Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 106

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

Episode 106

“Because she said she wanted to help, standing at your side with the resolve to give her life.”
“…You gave permission after hearing that?”
“They’ve risked their lives for you twice over. I figured they wouldn’t betray you, at least. I was planning to station more guards around you anyway, so this works out well.”
……
“Eggmen can serve as your guard, and Ginger Perrian as your secretary. Besides, you already know their capabilities firsthand.”
Kailas finished speaking and returned to his knife work.
I, by contrast, stood there in stunned silence for a long while.
I understood what he meant without having to ask.
The weight of it was too much to ignore.
To Kailas, the two of them embodied distrust and anxiety itself.
Ginger moved for money and her lover, yes, but from Kailas’s perspective, they were the ones who’d fled with me while staking their very lives on the line.
And to place such people at his side again…
It meant he would trust my year unreservedly, and he was proving it with his own hands.
It felt like a gesture to make me understand that his earlier apology had been sincere.
And with the situation in the Northern Region growing graver by the day, he had no choice but to go to suppress it—this was also his way of securing my safety.
Yet Eggmen and Ginger could have been replaced easily enough. How much must Kailas have wrestled with this before consenting to them?
After a long moment, I opened my mouth.
“Thank you.”
Kailas’s words about wanting me to stay at his side even after that year kept nagging at my heart.

* * *

“From now on, I’ll call you Madam!”
“You haven’t changed your mind about this?”
I asked gently as Ginger clenched her fists in determination.
Her face went pale, tinged with something like fear.
“…How did I even get here in the first place? If I change my mind now, do you think I’ll leave the Northern Region alive?”
Well, she had a point there.
It wasn’t just anyone—it was Kailas. If she tried to back out now, he might very well… clean house without a trace.
He wouldn’t do it out of consideration for me, but either way, those who go back on their word don’t tend to fare well.
Besides, Ginger’s resolve was far too firm.
“You and your parents got along well in Castalte?”
I gave up trying to convince her entirely and decided to accept them both.
At my question, Ginger’s lips twisted.
“…It was actually a nightmare.”
“A nightmare?”
“People aren’t meant to be fixed, they say—and I know that, I know it! So why do I keep giving in? Because they’re my parents? I really want to cut them off, but I can’t, and it’s a regret that will haunt me for a thousand years.”
Ginger, who’d spent some time with her parents, ground her teeth in frustration.
It seemed they’d used her again for something or other.
Given that they’d saddled her with debt, forged her name, and even committed fraud, I doubted her parents had stopped there—they’d probably added insult to injury.
I hoped they hadn’t managed to squeeze out the gold ingots I’d given her.
Still, the fact that she’d made the detour to Castalte for them made me feel a little sorry for her.
“At least they didn’t take the gold ingots.”
As if reading my thoughts, Ginger spoke up.
She boasted that she’d made sure they couldn’t lay a finger on the gold ingots I’d given her.
“Well done.”
“Um, I don’t know if I should ask, but…”
“What is it? Go ahead.”
“What happened to Nizela? Is she alive?”
She asked if Nizela still existed in this world, or if she’d been disposed of cleanly—and I nearly laughed.
What did she think of Kailas, exactly? It was like watching her old self.
“She’s managing the Hun Guild in Ferrarium right now.”
“Still?”
“Yes. I’ve taken over the other operations myself, but given the circumstances, I can’t go there in person, so Nizela’s handling the fieldwork.”
“So she’s alive… but didn’t you say her memory was erased?”
“I didn’t erase the memory of guild work.”
“Ah, I see. So you’re still working at Ferrarium.”
“Yes, because I know guild affairs as well as anyone.”
Saying Nizela’s name aloud after so long left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Madam.”
“Mm?”
“In a year—well, a few months from now when you leave, will you take the guild with you?”
“No, I gave the guild to my husband.”
“Oh, what a pity. But madam, where will you go then?”
Ginger asked quietly, as though only I could hear—though there were only the two of us in the study anyway.
“In a year?”
“Yes, to be exact, there’s about ten months left?”
Until recently, my resolve had been firm enough to answer that question outright.
“…I don’t know. I’m still thinking about it. I’ll tell you later.”
“Of course, there’s still plenty of time.”
Ginger smiled brightly.
Only my own mind grew more tangled.

