Ashford county is a domain on the western part of Orion principally known for the camellia flowers that grow only in the territory due to its unique ambiance.
The members of the Ashford family, the Lords of the land were country nobles, who do not involve themselves in politics or any court affairs unless it directly affected their territory.
Unbeknownst to a lot of people, Ashford county is the home to one of the most elite military powers in the empire, the Eagle Knights led by the head of the family.
With a territory that was flourishing in nature and the Eagle Knights guarding the lands, they had built an invisible wall around themselves isolating their territory from the rest of the country.
Much like the Frosts, the Ashfords were among some of the oldest families of Orion that have prevailed since the foundation of the empire. Yet most of the central nobles of the capital were oblivious to their existence because of a humble lifestyle and ambitionless disposition.
As far as history was concerned, the Ashfords have been on the sidelines of Orion's history. For it was one that has produced competent commanders of war in times of need for generations.
At the end of the Calvan war, the Ashfords had retreated back to their territory after refusing a military position in the capital against the wishes of the Emperor much to his dismay.
That was the last time the name 'Ashford' was mentioned in the capital.
Henceforth, the Ashfords have avoided indulging in social circles aside from attending the foundation ball and tax meeting which was mandatory for all noble families in the empire.
Now here's the question.
How does someone from such a family be so well versed in restricted knowledge about Havu curses that the elves are mindful of?
How is it that she is aware of facts regarding the confidential investigations of the Esdels and the Saintess of Kal that even the Emperor is scarcely informed of?
"Would you look at that gorgeous serpent"
Whistling at the site of the curse placed on her own husband without the slightest bit of shock was my newly wedded wife, Angelica, a daughter of the Ashfords.
The admiration she was expressing was in stark contrast with what you would expect from an ordinary person especially a well brought up noble lady to express. It reminded me of Orme Leviatan's reaction during the autopsy of former Marquis Esdel's corpse.
Up until a few hours before, Angelica was no different from any other noble in the empire.
As a figure in the shadows of society and a young lady yet to make her debutante, I was a stranger to her just much as a stranger she was to me.
Even though I have never seen her before, I knew of Angelica Ashford through the words of one of my tutors, the infamous alchemist, Axel Gilbert.
Out of all the instructors I have seen, he was the only person without any ulterior motives and solely focused on educating his disciple. Ultimately that made alchemy the only class I could look forward to.
In retrospect, Master Gilbert had a vicious tongue and a condescending demure that made it impossible for him to properly interact with others.
Since his vast expertise in alchemy deemed him irreplaceable in the field, no one dared to rebel against the old man regardless of their position.
Still, there was one student who did just that.
"Why can't I have more students like you, Frost? Here I am stuck with a brat with no empathy towards knowledge"
Seeing Master Gilbert constantly grumble at the end of each lesson, I got curious.
"I can't believe I let that brat fool me! Me! The great Axel Gilbert!"
"If only she used that bratty brain for good!"
However, every time Master Gilbert complained about this particular student, he refrained from mentioning a name or a family.
It wasn't hard figuring out the person responsible for his fury.
The only other family Axel Gilbert was affiliated with other than the Frosts was the western country nobles, the Ashfords due to his friendship with the former Countess.
And by 'she', he meant the youngest of the kin, Angelica Ashford.
Not many people knew of her existence owing to a fragile physical constitution that had rendered her bedridden and unfit for social activities.
It didn't seem peculiar as it was not surprising for noble families to suppress information about their children since any weakness in one of their kin might appear as a liability to the entire clan, no matter how secluded they may be.
That was it. After that incident, I had eventually forgotten about her until years later the name was brought up the day the Saintess was kidnapped in the Emperor's private office.
"It was the daughter" said Commander Norton with pride in his eyes.
Back then I brushed it off. But now that I think about it, despite being a central noble, the Nortons were one of the few families in close relations with the Ashfords.
When I first learned from Nathaniel that Angelica Ashford was the one selected as my marriage partner I didn't think much about that as I was focused on the curse that was eating away my soul.
According to Nathaniel, the reason Angelica Ashford was chosen amongst the hundreds of young ladies of marriageable age was due to the nature of her circumstances.
For the past few months, Ashford county was suffering from an unusual array of natural disasters that had depleted its financial resources to the point of bankruptcy.
As a young lady from a traditional noble family with a long history that was in dire need of financial support, Angelica Ashford became the ideal candidate for an emergency political marriage.
Once the marriage was approved by both sides of the family, the transaction was completed and the contract was signed.
With the Dark Wolfs continuing the search for the Saintess, Sir Luther and his squadron of Knights safely escorted her to the estate.
For the people in the Frost estate, the newly wedded duchess's arrival was like a beacon of hope in the dark times.
Up until the moment Angelica arrived at my doorstep, the atmosphere was buzzing about the news of the young duchess.
And when she finally came I noticed that something was odd.
"This must be the wife"
When High Priest Thesser addressed Angelica as my wife, she more than anyone was surprised by the fact, as if it was the first time she was hearing about it.
"What happened to him?"
After inquiring about the state of my being, almost hysterical she plunged her hands into a bowl of boiling water much to the fright of the attendants.
"I...I... I need to wake up"
Anyone who had heard her that day would have thought that the young lady was kidnapped against her will and thrown into a den of wolves rather than being married into a prestigious family.
'Is it that frightening to see a cursed person? Or is she sad that her husband has no hopes of recovery?'
In a terrified state, she fell unconscious and had to be carried away by the Knights.
Through the discussion of the attendants cleaning the mess, I came to know that Angelica was being treated for her injuries in a separate room so as to not freak her out again.
'What was it that frightened her?'
