My Yandere Wife Won't Let Me Go!

The carriage rattled steadily along the capital road, and I spent most of the journey staring out the window like some wide-eyed farm boy seeing the world for the first time, which, honestly, wasn’t too far from the truth.

The capital city of Valkar stretched out endlessly in every direction, tall buildings, bustling markets, people dressed in finer clothes than anything I’d ever owned in my entire life. By the time we reached the palace itself, my nervousness had built into something close to full-blown panic.

’What in the world am I even doing here?’

I climbed down from the carriage, smoothing out the borrowed formal jacket the tailor had hastily fitted for me two days earlier. It fit well enough, though I still felt distinctly out of place among the sea of nobles making their way up the grand palace steps, their expensive gowns and jewelry catching the evening light.

I made my way carefully through the crowd, trying my best to blend in despite clearly failing miserably. A few curious glances followed me, though thankfully, nobody seemed to recognize me as anything more than another minor guest.

As I approached the entrance hall, a sudden commotion caught my attention off to the side. A young noblewoman, dressed in an elegant blue gown, stumbled awkwardly over the hem of her own dress, her arms flailing as she began tipping dangerously toward the floor.

Without really thinking about it, I lunged forward and caught her just before she hit the ground, my arm wrapping steadily around her waist.

”Whoa, careful there,” I said, helping her regain her footing.

She blinked up at me, her cheeks flushing bright red as she quickly straightened herself, smoothing down her dress with trembling hands. ”Oh my, thank you so much. I don’t know what happened, I just... tripped.”

”Hey, it happens,” I said, giving her a small, reassuring smile. ”You okay?”

”Yes, I’m fine, thank you, That was... very kind of you.” she said, still visibly flustered.

[Ding!]

[Affection Point Gained: +6]

[Target: Rosalind Ashfield]

[Current Affection: 6/100]

I blinked at the sudden notification, momentarily distracted before quickly refocusing on the girl in front of me.

’Wait, this is happening with other girls too? Not just Elaine?’

”I’m Kael,” I said, extending a polite hand.

”Rosalind,” she replied, taking it gently. ”Rosalind Ashfield. Are you... new to court? I don’t believe I’ve seen you before.”

”Something like that, First time at one of these, actually.” I said vaguely, not particularly eager to explain my entire complicated backstory in the middle of a crowded entrance hall.

She smiled warmly. ”Well, I hope you enjoy yourself, Kael. Perhaps we’ll speak again later this evening.”

”Yeah, maybe,” I said, watching as she gave a small curtsy before disappearing back into the crowd.

I shook my head slightly, still trying to wrap my mind around this whole affection system business, before continuing on toward the grand ballroom.

The moment I stepped through the towering doors, I was immediately struck by the sheer scale of everything, glittering chandeliers overhead, marble floors, an orchestra playing softly from an elevated platform. Nobles mingled in small, elegant clusters throughout the hall, their voices blending together into a low, constant hum of polite conversation.

I stood near the entrance for a long moment, feeling distinctly out of my depth.

’Okay. Just find Elaine, say a quick thank you for the invitation, and try not to embarrass myself too badly.’

I scanned the crowd, searching for any sign of her, but there was no immediate luck. I wandered further into the ballroom, grabbing a small pastry from a passing servant’s tray, mostly just to give myself something to do with my hands.

It wasn’t until nearly half an hour later that I finally spotted her.

Princess Elaine stood near the raised dais at the far end of the hall, surrounded by several older nobles, all clearly engaged in some kind of important conversation. She caught my eye briefly across the room, offering a small, apologetic smile before turning back to whatever discussion currently held her attention.

’Right. Guess she’s busy being an actual princess right now.’

I sighed, deciding to simply wait it out somewhere less crowded, when a sudden ripple of excited murmurs swept through the ballroom.

”Did you hear? Apparently there’s a formal duel about to happen!”

”The Draven heir and the Mordain heir, if the rumors are true!”

”This should be interesting. Those two families have hated each other for generations.”