I Accidentally Resurrected My Dead Husband - Chapter 54

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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 54
“What’s wrong, Ern, are you jealous?”
So that’s how it sounded. Ern’s hands, clasped behind his back, tensed involuntarily.
“Afraid I’ll steal your one precious friend?”
When their eyes met—Udith wearing that satisfied smile of someone who’d struck a nerve—Ern felt his resistance crumble entirely.
“I won’t take Henry from you. I can’t steal what little you have.”
“But doesn’t Miss Herington have no friends either?”
The sharp question found its mark, and Udith’s lips only twitched. She understood: saying anything more about friendship would be spitting in her own face.
“It’s time to go to Marquis Ferni’s Estate.”
“Changing the subject?”
“Ern, come on, let’s go. We’ll be late if we don’t hurry.”
* * *
Most customers sent servants to Udith’s shop or stopped by in person. But occasionally, some patrons wished for Udith to visit their homes, and Marquise Ferni was one such client.
“Rose-scented candles in rose-pink—I do like them. For gifts to give my tea party guests, I’ll need three boxes.”
Three boxes meant ninety candles. Marquise Ferni was generous indeed. This was why visits to Marquis Ferni’s Estate were never tiresome. What’s more, the Marquise always added a generous tip and, taking pity on Udith, would often give her leftover provisions from the household—so the time spent going back and forth was never wasted.
“Thank you so much, madam.”
Today too, the Marquise—her lustrous red hair elegantly pinned up—was about to nod at Udith, who was bowing deeply, when she suddenly stiffened. Her expression darkened, and she pressed her fingers against her temples.
“Is something troubling you, madam?”
Now that she looked closer, the Marquise’s complexion seemed rather poor. The shadows under her eyes were pronounced—she looked quite exhausted.
“I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I’ve been having nightmares for days now.”
An edge of irritation crossed the Marquise’s face. Udith considered what comfort she might offer to this generous patron, and then an idea struck her.
“Sell me that dream, madam.”
“You wish to buy my dream, Miss Herington?”
“Yes—for a gold coin. Would you sell it?”
When Udith actually produced a gold coin from her pocket, the Marquise smiled with interest.
“If I sell my dream, does it pass to you?”
“Yes, madam. And from tonight on, you’ll sleep peacefully.”
The Marquise gave a short laugh and took the coin Udith offered.
“What an amusing notion. Buying dreams. Very well—I’ll sell.”
In truth, neither the Marquise nor Udith truly believed such a thing would work.
The Marquise knew it was flattery, but she was entertained by it, so it was harmless. And Udith got a pleased Marquise who added a generous tip—so it was a pleasant exchange for them both.
“By the way, Miss Herington, since the reception was cancelled and we have quite a bit of food and wine left over, do take some with you.”
“Thank you, madam.”
“Mae, go see that she gets packed up properly.”
As always, Udith followed Mae, the Marquise’s personal maid, toward the estate kitchen.
“Mae.”
As they walked, Udith glanced around before slipping a small candle into Mae’s pocket.
“Really, every single time.”
Mae protested with her words but didn’t remove the candle from her pocket. This was how Udith built and maintained her connections within noble houses.
Befriend a servant, and you earn the master’s favor; you also learn in advance about upcoming galas and tea parties. When she visited the estate offering to show off new candle designs before planning a gathering, nine times out of ten it led to a bulk order.
Such profit from a single small candle. And Mae, now acting under the Marquise’s direction to provide food and wine to Udith, meant that the better Mae regarded her, the more generous the portions became.
“It seems like there are a lot of cancelled receptions lately.”
No other noble house saw as many reception announcements—or cancellations—as Marquis Ferni’s.
The Marquise’s tea parties were rarely cancelled, but the Marquis’s galas were constantly postponed.
“The Marquis is rather temperamental, you see.”
“Then what happens to all the leftover food and wine each time? Surely you don’t throw it all away?”
“Oh no. Whenever a reception is cancelled, the Marquis always goes hunting. I believe he takes it with him then.”
