Hiding My Identity From My Husband - Chapter 7

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 7

[I don’t understand why you’re making that face.]
The voice, thick with anger, grinds on.
[I merely told you what you’ve done. So what is there to be so sorrowful and pitiful about?]
[Don’t forget the agent who died because of you. Now is not the time for you to beg us for patience while acting so full of yourself.]
I clenched my eyes shut.
The scene from that day returned, vivid and unsparing. The warmth of blood spreading across my hands, the child’s fading eyes…… all of it.
The reason the executives hate me.
Is it because I’m an orphan girl from the Slum?
That had surely played a part, but it wasn’t the whole story.
The real reason they despise me is…
I killed Kataekul’s successor. I killed Beiller’s daughter.

—Sister, I hurt so much.

A wave of nausea rose unbidden. But I couldn’t fall apart here.
That I’ve lived this long, despite such a merciless sin, is only the Commander’s mercy.
I cannot disappoint him.
“Please trust me just once more. This time, I will not let you down.”
The mechanical bird’s microphone erupted in harsh static. The people on the other end were making a commotion. I squeezed my eyes shut again.
[How are we supposed to trust someone like you…!]
[Enough.]
Beiller silenced the uproar with a single word.
[No. 13.]
I repeated my code name in my mind and answered.
“Yes, Commander. What is your order?”
[As you already know, you have two tasks. Obstruct Rubantes’ plan, and before that—find the Sacred Object.]
“Yes. I will succeed.”
[This is your last chance.]
“…Yes.”
Now that Beiller himself had spoken the word “last,” the executives would be satisfied.
If I failed, they’d be rid of the nuisance I’d become. If I succeeded, they’d have the Sacred Object. Either way, they win.
“I’ll do my best.”
[Good.]
But Beiller wasn’t finished.
[And if Rubantes becomes an obstacle to this mission…]
Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
I already knew what was coming next.
[Kill him.]
I shut my eyes tight.
That day’s carnage played out again before me in the empty air. The nausea worsened.

* * *

Knock-knock.
A knock at the door. I sensed Ruh’s presence beyond the threshold.
“I’m coming in.”
He hadn’t asked permission.
But I already knew how he was, so I didn’t object—I simply received him from where I sat on the sofa.
“Did you rest well?”
“More or less.”
Ruh settled into the seat across from me.
The conversation with Kataekul just moments ago made meeting Ruh’s gaze feel awkward.
I deliberately ignored the weight of his stare fixed on me.
“Guardian sent word.”
But when I heard it was a message from Guardian, I had to pull my focus sharp.
I hastily swept away the stray thoughts and turned my attention to Beiller.
“We need to find Temis.”
He slid a document across to me. I pretended to examine it while I spoke.
“The one famous as an Alchemist?”
“Yes. And she’s the one who created Aura.”
Aura.
A tonic engineered for mental enhancement.
It had become wildly popular across the entire Empire thanks to its remarkable effect on concentration — even half a dose showed dramatic results.
I’d heard rumors she’d become fabulously wealthy from it….
But what could an Alchemist possibly have to do with a Sacred Object?
“Isn’t she just a pharmacist? How would she know anything about a Sacred Object?”
Beiller interlaced his fingers, speaking carefully.
“She apparently maintains close ties with the Imperial Court.”
“You’re suggesting the Imperial side might have leaked information about the Sacred Object to her?”
“The odds are low, but either way, we ought to verify.”
A frown settled on my face.
Neither Kataekul nor the Imperial Court knew where the Sacred Object was. That’s precisely why everyone was tearing the city apart looking for it.
Yet there was no chance a mere ordinary Alchemist would know its whereabouts.
‘Still…’
It wasn’t something I could simply dismiss.
After all, this was intelligence Guardian itself had uncovered.
‘Kataekul won’t know about this. It makes sense for me to step in and verify it myself.’
Once I’d finished that line of thinking, I refocused on Beiller.
“Temis is scheduled to attend a party at the Baiden Marquis Estate. So we….”
“Get close and extract information. Right?”
“Yes. For now, the goal is to attend the party and become acquainted with everyone.”
I couldn’t afford to let Temis and Beiller meet.
Or if they did cross paths, I needed to gather the information first.
Having made that determination, I watched as Beiller began to stand.
I felt a small spark of relief — he seemed ready to leave.
But then.
“By the way, Charel.”
Instead of going, Beiller glanced toward my wardrobe and spoke.
“Is this really all the clothing you own? One skirt and three blouses total?”
Before I could protest, he strode straight to the wardrobe and began examining the clothes I’d brought, his face contorting in shock.
“So that’s why you keep wearing that leopard-print skirt like it’s some precious heirloom?”
“Leopard print isn’t unreasonable. I actually think it looks nice.”
Beiller pressed his palm to his forehead, looking utterly dismayed.
“And you were planning to attend next week’s party in these clothes.”
“Enough.”
“And this floral blouse — what is this supposed to be?”
“I said enough.”
No matter how indifferent I claim to be about fashion, being openly criticized right to your face is enough to get anyone’s blood up.
“This won’t do.”
“What won’t?”
“I cannot leave you in this state.”
“I’m perfectly fine as I—”
“If I let you go out dressed like this, people might question my affection for you.”
That was too much.
“I’ll clear my entire schedule tomorrow. For your sake.”
“You sure this is for me?”
“Perhaps I’m doing it for my own aesthetic sense as well.”
“You’re insufferable.”
But regardless of how insufferable he was being, this banter actually lifted the spirits I’d felt sinking earlier.
Of course….

