I Picked Up My Amnesic Ex-Husband - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I picked up my ex-husband, who had lost his memory.
Chapter 10

Kaien de Siegfried Elysion.
If the Emperor was the scepter by which the Empire was ruled, then he was the sword that guarded its borders.
He accepted without complaint the duties and responsibilities placed upon him. He inherited the Grand Duchy at fifteen and took up arms to eliminate the threats that faced the Empire.
The whole affair resembled nothing so much as walking along a well-laid road.
Fourteen years ago, when Kaien was ten.
When the late Emperor Butcher died from a curse and his brother Joachim, barely seventeen, ascended the throne, Kaien came to know the terror of loss.
Bidding farewell to a childhood so peaceful, he—now the Grand Duke Siegfried—stood against those factions that sought to constrain the Emperor and seize power.
In the course of it all, the Empress died in difficult childbirth after bearing the imperial heir, and in the Emperor’s grief, Kaien found himself spending much time with his nephew Alexei.
“Uncle, even when Father is being troublesome, just let it pass. Father’s at that terrible age of five, so if you acknowledge him, he’ll only be worse.”
“Is Father late again? I suppose it can’t be helped. Will you read me a story instead, Uncle?”
“Ciel? I picked him up when I was outside the Imperial Palace. I’m at an age where I need a dedicated personal attendant now, after all.”
……Though his premature maturity was certainly a problem.
In any case, life wasn’t dull. The days were full enough with commuting between the Grand Duchy and the Imperial Palace, and he’d never been averse to dedication.
So when his irritatingly precocious nephew fell gravely ill from some mysterious malady, Kaien blamed himself first and foremost.
He couldn’t help but feel that if he’d been more attentive, things wouldn’t have come to this.
“I present to you the Grand Duke Kaien.”
“Hello!”
The betrothal—arranged in exchange for medicine to treat Alexei’s illness.
His fiancée, with her lustrous silver hair and pale luminous skin, her eyes gently curved like a woodland creature’s, was as clear and pristine as a forest sprite.
Her bright, ringing voice, her gentle manner of speech, the straightforward gleam in her eyes as she looked upon him.
She resembled nothing of her father, with his rapacious gaze, and somehow that had left an impression.
But she was still the daughter of a political faction, and since the betrothal had been made by transaction alone, he’d had no intention of growing attached to the woman. The promise had only ever extended to one point: becoming husband and wife to Duke Dermis’s daughter, nothing more.
“What exactly is the standard for living as quietly as if dead?”
So when he faced the woman after the wedding ceremony, he couldn’t help but be somewhat taken aback.
He’d expected her at most to seek his affection or flutter about him, not to attempt negotiations.
The way she accepted without question the hollow marriage while saying she would adapt herself entirely to him was troubling too. She seemed to show no interest in the authority that any Grand Duchess could naturally claim.
Perhaps that was why his guard had slipped somewhat. At least, he’d thought, this woman was not the sort to bring him harm.
“As I’ve said, keep yourself nearest to the Grand Duke. Don’t forget what your role is.”
“Yes, of course. Don’t worry.”
Leaning against the window that opened onto the balcony, Kaien turned his gaze toward the glittering brilliance of the ballroom.
‘I wonder what they’re scheming.’
There was nothing surprising about it. From the very start, it had been plain that the Duke’s marriage of his daughter to him was an attempt to spy on him.
Kaien let out a quiet laugh. Yet he was surprised to find his mood sinking.
Had he actually harbored expectations? How foolish.
He’d met countless men who smiled warmly while driving daggers into your back. He knew full well that appearances were deceiving.
Kaien glanced down at the glass he held. In the glimmering surface of the golden wine, Wendy’s reflection wavered.
‘Live quietly as if dead. That’s what you meant, isn’t it? I haven’t forgotten it for a moment, so you needn’t worry.’
His eyes cold, Kaien left the room.
Nothing remarkable followed. He simply went out to the garden, supposedly to settle some vague discomfort in his chest.
Spring wind, laden with snow-white petals, suddenly swirled and robbed him of his sight. When he blinked gently, he saw a snow-white figure standing where the wind had been.
“……You.”
“Oh, Grand Duke, you’re out for a walk too?”
To Wendy, who spoke warmly with a bright smile, Kaien answered with silence.
The atmosphere was awkward in a way it hadn’t been before, and Wendy scratched her cheek sheepishly.