Everyone wondered the same as me.
On the other hand, the spectacle in the room spread like wildfire and sealed an impression on Angelica as a fragile and innocent glass doll who is easily scared.
This led to the Knights treating Angelica more delicately than before as the significance of her presence was something that cannot be lost.
Once the sun had set, Angelica made her way back to my room to spend the first night as a married couple.
As the doors to the bedroom closed, Angelica's light but steady steps paced around the room before making her way to the other side of the bed and laying down.
Seems like she has calmed down.
For a while it was quiet. While I could feel her presence on the bed, she wasn't moving but neither was she asleep.
A naive and fragile noble lady from the outskirts of Orion with no knowledge about the power struggles in the capital. An easy prey in the social hunting grounds was the first impression I had of her.
However, I couldn't have been more wrong.
Without a bit of hesitation, she rolled over from her side of the bed, climbed on top of me, and started undoing the buttons to my shirt.
Naive? No.
It was like the momentary shock was just a facade.
Running her hands over my abdomen her breathing became shallow as she removed my shirt.
"Woaaah" Angelica exclaimed at the sight of my bare body.
There wasn't an ounce of fear in her voice. Just fascination.
'What exactly did she think was the purpose of this marriage to be doing this? Is she going to... Nevermind'
Contrary to what I had thought, she flipped my body in a single go and turned my head to the side so that I could breathe.
Fragile? Not even close.
With each passing second, she was exhibiting more and more bizarre activities, even for a person in my line of work.
'Did my judgment of characters cloud due to the curse? Why did I ever think she was innocent?'
It was like she had prior knowledge of the Havu curse and knew exactly where to look for the symbol etched on my body, none of which was known to the public, especially not a country noble.
What was more puzzling was that I couldn't sense any form of ill intentions from her. The tone of her voice and actions displayed astonishment more than hostility.
Fortunately, like everyone else she too was unaware that I was conscious.
Just when I thought she was done with the surprises, something strange happened.
"It must have hurt a lot"
The moment Angelica's hand touched the serpent symbol on my back.
*clang* *clang* *clang*
The shackles binding me to the ground turned into dust.
"Havu's got you good huh....."
While still being able to hear the rhythm of her voice, I was blinded by a bright light.
I shielded my eyes with my hands and tried to see through the light. The vast land of darkness was completely overthrown by the light.
"Sorry pal. I would like to help. But my life is on the line too"
Is she doing this?
Did my wife succeed in breaking the Havu curse that renowned priests and healers from every nook and cranny of the continent failed to do?
Before I knew it, I had been dressed and moved back to my original state.
"Here"
I felt a deeply calloused hand touch my chest.
It was Angelica's hand.
Her tough and hardened hand felt cold against my burning body.
"You need to purify your heart to break the curse"
At that moment, the light subsided and I found myself back on the shores of Napal with the sun about to set for the day.
The sight was exactly the same as the day I walked alongside the waves, alone and wondering about the unknown.
The excruciating pain that had been coursing through my body had for months had long vanished.
I could no longer sense the presence of the god in my body.
Rather I was feeling refreshed and energized.
Was the key to breaking the curse in the unlikeliest of places? Was Angelica really the solution I was looking for?
I lifted my hand to place it on Angelica's.
"!"
Wait. Something's not right.
Even though the snake around my heart had disintegrated.
'Why!? Why can't I move!?'
"So just hold on till the female lead shows up"
By the time, I was able to comprehend the unexpected turn of events, Angelica had been talking to herself thinking she was alone.
Wasn't the curse broken?
Although I tried with all my might, I couldn't even lift a finger.
Helpless, I sat down on the soft sand and gazed at the red sky.
I was filled with more questions than answers when suddenly Angelica grabbed the collar of my shirt and yanked me up.
"Listen to me you punk"
I'm listening alright.
"I did not die, to be born again, only to die again because of you"
'Died? Born again?' This isn't making any sense.
Unlike the thorny words coming out of her mouth, Angelica's hands were trembling.
"I'm not the female lead Helen"
'Helen?' That's a name I haven't heard before.
"I'm not selfless. And I'm certainly not the type to sacrifice myself for the welfare of a stranger"
While I can't understand why she is saying all this to me, she seems to be clearly emotional and troubled.
When Angelica leaned on me, a drop of tear fell on my chest.
'Why is she crying?'
For some reason, I felt a tightness in my heart.
"You massacred an entire household using your wife's death as an excuse. Yet you didn't even bother to mourn her..."
This is new. As far as I know, I haven't massacred any family and my wife is perfectly alive and well.
"...and went of speed dating Helen"
Who is this Helen again?
"You didn't care about me. So why should I give a rat's ass about you? Hell I don't even know you"
That doesn't seem to be the case though. You know more things about me, that even I don't.
Long story short, Angelica was somehow convinced that she was going to be killed for the sake of my future happiness with another woman.
"I will survive as a cannon fodder!" Angelica declared before releasing me from her clutches.
My inert body dropped to the bed while Angelica stood up right beside me.
~ Oh no, not I, I will survive ~
At the top of her lungs, she started singing a song I had never heard before.
'This crazy woman'
And she did that all night long until she got tired and fell asleep.
'By far, this has been the most bizarre day in my entire life' I mentally let out a sign feeling Angelica rub her cheek against my chest.
"Hmmm..." Angelica groaned in her sleep.
After pushing away the quilt that was covering both of us, she wrapped herself around me like a koala bear climbing a tree till she was comfortable with the position.
Herbie is in for a surprise tomorrow.
Nevertheless.
'This marriage might not be a bad thing after all. I could get used to this'
I naively thought unaware that it was just the beginning of countless sleepless nights to come.