Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 67

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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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Episode 67

Kailas had been rendered speechless when he saw the gold coin box and letter that arrived at Edith Baron’s Residence roughly ten days ago.
It was only days after Hazel vanished from the Capital.
She’d left a note saying she was sorry and wishing him well, but her tone was pure indifference—devoid of any affection whatsoever.
Since then, another fortnight had crawled past, and he’d lost all sense of time.
Kailas’s world had stopped the day Hazel disappeared.
Work piled up, people spoke to him, but his entire mind was fixed obsessively on finding her.
Whenever he thought he’d caught a thread to pull, it slipped through his fingers.
What he’d hoped would fade like a passing incident had spiraled wildly beyond his control.
His patience was about to snap.
Had he not read that one sentence in the letter, his anger would never have reached this pitch.

“Please give me a divorce.”

The moment his eyes found those words, he heard Hazel’s voice echoing in his mind as though she stood before him.
Please give me a divorce.
Please give me a divorce.
Please give me a divorce.
Divorce.
Could such a word even exist between them?
Was that a possibility in their world?
Could such a word ever come from her lips?
She should never have spoken it.
She dared to leave him.
That presumptuous resolve to sever their bond infuriated him.
Of all words—divorce.
As if he would ever grant it.
She shouldn’t have been so lovely to him.
Those beautiful lips had whispered she loved him—and now this? The more he dwelled on it, the hotter his rage burned.
When he caught her this time, he would lock her away, ensure she could never escape again.
To keep a bird from flying, you cage it.
And then she would have only him to look upon, forever.

* * *

“Eggmen found work. The simple kind—morning to evening, leaving before dark.”
Ginger had come looking for me at first light, beaming with such pride that she’d traveled here just to share the news.
I smiled faintly.
“That’s wonderful.”
“I never knew how good it felt to live an ordinary life. Why did I only ever chase money?”
“So you hate money now? Not fond of gold bars?”
“Oh no! That’s not what I meant…….”
I laughed at that.
“Give me that bowl. Annie made a pie yesterday and there’s some left. Should I whip up some fried or scrambled eggs to go with it?”
“Oh, Annie made eggs and there’s some left?”
“No, I’m about to make them for you now.”
Ginger’s face went pale.
“A-actually, no thank you. The pie is plenty.”
Ginger hurried toward the table with only the pie on her plate.
Why does everyone praise me for bringing ingredients but cringe the moment I offer to cook?
I know my cooking isn’t exactly masterful, but surely it’s not inedible.
It may taste a bit… off, neither one way nor another…….
“Director, will you stay here? The tracking seems to have stopped by now anyway.”
Ginger had already lifted the fork with half the pie on it to her mouth.
Annie had brought word of something not long ago.
The tracking movements that had been sweeping through different regions had ceased.
No one in the Capital bothers asking about me anymore.
“Is that so? Isn’t it nice here?”
“Yes, it is. I’d like to settle here and live happily for the rest of my life.”
“So would I.”
I took a slice of pie and sat down across from Ginger.
The restaurant had large windows that looked out onto the garden beyond.
The pursuit stopped sooner than I’d expected.
Perhaps the money I sent had some effect after all.
Once we finalize the divorce, we’ll truly be strangers to each other.
“Don’t you have any work for me lately?”
Ginger, who’d already finished her pie, glinted her eyes hopefully.
Ginger had been doing an excellent job as both my secretary and errand runner.
She was nearly as resourceful as Annie—whatever I asked her to do, she’d return with it accomplished.
When we fled Ferarium, I’d told her to just cover our tracks and take only what was left in the safe, but she came back with everything she could carry. I’d laughed hard at that.
Apparently she’d grabbed anything remotely suspicious.
Just thinking about her lugging all that while we were on the run made me feel sorry.
“Well, once we’ve settled in a bit more here, I’m thinking of starting a business again. Maybe running a small trading company instead of a Guild this time.”
Couldn’t I live off a single loaf of bread for three meals again, the way I moved through Ferarium?
It’s ironic—I went to Ferarium to avoid death from overwork, yet I worked quite diligently the whole time.
“Do you regret following me?”
“Not at all. I’ve already earned a whole year’s wages. Why would I regret it? The slave arena wasn’t exactly safe either.”
……
Ginger propped her chin on her hand and turned her eyes toward the garden view.
“And here I can be with Eggmen. That alone makes it worth it. I was able to save him.”
“That’s fortunate, then.”
“Director.”
“Mm?”
“It may be presumptuous to say now, but I believe you’ll meet good people here too. I hope you find happiness here as well.”
“Happiness……”
“It’s silly of me to say this, but there are good people in the world just as there are bad ones—just as half the world is men and half is women. Who knows? Should I help you look? Maybe someone fresh and……”
“What.”
The words came out before I could stop them, tinged with annoyance.
Ginger laughed in delight.
Not everything she said was right, but it was time to seriously prepare for a new venture.
The name Leviathan Nishtar had grown quite familiar to me by now.
Soon enough, I wouldn’t even turn around if I heard a name like Hazel.
For ventures targeting nobility, trends changed quickly, and going to the Capital risked drawing unwanted attention, so it seemed wise to seek goods that could be sold to diverse customers across the region.
Come to think of it, I wonder if that commotion in the Capital was resolved well.
The investigation should be nearly finished by now, but I stopped probing so as not to stir up trouble.
Demon beasts continue to multiply.
By now, sightings in Northern Sergal are probably becoming far more frequent.
Since larger demon beasts appear more often there in winter, even Kailas probably can’t leave his domain undefended.
But I soon let the thought go.
No, it’s none of my concern.
“Would you like more, Ginger?”
“Please stay seated! I’ll fetch it for you!”
I turned my gaze back to the garden.
The leaves seemed especially verdant today.

