I Became the Wife of the Hero Who Killed Me - Chapter 36
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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 36
Edwin clenched his teeth silently.
Elisia, who had married into Lombard, was essentially in an isolated state.
There was no organization following her here, and the servants who came with her were not her people but merely spies attached by the Imperial Capital.
To the extent of feeding poison to their own master without permission…
‘It was absurd when they brought in a poison arts practitioner as a personal physician.’
He had known who Roter was from the beginning.
He also knew what they were trying to do to Elisia.
If the master of Lombard didn’t know who was coming and going on his own land, that would make him a fool.
However, to have a solid justification for expelling them from Lombard and to prevent the Imperial Capital from reaching out to Elisia again, he had already made arrangements with the medicine merchant and watched quietly.
From the time they brought in Roter under the pretext of caring for Elisia, who was bedridden due to the aftermath of the mine incident.
‘Is even the status of royalty merely nominal in reality?’
Due to his father’s premature death, the succession rights had passed to his uncle, and even the role of bridge with the Marsen Royal Family had been taken over by a princess from Marsen who became his uncle’s stepmother empress.
Having lost her political usefulness, she was nothing but a thorn in the side that threatened power.
‘So this is how they’re coming at her, but…’
Elisia is now a person of Lombard.
By marrying him, the Duke, she had become the most noble woman in Lombard.
So he had resolved not to stand by and let the Imperial Capital touch her carelessly, but as expected, she wasn’t the type to sit still and only receive protection.
She embraced even the citizens who had pointed fingers at her, steadfastly carrying out her beliefs.
Little by little, people began to be influenced by her.
Edwin was the same.
Though he knew Elisia was deliberately avoiding him, and though he knew well that he had no right to approach her, he was still helplessly drawn to her.
Looking for suitable excuses to speak, he found himself walking toward her before he knew it.
‘Brother, do you have a moment before returning to your lodging?’
‘If Elisia is calling, I should make time anytime. What is it?’
Outside the dining hall of the small monastery, familiar voices could be heard.
‘So this is the rumored Brother Vincent.’
He knew that Elisia was close to a certain priest.
Stories had been coming in through those he had planted around her.
But he had no right to interfere with her. Even if it was another man, he thought he should respect it if it was Elisia’s choice.
But actually witnessing the two of them spending time together intimately—
‘I’m not interrupting a good atmosphere, am I?’
Ah, heat was rising to his head.
Brother Vincent wasn’t even a proper priest.
How could a man who wrapped himself in such sinister energy and had the eyes of a beast that knew the taste of blood be merely a lower priest who had just been assigned to the parish?
Moreover, he knew this man.
Though the man probably wouldn’t remember him.
‘Not that man.’
Elisia’s innocent smile, which she had never shown him even once, was painfully piercing.
Whether it was because of the two people’s intimately touching hands and shoulders, or because he knew that man’s true identity, or perhaps both.
His resolve to only watch crumbled in an instant.
It was impulsive. Before he could even realize it himself, his mouth was speaking on its own.
‘Hmm, it seems my wife is misunderstanding something.’
‘Misunderstanding?’
‘While I’m at it, I wanted to tell you that I’ll also be staying at the monastery for a few days.’
Her red lips parted in bewilderment and her blue eyes shaking as if confused.
It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel guilt facing that expression, but as Duke Lombard, he had a duty to protect her as his duchess.
Watching over the exhausted and sleeping Elisia, wiping away her tears…
“Not that man.”
It’s not because of personal feelings.
Nor has he dared to forget his unqualified position.
Though he knows it’s shameless… to protect Elisia from a beast hungry for blood.
For the life she had wished for this time.
That’s all it is.
* * *
‘From now on, I should leave my brain out at dawn.’
Waking up to the chirping, vigorous bird sounds, I thought this.
Knowing well that people become somewhat sentimental at night, why do I repeat the same thing and regret it every morning?
With my body and mind refreshed, my embarrassment was doubled.
‘Speaking of which, the Duke…’
I was enjoying the feel of the thin, familiar mattress stuffed with straw, different from what I used at the castle, when I paused.
The Duke, whom I thought had left first since I didn’t see him when I opened my eyes, was sleeping with his upper body collapsed on my bed, breathing evenly.
He was sleeping so soundly that he didn’t wake up even when I waved my hand in front of his face.
“Hey, are you sleeping?”