* * *

A few more days slipped past in the chaos of Eggmen and Ginger’s arrival.
Every time I tried to go down and organize the Purification Stones, something would come up, and I’d delay again and again until finally, today, I could tour the warehouse.
“Madam, all five boxes here contain Purification Stones. I’ve transferred them into new boxes.”
“Thank you, Hisan. You’ve thought ahead and done everything—there’s nothing left for me to do.”
“Not at all. I put exactly one hundred in each, and when I counted, the numbers matched precisely.”
“Then it should be fine. You said there’s another door inside?”
“Ah, yes. I asked Tene about it, and she said it’s where they store unused furniture for now. It’s full, but she said if you need anything, she’ll clear it out.”
When I turned my head toward where Hisan pointed, there was a door with the same pattern as the wall—barely visible if you weren’t looking carefully.
The worn handle suggested it was almost never opened.
“Then the inside won’t do. We can’t haul furniture out and place it here. The Purification Stones should stay where they are in the empty space, and it’s better to manage them regularly. Starting today, we should also check who comes and goes from the warehouse. Yes, it’s best to do it right away. Could you bring me some paper to make a list?”
“Yes, madam. I’ll be right back.”
Hisan left, and I opened one of the Purification Stone boxes to check its condition, then lifted my head again.
“…….”
Then I moved closer to the door, which was firmly shut.
Old furniture stored in here?
Any manor manages things this way, so there’s nothing particularly strange about it…….
I looked beneath the door.
No matter how I looked at it, something felt off.
As I stepped closer, I could sense it clearly. There was definitely Dark Magic Power emanating from inside.
Why? Kailas has resistance to it, but he can’t use Dark Magic.
In fact, there’s no one in the duchy who uses Dark Magic. I was the only one.
Then why did I sense a faint Dark Magic Power from within?
Tene said she’d move the furniture and open it if needed, so it’s not something being hidden.
I saw Kailas asking for forgiveness and making an effort, but I hadn’t thought he was deceiving me about something again.
What on earth could it be?
I tried to force the handle open, but it seemed a key would be needed.
I heard Hisan coming down the stairs.
I quickly stepped away from the door.
I’d have to check on this later, no matter what.
“Madam, I’ve brought it. Should I hang it here?”
“That would be good.”
“And just now, the Butler was looking for you.”
“Why?”
“He said to tell you that a letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace. He said he’d bring it to the study.”
“Is that so? From the Imperial Palace? I’ll organize this and head back right away.”
What could it be this time from the palace?
I instructed Hisan to guide anyone visiting the warehouse to write their names on the list, then came straight to the study.
“What could this be about.”
I picked up the letter neatly arranged on my desk. The Imperial Palace seal pressed into it meant it came through official channels—but what puzzled me was that it had arrived addressed to me, not Kailas.
I didn’t even wait to sit down before tearing it open.
“What on earth could this be about?”
The moment I saw the letter’s contents, my brows shot up.
“The Foundation Festival…?”
I quickly rummaged through the desk drawer and found a calendar.
……
I knew the Foundation Festival fell around the end of January.
But we’d already blown past the middle of December. That meant only about a month remained……
“Have they lost their minds? What is the court thinking, pushing forward with the Foundation Festival at a time like this?”
I know the Foundation Festival is the most important state ceremony in the Empire. But with monsters swarming at every turn, do we really need to hold it right now?
The Capital would be flooded with people. That meant the cultists could move openly, or something worse could erupt.
Why would they deliberately walk into such danger?

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