I am Being Chased by My Husband

(athanasiafrost)

Instead, I turned to Leo and wore a playful grin, as if enjoying the moment.

“Is that why you’re sad, Leo? Because you’re not the Duke’s number one?”

“What!”

Leo sighed and glanced at me.

“I don’t even want that!”

“… I’m just glad I’m not a burden… .”

Leo muttered gloomily, his words meant only for me and Braeden, who stood nearby. Braeden let out a gentle sigh and patted Leo on the shoulder, concerned that being labeled an illegitimate child might harm Johannes.

“What burden?”

I smiled brightly and whispered, ensuring only Leo could hear.

“Having such a cute son was a huge bonus for the marriage. At least, that’s how I feel.”

“I am not cute. And I’m not a son.”

“… No?”

It was typical to face rejection when trying to get close to someone, but this was the first time someone had rejected a relationship like this so straightforwardly. Leo seemed to detect a hint of sadness in my tone, and he looked at me with surprise.

“On paper… obviously, we are a family… officially and legally, we are…”

“That…!”

Our conversation was interrupted as the knights at the front of the procession halted and blew their horns. It was now dark, and it was time to set up camp.

“The cliff is nearby, but they say an demon has recently been spotted here,”

The knight set the site began to explain bluntly.

“Maybe the demons won’t show up here tonight, so we better camp here, even if it’s a bit inconvenient.”

Everyone dismounted their horses, and with Braeden’s help, I did the same.

“Wow, it’s my first time camping! Can I sleep next to Leo?”

I said, waving my hands and shouting enthusiastically, disregarding the disappointment from earlier. Leo’s cheeks turned red with embarrassment, but I paid no mind.

I knew that at midnight tonight, a demon was supposed to appear.

(athanasiafrost)

Leo lay down in his simple barracks but couldn’t sleep well. Despite covering himself with a blanket, he felt an odd chill.

“You are the rightful heir to the Duchy of Noavik, Leo. The North is your land, and you should grow up here,”

Johannes didn’t stop by the duchy, but whenever he did, he stroked his hair and said it several times.

“So never be discouraged. You know you have the blood of Noavik, recognized by the elders.”
 

At eight years old, Leo was too young to grasp the full situation objectively, but he vaguely understood one thing.

ohannes was not his biological father. Nevertheless, the elders recognized him as Noavik’s bloodline, and everyone in the duchy respected him as their future ruler.

“As soon as Leo becomes an adult, the duchy will be handed over to him. So please educate him well.”

Johannes was the Duke of Noavik, but he didn’t seem to desire that title. It was as if he held the position temporarily until Leo came of age. In private, Johannes had told Leo that after relinquishing the throne, he planned to devote his life to pursuing the Blue Ruby.

But Leo also had sharp ears and could often hear the hushed whispers among the servants.

“Isn’t that an excuse? An excuse to completely entrust the duchy to Prince Leo and step back…”

“It’s a surprising denial. He’s going to do the tough job of chasing the ‘Blue Ruby,’ so he’ll delegate the easy tasks, like working as a priest, to himself.”

Leo shifted slightly and sighed. He genuinely liked Johannes, but he couldn’t shake the sense of guilt that lingered within him.


“During the last marriage proposal… He said he refused it because of Prince Leo.”

“He’s openly discussing his successor, leaving no room for compromise.”

“He immediately rejected the marriage proposal from Emmenta Kingdom…”


Could Johannes spend his entire life chasing bounty criminals, unable to marry anyone due to his existence?

The questions swirled in Leo’s mind, but he couldn’t confide in anyone. He had learned that as the heir to the North, he must embrace solitude and loneliness, as it was the nature of his position.

hen, out of the blue, a woman like a ray of sunshine appeared, claiming to be Johannes’ wife.

It was cliché, but Eloise resembled the occasional sunlight that broke through the perpetually overcast Northern weather. She was bright, cheerful, and lived by the motto, ‘this is a good place’. At first, people regarded her with strange eyes, but soon, they grew fond of her.

May she brightly smile again and says she likes something they could never have imagined.

“I hear she’s a southern low-ranking aristocrat? I don’t think it’s a particularly advantageous marriage. Isn’t the Crown Prince deliberately blocking marriages in the North to avoid any benefits?”

Based on what others said, Eloise wasn’t exactly supportive of Johannes. So, initially, Leo felt a vague reluctance towards her.

However, when she made the absurd comment that she liked Leo, despite his selfish nature, he felt strangely comforted.