Even when I muttered this, he didn’t budge.
He seemed to be really deeply asleep. He looked like he would sleep soundly even if thunder and lightning struck.
‘His insomnia can go to hell.’
I left the Duke alone and went outside.
I was wandering around the dining hall area wondering if there was anything to eat when someone came running toward me.
“Good morning, Madam!!”
“Right.”
Actually, I was the woman with the highest status in the Northern Empire, so no one in Lombard Territory should speak to me first without my permission.
But I had always thought such useless formalities harmed practicality.
‘And above all—’
This person I was meeting for the first time was the woman with the best physique I had encountered in both lives I had lived.
Her tall height and broad shoulders, and even though she wore a thick coat, her extremely developed practical compressed muscles stood out.
She looked like she wouldn’t get into trouble anywhere, at the very least.
This meant she was a type I greatly envied, having a insignificant body in both my previous and current life.
I clicked my tongue bitterly and started walking again.
But the woman began following me around. She even stuck close behind my back and chased after me.
After walking in silence for a while, I eventually had no choice but to stop.
“Who are you?”
“…Ah!!”
The woman’s resounding scream echoed through the morning dining hall.
* * *
My name is Berry.
At the blooming age of twenty-two, when others would have already married and formed happy families, I wandered unable to decide on a career path and ended up aging as a single woman.
My father was one of the leading carpenters in Northern Lombard, and my mother was the best hunter in Nosbern Village.
Born between such two people, I received everyone’s expectations from a young age.
Whether I became a carpenter following Father or a hunter following Mother, I had the aptitude for both.
It feels a bit embarrassing to boast like this…
To be honest, blood doesn’t lie, so I was good at both.
However, both carpenter and hunter were lonely professions, so I wasn’t readily drawn to either.
I liked being around people.
Still, as the eldest daughter, I had to inherit the family business, so I was planning to choose one of the two professions soon.
But one day, Father brought up something difficult to say.
‘Berry, how would you feel about becoming the Duchess’s servant?’
At first, I thought it was complete nonsense.
Mother also lightly(?) hit Father’s shoulder, asking where such ridiculous delusions came from, and in the process, half the house collapsed.
Well, it was something that happened often, and Father would fix it anyway, so it didn’t particularly matter.
But Father’s cry from under the debris shook my heart.
He said the Duchess was interested in the lives of the citizens, but since everyone around her was from the Imperial Capital, she was having difficulty hearing the voices of the people.
Teacher Gilbert, who heard this, graciously recommended me to the Duchess.
When he took out the Duchess’s seal, even Mother, who had been telling him to stop talking nonsense, finally widened her eyes.
‘O-our Berry is going to become the Duchess’s servant?’
‘I know you wanted her to inherit the hunting business, but…’
‘Is the family business the issue right now?! The Duchess needs our Berry!’
The other half of the house also collapsed due to Mother’s excitement.
Anyway, I accepted becoming the Duchess’s servant with excitement and a bit of fear.
It was a good opportunity to repay the debt for saving Father and Younger Brother, and I was also curious about what kind of person the Duchess was.
From the next day, people from the castle officially came to teach me.
There were too many things I couldn’t do in front of Madam, who was both imperial family and high nobility. I couldn’t do this, couldn’t do that, couldn’t do that either…
I felt like my brain would burn out from memorizing everything.
Still, I memorized diligently. I memorized earnestly and memorized again.
‘But to make such a mistake!!’
When I heard that Madam had come to the outer castle walls without even a servant, I ran to the monastery before dawn, wanting to help in any way.
I encountered several wild beasts on the way, but resolved things amicably(?) through conversation.
Anyway, though I had finally met Madam with such difficulty, I spoke to her without even receiving permission.
Moreover, I was so stunned by Madam’s unbelievably beautiful appearance that I completely forgot to introduce myself!
“How could this happen!!”
Unable to overcome self-blame and embarrassment, I grabbed any nearby object.
Crack, the chair crumbled like a cookie into powder that scattered onto Madam’s luxurious dress hem.
Now it was really over.
I prostrated myself flat, waiting for Madam’s judgment.
The servant proposal had long since fallen through, and it would be fortunate if the trouble didn’t spread to Father or Teacher Gilbert who had recommended me.
“Stand up, child.”
It was then, as I trembled in fear.
Madam personally extended her hand to me.
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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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