“Is there more I should attend to? I think I’ve already greeted everyone who needed greeting, so I just stepped out.”
“…….”
“Oh, have you tried the wine? They say the Imperial Palace has wonderful food and drink of all kinds. Though I still think our castle’s chefs are the most skilled.”
Kaien watched wordlessly as Wendy attempted light conversation. Seeing the man’s unusual quietness, she approached him with quick, purposeful strides.
His broad shoulders twitched ever so slightly.
“Your Highness, I can’t read minds, you know? If you have complaints, you need to tell me. Did I make some mistake?”
Instead of answering, he turned his head slightly away—clearly something was very wrong.
All right, I’m the older one. I should understand. It’s possible if you’re younger.
He was three years older than Wendy, but compared to Ju Ha-yeon, who was twenty-six, he was two years younger. Based on his build and appearance alone, it wasn’t difficult to sense that he was older than her, but what did it matter.
“Well, it works out perfectly. I’ve been wanting to tell you something anyway.”
Not the conversation she’d have chosen in such a strained atmosphere, but somehow this felt right.
Wendy broached the subject deliberately, her tone lightening.
“Since I arrived at the Imperial Palace, I’ve been thinking things through. Having experienced it firsthand, I realize there are so many matters demanding attention.”
She’d exchanged greetings with perhaps a hundred people at the ball alone. Enough to make her acutely aware of the weight that came with being the Grand Duke’s consort.
“So, Your Highness—if our marriage troubles you so much,”
Wendy tilted her head to look up at Kaien, who had finally turned to face her, and offered a bright smile.
“Why not simply hire me instead?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I’m quite capable, despite appearances. If you doubt me, you could keep me on a trial basis. I’m certain I’d prove useful.”
Kaien spoke at last, his voice low as he regarded Wendy’s self-assured expression.
“You’re saying you wish to involve yourself in the running of the Grand Duke’s Castle?”
“Yes.”
“What made you suddenly change your mind?”
“That is…”
Meeting her father had made her understand something newly: her situation was precarious enough that she couldn’t simply sit idle and hope it resolved itself.
Even if she tried to live as though dead, those around her would never leave her be. Her father would find endless ways to exploit her, and without any power of her own, she had no means to resist.
She had never wanted to meddle in the original story—not before, not now. But wouldn’t it be better if she could survive and spare others their suffering?
Though perhaps, if she were honest, she was simply rationalizing because she couldn’t bear to turn away from that boy who’d looked at her with such longing.
Since she couldn’t be truthful, Wendy smiled radiantly instead and offered a half-answer.
“I’d like to manage my family affairs better.”
“…What?”
“They keep interfering with me, and I’ve realized that living quietly isn’t as simple as I thought. As Your Highness knows, they’re terribly persistent—I’d be in genuine difficulty without some measure of strength.”
Perhaps this would make Kaien lower his guard toward her slightly.
Kaien’s lips moved slowly as he met her lake-clear eyes.
“You never cease to astonish me.”
She’d dropped her guard sufficiently; now he could see her true nature emerging.
“And your conditions?”
“We can discuss the details once we return. In any case, I wish to live more freely. As I’ve said before, I promise I won’t trouble you or be a nuisance!”
It mattered little either way. If she meant to use him, he could use her in turn—and far more advantageously. Exploiting this woman to keep watch on the Duke’s Estate would be far more profitable.
“See that you keep that promise.”
“Of course.”
With different intentions in their hearts, they clasped hands firmly.
Kaien noticed, for the first time, how warm the hand of a woman could be. Wendy, for her part, examined his hand with curious interest.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, I was just thinking how large your hands are.”
Kaien withdrew his hand slowly from Wendy’s smiling face and turned away.
White petals scattered in all directions on the breeze, as if snow were falling.

* * *

In the heart of the Flower Garden, where blossoms cascaded in profusion, stood an elegant pavilion, quiet and serene.
The woman who had been reading inside the pavilion looked up at the sound of footsteps. Wendy, observing Ciel collapse onto the bench across from her with a conflicted expression, spoke with barely suppressed amusement.
“You’ve come.”
“You did not ask me to.”
At this sullen reply, Wendy laughed softly and snapped her book shut.
“Well then, shall we begin?”

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