I Accidentally Resurrected My Dead Husband - Chapter 68

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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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Chapter 68
“The Robe is closer to Ern anyway!”
“But Miss Herington, who I’m so grateful to, might want to repay kindness in whatever way she can, mightn’t she?”
Ern pressed his lips together and smiled at Udith with infuriating ease as she glared at him.
“You said you were so grateful I came.”
Udith’s cheeks flushed crimson as though she’d been drinking, though it wasn’t the spirits returning to her head—it was pure exasperation. Ern, lounging nearby, would not stop needling her. Yesterday’s drunken sincerity, expressed with such gravitas, had been the fatal mistake.
‘I should’ve just said thanks casually. Or bought him a bottle of wine.’
Why had she struck such a pose, offered her gratitude with that wistful expression? Now her ears burned with shame. The worst part was that being embarrassed about her blushing only made it worse.
If her face hadn’t flushed, she could’ve blamed it on drunkenness, made excuses for whatever nonsense she’d spouted. But the blush made it clear how sincere she’d been. She swore to herself that if she met her yesterday self, she’d box her own ears.
“I’m grateful, so grateful, so why don’t you hurry up and get ready to leave?”
Udith finally picked up the Robe that lay closer to Ern than herself and flung it at him. Ern caught the garment as it flew through the air with theatrical flair, then muttered loudly enough for her to hear every word about how one doesn’t throw clothes at people they’re supposedly thankful to.
“You say you’re grateful, yet you throw clothes at the person you’re grateful to. Shameful. You should present them with both hands respectfully.”
I’m at a loss for words, Udith thought, her lips pursed as she grumbled loudly to herself.
“Meanwhile, you came here without even interrogating Loam because you were worried about me.”
“Which is exactly why I’m your savior.”
“If that makes you a savior, then everyone in the world is one.”
Udith stubbornly refused to look at Ern, gathering her hair into a knot while muttering at her reflection in the mirror.
“And I brought a corpse back to life—one that wasn’t even rotting. Doesn’t that make me the savior of life itself?”
As Udith answered her own rhetorical question, Ern, pulling on the Robe, clicked his tongue.
“Wasn’t it Henry who found my corpse, brought in the Medium, and paid for it all? What exactly did you do to earn the title of life-savior?”
“I washed you with a damp cloth so you wouldn’t arrive in the heavenly realm looking like a mess.”
“That sounds like you were just indulging yourself.”
Udith and Ern continued their conversation-through-soliloquy, carefully avoiding each other’s gaze.
When Tan knocked and opened the door to fetch Udith, announcing that the carriage was ready and asking when Ern had arrived, they were still at it.
“…Please, both of you, come out now. This is getting very childish.”
Tan shook his head at the sight of them.
* * *
“Have you found Marquise Perni?”
“Not yet. Our cautious assumption is that she may not have escaped the fire in time.”
Cain shook his head.
“But there’s testimony from servants who say they helped her escape. Several of them, in fact. She may have fled the Capital. Have you checked the checkpoints?”
“Yes, but there’s no record of Marquise Perni leaving.”
The outbound checkpoints from the Capital weren’t strictly enforced, but identification was still typically verified.
“They say only one noble carriage left on that day.”
“One? Which house, and whose?”
“The Countess of Rainhardt, it appears.”
“Who?”
The Countess of Rainhardt? Since the current Count of Rainhardt is Ern, the Countess of Rainhardt would be…
Cain’s thoughts ground to a halt at that logic. He cycled through surely not, what if, no that couldn’t be, before biting his lip hard.
‘The Countess being acquainted with Marquise Perni, having received favors from her, having sold her quite a bit of candle—that doesn’t mean she helped her escape. Surely she didn’t accompany Marquise Perni to the Port City to send her off to Penco Kingdom, and Ern didn’t follow her there for that reason. I did ask my subordinates not to go, but that’s not it. Surely.’
Surely nothing!
Cain wanted to roar. But he managed to cling to the thread of reason.
‘Circumstantially speaking, Marquise Perni appears innocent. Treason falls under Collective Punishment, so she’d be subject to penalty, but that could sour relations with Penco Kingdom.’
The Rofri Merchant Company maintained an intimate relationship with the Penco Kingdom’s royal house. Beyond that, no nation would stand by and watch a noblewoman from their own country, married abroad, face innocent punishment. Even if it didn’t escalate into genuine diplomatic discord, every kingdom would lodge an official protest. Sovereigns had their dignity and honor to uphold, after all.
