I Accidentally Resurrected My Dead Husband - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 19
“You knew that ring was a Haunted Object, didn’t you, Zarque?”
“That makes no sense. If I’d known, I would have put it on your finger openly instead of trying to hide it inside a candle.”
“Tch, I thought he was generous with money, but he turned out to be a real piece of work.”
As Judith’s lip jutted out, Ern tossed in a comment from beside her.
“I told you from the start that man’s face looked wrong.”
Judith tilted her head. Had Ern ever said such a thing?
“When was that?”
“Wasn’t it? Oh, right—I forgot to mention it because you were so thrilled thinking you were being confessed to.”
Ern shook his head with a smirk. Judith could almost understand why Cliff wanted to poison him. Ern must have done something so infuriating that it warranted murder.
“Ugh, he’s irritating. I wish he’d just go chase after Cliff.”
“I can hear you.”
That was rather the point, wasn’t it?
“If you keep that up, I might just stay here instead of chasing after Cliff.”
The cost of keeping Ern from leaving flashed through Judith’s mind.
“Would a sincere apology suffice?”
“So you’re eager to get rid of me quickly, Miss Judith?”
Even offered an apology, Ern mocked her. Keeping his mood appeased was truly exhausting. Judith let out a heavy sigh.
“So what are you going to do with that ring?”
“I have a good idea. I’m going to visit Baron Brix.”
“Baron Brix? Why him?”
“It seems Zarque has another woman. The servants at Baron Brix’s Manor mentioned that his romantic entanglements were quite complicated.”
Of course, this was before his engagement to the baron’s daughter, but people don’t change their nature. He might still have an unresolved woman in his life. Or perhaps he’d settled things, only to learn later that she was pregnant. The gift he claimed to be sending to Brix’s Daughter was likely a lie.
“I heard Baron Brix opposed the match with Zarque.”
Zarque was the second son of an impoverished baronial house, and though he supposedly had talent in Swordsmanship, he’d never even received a knighthood—a man with nothing to show but a handsome face.
This was precisely why Baron Brix opposed him. But what parent can truly refuse their child? When Brix’s Daughter wept and insisted it had to be Zarque or no one, the baron had reluctantly agreed.
“I’ve heard the Brix family has considerable wealth. Besides, Brix’s Daughter is an only child. When an only daughter insists on marrying a penniless man, the opposition is hardly unreasonable.”
“The man’s position is certainly disadvantaged.”
“Exactly. In other words, Zarque has everything to gain by marrying Brix’s Daughter, no matter what it takes.”
If a child were conceived with Brix’s Daughter before the wedding, the marriage would be all but assured. So this ring was no gift for her—Judith was certain of that.
“If it were discovered that he’d gotten another woman pregnant after barely securing permission to marry, it would be a disaster for him.”
Marriage to Brix’s Daughter was Zarque’s one great chance in life—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he couldn’t afford to lose. He would do anything to remove obstacles.
“In essence, this is me selling information to Baron Brix.”
Judith planned to inform Baron Brix of the situation and collect a reward. Now that she knew what the ring truly was, it felt wrong to sell it without saying anything. And there was something else—she found Zarque contemptible for trying to kill the child without consulting its mother.
She intended to demand three times what Zarque had offered, though it would be mere pocket change to Baron Brix. When his daughter’s future was at stake, what was a bit of gold coin?
“If that bastard—Zarque or Zark or whatever—decides to retaliate, what then?”
“That’s exactly why I’m going to the baron. Even if Zarque successfully marries Brix’s Daughter, will he just leave me alone?”
As the saying went: a thief is always uneasy in his own home.
“After achieving his goal, Zarque will feel uneasy every time he sees me. He might even decide to eliminate the source of his unease entirely.”
A man callous enough to erase a child with a cursed ring would have no hesitation erasing one poor candlemaker. Whether he came himself or sent an assassin mattered little—and once Zarque married into wealth, he could afford the best. Judith would be a dead woman if Ern left before any assassin arrived.
Without Ern’s protection, she was as good as finished.
“So it’s better to go to the baron. I’ll ask him to guarantee my safety.”
Once the baron learned the truth, he’d break at least one of Zarque’s legs.
