Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 15

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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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Chapter 15

Chapter 3. My Shadowy Husband’s Acting Skills Are Improving by the Day—This Is Going to Be a Problem

“Oh, Hazel. It’s been what, forever?”
A week had slipped past before Annie finally showed her face.
She embraced me like a long-lost friend, her eyes brimming as though tears might spill at any moment.
Her voice was so warm it melted something in me—enough to make me wonder, ‘Were we ever really this close?’
“Welcome. The journey from the Capital wasn’t too exhausting, was it?”
Annie flashed a smile, her eyes—clear and unguarded—crinkling at the corners.
“It was quite a trek. I didn’t expect Ferrarium to be quite so remote. But the air here is absolutely divine.”
The last time I’d seen Annie, she’d worn her hair long and the color of a lemon; now it was cropped short enough to frame her ears cleanly.
Her nose, which had a slightly angular edge to it, looked much sharper now.
It made her seem taller somehow, and her blue eyes blazed with vivid clarity.
She’d apparently caught the trend from the Capital—adorning nails—and sure enough, her lengthened nails were studded with tiny gems like dew drops.
“Come in. This is the Guild I run.”
“…You never mentioned it would be this big. I thought it was some small shop.”
Annie’s eyes widened as she scanned the corridor, taking in every detail.
“It’s been operating for over a year now. How’s Dylan?”
“That one? He’s doing fine. Looked busy, actually.”
I spoke at a volume the passing staff could hear, then headed straight for the reception room.
“Busy?”
I asked, opening the reception room door.
When I gestured for her to come in, Annie slipped her lean frame through the doorway.
“Looks like you’re doing a major recruitment drive.”
Annie swept her gaze around the reception room once, then settled onto the sofa, running her fingers over the leather.
“That’s expensive.”
“Thanks for noticing.”
The moment the staff member brought tea and left, something shifted in Annie’s eyes.
“That was a long journey. So what’s the commission you need today?”
She never wasted time on preamble.
I settled across from her.
Before I broached the subject of Noah Edith, there was one thing I needed to clarify first.
I unfastened the necklace and held it out to her.
It was a gift I’d received for our wedding anniversary.
“First, I’d like to verify whether Tracking Magic has been cast on this. How long would that take? I need it confirmed as quickly as possible.”
Annie raised an eyebrow as she accepted the necklace.
“Hmm? Something like this I can check right now. The sooner we check, the faster we can wrap up transactions—that’s why I carry all my tools with me. Let me see… I have a Magical Tool somewhere…”
Annie set the necklace down carefully, then opened the bag she’d brought.
Several Magical Tools tumbled out.
“Ah, here it is.”
She pulled out an object shaped like an elongated rod and retrieved the necklace again.
When she fitted a tiny nail-sized Mana Stone—extracted from the bag—into the rod’s end, a crimson light poured forth.
Annie studied the necklace intently under that glow, much like an appraiser examining gemstones.
“It’s not Tracking Magic—it’s a jewel enchanted with Protective Magic.”
“Protective Magic?”
“Yes. When you wear it, a shield activates in emergencies. Want to see? See how the circles trace faintly inside the gem? Go ahead, put it back on.”
I complied without hesitation, fastening the necklace around my neck.
“It’ll sting if it doesn’t activate properly. But if it deflects correctly, the Mana Stone will reabsorb it, so don’t worry. You’ve done this training plenty of times, haven’t you?”
I nodded, my muscles tensing.
Training or not, an incoming attack is never less frightening!
The instant I nodded, Annie gripped the Mana Stone and snapped her fingers rapidly.
Sparks erupted instantly.
In that split second, the necklace bloomed outward—a transparent barrier inflating like a balloon.
At the same moment, the incoming sparks ricocheted away from me.
“Whoa!”
With Annie’s shout, a white spark was drawn into the Mana Stone.
Annie, lacking Mana herself, channeled magical power through the Mana Stone in this manner.
Annie’s eyes widened further, her mouth falling slightly open.
“Let me see it again.”
“…Here.”
Annie examined the necklace more carefully than before.
“It’s not even single-use? You’re telling me this is an Eternal Stone with unlimited charges? Where on earth did you get something this precious?”
“…My husband gave it to me as an anniversary gift.”
Annie’s eyes looked ready to pop right out of her head.
“Wow, he managed to find something this expensive and rare! Your husband must love you dearly. Setting aside the cost, this is genuinely difficult to obtain. Unless there was some dangerous incident recently?”
“No, actually. Well, there was a Demon Beast that appeared nearby, and we cleared it out once.”
“Ah, so that’s it. He’s quite the romantic.”
Annie handed the necklace back to me, though she couldn’t tear her gaze away, her eyes still wondering at its value.
An Eternal Stone, true to its name, is a gemstone imbued with perpetual magical power with unlimited uses.
Its value is determined by the number of charges or the potency of the magic, and single-use stones were items that could be obtained without much difficulty among the nobility.
So there had been a time when it was fashionable to give them as gifts between lovers or family members.
The mastermind must not have attached Tracking Magic to it, for fear that I’d grow suspicious.
Truly thorough—worthy of a meticulous schemer.
I touched the gemstone once more and fastened the necklace back around my neck.
Annie doesn’t accept commissions without advance payment as a rule.
She had to feel thoroughly satisfied with her compensation before she’d even consider deferred payment.
In my first transaction with Annie, I’d drawn out such satisfaction that she’d said she’d work on deferred payment if needed—come to her anytime.
Having resolved one problem, I offered her gold coins as payment for her service.
Annie shook her head.
“This is a courtesy for a returning customer. I already received more than enough compensation from your last commission anyway. Even I have some conscience, you know. But more importantly—you have another real job for me, don’t you?”
“You know me well.”
“You pick things up after a year or two in this business. So what’s the problem? What do you need me to help with?”
Annie settled back comfortably against the sofa.
“Divorce and escape. Or perhaps asylum.”
A question mark appeared above Annie’s head.
“Hmm…? I don’t think my ears deceived me, did they?”
“Divorce and escape. Or asylum. You heard correctly.”
“But why? You have such a nice house, and you say things are going well? The neighborhood’s a bit rough, but it’s not bad at all, is it? Aren’t you on good terms with your husband? You just said the necklace was an anniversary gift…”
I let out a deep sigh and began.
“Annie, listen carefully to what I’m about to say. Try not to be shocked.”
“Oh, what is it? Why are you trying to scare me like this? I don’t do anything too difficult, you know? Surely your husband isn’t one of those worthless men who only treats you well when you treat him well? With someone like you, Hazel, violence wouldn’t even work… Tell me he didn’t manipulate you with words of love.”
“No, it’s not that. Just listen to my story first, and then you can decide whether to take the job or not. As for the compensation…”
I handed Annie a sheet of paper I’d prepared that morning.
“This is the wealth I can take with me. If we succeed, I’ll give you half of it.”
Annie held the paper and stared at it for a moment, then set it down with a slap.
“Between us, this is something worth staking our lives on. So what are you trying to tell me? Go ahead.”
I cleared my throat and began pouring out the details of my current situation to her.

