I Will Become the Ex-Wife of the Beast - Chapter 8

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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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Oh my. Look at me, getting so sentimental. I dabbed at the tip of my nose with a handkerchief from my sleeve, as demurely as I could.
“Um, then might I step down and look around for a bit too?”
“…The Lady wishes to?”
“Yes. I’ve been cooped up in this carriage for days, and I’d like some fresh air and a look at the streets.”
Since my eyes were already misty, I might as well squeeze every last drop out of these tears. I gazed up at Sir Jerome with the most innocent face I could manage.
“Once we reach the Grand Duke’s Castle, I won’t be able to get out for a while, and there are a few things I need to buy.”
“But… it would be dangerous for you to go about alone. Let me assign a knight to escort you.”
“No, it’s actually… I’d like to buy some things for women.”
“Ah…”
I lowered my voice and wore my most mortified expression. Struck by the whispered onslaught of a beauty, Sir Jerome glanced around the area, at a loss for what to do.
Just as I thought, this big brother. He’d seemed soft-hearted all along, and the fact that he flushes over something this small suggests he hasn’t had much experience with women.
Then again, I’m no different there, but I’ve got the Second-Life Buff, so I’m fine!
“There probably aren’t any women’s goods in the Grand Duke’s Castle. What am I going to do… I didn’t prepare anything to buy here either… Is there really no way?”
“W-well, then if you keep your distance and provide cover from afar…”
“And I’d like to change my clothes, too.”
“….”
When I fluttered the collar of my dress, Sir Jerome squeezed his eyes shut tight. Not that it mattered much, since the worn dress reached right up to my throat and nothing would show through, but for a young knight brimming with chivalry, that was more than enough.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
…Seriously, what on earth did that author do to this guy?
As he kept clearing his throat, I silently cursed the original author, whose name I could barely recall. The more I thought about how this innocent man would turn into a promising young talent of the 19-plus genre, the more I felt both anticipation and a solemn sort of awe.
“And if knights in uniform are with you, everyone will guess who you are. Wouldn’t that bring trouble to the Grand Duke?”
“Ah… I see.”
“Yes. Of course, it wouldn’t matter to me, but whether it’s proper for the Grand Duke’s affairs to be bandied about by people…”
I made sure to stir up Sir Jerome’s bone-deep loyalty as well. However weak-hearted and innocent he might be, in the end it’s not me who moves him, but the Grand Duke.
Having stirred both his reason and his emotions in just the right measure, he soon nodded.
“Very well. Shall we meet here again in three hours?”
“Of course. By then I should have everything ready. So, um…”
Women’s private necessities, you see.
Before I had even finished, Sir Jerome stepped back at once and said there was no need to go on. But a retreat that small wouldn’t do if I wanted to take Rose out with me. Just before closing the window, I subtly let slip an order to keep him and the knights as far away as possible.
“Ahh… well then, shall I try changing my clothes now?”
Clank.
Outside, the silver-armored knights were clearly stepping back in a group. Just as I figured. I wore a smile of quiet triumph and lifted the lid of the box. Scooping up Rose, who looked like a cat no matter how often I saw her, I opened the carriage door on the other side.
“…Sis, have the knights gone?”
“Yes. I took care of them.”
Anti-Sucker Rule number two: when you don’t want to be the one getting taken advantage of, just make the other side the one to back off first.

Liden, the central city of the North, was far more prosperous than I had expected. The streets were so bustling they reminded me of Hessen, the capital where we lived before Father’s business went under. Merchant caravans loaded to the brim, the processions of nobles, even children selling flowers and newspapers, the circular Central Square was packed.
…Everyone but me looks thrilled. Ugh.
Even as I rolled my stiff wrists one after another, a petty irritation rose in me. Somewhere around here there were probably the very people who had swindled Father. I quietly gritted my teeth and rolled each ankle in turn.
In a world where you’d lose your nose the moment you blinked, it would be foolish to let my guard down just because the place looked pleasant.
“Sis, where are we going now?”
“Oh, Rose.”
I belatedly noticed Rose, down by my waist, copying every move I made. She was eagerly shaking her wrists and ankles so that they jingled, looking just like a cat wagging its tail.
Aww, my little darling. Your big sister can’t let her guard down for a second.
“Hold my hand, Rose.”
At this rate, our youngest might even start clicking her tongue the way she does.
I quickly put on a smile and took Rose’s small hand. We had three hours, so if we wanted to finish our errands and get back to the carriage, we had to hurry.
“Now, we’re off to buy the things every woman absolutely needs.”

