I Became the Wife of the Hero Who Killed Me - Chapter 64

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

#Episode 64

* * *

Currently, Gareth found it difficult to understand the situation unfolding before his eyes.

He had been thinking that if necessary, he would kill everyone here to help the young lady escape.

Don’t mind anything else, just protect the young lady – this was his lord’s command.

“Sister, tie my hair!”

“Hey! Dad said not to bother the guest!”

“I’m not bothering her! I’m playing with her so she won’t be bored!”

But what on earth was this?

Fortunately, the thieves’ leader who was acquainted with them was favorable toward the young lady – the generous consolation money from before seemed to have played a part – preventing any bloodshed.

However, he requested that they stay here for a while, saying the hideout’s location must not leak to the outside, and the young lady agreed.

And then—

‘First, let me clean up this mess. Kids, come here! Not coming? Three, two, one!!’

She unleashed a Lion’s Roar he’d never heard before and subdued the children who were running wild like monkeys one by one.

And with very skillful technique at that.

Anyway, the atmosphere had relaxed considerably and it didn’t seem to be a dangerous situation, so Gareth explored the interior to see if there was a way to send news to his lord.

But the hideout was so deep underground that it was difficult to call a hawk.

‘People are guarding the entrance too.’

He could easily solve it with force, but the young lady was particularly reluctant to lay hands on the citizens.

Though the lord, who was the actual owner of this land, wouldn’t care about such trivial matters.

‘Let’s go back for now.’

If he watched the situation and waited until the young lady fell asleep and the thieves’ guard became lax, he could easily get out.

Then he could report the situation to his lord.

…That’s what he thought as he returned, but in the meantime, the young lady was easily handling six children like toys in her palm.

“Now, now, who told you to do other things during meal time? Everyone sit quietly.”

“He did it first!”

“Don’t blame others. Just eat your food.”

The way she quickly pressed down the head of a child trying to stand up and ruffled their hair looked natural.

She seemed to like children very much.

‘What could she be thinking?’

These people were nothing more than a group of vagrants who couldn’t even make it onto the poll tax registry to be called citizens of Lombard. Little rats who lived by stealing from others’ storehouses.

Gareth couldn’t understand the young lady mingling freely with these lowly people.

He had never been interested in what high-ranking people thought—

But at this moment, he became a little curious about the young lady’s thoughts.

* * *

After finishing my meal, I told old stories to the bored children.

Having loved to delve into books since childhood, I knew every story from the history of the Valdin Empire to the legends of other continents across the sea.

The children held their breath and concentrated on the stories.

But now it was nap time. I skillfully coaxed and soothed the children who were whining to hear more, putting them down for their naps.

And then—

“What am I doing right now?”

Now, several days after being trapped(?) in the hideout, I was in quite a reality check.

Deliberately avoiding the gazes of the women who looked up to me like a god for having quietly put the wild colts to sleep, I slumped down on a stone chair and clutched my head.

‘My old habits came out!’

In the past, I lost my parents early in a carriage accident.

I didn’t want to leave the house where I lived with my parents, so I didn’t enter an orphanage, but during the harsh winters when it was difficult for a child to survive alone, I would stay at the orphanage attached to the monastery thanks to the monks’ consideration.

The monastery was always short-handed, and I naturally became accustomed to caring for children while helping the monks.

‘What is this after finally becoming a duke’s daughter?’

Oh well, I don’t know.

I gave up on everything and was sitting there blankly with a silly smile when a chunk of rye bread was suddenly thrust in front of me.

When I looked up, I saw a familiar face.

“Sardine Uncle.”

“I told you it’s Gibson.”

Come to think of it, at some point I had started speaking casually with this uncle too. How did this happen?

He plopped down next to me.

“You can’t eat fish, right? Your eating earlier wasn’t very satisfactory either. This was hidden away for emergencies, but I’ll give you one.”

“You said it was for emergencies, is it okay to give it to me?”

“It was bought with money you gave me. I’ve been doing business on the streets of Bellamare for decades, but you’re the first rich person I’ve seen who throws up saying it tastes bad and then gives consolation money – not even giving medicine after causing illness.”

Well, if it was bought with my money.

I tore the bread Gibson offered in half and bit into it.