To Johannes, who couldn’t marry due to him and had to live a solitary life while pursuing the Blue Ruby… It was a relief to see a wife who didn’t view herself as a hindrance.

‘I hope they get along well…’

Leo had never seen Johannes get along well with any woman, so he couldn’t imagine him being friendly with Eloise. Yet, it was his wish.

Johannes and Leo had their differences, but perhaps, if Eloise continued to smile warmly and say, “We are a family,” they could truly become a harmonious family. It was a sweet and hopeful thought.

But… He reminded himself not to trust people too easily. Eloise was a kind and nice person, but she was still an outsider who had come here for unknown reasons, claiming to be Johannes’ wife.

While she might have said she came because she liked Johannes, Leo had learned numerous times during his training as the heir that he shouldn’t trust such invisible excuses. Therefore, he must remain cautious and not grow too attached.

Perhaps that’s why Johannes ordered his servants to watch her. All the other maids had already taken a liking to Eloise, but Leo, the heir to the North, couldn’t be swayed so easily. He had resolved not to become affectionate.

As he lay in bed, thinking about this, chaos erupted outside.

“It’s an demon!”

The knights moved into action, fully alert. Leo swiftly picked up his sword and prepared himself. A knight guarding the front of his barracks rushed in.

“Prince, two demons have appeared. I’ll protect you… Aww!”

The knight’s words were cut off as a sudden and massive storm engulfed the temporary barracks. Leo found himself face to face with an demon.

It was a colossal, dark black smoke. Each roll of the smoke caused the knights, who were about to attack, to shrink back. It was the first time Leo had seen the elite knights of the duchy struggle so much.

“Avoid it for now. This place is dangerous!”

Leo wasn’t foolish enough to announce that he would fight there too. As the heir to the duchy, his unconditional duty was to survive.

“Understood. Everyone, be careful!”

Leo shouted like an adult and got on his horse, confirmed that he had properly gripped the reins.

“Braeden, please!”

And there was someone right behind him. It was Eloise and Braeden on the horseback. Eloise was hanging from behind Braeden, holding him by the waist.

“Let’s go first!”

Most of the knights were fighting the demon, and Braeden chose to avoid it by escorting Leo and Eloise.

‘Ah… .’

As Leo urged his horse into a gallop, he couldn’t help but glance at Eloise’s expression. It must have been her first time seeing an demon up close, and he wondered if fear had frozen her face. The sweet imagination he had before falling asleep was shattered all at once.

The situation was entirely different from the time the demons vanished without a trace in the castle. This time, the attack happened right before Eloise’s eyes, and it was natural for her to feel afraid of the North.

“… Two higher demons at once… Is this common in the Duchy?”

Yet, Eloise asked Braeden about the situation with a remarkably calm expression. Braeden replied with a furrowed brow as he tightened his grip on the reins.

“Absolutely not. This is the first time I’ve seen it in my 60 years of life. We should avoid it for now.”

And so, Braeden, Eloise, and Leo began to distance themselves from the battlefield. Leo regretted not bringing John, the divine beast he had left behind in the castle. Even in the midst of this danger, Eloise kept glancing back, her gaze sharp, and watched the battle unfold.

‘Definitely strange.’

I rolled my eyes and bit my lower lip. The appearance of two higher-level demons was the first time I, someone who had been searching for demons every day, had witnessed such a phenomenon.

Demons had no will, and they couldn’t even cooperate for an attack. Even though a cliff was nearby, the knights chose this place as their campsite because they believed it was safe from demons, given their recent appearance.

‘…Something is really off.’

The only thing that had changed from the past was that Leo was safe. And just as before, the demons seemed to act as though they had a will to attack Leo.

‘They say they’re the elite knights, so with enough time, they should be able to handle it. Leo is also escaping with us.’

But I was wrong. One of the higher-level demons was chasing after us, leaving the knights far behind. The demon’s speed was on par with that of a horse, so it pursued us relentlessly, maintaining a significant distance from the knights.

“Braeden.”

Leo was in danger, and the only one who knew this was me, who was aware of the future. I glanced at the two daggers hidden under my coat and spoke, fully conscious of my decision.

“Let me ask you a question based on common sense. Between me and Leo, you know who you have to protect, right?”

“Yes?”

Braeden asked in surprise, and for the first time since arriving in the North, I issued a firm command.

“Demons tend to target the weaker individuals first. I’ll be the bait, so you run away with Leo as far as possible.”

“Lady, that’s…”

And without hesitation, I leaped off the galloping horse.

(athanasiafrost)