I Will Become the Ex-Wife of the Beast - Chapter 12

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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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Even now, if I turned around, grabbed Rose, and ran, I might buy myself a few more days of life.
But the dice had already been cast, and if the Grand Duke I knew was anything, he was the kind of man who would smash those dice to pieces in his palm. Just thinking about what he would do to the wife and sister-in-law who had fled from his cruelty made my whole body tremble.
“My lady, I trust the journey was not too taxing. I am Count Hellas, serving the Grand Duke. It is an honor to meet you.”
“Ah, Count. I am Eliya, eldest daughter of the Viscount House of Mayfield.”
As befitted a castle that was all darkness and silence, not a single soul stirred even among those who approached. Rarely, a gray-haired gentleman wearing silver-rimmed spectacles bowed deeply and greeted me in person.
…So that’s the old man.
I knew this was no time for it, but every time I met a character from the novel, I was utterly thrilled. It was like meeting a celebrity, my lips and hands itched to do something.
“Thank you for such a warm welcome.”
“Not at all. Please, come inside. For the time before the wedding, I have prepared a place for you to stay.”
The Count answered with a stiff, formal smile, but it didn’t strike me as all that unsettling.
Oh, come on. Don’t play that game. I know you’re a tsundere.
Though he stood rigid as a pine tree now, he would eventually be the one hauling around the Grand Duke’s endless mountain of messes strapped to his back. Before long, his lines came down to nothing but things like, “Ahem, young master, must you do this?” and “Does this old grandfather please you so much, young lady?”
He was the perfect old man to serve as the epilogue of an adult novel.
“…This way, if you please. I will have the trunk brought in as well.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I bit my lip, stifling a laugh, and followed him.
Clack-clack, the sound of my worn shoes echoed through every corner of the black corridor.
For a Count, not a butler, to lead me personally, I could well imagine how lofty the Grand Duke’s standing was.
…Hmm.
Suddenly, the feeling of watching his back grew strange. Naturally, the noble young masters and young ladies destined to cling to that old man’s back were bound to be compared with our Rose, who was being carried in a crate. Talent is something you’re born with, they say, but everything after that comes down to sheer effort.
Rose, your turn will come soon too!
Don’t worry, once big sis starts earning, I’ll buy you a grandpa of your own to cling to!
While I was steeling myself with grim resolve, the Count, who had already reached the far end of the corridor, stopped. Goodness. Even the way he turned around was as neat as if drawn with a ruler.
“It may not be much, but you should be comfortable here. If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to tell me.”
“Ahh…”
I slipped past the Count, who stood with his arm extended at the door, and at last stepped into the room. As expected, it had a solemn atmosphere. From the curtains to the furniture and the bed, everything was the finest antique, making me feel as though I had walked into a museum.
At least it wasn’t all black, I suppose, a small mercy. I ran my fingertip across the black candlestick on the marble table.
…Tastes, huh.
What on earth were they thinking, spending money like this?
It must have cost a fortune, no doubt about it, and it saddened me that such a vast sum could only be spent this way. If he had entrusted it to my eldest sister, she might have wasted some, sure, but she would at least have known exactly how to spend money so that it looked like money had been spent.
“Do you like it? I did my best to prepare it, though.”
“Oh my, goodness.”
And this social grace of mine was something money could never buy. With an impressed expression, I moved to the chair beside the candlestick.
“It’s truly splendid. It isn’t flashy or elegant, but that’s exactly what makes the grandeur of everyday life feel so special, wouldn’t you say? It’s a rare sort of discernment that no one else could copy.”
“…Is that so?”
The old man nodded belatedly at my rather obscure remark. Yes, I know you don’t quite understand what I mean, do you? Neither do I, really.
The Count is not like the innocent Jerome.
With his years of experience, it would be hard to win him over with mere bashful smiles. If I could earn the Count’s trust through a graceful manner that knew its place, that alone would be enough.
Honestly, though I’m called the mistress of the house, I’m really nothing more than a shield. So, rather than stir up trouble I couldn’t handle, I had to look as agreeable as possible in the eyes of this advisor and power broker. Every word and action I take from now on will pass through him on its way to the Grand Duke. In other words, the Count is not just an advisor but the glue that will hold my skin on.
“…My lady, the Grand Duke will not return until late at night. Under ordinary circumstances, I should have offered you a greeting today, but given the situation, please do not mind it too much.”
“Oh?”
