I Became the Wife of the Hero Who Killed Me - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Episode 13

“Then should I report it under my name?”

I blinked as if it were obvious.

But Count Baron looked like it wasn’t obvious at all.

“It was none other than you, madam, who exposed Patrick’s corruption…”

“If you just keep your mouth shut, no one will know. You and Patrick are the only ones who can access the Castle Keep here, right? But oh my, Patrick is a criminal now?”

If I reported it under my name, what would happen next was as clear as day.

Why did the madam suddenly become smart? She doesn’t seem like the madam I knew – could she be possessed by a demon? We should bring an Inquisitor, something like that!

‘Of course, that won’t happen.’

Because I knew the answer that would convince the baron.

“Do you want a promotion?”

“Uh, what?”

“Do you want a performance bonus?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you want a big mansion? You’ll need to stock up on Premium Whiskey too, right?”

The hesitant baron’s lips gradually curved upward.

He realized that reporting such a big case would surely have a positive impact on his promotion.

He had been feeling frustrated about not being able to climb any higher anyway.

I seized the momentum and shouted.

“Then go and report it.”

“Yes!”

“Go quickly and report it.”

“Yes!!”

If all else failed, I was going to shoot the baron’s neck with a Poison Needle to knock him out(?), but things worked out easily.

Thomson stared at the baron bouncing around excitedly like he was looking at a lunatic.

“One more thing, I authorize Search and Seizure under the duchess’s authority, so sweep up every single document from this guy’s office without leaving a single page behind.”

“Yes!”

“And conduct a detailed investigation of the situation with the miners who survived the accident—”

Right now, I had the position and ability to actually carry out what I had only imagined in my head.

As I poured out orders like I was venting, I heard an angry shout from behind.

“Damn woman, I won’t die alone even if I have to die!!”

“…!”

Patrick, who had drawn a knife from his chest, rushed at me.

It was too late to dodge.

Just as I reflexively closed my eyes, a large shadow fell over my head.

“Oh my.”

I thought it was all over, but instead of pain, I heard a familiar voice.

When I cautiously opened my eyes, I saw the Duke holding Patrick’s wrist.

When our eyes met, he casually greeted me.

“Good evening, madam.”

“Ah, yes.”

“But what’s all this commotion on such a good evening?”

“…”

I was pretending to be calm on the outside, but I was quite shocked.

I wanted to ask why the Duke was here and how much of the conversation he had heard.

But my long experience of reading the room was screaming that it wasn’t a very good idea.

In the end, I quietly lowered my gaze.

“I, I came out to inspect the outer castle walls and got lost. Then I unfortunately got into trouble.”

“…”

A long silence followed.

The Duke’s inscrutable gaze settled on the top of my bowed head. Even without looking, I could feel him staring at me intently.

‘What? Why is he staring like that?’

Does he not believe my excuse?

Actually, I would probably do the same if I were the Duke, but I had no intention of summoning an Inquisitor with the honest answer of ‘I came to vent some frustration I couldn’t in my previous life.’

As I hesitated, the Duke’s eyebrow rose smoothly.

“Well, if you say so, madam, then that must be it.”

Then he suddenly let go of Patrick’s wrist holding the dagger. Right above my head!

“W-wait…!”

It was an unbelievable sight.

It was the moment when I, shocked, reflexively reached out my hand.

In the blink of an eye, the Duke snatched the dagger and kicked the criminal in the chest. Patrick literally flew far away and crashed into the wall.

After dealing with the criminal, the Duke tilted his head in puzzlement.

“What’s wrong?”

“Th-that… it’s nothing. Ahem.”

Embarrassed, I quickly hid my outstretched hand behind my back.

I was so mortified I wanted to scream, but I held back because the Duke’s gleaming eyes as he looked down at the unconscious Patrick were too frightening.

In the brief moment our gazes crossed, I could feel some emotion stirring within him.

Others might not know, but I alone knew.

‘Why is he so angry…’

Just then, the sound of knights rushing over from outside the Administration Office could be heard.

The Duke threw the unconscious Patrick out through the wide-open door.

“Take him away.”

“Oh, yes!”

The knights who caught Patrick answered with bewildered faces.

Meanwhile, I naturally attempted to escape from the Administration Office.

But I realized I was blocked by something and just walking in place, so I glanced up at the culprit.

“Um, Your Grace?”

“…”

I hadn’t noticed because of all the chaos just now, but the Duke’s hand was firmly wrapped around my waist.

It seemed he had caught me when I almost fell from shock earlier.

However, being so close together in front of others was a bit embarrassing, so I succeeded in breaking free by hitting his forearm repeatedly.

‘Ahem, but since I survived thanks to him, I should express my gratitude, right?’

I looked at the dagger in the Duke’s hand.

Although it was short in length, the blade was gleaming with a sharp blue light.

If I think about being stabbed by that… Even though it would be incomparably better than my previous life, I didn’t want to die yet.

I wanted to live long and happily with my cute Fluffy Creatures and Companion Gold Coins.

“Thank you for saving me. I survived thanks to you.”

“From now on, it would be better to have proper guards instead of such incompetent ones. There’s no guarantee I’ll arrive at such good timing next time. If necessary, I’ll provide you with a knight.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll just accept the sentiment.”