“And wouldn’t Baron Brix pay rather more handsomely for this candle than Zarque would?”
If the risk was the same either way, it made sense to sell to the higher bidder.
* * *
The next day, outside Baron Brix’s Manor.
“Just you wait—I’ll come back out with a hefty reward.”
Judith gestured for Ern to go on his way, since he’d happened to be heading in the same direction as Baron Brix’s Manor.
“Good luck, then.”
“Your tone is awful—that doesn’t sound like good wishes at all. Tch, I was planning to buy you a book with the generous reward I get, but not anymore.”
“You were never going to buy it anyway. And save that kind of talk for after you’ve actually collected your reward.”
“I will collect it, won’t I? Stop nagging and go on your way.”
With a snort, Judith lifted her chin and knocked on the manor’s front gate.
Ern watched for a moment as she strode confidently into Baron Brix’s Manor, then caught her glancing back at him with a reassuring wave.
“Fearless, that one.”
Well, what did you expect from someone who’d faced down a loan shark demanding payment? Ern clicked his tongue and turned away. There was little to worry about. Plenty of people peddled information to wealthy nobles for coin.
Even as Ern’s footsteps turned away, inside Baron Brix’s Manor, Judith was being greeted with bewilderment by the Head Maid.
“We were just about to send for you! Your timing is perfect!”
“You were expecting me?”
“Yes.”
The Head Maid gently pushed Judith’s back as she stood bewildered.
“The mistress has asked for Miss Herrington to come.”
“The Baroness?”
There was barely suppressed excitement in the Head Maid’s voice. What could it be about?
“Come now, hurry along.”
The Head Maid urged Judith forward. Judith decided to find out what this was about first.
“I’m not sure why the Baroness would want to see me…”
“Why else, Miss Herrington? She wants to order candles. This time she’ll need quite a few.”
“Perhaps the Baroness is planning a reception.”
Outside the Baroness’s drawing room, the Head Maid gestured for Judith to come closer.
“Actually, the mistress is expecting a child.”
“What?”
“When you go in, try not to look so shocked.”
The Head Maid knocked while offering this advice. Before Judith could even nod, the door swung open.
Inside the lavish drawing room, a woman far too young to be the mother of a daughter about to be married smiled at Judith.
“Welcome, Miss Herrington. I’m so glad you’ve come.”
The Baroness caressed her belly and gestured to the seat across from her. Judith bowed politely and sat down.
“Did the Head Maid tell you?”
“Yes, Baroness. Congratulations.”
She’d nearly forgotten—the current Baroness Brix was the Baron’s second wife. The memory came flooding back now: her initial shock at learning that this woman, who appeared to be only slightly older than Brix’s Daughter, was the new Baroness.
But it hadn’t mattered much to Judith until now. She made and sold colored candles; what the Baron did with his new wife was hardly her concern. Whether he took a young woman as his bride or not, frankly, it had nothing to do with her.
Yet from this moment forward, she sensed with an uneasy premonition, it would.
“I’m planning to hold a reception to announce the pregnancy. The child has taken hold properly now.”
In this world, there was a superstition that if you spread word of a pregnancy before the child had truly settled, God would take the baby back. The Baroness, fearful that something might go wrong, had told no one but the Head Maid and her personal attendant until the physician gave his assurance of safety.
“I’ve had some nausea, but the most remarkable thing—the scent of roses settles it right away.”
Having kept the secret for two months, the Baroness was eager to share, and she regaled Judith with boasts masquerading as laments. Her eyes lingered fondly on the red rose in the vase on the table.
“It seems the child takes after mother’s tastes.”
“You’ve always been fond of red roses, Baroness.”
That’s why she always ordered red candles to match them. Suddenly, the voice of Brix’s Daughter flashed through her mind—she’d said, “I’m not particularly fond of roses.” But hadn’t she also said something more specific?
“Red roses are my absolute favorite.”
The Baroness murmured this while stroking the petals. What had Brix’s Daughter said? Judith seemed to recall her saying, “Of all of them, red roses are what I hate the most.”
“That’s why I’ve given the child the prenatal name Rose.”
“What a lovely name—Rose.”
As she ordered red candles to match the red roses, the Baroness drew back her crimson lips in a smile. It was triumphant, without a trace of sorrow.

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