* * *

Humming to myself, I made my way home with my arms full of paper bags of groceries.
A month since the escape.
By now, my time at Edith Baron’s Residence felt like a distant memory, so content was I with this new life.
Prices were far lower than in the Capital—even cheaper than at Ferarium.
There were plenty of quality foods, and I could see the sea whenever I wanted.
Of course, Ferarium was where I’d carefully chosen to settle, so it was far more comfortable in many ways, but this place satisfied me far more than I’d anticipated.
The only drawback was how frequently demon beasts appeared, but the town made up for it with well-distributed military garrisons—whenever the bell rang, armed soldiers would appear to deal with the threat.
It meant I didn’t need to hire mercenaries like Ferarium did, nor did I have to rush out myself every time.
Once, the moment a monster appeared, the restaurant owner rolled down the shutters and pulled out an axe, armed like a seasoned mercenary—I was genuinely startled.
His forearms had seemed unusually scarred when he was chopping, and after dealing with the monster, he came back and apologized to me, offering complimentary food while introducing himself as a former sellsword with quite the reputation.
In any case, what mattered most was that I was happy.
Each day brought joy that made my earlier worries seem foolish.
I’d thought my husband was my whole world, but not seeing his face made it bearable.
Perhaps I’d simply shaken it all off when I fled.
That’s why today I decided to throw a party, inviting Ginger, Eggmen, and Annie.
Annie was leaving soon.
After spending a month on leave thinking about retirement, Annie found the work calling to her again and decided to return to her post.
She asked if she could keep a room here for occasional visits, then decided to depart in the morning.
Still, that didn’t mean my connection with Annie would end entirely.
Annie was continuing to collect Purification Stones, so we could stay in touch if needed—I had no serious concerns about that.
Today, I wanted to do something special for her, so I bought all sorts of things and was heading back when I spotted Annie coming toward me.
I broke into a wide smile and waved to her.
“Oh, Annie. You won’t believe what I bought today—”
I was about to speak louder and wave my hand when it happened.
From about twenty paces away, Annie’s mouth clamped shut, then opened wide, then opened even wider.
Huh? What did you say?
“Huh? What? D… what?”
Annie’s mouth opened again.
My arms so laden with packages that I was struggling, I had to focus on reading her lips.
What on earth was she saying?
I stopped where I stood, clutching the paper bags, my eyes narrowing as I tried to make it out.
Annie’s lips moved urgently once more.

Run.
The.
Coin.

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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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