyes!”

Strangely, that dismissive voice sounded to Rubia like he was clinging to her.

“Hehe, is that so? But even though Your Excellency’s words are a bit harsh, you’d never do anything to hurt me, right? You prepare meals and a bed for me, and you’d never abandon me out in the cold.”

“That’s only natural.”

Hearing Arsenio’s bewildered words, Rubia thought again that he truly was a kind boy. It was just that, due to the environment he was raised in, he hadn’t had the chance to interact properly with people.

“That’s not what I mean. I’m the bearer of a cursed evil eye!”

“It’s been a month since I married in, but I’ve never seen Your Excellency use those eyes to curse anyone to death.”

“Besides, my magical power might go out of control.”

“If it seems like it’s going to rampage, I’ll stop it like this.”

Before she knew it, the magical power swirling around Arsenio had subsided, and silence had returned to the room.

In the center of the room, cluttered with various objects, Rubia continued to gaze straight at Arsenio, hoping her feelings would get through.

“Everyone’s scared of me. You’re an idiot.”

Though he spat the words, Arsenio’s face looked like he was about to cry. Seeing him like that, he really was just a child his age.

“If being scared of Your Excellency makes me an idiot, then I’m fine with being an idiot.”

Taking advantage that he didn’t shake off her hand, Rubia clasped Arsenio’s hand more firmly.

“Since we’ve become husband and wife by fate, I want to become even closer to you.”

“You’re a strange woman.”

“I get that a lot.”

Faced with Rubia, who kept smiling even when insulted, Arsenio furrowed his brow and fell silent.

Then, he muttered under his breath.

“It’s Arsenio.”

“Huh?”

“My name isn’t ‘Your Excellency.’ If you’re my wife, call me by my name.”

As Rubia blinked in surprise at his unexpected words, Arsenio took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the injury on her cheek.

“And sorry for hurting you.”

His face was bright red all the way to his ears as he said it.

“Ufufu…”

—Lost in her memories, Rubia recalled how Arsenio had been then and couldn’t help but let a smile escape.

The sight of Rubia grinning to herself while drinking tea must have seemed incredibly creepy to Arsenio.

“What’s with you, grinning all by yourself. It’s disgusting.”

“It’s not ‘you,’ it’s Rubia!”

Even though he’d told her to call him by his name, Rubia had yet to see him call her by hers.

When she complained, he sipped his tea with a straight face, furrowing his brow as if to say it was trivial.

“‘You’ is plenty good enough for you.”

“Ah, you could call me ‘big sister’ if you want! Or maybe ‘nee-nee’!”

“Bwah!”

With a strange sound, Arsenio spat out his tea and started coughing violently.

Thinking the tea might have gone down his windpipe, she hurriedly offered him a handkerchief. He snatched it from her, roughly wiped his wet mouth, and glared sharply at Rubia.

“You… what are you thinking? I’m your husband.”

“I know that, but I’m eight years older than you, so it’s hard to see me as a wife, right? So, think of me as your older sister!”

“—You, as my sister? Impossible.”

Cut off by his sharp, dismissive voice, Rubia slumped dejectedly.

She thought the relationship of husband and wife must be a burden for an eight-year-old. So, if they could have a family-like relationship, she believed they could become even closer than they were now.

But it seemed she had touched a nerve.

“Enough. I’m going back to my room.”

Placing his teacup back on the saucer, Arsenio stood and left. The look on his face was enough to send a chill down her spine. In fact, Rubia even felt as if the room temperature had dropped by two degrees.