“Since His Grace has lived alone for such a long time, to expect him to change all at once simply because he has taken a wife… hmm, ahem.”
There’s no need to put it so awkwardly. Just say, “Don’t mind it if you never see your husband’s face,” and be done with it.
I had been waiting to hear what was so grave that it needed such careful wording, and I was let down. With the Count’s eyes on me, I nodded earnestly, pretending to listen.
“I understand. Even I still feel strange about all of this.”
Honestly, the less he comes, the better. If he never comes at all, even better.
If the Grand Duke doesn’t show up, then all of this is mine! I don’t need to lay out a map or draw up a plan for my life’s frontier, with a happy ending right here, just as it is.
But the old man standing before me wore a grave expression.
“…I’m sorry to bring this up on your very first day, but I believe it would be best for you to know in advance.”
“Mm-hm. Anything at all.”
“I assume you already know, my lady. About the Grand Duke’s appearance.”
“Ahh…”
Now, what was the proper look of grief again?
It was awkward to pull it out of thin air so suddenly, but I managed the right expression by laying one hand on my chest and covering my mouth with the other.
Best to go along with it for now. The solemnity of his face told me the Count was weighing his words carefully.
“…I say this out of a concern that you understand the Grand Duke’s appearance is not especially handsome, owing to the Curse.”
“I see, so that’s how it is.”
Being a strategist was no easy job either. He could have simply said, “He’s a beast,” but he had to dress it up so elaborately. I found that more pitiful than anything.
“Are you truly all right, my lady?”
“Of course.”
“…”
Even to my own ears, I sounded composed and gentle. This was the Grand Duke’s Castle, after all. I had expected to be asked something like this at least once.
“Looks are nothing but skin-deep. And even that skin can be peeled away in the end… but either way, I don’t concern myself with such things.”
“…My lady.”
“True beauty isn’t something that shows on the outside, after all.”
You must put your full trust in me, Count.
I shared the old man’s deepest worry, yet the voice I used was perfectly suited to stressing the pitiable state of a new bride.
“I understand your concern, but please don’t worry. Whatever one’s appearance, nothing can match the inner beauty that naturally shines through.”
Looking back, none of it was pure flattery or lies.
Take my own father, Viscount Mayfield, for instance. Just look at how impressive his looks are. I had spent my whole life cleaning up after people who were handsome and pretty, so an animal who could fend for itself would seem far more beautiful to me.
“…I see. This old man feels much relieved.”
“Not at all. I merely conveyed what was truly in my heart.”
And hadn’t I just met the ultimate paragon of human beauty at the dessert shop in Liden? Once I’d laid eyes on such a flawless man, even Jerome, and any other handsome man for that matter, had lost all meaning to me.
Inner beauty.
At my understanding smile, the Count’s face softened considerably from how it had been at first.
“…Then I’ll go downstairs and tell them to get the fireplace ready. Please rest well.”
“Mm-hm.”
I bowed politely and saw the Count off with graceful steps. Only after his footsteps had faded until I could no longer hear them did I close the massive door.
Thud.
“…Haah.”
Got through that hurdle, for now!
I leaned back against the door with my eyes closed, then hurried over to the chest in front of the fireplace. Flattery and tact could only carry me through a month or two at best. The Grand Duke was only a night away. From now on, everything I needed to make a real living was packed inside that chest.

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Neigh!
With practiced hands, he tightened the reins and cleared the black, rippling moat in a single leap. He had mounted and was gone before anyone could even see his face, yet the presence he carried could not be hidden.
Clang.
The guards recognized their master and bowed deeply one after another, but he passed them without so much as a glance.
“…”
Only when he reached the enormous marble staircase leading up to the castle entrance did he finally swing down from the saddle. He lifted his head to pat the black stallion, which was still snorting hard from the gallop. His cold, indifferent eyes and expression melted into the darkness, as if he were the lord of the night itself.
“…You’ve returned, Your Highness.”
“I told you not to wait up.”
Tap, tap. He patted the horse’s face and didn’t bother to look back at the Count. As though it were perfectly natural for someone to greet him at this hour, he calmly turned and climbed the stairs.
“Did your errand go well?”
“Well enough.”
He was terse, too. It wasn’t that he tried to be; it seemed to be his nature, and every gesture of his was detached yet listless. Only after he entered the study on the first floor, where no one else was, did he push his hair back with an air of irritation.
“…That person?”
“Pardon?”
“The one who was supposed to arrive today.”

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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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