I Became the Wife of the Hero Who Killed Me - Chapter 7

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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 7

‘Paying with my body instead of money… no, I was trying to fulfill my calling through service.’

Usually, noble ladies chose donations as the most common and convenient way to win the people’s hearts.

But I came here in person.

Because I wanted to carefully protect the wealth I had finally obtained.

Just looking at it was so precious and lovely that donating it would be like tearing flesh from my body.

Others might not feel this way, but I certainly did.

‘Huu, calm down…’

With trembling hands, I pulled out the jeweled pin that was stuck in my hair.

Then I also removed my necklace and brooch.

I also took out my companion gold coin pouch that I had brought just to lovingly caress.

Paying with my body… no, even though I had come dressed modestly for service, thinking about losing all of this made my heart ache and tears well up.

Being selfish by nature, even good deeds felt regrettable.

I grabbed a passing monk and held out those items with trembling hands.

“Use this to get urgently needed medicine and bandages. This is everything I have right now.”

With my eyes glistening with tears, I turned my head away.

I couldn’t be the only donation angel.

“Count Baron, do you happen to have any money with you?”

“M-me, you mean?”

With the feeling that I couldn’t die alone, I subtly suggested he donate, but the baron annoyingly caught on to my intention perfectly and quickly shook his head.

“No no, unfortunately I don’t have any money with me right now!”

“…”

I narrowed my eyes.

That thick waist couldn’t be entirely belly fat, so who did he think he was lying to?

Unable to withstand my subtle glare, the baron finally shed tears of blood and handed over his silver coin pouch.

Becoming donation angels together made me feel a little better.

“Will this be enough to put out the urgent fire?”

“T-thank you so much! The miners’ treatment costs should be covered by your donation, my lady.”

“That’s fortunate. But if it’s still not enough, don’t hesitate to send someone to the castle. Just look for someone named Bertol.”

I mentioned the name of House Lombard’s chamberlain.

I arranged for additional funds to come out of the Duke’s personal pocket.

Public funds would be invested at the Lombard level, but if only I got fleeced it would be regrettable… no, because it would be good if we all became donation angels.

‘Sob sob, farewell.’

My pretty companion gold coins were gone and would never return.

Even so, as I was tearing up thinking they would miss me, I realized that people around me were looking at me with somehow unusual eyes.

If I were to interpret the meaning of the gazes directed at me, it was exactly this:

‘She seems different from the rumors?’

The excitement brought by the urgent situation disappeared and I was thrown back into harsh reality.

I remembered the Iron Maiden I had seen at the Inquisition as a child.

Recalling the agonized screams from inside, the roughly clanking lid, and the pool of blood collected in the gap between the lid and bottom made my spine tingle.

Forget the patients and everything else, my own life had suddenly become urgent.

‘No, but I’m supposed to cause trouble in this situation?’

Among patients whose lives were fading away?

It wasn’t the right condition or atmosphere for that, so I just felt strangely uncomfortable inside.

No matter how selfish I was, I wasn’t the type of person to cause trouble in a situation like this.

Just as I was internally stomping my feet wondering what to do.

“Tie it quickly! We need to hurry if we’re going to transport the patients!”

“Kiiing, keng…!”

I spotted humans trying to forcibly harness a large dog that was struggling and resisting to a big cart.

Instantly, I lost my mind.

‘How dare mere humans torment a cute, lovable dog whose very existence is beneficial?!’

Unfortunately, my anger didn’t end there.

The damned humans forcibly tied the dog to the cart, and when it still resisted, they raised a whip.

“Do you want to die?! You damn bastards!!”

Curses flew out without passing through my brain.

The terrified baron barely managed to restrain me as I tried to grab them by the collar and fight.

“My lady, my lady, this isn’t like a kind mistress who loves dogs, but like a fierce berserker!”

Still, my anger wasn’t appeased, so I shouted.

“Just try touching that dog again! I’ll completely shatter all your limbs!”

The shocked workers released the dog and bowed their heads repeatedly.

“Phew, my heart is racing… Truly tremendous troublemaking.”

“I thought the rumors were wrong.”

I heard hushed whispers among the people but decided to ignore them.

* * *

The cleanup was barely finished by sunset.

The inner wall physicians who had rushed over worked diligently under my fierce supervision, and the bandages and medicine that had been lacking were amply supplied with mine and the baron’s donations.

There were many patients whose condition needed to be monitored overnight, but we could say the immediate crisis had been averted.

‘I really feel like I’m going to die…’

My body, which had been worked all day contrary to plan, was completely battered.

My hair, which had been neatly arranged, was completely disheveled, and my dress, which had been modest but elegant, was ruined with dirt and patients’ blood.

Soaked in sweat, I looked nothing like a noble lady.

‘Well, at least my mind is at ease.’

If I hadn’t been here, this clinic would have repeated the disasters of the past.

Filio would have shouldered the responsibility for numerous deaths alone, and the monks would have suffered from guilt over not being able to save patients while being pointed at by ignorant people.

‘So this is how good power feels.’

Problems are easily solved with just a pointing finger and a single command.

In the past, even when I worked day and night writing reports and submitting them, no one would even listen with half an ear…

As I was grinning, intoxicated by the sweet taste of power, someone hesitantly approached me.

“My lady, are you alright?”

It was Joseph, a trainee from the monastery.

He held out a crude wooden cup with a very apologetic face.