Some time later.
……
Annie sat rigid, her head cradled in both hands as though she might tear it from her shoulders.
I sipped my tea calmly.
“Kail, good grief. Kailus Hadid… is Hazel’s husband? The man who gave you this necklace? I’m hearing this right and understanding correctly, aren’t I?”
Annie kept running both her hands down her throat as she spoke.
“…Yes.”
“Hazel, what did you sell in your past life—an entire nation? What on earth have you done?”
……
“I mean, how could you—how could you even marry someone so terrifying, and… ugh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be speaking ill of your husband, but this…”
Annie wiped her face roughly with a dry hand, as if she couldn’t help herself.
“If I’d known beforehand, I would never have married him. Now do you understand my situation? So I’d really appreciate it if you could hurry as much as possible. Annie, can you do this for me?”
Annie was silent for a long while.
This would be a difficult commission for her, certainly. The other party isn’t just anyone—it’s Kailus Hadid.
I understood Annie’s hesitation perfectly.
“No matter how I look at it, something feels off… Don’t tell me Kailus Hardid is in love with you.”
Annie, whose eyes had met mine, shook her head firmly.
“Absolutely not. I can’t believe a man like that would love anyone. I’d sooner believe the sun rises in the west.”
“…….”
“Setting asylum aside for now, where do you even plan to run to?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Even if I commit to running, I suspect the real end goal would be asylum, not just fleeing…….”
“I’d recommend asylum. At least a fifth of the Empire must belong to him — if you’re going to run, you’d need to go somewhere completely beyond his reach. Haven’t you heard the rumor? That traitors are hunted down and eliminated until their dying breath?”
“I think I’ve heard something like that. To be honest, I suspect I might have fallen under that same threat myself.”
Annie clicked her tongue.
“…Did you defraud him or something?”
“Well, something along those lines.”
“…You must be insane. The fact you’re still alive tells me he genuinely doesn’t know. What exactly is that man’s name now?”
“Noah Edith.”
“Where in the world did he come up with such a ridiculous name? That man truly is as ruthless as the rumors say.”
I flinched at Annie’s scathing remark.
I’d thought it was the most beautiful name in the world.
I decided to hold my tongue about such things in front of Annie.
“Hah… this really feels like something worth risking your life over. I thought this was just some mundane task — tracking something down or laundering money — and came here like it was a spring outing.”
Annie rubbed the back of her neck for a while, saying it was stiff.
“And you didn’t notice at all? You should have felt the killing intent just by being close to him.”
“I didn’t notice. I don’t really understand killing intent anyway. He was always so kind to me.”
“Kind?”
I answered with a smile, stretching the corners of my mouth on both sides.
It wasn’t the sort of look that would believe anything I said.
“Then explain more clearly. What do you want to do first?”
“First…….”
I slid another document across to her.

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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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