Savior’s First Lady

***

“Ah!”

More spectators gathered around. I was trapped among the crowd.

“Hold on, that person is a key witness! You need to come with us to the station!”

Tarik shouted. The police tried to reach me to protect me, but the crowd was too dense.

At that moment, Burke’s eyes locked onto mine.

“You ungrateful bitch! How dare you!”

Burke yelled. The area around me fell silent. People stepped away from me.

‘I mustn’t let them find out I’m Lord Eden’s wife!’

I pulled my hood down further.

“If it wasn’t for me, you’d be working as a whore under me. That wretched woman, everyone knows your father died without repaying my money! Huh? When I get out of jail, I’ll come for you myself!”

“Shut him up!”

The officers yelled. They tried to restrain Burke, but he was too big and strong.

At that moment, Eden walked slowly from the entrance of the building.

‘How did he come down from the rooftop so quickly?’

That was the thought in my head as I stared blankly at Eden. He approached Burke.

“Stand him up.”

Eden gestured. Tarik and two officers released Burke.

Burke wasn’t even handcuffed.

But Eden approached him and nonchalantly punched him in the face.

“When you insult another man’s wife.”

Smack!

Burke’s tooth flew through the air. He squealed like a pig.

“You should be ready to die for it.”

Thud!

Burke hit the ground. Eden straddled him and slapped him across the face.

Burke seemed to lose consciousness.

‘He’s not dead, is he?’

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one wondering that. Eden snapped his fingers.

“Handcuff him and arrest him. Don’t just stand there.”

Finally, one of the officers approached and cuffed Burke.

Eden calmly rebuttoned his sleeve.

“The key witness to the station.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tarik quickly came over to me. He’s always acted like Lord Eden’s personal subordinate.

With the officers’ protection, I climbed into the carriage.

“We’ll take your statement at the station and then let you go. It’s too dangerous here with all these people, so it’s better to move together.”

Tarik whispered to me. I nodded.

“Is that woman really Lord Eden’s wife?”

“Did she deceive Lord Eden into marrying her?”

Some people whispered about me. But thankfully, the carriage started moving quickly.

I pulled my hood down even further over my head.

***

Please, let me not run into the reporters camped outside the police station. Let them not dig further into my personal life.

Fortunately, my wish came true. I was discreetly brought in through the back door of the police station.

A quick glance around showed the place in chaos, filled with Burke’s men who had been dragged in.

“Are you alright?”

Tarik asked me. I lifted my head.

I was being escorted into a small office for protection.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Let’s continue your statement. The reason you recognized Burke’s face…?”

“Yes, when I was young, my father owed him money due to a business relationship. Burke himself would come to collect the debt and visited our office several times. Even after my father passed away, he continued to threaten us. There should be debt documents that can serve as evidence. However, this information…”

“Don’t worry, the investigation process is confidential,” Tarik assured me with a nod.

“But still, you are indeed Lord Eden’s wife. Like husband, like wife, I suppose. If you hadn’t recognized that man, Burke would have escaped, and things would have become much more complicated.”

Like husband, like wife.

That was the first time I had heard something like that. In the future I saw in my dreams, I was constantly criticized as Eden’s disgrace.

“I was just lucky.”

I stammered.

“Ah, so humble. Truly an admirable couple. Lord Eden volunteering for this investigation is remarkable. Ordinary people could never hope to match such generosity.”

“…Volunteered?”

I frowned.

“Yes, this special investigation was orchestrated by Lord Eden. The Holy Knights of the Cathedral are partly involved in the capital’s security, so they sometimes collaborate on major cases like this.”

“You mean my husband planned to capture Burke?”

“Yes, indeed. Burke has been growing more audacious lately, and we were eager to get him, but his powerful connections kept us at bay.”

My heart started to pound.

‘Why would Eden do such a thing?’

Could it be… because Burke meddled with our household finances?

“When did the investigation start?”

“Just a week ago. It’s astonishing how they captured such a high-profile criminal in just a week.”

It had been exactly a week since Eden had been home.

Could it be… he hasn’t been home because he was busy hunting down Burke?

“You found Burke’s headquarters in a week?”

“Lord Eden can do it! He already had all the evidence and leverage. He had secured witness statements as well. It was as if he had been planning this for a long time.”

Tarik’s expression was one of reverence, as if Lord Eden were a deity.

“So what is Lord Eden doing now?”

“He is personally interrogating Burke.”

“Burke is still alive, right?”

“Well, I don’t think he’ll kill him,” Tarik said with a cheerful smile. Now I was worried not only about this country but also the future of its police force.

***

“Then, since I have many statements to take, I’ll leave you here for now. Please wait here for a while. I’ve arranged for a carriage at the back door. Once the area quiets down, you can go home. Reporters are still lingering around the police station.”

“Got it.”

I nodded. After Tarik left, another kind officer brought me tea and said they would call me once it was safe to leave.

Once they were gone, I pretended to look at the wall, then quickly slipped out into the hallway.

‘Where could Eden be?’

He was so difficult to meet that if I missed him today, who knew when he’d come home again – it was a gut feeling.

Plus, I had been to this police station before due to the stalker incident, so I knew the layout.

‘The interrogation rooms were this way, right?’

I cautiously walked down the hallway. I was on the second floor, and the interrogation rooms were in the basement.

As I descended the stairs, I stopped when I heard a familiar voice.

***

“Lord Eden! How glad I am that you volunteered for this.”

Peeking around the corner, I saw a man who clearly held a high position, smiling broadly and approaching Eden, who had blood on his shirt collar.

“Chief.”

“You’ve successfully handled a major case. You’re always welcome to join our police force.”

“As a Holy Knight, I must serve justice. This was part of that duty.”

“So humble. Truly remarkable.”

The deputy chief was almost gazing at Eden with a look of adoration.

I recognized that look. All the high-ranking officials seemed to look at Eden as if they were madly in love with him.

The deputy chief and Eden talked for a while. Then the deputy chief left.

As Eden started walking again, I instinctively shrank back.

‘Right, we had a fight, didn’t we?’

It felt awkward to see Eden again. And I couldn’t just grab him and ask, ‘Did you go after Burke because he messed with our household finances?’

‘Should I just go home and wait?’

I decided to retreat.

The police station’s corridors were narrow, and Eden might not see me if he walked by.

I held my breath and waited for him to pass. But I didn’t hear footsteps for a while.

Then, suddenly, I was pulled forward. Eden’s large hand had gripped my wrist tightly.

“L-Lord Eden. I…”

I looked at Eden. He pulled me close, causing my cheek to brush against his shoulder.

It felt as if a butterfly had fluttered into my chest, making it tingle. Eden’s breath was warm, and his large hand was firm and hot.

“Let’s go home. It’s late.”

Eden whispered in my ear. I looked at him blankly as he gently touched the back of my hand before releasing it.

My cheeks grew even redder.

Eden nonchalantly pulled up my hood.

“Cover your face properly.”

“Yes.”

I nodded dazedly.

Eden walked away, retracing his steps until he disappeared from sight.

It was only much later, on the carriage ride home, that I realized Eden might have been on his way to see me.

Until then, my wrist felt oddly warm, just like my ears and head.

I had a feeling I’d be waiting for him tonight.