“Sis, here is…”
“Yes. You’ve never been to a place like this, have you?”
Though, of course, I’ve never been to one in this world either.
The first place we stopped was a bookshop crammed with volumes. The distinct smell of parchment washed over me. Having once considered myself quite the reader, I found it rather moving.
As I lifted my head and slowly scanned the interior, a middle-aged shopkeeper came hurrying over.
“Are you looking for a particular book, miss?”
“Ah…”
“Or may I recommend something to you?”
The bookseller came over with a friendly smile and studied my face. I could sense a look of fresh admiration, but I played dumb and stalled for time. With an eye toward the future, I couldn’t afford to show any ‘suspicious signs’ at all.
“Well, I wouldn’t really know. I don’t keep up with which books are selling.”
“Of course, these days *The Marchioness’s Secret Night* and *Sir Knight, It’s Hot Inside Your Armor* are the big hits. Both of them are set right here in Liden, in the North, you know.”
“Oh my!”
When I covered my mouth and feigned embarrassment, the bookseller beamed with satisfaction, as if to say, I knew it. I must have looked every bit the dreamy young lady, so he probably thought he’d made a perfect recommendation. What a complete waste of effort.
…A romance rated for adults, handed to someone who got herself into this ridiculous state over one bad payment.
This bookseller had picked the wrong customer, and by a long shot. Not that I was completely uninterested, but that sort of reading could wait until my skin had properly grown back before I went through it line by line.
“Hmm… I’m not really into that sort of thing. Since it’s my first time in the North, I’d like a map first, if you have one.”
“Ah, a map! Of course! If you’re sightseeing in Liden, a map is essential!”
The owner finally seemed to understand and pulled a map from the display out front. It was the classic tourist map for ladies, with shopping streets, dessert shops, and romantic spots all marked with little heart shapes.
I gazed at the map with a smile that was neither quite knowing nor quite clueless, and the owner grew restless.
“How do you like it? Most ladies take this one home. Just follow this route and you can say you’ve seen practically all of Liden.”
“Oh, but is there anything a bit more detailed than this?”
“More detailed, you say?”
“Something that shows all the cadastral and forest-land records for the entire North… Oh, a Cadastral Edit Map would be perfect!”
I clapped my hands together, beaming as if the idea had just popped into my head, but the bookseller’s expression went blank.
Well, it was no wonder. A Cadastral Edit Map laid out the location, area, lot numbers, and boundaries of every plot of land, and it was hard for anyone but a professional to even read. Here, the people who went looking for one were probably one of two kinds: a knight about to go to war, or a so-called big shot in property speculation.
“…You said you just arrived in Liden today, so why would you want a map like that?”
“Oh, well, that’s…”
Under the owner’s unexpectedly persistent gaze, my smile began to stiffen. Why was he digging so hard? Nothing in this world is ever easy.
As I hurried to come up with a decent excuse, something flashed through my mind.
“Actually… I’ve already read them, you see.”
I covered my mouth with one hand and lowered my voice conspiratorially.
“Eh? Read what, exactly?”
“*The Marchioness’s Secret Night* and *Sir Knight, It’s Hot Inside Your Armor*.”
“….”
I turned away from Rose, pretending to be too embarrassed to go on. Still, I made sure to offer a kind little explanation to the bookseller, who clearly still hadn’t caught on.
“They were masterpieces.”
“Ah, well, that’s true, but…”
“In fact, that’s why I came all the way up to the North. I figured the cadastral edit map would tell me more. Where the Marchioness’s mansion is supposed to be, and across which of the Knight’s vast lands the two of them… well, did such things happen.”
“Ah! I see, I see!”
At last, the bookseller’s face filled with an indescribable delight. Why wouldn’t it? In all his years running a bookshop, how many people had he met who set off on this kind of ‘adults-only fan tour’?
“I knew it was popular, but I had no idea it was this popular. As a Northerner, I’m proud! I hadn’t even thought of that myself!”
“Yes. Honestly, I’ve brought my younger sister along, so it’s embarrassing to say it outright… Um.”
“I completely understand.”
The bookseller whispered back in the same tone and gave me a look full of understanding. I had no wish at all to be understood like that, but if this was the way to slip past him, I had to keep up the act.
“Wait right here. I’ll go in and find them for you quickly.”
“Oh, and what was it again? I think there was one where the male lead was a judge… hmm, the title just won’t come to me.”
“A Lady’s Trial Is Held at Night!”
“Ah, yes, that one!”
…So something like that really existed.
I bit down hard on my lip and steadied my reeling composure.
I felt a little sorry for the bookseller, who was so full of purpose again, but since I’d already chosen this direction, there was no harm in settling everything in one go.
“Then I’d like a copy of the latest Noble Law Code that the male lead was reading, too. Of course… it’s for my personal collection.”

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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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