‘His Majesty will soon mark his first year of reign. The formal State Marriage Ceremony is scheduled for that occasion, and if Penco Kingdom doesn’t send a delegation, that becomes an even bigger problem.’
The Emperor’s court had been thrown into chaos by traitors right after his ascension, preventing him from holding a formal State Marriage Ceremony. The Empress, too, had been pregnant at the time and in no condition for such a grand celebration. Thus, the Imperial Court was planning an elaborate feast and State Marriage Ceremony two months later, coinciding with the Emperor’s first year on the throne, to which delegations from other kingdoms would be invited.
If Caroline Rofri were imprisoned at such a moment, there was no way to maintain the festive atmosphere.
“Mark Marquise Perni as missing for now.”
“Understood.”
As Cain signed the report and handed it over, another subordinate burst through his office door without knocking.
“We have a serious problem, my lord.”
“What now?”
“The Red Liquor Medium has taken her own life.”
“What?”
“I cannot apologize enough, my lord.”
Cain buried his face in his palms as his subordinate hung his head in shame.
“But she was gagged. How could she…?”
“She kept muttering that someone would arrive soon, then she coughed up blood and died. She appears to have had poison hidden in her mouth. We thought we were merely giving her some water because she showed signs of dehydration, but…”
The subordinate’s voice trailed off. Cain let out a long sigh. The most crucial witness had died before he could even conduct a proper interrogation.
‘What will happen when Ern hears about this?’
I’m going to die. This time, it’s for real. Cain wanted nothing more than to be rid of Ern’s torment. He surged to his feet.
“Where are you going, sir?”
“To see Loam.”
At the very least, I have to keep him alive. No matter what, I have to keep him alive.
“A traitor stripped of his knighthood hardly merits the title of ‘lord,’ my lord.”
“I know what you mean, but from now on, we treat him as a knight.”
“Are you planning to use appeasement tactics?”
“Precisely. A man who rose to Knight Commander—he’ll never break under ordinary pain. But we must make him talk one way or another, understood? Whether we treat him as a knight, as a Knight Commander, or anything else—whatever it takes.”
* * *
Caroline knew little of Ern. She had some recollection of hearing his name spoken with renown, but that was all. She was simply grateful to have a capable knight accompanying her on the journey.
They departed the Premium Inn and, after spending another night in the next Territory, finally arrived at the Port City. Caroline, who had been watching the ships through the carriage window, suddenly threw open the door and stepped out.
“That’s the ship! That’s our merchant company’s vessel!”
Caroline pointed to a large merchant ship bearing a Mermaid Figurehead at its stern.
“It says Rofri on the hull.”
Illuor, who had gone to examine the ship’s side, nodded with evident joy.
Udith’s party descended from the carriage and stood at the mooring point, waiting for the passengers to disembark. At last the ship’s gangway opened and people began streaming down. When a red-haired man carrying a Document Bag came into view, Caroline bounded forward, waving her hand.
“Denver!”
“Sister?”
* * *
Denver Rofri. Heir to House Rofri and Caroline’s younger brother. In the Penco Kingdom, the two siblings were known for their devotion to each other.
“Albert Perni—that bastard, just to let him go like that….”
Denver was indignant upon hearing what had befallen Caroline.
“I thought something was amiss. I sent word that I was traveling to the Empire, yet received no reply from you.”
Thus, the moment Denver arrived in the Empire, he intended to make straight for the Capital and the Marquise’s residence.
“In any case, thank you for assisting my sister.”
Denver bowed deeply in formal gratitude. Udith, flustered, waved him off.
“And I’ve heard from my sister about the matter of compensation.”
The instant Caroline laid eyes on Denver, relief overwhelmed her so completely that she nearly collapsed. She was now resting in the bedchamber, attended by familiar servants who had accompanied her from the Rofri Mansion to care for her needs.
Denver withdrew an elegant envelope emblazoned with gold leaf from his jacket and held it out.
“An Imperial Bank Deposit Certificate.”
Udith swallowed dryly and opened the envelope. Her eyes widened as she examined its contents.
“Lord Denver, the amount the lady promised me was six hundred thousand Gold. But this deposit certificate shows nine hundred thousand Gold.”
As someone of flexible conscience, Udith was not ordinarily one to correct sums that came her way from above.
Had she expected two thousand Gold and received three thousand, she would have held her tongue. But this was three million Gold more—not three hundred, but three million. The figure was so staggering that remaining silent felt itself a transgression against her conscience. It was the first time Udith had learned that guilt, too, must come in reasonable denominations.
“I understand. We added a little more out of gratitude.”
A little? Just how much constitutes a lot for your family?

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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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