-If Beiller becomes an obstacle to this mission.
-Kill him.

Remembering Beiller’s words made my heart clench all over again, a sharp ache that wouldn’t fade.
“Those clothes need to go. Just having such tacky garments in this house gives me a headache.”
……For now, it was better to just resent his insufferable luck than to dwell on anything else.
So I ignored the creeping dread and kicked Rou’s shin hard.

* * *

The next morning, Rou and I had breakfast together before heading out.
“Charel. You’re so beautiful today—it takes my breath away.”
“That’s because you picked out the clothes.”
“Wouldn’t you say it’s because Charel has such excellent taste? You’d be stunning even in a burlap sack.”
The servants watched us with knowing smiles, as if we were a contented couple, and wished us a pleasant time out.
Click!
The moment the carriage door shut, I pulled my hand away from Rou’s.
“Charel. Even if we’re alone, pushing me away like that hurts my feelings.”
“You’re lying. What would you know about hurt.”
“Ah, was it that obvious?”
Rou smiled his characteristic mischievous smile and winked.
Sunlight streaming through the carriage window made his golden hair shine even brighter, as though dust motes of light were scattered all around him.
No matter how many times I looked, he was infuriatingly handsome.
I wondered why someone with such a face had such a temperament, but I didn’t say it aloud.
“I told you to get rid of that tiger-striped skirt……”
I take back the handsome part.
Why was he nagging me about what I wore?
“You just said I’d be beautiful in a burlap sack. So what, should I go naked? There’s nothing else to wear.”
“You don’t think of me as a man, do you, Charel?”
I answered with nothing but a shrug. Rou’s eyes narrowed.
“Keep that up and I’ll extend our shopping time and make sure to torment you with it.”
“Spare me that, at least. I really do hate shopping.”
“Why do you hate shopping so much?”
Rou asked as though genuinely puzzled.
“To be precise, it’s not that I hate it……”
I hesitated for a moment, then decided this much was safe to tell him, and opened my mouth.
“I’ve never done it.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve never had anything of my own, so the very act of choosing and buying something for myself feels strange.”
……
“What if I don’t like what I picked? What if I made a bad purchase? What if my choice was wrong?”
For some reason, looking at Rou while speaking made me self-conscious, so I cast my eyes downward.
“So I just stopped choosing altogether, that’s all.”
The carriage fell silent.
The embarrassment washed over me more intensely.
I hadn’t meant to bare my heart like this……What if he thought I was lacking? The worry surged forward.
“Charel.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————