I Became the Wife of the Hero Who Killed Me - Chapter 93

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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 93

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Edwin, who had been by my side the entire time, briefly stepped away due to a visit from the Minister of Military Affairs.

Even so, everyone avoided me like I was a plague-ridden host, so I wasn’t particularly worried…

“It’s been a long time, Elisia. You must have suffered much being married off to distant Lombard—are you managing well?”

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s care, I am always at peace.”

Right from the start, I found myself face-to-face with the final boss—the Emperor!

The Chief Chamberlain called for me, saying the Emperor was looking for me, and unfortunately Edwin wasn’t by my side either—though they probably timed it this way—so I had no choice but to be dragged up onto the platform.

Even the banquet rule about wearing masks didn’t apply in front of the Emperor.

I could feel everyone’s gazes piercing into my face.

“Somehow I sense a distance between us. Didn’t you used to call me Uncle and treat me comfortably in the past?”

“Now that I am a married woman, how could I treat Your Majesty, the dignity of the Empire, as casually as before? I can only be grateful for your care.”

I answered with proper courtesy for now.

The Emperor, Vittorio IV, honestly speaking, wasn’t particularly a good monarch.

He was incompetent and lazy. His view of political situations was narrow-minded and short-sighted, and he was a typical wastrel who left the nation and people to a few close retainers while indulging only in hunting and entertainment.

However, even such a person was at least better than Elisia, so public opinion was predominantly that it was fortunate Vittorio ascended to the throne.

‘Still, he is the Emperor. In times like this, bowing first carries less risk.’

This was different from dealing with nobles.

Back then, my status was superior, so even if I made mistakes, there were ways to recover, but not this time.

I suppressed my tension and politely bent my knee.

“Huh, you’ve become much more mature since getting married. If you had been wearing a mask, I might have thought you were an assassin pretending to be my niece, here to kill me.”

“…I am deeply ashamed.”

“Enough with the bowing, stand up. Be comfortable like before, comfortable.”

The Emperor truly looked like he couldn’t adapt to this.

I had simply answered according to proper etiquette, yet he said I’d become mature—just how low were his expectations of me?

‘This might be easier than I thought?’

The tension that had been constricting me just moments ago disappeared without a trace.

Even if he suspected my identity, I could defend myself with marriage—a major life event that was a perfectly suitable justification for explaining my change.

The Emperor, still looking dazed as if seeing things, continued speaking.

“Rosalind, what do you think?”

“Indeed, the cold air of the north must be different. I never expected my sister’s fiery, wild personality to become this calm.”

“…”

“The canary I’m raising has become quite savage lately, and I’m troubled by it. Would sending it to the north for a while solve the problem? What do you think, sister?”

So this person was Princess Rosalind.

She had an angelic face adorned with a honey-sweet smile. But she held a knife in her mouth, and her eyes looking at me were filled with mockery.

As expected, rumors really can’t be trusted.

But well, the method for dealing with someone who stabs you with a smiling face was simple.

“Not bad. If you send it to Lombard, I’ll take good care of it.”

“…Pardon?”

“Speaking of canaries, you’re still holding onto that incident from the Founding Festival in your childhood, aren’t you?”

Just smile along.

So I smiled gently and added,

“You’ve been saying at every gathering you attend that you forgave me long ago, so I really thought that was the case.”

I hadn’t just been playing around since coming to the Imperial Capital.

Thanks to Edwin, who loved explaining things, I learned a lot about the Imperial Palace and southern nobles, but that alone wasn’t enough.

However, as expected, as soon as I arrived at the Imperial Capital, an enormous number of invitations poured in day after day.

It seemed like almost every noble staying in the Imperial Capital had sent one.

Perhaps because it was my return to society after a long time, they put considerable effort into the content of their invitations.

They included detailed accounts of their past connections with ‘Elisia,’ and those who had no connection with her wrote about how they wanted to become friends for such and such reasons.

I memorized all the contents of those letters.

For someone with my excellent memory, it was as easy as lying down and drinking soup.

“I’m truly sorry about that incident at the Founding Festival in our childhood, Rosalind. I was immature back then.”

“Oh, no…! I really have forgotten all about it? What I said earlier was just a joke!”

“Really? Then I’m relieved. I’m happy you said that.”

Even as I said this, I was actually dying of embarrassment, my hands and feet curling up.

