I Became the Wife of the Hero Who Killed Me - Chapter 4

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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 4

‘I thought we might run into each other, but…’

I worried about what would happen if all sorts of old emotions came flooding back when I faced the Duke.

It was really a pathetic concern.

Far from bringing tears to my eyes, I only wanted to grab that damn bastard by the crown of his head and tear it off.

Regardless, the Duke who met my eyes wore a mocking expression.

“How surprising. To think my wife missed me this much.”

“Pardon?”

“Being rejected from our wedding night must have worn you down so much that you came looking for me like this.”

Ah, so Elisia was rejected this time too.

Though he certainly wasn’t saying it to reassure me, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

I didn’t want to fulfill marital duties with someone whose face alone irritated me.

‘I’m different from the real one.’

The Elisia of the past was terribly obsessed with the man before me.

Not content with pestering her uncle the Emperor until she succeeded in marriage, she caused all sorts of trouble trying to turn this ice-cold man’s heart.

But I disliked the Duke.

Because I knew who the real mastermind was—the one who threw my past life’s self to Elisia and ultimately had her killed by Elisia’s hands.

I would never pathetically cling to him.

“If you have no business, I’ll take my leave now.”

“Wait.”

“Yes.”

I immediately stopped walking. Of course, it wasn’t because of the Duke’s command.

It was because the knights standing behind him were glaring at me with their eyes. If I ignored them and moved even one more step, they looked ready to draw their swords.

Though I wore Elisia’s mask, being a born commoner made me particularly weak in such situations.

But people seemed to think my tense appearance was just an act.

The knights’ glares became even more menacing.

‘Even so, I’m the Duke’s wife—isn’t this treatment too harsh?’

Just as I was grumbling inwardly, unable to say anything outwardly, the Duke stepped forward and calmed his subordinates’ hostility.

“Now let’s get to the point. Didn’t you say you had no interest in Lombard’s internal affairs? That’s what I heard from Bertol.”

“That’s still true now.”

“Then what’s the reason for your intrusion into the Castle Office Building?”

The Duke’s leisurely voice suddenly turned cold.

Actually, I was a bit surprised. It was because I couldn’t read the Duke’s intentions at all.

‘Is he being sarcastic? I don’t know. I thought I knew him fairly well…’

I recalled my past life.

As a child, I frequently went back and forth to the castle keep on errands for my parents who were officials, and during that time I often encountered Edwin, who was a young lord then.

My assessment of him was this:

‘Lombard’s future looks bleak.’

Of course, I never said it aloud, but this was my honest thought.

Edwin had too gentle a disposition to rule Northern Lombard.

He was so soft-hearted that even when I, a mere commoner, played pranks on him, he wouldn’t get angry but would just smile like a fool. He couldn’t leave a small cat in the rain, cherished flowers, loved art, and enjoyed philosophical discussions.

Naturally, he despised hunting, the nobles’ hobby, calling it barbaric and cruel.

Though our tastes matched surprisingly well in many areas, Edwin was someone who suited being a philosopher or artist rather than a ruler.

I sometimes wondered if he’d improve as he grew up, but he didn’t particularly change even after inheriting the ducal position.

People must have had holes for eyes, calling Edwin a demon crawled up from hell, but I knew better.

He was nothing but a good-natured fool with only his build going for him.

“I’m asking what business brought you to intrude into the castle keep.”

“…Ah.”

Awakening from my reminiscence, I looked up at the Duke.

His face looked the same as usual, but his eyes were coldly frozen as if facing an unwelcome guest.

Thanks to that, my thoughts changed from quietly leaving.

It was absurd that he was acting as if there was something important in a place where embarrassingly poor reports were exchanged.

“Then what about Your Grace, rushing here with knights in tow—what secrets could there be in this Castle Office Building full of such trash?”

“Trash… Well, that part is correct, so it’s hard to argue.”

“Your Grace!”

Unexpectedly, the Duke’s honest answer made the knights escorting him panic and glare at me instead.

They looked at me as if I were a spy rather than the lady of the house.

This made me even more irritated, so I decided to get on the knights’ nerves instead of the unreadable Duke.

I knew better than anyone how to mess with these rigid Northern folks.

“You said you were curious about what business brought me to the castle keep?”

“Will you answer if that’s the case?”

“Since Your Grace demands it, I have no choice. The reason I came here is…”

As I lowered my voice and paused for effect, the Duke’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Even the knights who had been pretending not to care seemed secretly curious, as I could sense them perking up their ears.

“I heard rumors that Lombard has many handsome officials.”

“…?”

“Northern men are famous for being handsome, but rumors that they’re more radiant and beautiful than the sun god Leto himself were hard to ignore. I came to find one to make my lover.”

As expected, the knights’ eyes, noses, and mouths widened in shock.

The problem was that the Duke did too.

The change was minimal, but having spent a long time close to him, I could notice even small changes immediately.

‘The Duke valued family honor.’

Separate from rejecting Elisia from their wedding night, he couldn’t tolerate his wife spreading scandalous rumors right after coming to the family.

Even the past Elisia lived relatively modestly in her first year of marriage, trying to win the Duke’s favor.

Looking at the Duke’s coldly hardened expression, I sneered inwardly.

‘What did my past self see in such a thoroughly aristocratic person…’

But since I might wrongly implicate an innocent official, I decided to lighten the mood appropriately.

“Though I haven’t found anyone particularly appealing yet.”

“Is that so?”

“But I’ll decide soon, so don’t worry. Honestly, Your Grace isn’t my type either, so living looking only at your face would be difficult.”

“…”

For some reason, the room became eerily quiet.

But not noticing this, I continued speaking, wanting to make my position clear with this opportunity.

“Then you must be curious why I pestered His Majesty to marry Your Grace? You have exactly that expression.”

“Ha, indeed. I’m quite curious.”

“This place is far from the Imperial Capital, and it seemed like no one would dare interfere with how I live, so I pretended to be infatuated with Your Grace.”

“…”

“I have absolutely no interest in Your Grace whatsoever, so you needn’t worry.”

Only after thoroughly drawing lines—no, building walls—did I hesitate.

I belatedly realized that the knights were glaring at me with eyes half filled with disbelief and half wondering if they should secretly dispose of someone who dared speak such insolence to their revered lord.

‘Wh-what can those bastards do by glaring at me.’

I’m not some lowly commoner anymore but an imperial princess—surely they wouldn’t throw me in the Underground Prison just for being slightly annoying.

They wouldn’t… right?

“I’m sincere about having no intention to interfere with Lombard’s internal affairs. But Your Grace should do the same. I’d like you not to meddle in whatever I do.”

Wanting the heart of a lion but still unable to abandon my timid commoner’s heart, I offered a conciliatory proposal to ease the atmosphere.

“I wonder if that’s sincere?”

“Well, we’ll have to wait and see.”

The whispering knights still couldn’t shake their suspicious expressions, but they seemed at least a little more relieved than before.

On the other hand, the Duke just stared at me intently without saying a word.

It was a silent, pressuring gaze, as if he was waiting for me to give a different answer.

‘I have no idea what he’s thinking.’

I’ll just have to prove it gradually from now on.

The fact that I really won’t do anything and will just quietly live a life of leisure.

“I look forward to our future life together.”

“As do I, my lady.”

That was the end of our conversation.

The back of my head tingled. As I left the Castle Keep as if fleeing, the Duke’s gaze followed me all the way to the end.

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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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