Compared to what I ate at the castle, it was hard and dry, tasting like cardboard, but I was used to it since I ate it often at one time.

Unlike with the fish porridge, I ate it well, making Gibson click his tongue.

“You’re definitely an inland country bumpkin.”

“Says the uncle who offered sardines, famous for their fishy smell, to an inland country bumpkin?”

“Let’s just gloss over that part.”

Gibson, who had been chuckling at my retort, caught his breath for a moment.

His expression showed some inexplicable awkwardness.

“Actually, I thought you were a noble.”

“Why, because I’m pretty?”

“An outsider suddenly appearing at a time like this, a mere merchant leader traveling with a string of attendants, and even following us into our hideout – though that was another bastard’s fault – it all seemed suspicious…”

That’s why I said to minimize the attendants as much as possible.

While I was pondering how to properly deal with Ramon, who stubbornly insisted despite not listening, Gibson continued.

“So I thought you were someone from the governor’s side and was planning to use you as a hostage if necessary.”

But no matter how he looked, I didn’t seem like a noble.

I wasn’t unable to eat street food but really just couldn’t eat fish – an inland country bumpkin, naturally skilled with children like breathing, and my attitude of mingling freely with people was unmistakably that of a free citizen.

An ordinary person, no different from themselves.

‘It’s just because it’s not much different from the village where I used to live.’

As I was scratching my chin awkwardly, I suddenly had a certain doubt.

Actually, it was a doubt I’d been feeling for the past several days.

Why were these ordinary, unremarkable people living in such a cave?

For a simple group of petty thieves, there were women and children, and even elderly people who couldn’t be used for combat.

As if an entire village had been moved here.

“But uncle, the governor keeps coming up in conversation – what did that person do to make everyone grind their teeth whenever the governor’s name is mentioned?”

“As expected, outsiders don’t know anything.”

That was natural.

Lombard was a territory so vast it was comparable to a single nation.

Since it was difficult for the duke to directly govern all cities, Bellamare was ruled by a governor who had been delegated the lord’s authority.

It was the only region in Lombard where autonomy was recognized, and the administrative system was completely separate from the main castle, so I had no way of knowing Bellamare’s circumstances.

“It’s a long story.”

Gibson let out a deep sigh and continued.

“I was originally the chairman of Bellamare’s merchant association. My ancestors had settled here for generations, and I also had such a meddlesome nature… somehow it ended up that way.”

Still, Gibson loved his hometown where he was born and raised.

Even while grumbling that it was a bothersome position, he did his best for Bellamare’s development.

The incompetent but good-natured Former Governor died of old age, and his successor was Count Dorva, Former Duke Lombard’s younger brother.

He had extensive administrative experience commanding the Castle Administration on behalf of Duke Lombard and deep connections with the Central Government.

Now Bellamare would finally develop—that’s what people expected.

“The reality was different. He revealed his true nature as soon as he took office as Governor.”

Harsh forced labor and ever-increasing taxes.

When people finally began failing to meet their quotas, the Governor made examples of them by burning their houses and dragging their families to the plaza for public stoning.

The village gradually became desolate, and the shops that had protected the City District for many years closed one by one.

Gibson had remained silent in fear before the violence, but he could no longer endure it.

“I worked with my merchant guild colleagues to write a petition reporting Bellamare’s tragic situation and sent it to the Main Castle.”

“But why wasn’t it resolved? The Castle Administration wouldn’t have just ignored the petition.”

“The timing was the worst. At that time, a great earthquake damaged the Northern Wall…”

I sighed.

Gibson’s story after that went as expected.

While Former Duke Lombard died fighting demons and the Central Government was in chaos, an official connected to the Governor intercepted the petition and sent it back to Bellamare.

When the Governor saw this, he literally lost his mind.

“We had no choice but to abandon our homes and everything we’d built and flee to survive. It’s a common story.”

“…”

I didn’t know what expression to make.

In any case, I was an official of the Castle Administration. Though this had happened before I became an official, Bellamare’s suffering had continued even after that.

Did I really bear no responsibility for what happened then?

As an official of Lombard, I might have had ways to notice the danger the citizens faced and save them. If I had just tried a little harder, just a little more—

“Don’t make such a frightening expression. It’s not your fault either.”

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