‘Acting nice like this when it doesn’t suit me at all…’

But it was unavoidable if I wanted to shed the troublemaker label from the past and build a new image.

No matter how hard I tried, I could never become like the real Elisia, so this was the best way to smooth over my changed personality.

Making them believe that marriage had made me mature as a person.

Anyway, with this, Rosalind had lost one of the cards she’d been using effectively.

If she brought up that story again after saying she’d forgotten it long ago, then other people would find it strange too.

‘When I get home, my curled-up hands and feet will straighten out, right? They have to.’

I approached Rosalind with the brightest smile possible, as if I was truly happy about our reconciliation.

And it was the moment I clasped her hands in mine.

“What are you doing?!”

Slap—a sharp friction sound echoed through the hall.

For some reason, Rosalind, looking startled, roughly pushed me away.

The whispers of nobles who had been pretending not to watch while glancing this way grew louder.

“Oh my, what could be the matter?”

“It looks like Lady Rosalind pushed Lady Elisia?”

“Surely not.”

Me, pushed back and losing my balance, and Rosalind, with irritation clearly showing on her face.

The atmosphere was flowing strangely.

Seeing the Emperor’s brow furrow, Rosalind quickly composed her expression. Though it was already too late.

“That’s right, sister! An envoy has come from the Marsen Royal Family. Since we’ve met after so long, you must be happy to see them, right?”

“…”

“They’re coming this way. Why don’t you go exchange greetings?”

I nodded calmly.

I already knew the envoy’s name. It was Marquis Gray, King Marsen’s closest retainer and Elisia’s maternal uncle.

He was also one of the people who had sent me an invitation, and perhaps because he wasn’t originally a diplomat, his Imperial Language seemed poor.

Out of consideration for him, I offered my greeting in the Marsen language.

“Hello, Uncle. It’s been a long time.”

“E-Lady Elisia…”

“Are Their Majesties in good health? Having married into the distant north, I haven’t been able to inquire after them for so long. Please give my regards to His Majesty the Great King in my stead.”

It wasn’t difficult.

I had already mastered five languages in my childhood.

For someone of humble birth like me to become an official by defeating noble children whose acceptance was predetermined, I had to prove myself with transcendent skills.

Moreover, after taking on practical duties, I became fluent in conversation through interactions with people from various regions.

‘Elisia would naturally know this much too. With her mother being a Marsen princess, it wouldn’t make sense for her not to know her maternal family’s language.’

No matter how stupid she was, this much should be basic, right?

I thought it would be natural with the setting that she just couldn’t read, but for some reason, Marquis Gray’s eyes, nose, and mouth opened wide in shock.

The problem was that Rosalind’s expression, and even the Emperor’s, weren’t much different.

“…?”

Did they all eat something wrong together?

I hadn’t been sleeping well, so I had no appetite and had only taken a sip or two of drinks since entering the banquet hall.

I was thinking how fortunate that was when suddenly Marquis Gray’s eyes reddened.

“Lady Elisia, you can speak the Marsen language?”

“Marquis?”

“How, how could this be…? I thought Lady Elisia had completely severed all emotional ties to Marsen after her mother’s early death…”

Ah.

Elisia was a much more serious fool than I had thought.

‘Why didn’t Edwin tell me this important fact?!’

Usually he would tell me about every little trivial and useless thing, so why did he skip over the important part about not being able to speak the maternal language without even mentioning it!

We definitely talked about Marsen too!

I blamed the innocent Edwin in my heart while only rolling my eyes.

However, the Marsen language had already left my mouth and there was no way to take it back. I frantically racked my brain searching for an excuse.

“E-Edwin taught me. He’s a kind and good teacher, you see.”

“Edwin… do you mean Duke Lombard? Have you already become close enough to share pet names with your husband? My goodness, this old servant has so many things to ask Lady Elisia!”

I used to scoff whenever I heard people say that Northerners were rigid and cold.

The North is also a place where people live, so how different could they be from Southerners?

But today, after meeting this person from Marsen at the continent’s southernmost tip, I finally understood.

Compared to Southerners who suddenly become overwhelmed and tearful over trivial matters, Northerners really are rigid and cold.

Not knowing how to react, I was just creakily pulling out my handkerchief when it happened.

Fortunately, someone intervened.

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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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