As if I don’t know that’s a spy disguised as a guard.

I snorted inwardly and continued speaking.

“I was so shocked today that I’m thinking of not going Outside the Castle for a while.”

“I’m sorry, madam…”

“It’s not your fault, so don’t blame yourself. Ah, but do reflect on being swayed by Patrick’s nonsense earlier.”

As I was comforting Thomson, I stopped moving at a gaze I suddenly felt.

The Duke had been staring intently at Thomson and me since earlier.

Unable to bear it any longer, I called out to him.

“Do you have something left to say to me?”

“No, it’s just that he looks very different from the statue of the sun god Leto that I remember.”

When will that damn eyesight of mine return to normal!

Whether I was disgusted or not, the Duke just looked Thomson up and down with a confused expression.

Unable to stand it any longer, I intervened.

“How far do you plan to insult my taste? I have eyes too. Besides, Thomson even has a grown son!”

“The world of preferences is wide and deep…”

“You could jump rope with Your Grace’s grudges.”

I snorted and was about to really escape from the administration office when something felt strange.

With a tingling sensation at the back of my head, I turned my gaze and looked down at the Duke’s arm.

‘Ah.’

It seemed he had been grazed while snatching Patrick’s dagger earlier. Blood was flowing on the back of his hand.

Receiving my gaze, the Duke roughly rubbed the back of his hand as if it were nothing.

Not even knowing that the wound was actually getting worse.

‘Sigh.’

I’m too kind for my own good.

Letting out a deep sigh inwardly, I quickly grabbed the Duke’s forearm.

“Let me see for a moment.”

I didn’t think the Duke, being a knight, would really be pulled by my weak strength, but perhaps the surprise attack worked as he was helplessly drawn to me.

I held onto him even tighter as he tried to escape.

Perhaps the knife wound was deeper than expected, as his voice dropped slightly.

“It hurts…”

“Stay still.”

I took out my handkerchief and pressed firmly against his bleeding area.

Though the Duke didn’t show it outwardly, his hand was trembling slightly.

If someone who had experienced countless battles was reacting like this, the wound must be deeper than it looked, so I hurriedly ordered the baron.

“Send someone to Lombard Castle to bring the personal physician!”

“This much will heal if I just put some spit on it.”

“Then would you like to put demon spit on it, or would you prefer to properly receive treatment from the personal physician?”

Regrettably choosing the latter, the Duke closed his mouth and became docile.

Meanwhile, I tightly bound the back of his hand with my handkerchief.

“There, that’s done.”

“…”

“They say even monkeys fall from trees sometimes, and who would have known that Your Grace, who swept away demon legions, would be caught by a mere dagger. Anyway, be careful until it heals.”

Having done my part, it was really time to return now.

I gave the Duke a slight curtsy and left the administration office, cleanly ignoring the surrounding gazes.

Without knowing what conversation was taking place behind me.

* * *

Gareth La Varken.

He was the eldest son of the Varken Viscount Family, vassals of Lombard, and had assisted Edwin for a long time, earning recognition for his outstanding abilities and loyalty to become the Duke’s chief aide.

Though he had risen to a position everyone envied, Gareth’s heart remained unchanged from the beginning.

‘My lord is more excellent than anyone else. But precisely because of that, he is more solitary than anyone else.’

The determination to never question his lord’s decisions and simply become his most useful sword.

He thought he had kept this resolve fairly well until now, but today he simply couldn’t bear it.

Gareth followed behind his lord as he left the building.

“Is your wound alright? Shouldn’t you receive proper treatment…”

“This is sufficient.”

Edwin’s voice was light as he waved his hand with the handkerchief tied around it.

That made it even harder for Gareth to speak, and after opening and closing his mouth several times, he finally brought up the main point.

“There is something I would like to ask.”

“Speak.”

“Why did you deliberately get wounded?”

“Deliberately? Didn’t you see it too? This is a wound from trying to snatch the assailant’s knife.”

“I saw that you could have easily avoided it but chose not to.”

“…”

“In the first place, you are not someone who would be caught by such a crude toy. Aren’t you the lord who wouldn’t allow even the smallest opening when we knights attacked with all our might?”

Edwin suddenly stopped walking.

It was the moment when Gareth swallowed dryly in the subtly settled silence.

“Ah, I was found out?”

The Duke turned to look at him and smiled brightly.

“It’s fine. As long as Elisia doesn’t find out.”

“…”

“Watch your mouth.”

Though it sounded like a joke, it was strangely a warning that couldn’t be taken lightly.

Gareth felt cold sweat running down his spine and quietly nodded his head.

Edwin laughed out loud and started walking again.

As if nothing had happened.

‘This is definitely strange.’

Looking at the back walking ahead, Gareth hardened his expression.

His lord, who had been indifferent to everything and showed no interest in anyone, had recently been showing a completely different attitude only toward the duchess.

At this rate, not only Gareth but the other knights among his close retainers would soon notice their lord’s strangeness.

‘What on earth is he thinking…’

He pondered deeply but couldn’t find an answer, so Gareth shook his head.

Doubt was unnecessary for a knight.

His reason for existence was solely to absolutely obey his lord’s commands.

The conclusion was no different from what had been decided from the beginning.

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