I Became the Wife of the Hero Who Killed Me - Chapter 156

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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 156
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I’m ready to be a married couple yet…….”
“Edwin?”
“Do you remember the conversation we had yesterday? There’s a secret I haven’t told you.”
I nodded, fighting down my confusion.
Edwin’s expression, as he gripped my hand, was heavy with self-recrimination.
“You said you wouldn’t mind, but I feel like consummating our marriage in this state would be a betrayal of you.”
He spoke quietly, unable to meet my eyes.
“I tried to ignore my desire for you, but……I couldn’t keep doing that.”
“Edwin…….”
“It’s all my fault. You bear no guilt. Only my original sin.”
Unable to bear Edwin’s self-blame any longer, I pressed my lips gently against his dry ones.
We were both broken in our own ways.
And we both held secrets we couldn’t tell each other.
Looking at his eyes, calm on the surface yet wavering like deep waters, I thought perhaps we were more alike than either of us could admit—terribly, painfully alike.
* * *
Edwin massaged my tense muscles until dawn broke.
Overcome by the pleasant touch, I fell into sleep and woke earlier than usual.
It was because Edwin, worried about me, had summoned Gilbert as soon as the sun rose.
“How can you think of taking a leave in this condition? My lady has a habit of getting hurt whenever I take my eyes off her for a moment, so there’s no way I can rest easy.”
“Uuuhhh…….”
The moment I opened my eyes, his familiar complaints came cascading down.
Still half-asleep and unable to fully wake, I lay there drowsily until Gilbert, after scolding at length, finally gave up and began rummaging through his medical bag.
“If we don’t treat this properly, there could be scarring. Nail marks are like that.”
“What about Edwin…….”
“He insisted on treating you first. What’s a lowly physician to do but obey his lordship’s orders?”
“Your master is me, not him.”
“That’s exactly why I’m here at this ungodly hour. If his lordship were the one injured, would I have rushed over? I’ll be staying put at the castle from now on, so do make sure my wages are paid accordingly.”
The lowly physician was indeed grumbling to the Duchess, but I had no urge to rebuke him.
There was no reason for such wounds to appear on a wedding night.
He must have suspected something was amiss, yet he chose not to ask and held his tongue.
His rambling was the kind that could move mountains, not any attempt to lighten the mood—but somehow, his words eased my mind considerably.
Once he finished his preparations, Gilbert moistened gauze with medicine and cleaned my wound.
“Ow, ow, it hurts!”
It felt like he was cutting into living flesh!
The pain snapped my drowsy eyes wide open in an instant.
Edwin, who had been watching from behind, hurried over.
“Stop. Elisia is in pain.”
“To prevent the wound from becoming infected, we must disinfect it. In my experience, this method is most effective.”
He showed me the medicinal ingredients he’d used.
High-proof distilled spirit infused with clove, thyme, and other herbs.
All common materials, so even without medical knowledge, anyone could tell there was nothing suspicious about them.
“And my lady, unlike others, understands the importance of disinfection well, so she entrusted me with all treatment methods long ago.”
“Edwin, I’m fine. It stings, but I can bear it.”
“But…….”
“Bitter medicine is good for the body, isn’t it? Besides, you’ll have to do this too soon enough.”
I gestured to Gilbert to continue.
It truly stung terribly, but I gritted my teeth and endured it, not wanting Edwin to suffer more if I cried out.
“Ahhh, finally done.”
If he’d gone any longer, I would’ve sworn I’d build a secret hideaway just to escape.
Once disinfection was complete, Gilbert applied salve to the wound and secured it with a clean linen bandage.
“Fortunately, the wound isn’t as deep as it looks. With consistent care, it will heal cleanly.”
“Well done. Now for the next one.”
At my gesture, Edwin approached and sat at the foot of the bed, rolling up his sleeves.
The sun had risen completely now, and his wounds were laid bare far more starkly than they had been in the darkness of night.
Even Gilbert, who had remained composed throughout, showed signs of surprise.
“Your wounds are far deeper than my lady’s. However did you…….”
“…….”
“No, never mind that. Please forget I said anything.”
Gilbert glanced at my expression and closed his mouth.
It must have hurt terribly, as if live flesh were being carved away, yet Edwin remained perfectly composed throughout the treatment, not even a flinch. That only made me sorrier.
I knew myself well enough.
When panic seized me and I clawed at myself, the pain would have made me unconsciously hold back. Cowardly as it was.
That’s why Edwin’s wounds cut deeper than mine.
“That’s done. I’ll need to see him twice daily for a while, so I’ll return this evening,” Gilbert said, gathering his medical bag to leave.
Once he was gone, only Edwin and I remained in the bedroom.
I felt utterly ashamed.
“Elisia.”
“……”
“Hush now, it’s fine. This is nothing at all. Compared to the wounds I took on the battlefield, this is barely worth showing a physician,” he said, taking my hand and gently turning the subject.
He shifted the mood deliberately, steering our talk in a new direction.
“Once your travel fatigue lifts and my official duties wind down, would you join me to see the Aurora?”
“……The Aurora?”
“Autumn is the finest season to admire it. When the Aurora unfolds across that vast night sky, it’s breathtakingly beautiful. Standing beneath it, you feel as though you alone have been left in all the world.”
I knew it well.
That majestic, radiant spectacle pouring down beyond the mountain range.
The Edwin of old had often brought me there. And standing beneath that night sky, we’d speak of the deep weight pressing on our hearts.
When I was young, I bore the expectations of an heir; after the Previous Generation fell in battle, I carried the weight of being the Grand Lord of the Northern Region.
‘Perhaps it’s only my imagination, but……’
There was a strange foreboding that when we stood beneath the Aurora, Edwin might finally speak of something.
Of what that “Original Sin” he had mentioned truly was.
If that came to pass, I thought perhaps I too could find courage then.
Even if I’d be thought mad for it, even if it sounded like madness to my own ears—
I wanted to tell Edwin the truth, he who wondered and worried about my condition.
I wanted us to move forward together.
“I’d like that.”
Upon hearing my answer, Edwin squeezed my hand more tightly.
The wounds visible beneath his sleeve pierced my heart anew.
But knowing that Edwin would struggle more if he saw me troubled by it, I deliberately looked away and nestled into his embrace.
* * *
After spending a full day resting with Edwin, I finally returned to my official duties the next morning.
The moment I stepped into my office, Ramon and the other Bureaucrats known for their diligence jumped to their feet with visible delight.
It was as if invisible tails were wagging behind them.
“I appreciate such warm welcomes. But why do you all look so haggard?” I asked.
On my first day back at the Castle, Count Baron’s appearance had been so striking I’d scarcely noticed, but looking more carefully, Ramon and the others were equally worn and gaunt.
At my question, one of the Officials offered a rueful smile.
“Please don’t mention it, my lady. We’ve been counting the days until you returned to restore discipline to the Castle Administration.”
“Ah, is that what’s been troubling you? Don’t worry. That’s where I excel.”
Our Castle Administration family had apparently forgotten the true taste of Cruel Behavior and grown lazy for a moment.
Time to remind them.
After all, I’m the Lady of the House who specializes in squeezing the blood from corrupt officials who squeeze the blood from our subjects.
At my words, Ramon and the others raised their thumbs as if they’d found the most reassuring ally in the world.

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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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