“You’ve been having spasms around your mouth… I think it’s from exhaustion, so it would be good for you to drink some water.”

Surprised, I looked up to see people behind Joseph glancing this way.

It seemed Joseph had come forward as their representative.

Feeling embarrassed, I quickly hardened my expression and took the cup.

“Ahem, it’s not spasms, but thank you anyway.”

“…Yes!”

The boy’s face bloomed brightly upon hearing my thanks.

‘I didn’t expect the territory residents to worry about me.’

This would have been unthinkable for the past Elisia. She’d be lucky not to get stoned and told to get out of the clinic immediately.

Feeling a bit dazed, I was fiddling with the cup when Joseph, seeing this, added in a trembling voice for some reason.

“I-I’m sorry! The monastery’s circumstances aren’t good, so most of our cups are in this condition. It probably doesn’t meet the standards of a noble lady like yourself, but…”

“No, thank you for thinking of me.”

The cup was crude but had no cracks or chips. He must have carefully selected it.

The baron beside me interjected that I shouldn’t carelessly drink beverages of unknown origin, but I ignored him and drank it down.

“Thanks to you, I drank well.”

As I returned the cup with a bright smile, Joseph’s ears were somehow bright red.

When I looked out the window just in case, the sunset was already glowing. It must have been the sunset’s reflection.

“I should head back now. Baron, prepare the carriage…”

As I tried to get up from my seat, my legs suddenly gave out.

The moment Joseph reached out his hand in surprise, an even firmer arm caught my head.

“To rush at me so passionately the moment we meet—it’s a bit overwhelming.”

This damn voice—

With a serious expression, I looked around for water to wash my ears.

The Duke was dressed in heavy armor, having apparently returned directly from the Northern Wall.

Well, it was such a major incident that it was natural for news to reach the lord who was out at the Northern Wall.

Though I hadn’t expected him to come personally.

The Duke looked down at my disheveled appearance with a strange expression.

“I heard you were caught up in a major incident at the treatment center, but it seems it was bigger than I thought.”

“Your sarcasm skills are impressive.”

“That wasn’t my intention.”

I didn’t listen further and brushed off the Duke’s hand.

I knew it was a somewhat oversensitive reaction, but I couldn’t help it.

Even though I thought I was now well-fed and comfortable, I couldn’t hide my sense of betrayal toward the one who had made me die in such agony.

‘When he was once so affectionate.’

The red-hot branding iron, the acrid smell that pierced my nose, and Elisia’s triumphant voice came back vividly.

‘How do you have His Grace’s ring…’

‘Yes, look carefully. This is His Grace’s ring. The symbol of the family head that can never be removed from the body until death. Why do you think this is in my hands, hmm? Who do you think threw you to me?’

‘That can’t be. His Grace… no, Edwin!’

‘Shut up!! One low-ranking official versus the honor of the great noble House Lombard. It’s obvious which is more important!’

The ring symbolizing House Lombard was in Elisia’s hands. The insignia that only the Duke could wear.

It would be impossible for anyone to forcibly take the ring from Edwin, the continent’s strongest warrior, or to steal it secretly.

This meant that he had entrusted my treatment to Elisia.

‘He must have known of my loyalty to Lombard. If he had just said one word to keep quiet…’

Nevertheless, Edwin had used Elisia’s hands to let me die in terrible agony.

For the family’s honor, he had blocked all possibilities of secrets leaking out.

The fact that he had abandoned me hurt more than anything else.

‘Of course, that was in the past, not now.’

Awakening from the old memory, I conspicuously wiped the part that had touched the Duke.

Though it might have felt insulting, the Duke looked around as if nothing had happened.

Then he narrowed his eyes, seemingly puzzled by the clinic scene that had been cleaned up faster than expected.

His gaze lingered particularly long on the inner castle wall physicians who kept glancing at me while working themselves to death.

It was a situation where the Duke might notice that I was smarter than I appeared (?).

“Have you heard the saying ‘the law is far but fists are near’?”

I struck first before he could find it strange.

“Fists turn the impossible into possible. They also turn inefficiency into efficiency. Your Grace should keep that in mind next time.”

“Y-Your Lordship! That’s not it, the lady…”

“Shh.”

I gave Joseph a warning look to shut him up as he tried to explain, then shrugged my shoulders.

“My role ends here, so Your Grace can handle everything else.”

After snapping sharply, I quickly left the clinic.

The coachman who spotted me bowed his head respectfully.

The way he rubbed his hands together like a fly stuck to a window made me think the baron really picked quite a character.

“Where is the carriage?”

“The front of the clinic was chaotic, so I moved it to the back clearing. It would be troublesome if even a small scratch appeared on such a precious carriage.”

“Bring it right away. I want to return to the castle and rest.”

Quickly, before the Duke comes.

When I silently gestured toward the inside, the coachman understood my unspoken words and quickly ran off.

‘Ugh, it’s freezing cold.’

Lombard was already cold, but once the sun set, the cutting wind felt like it was slicing through flesh. Standing for long with my already tired body made my fingers and toes feel like they might fall off.

My already thin patience quickly hit rock bottom.

After waiting for the carriage for who knows how long, a long shadow fell over me as I stamped my feet.

“Why are you so late! I thought I’d freeze to death waiting…!”

“I don’t recall saying I’d return together.”

My face instantly contorted.

It wasn’t the coachman but the Duke standing before 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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