Mae shrugged with a touch of coyness, adding that servants who ask too many questions don’t last long at the estate. And so Udith left Marquis Ferni’s Estate that day with her daily provisions and a bottle of wine.
“Does he really hunt in weather like this?”
Udith looked up at the sky, which threatened rain at any moment. The Empire was sliding into autumn. Here, autumn meant frequent rain, chilly mornings and evenings, and a succession of gray, dreary days.
“What are you muttering about?”
Ern, who’d been waiting in front of Marquis Ferni’s Estate to keep the Followers from approaching Udith, led Gold forward to meet her.
“I was just wondering if he really goes hunting in this weather.”
“Usually not. When it rains, the beasts hide.”
So hunting was just an excuse for outdoor drinking and carousing? The Marquis certainly lived well. Udith envied his lot as she accepted Ern’s help to mount Gold.
“Ah, good wine you’ve brought back.”
When Ern spotted the bottle in Udith’s basket, his eyes narrowed. He used to grumble about not drinking anything obtained secondhand, but now he’d completely adapted to free wine.
“Ern, the rain’s starting to fall.”
“It could get heavy soon.”
Ern swung onto the horse and gathered the reins. The few drops that had been falling turned into a heavy downpour by the time they reached the estate.
“The bread will be soaked through. I should hurry inside… Hmm?”
Udith was pulling at her damp robe when she stopped short, catching sight of a figure standing in the rain before the back entrance.
“Tan?”
“Miss Herington. Ern.”
Tan, dripping wet, forced his lips upward into something resembling a smile.
Udith thought she could guess why he’d sought her out. People who came looking like that usually had a favor to ask.
* * *
“So everything—the tent, all of it—got destroyed?”
Just as Udith had suspected, Tan had come to ask for help. He and his people had been driven from the field where they’d pitched their camp, and now they had nowhere to go. While the land itself surely had no owner, the villagers nearby had all come running to chase them off, and there was nothing to be done about it.
“There was a robbery in the village, and they say we did it. They’re telling us to leave…”
The tent had been destroyed, and someone had been injured trying to stop it. To make matters worse, rain kept pouring down, and the temperature dropped sharply at night.
“We’ve tried the inn, but they won’t have us.”
The Shartin wouldn’t have been welcomed even if they’d looked presentable, but bedraggled as they were now, no establishment would take them. Besides, they didn’t have the money for an inn anyway.
So Tan had come to Udith without shame.
“Just one person—well, two—please. A few days ago we were confined to bed rest to recover, and we have nowhere else to go.”
Among them were a woman who’d given birth not long ago and a newborn. Wandering in search of shelter each night was too much for a weakened mother and newborn.
“What about the others?”
“They’re staying at the Apothecary for now.”
“Isn’t that place too cramped for more than three people?”
When Ern asked, Tan nodded ruefully. Still, they needed to escape the rain, so the elderly and children were making do sitting and sleeping in the Apothecary.
‘This reminds me of when I was young.’
In her past life, the day she learned that her father’s business had collapsed and that he’d fled first, she and the rest of her family found themselves on the streets. Not metaphorically—literally. She remembered suddenly: carrying a backpack stuffed with clothes, clutching the one blanket they’d managed to bring, sleeping on a park bench through the night.
She’d really forgotten about it.
“Would it be possible for even just four days? Or even two?”
“Fine.”
The answer came from Ern.
“There are plenty of empty rooms here. If you have nowhere to go, stay here.”
Udith blinked, taken aback. Tan’s situation was pitiful, and she’d been ready to consent. The Estate was overflowing with empty rooms, and since they still hadn’t shaken off the reputation of a Cursed Mansion, few people ventured near anyway. What harm would come from offering them a few nights’ shelter?
But shouldn’t you ask permission from the people you live with before bringing in guests?
“I don’t mind, so please, at least let my grandmother and the children stay.”
“There are plenty of rooms. Bring them all.”
Ern, having readily agreed, turned his head to look at Udith. Then he clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, tsk.”
“What, what is it?”
“There are plenty of rooms here, so try to be a little more gracious, Miss Herington.”
But I never said no.

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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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