Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 89

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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 89

After more than a week of being the talk of the city, I’d assumed that dating in such a crowded capital would be impossible.
Yet somehow we’d managed—visiting a café with impressive interior design, and for the first time, stopping by a dress shop together.
What struck me as odd was that wherever we went, the places seemed empty; but it meant we drew no attention and could spend our time at ease.
Then came that evening.
We’d come to see a play that was drawing crowds across the Capital.
Word had it that the two most popular actors of the moment had come together to create something entertaining, and that’s what we were here to witness.
One of those celebrated actors was Lara Avian—I remembered her from her days in the Knight Order, when she was already known for her beauty and exceptional talent. I’d been eager to see her perform.
Unlike our leisurely dates so far, the front of the Theater was absolutely packed.
“There are certainly a lot of people.”
“Inside will be more comfortable.”
“This isn’t so bad either.”
I’d brought masks deliberately so as not to draw notice, but there were so many people that we could barely make out each other through the crowd.
Just as I was about to take Kailas’s escort up the stairs, someone came rushing toward us.
A hat pulled low over their face.
“Oh, excuse me! Coming through—!”
“Hazel, careful.”
Kailas quickly wrapped an arm around me and stepped aside.
We didn’t collide, but in that instant, my eyes flew wide open.
The person who’d rushed past had, in that fleeting moment, gripped my hand tightly before vanishing.
“Are you all right?”
Kailas asked, drawing me closer in a protective embrace.
“Yes, I’m fine. They just hurried past.”
I told Kailas I was fine and suggested we head in, while my clenched fist hid my confusion.
In my palm lay something coin-sized and slightly thick.
I turned to find the woman who’d just passed, but she’d already disappeared.
A woman? Yet the voice had been distinctly that of a young girl.
To keep Kailas from noticing, I pretended to adjust my dress, concealing my hand as we entered the Theater.
Inside, the Theater was indeed comfortable, just as Kailas had said.
The lower seats teemed with people, but our section at the top was arranged for only two, so we didn’t have to worry about prying eyes.
While Kailas stepped away briefly, I finally opened my fist discreetly.
“…A.”
It was an unauthorized portable Communication Tool.
From the letters inscribed on it, I could tell who had sent it.
I’d always thought her contact was mere pleasantry, but here she was, sending someone in person.
The Purification Stone matter had left things unresolved, and I had no way to reach out to her except when she initiated contact—so this was a relief.
Before Kailas returned, I quickly tucked the Communication Tool that Annie had sent deep inside my dress.
The moment I’d put myself back in order, he returned to his seat.
“It looks like it’s about to start.”
I spoke as calmly as I could, but my heart was pounding once more—something it hadn’t done in a while.
Not that I was leaving immediately.
Yet restlessness crept in, and I found myself eager for the curtain to rise.
Should I contact her before heading north?
Perhaps she already knew about my planned trip to the north.
If she knew I was coming to see this play, then she’d been watching me for quite some time.
Right on cue, a voice announced the beginning of the performance.
The theater began to darken around us.

* * *

Grit.
Kailas ground his teeth, one hand shading his eyes.
The play was in full swing.
Supposedly a tale of a married couple’s reunion and rekindled love, but the plot unfolding on stage was utterly bewildering.
Here was what was happening.
The two characters met, fell madly in love at first sight, and rushed straight into marriage.
They’d had happy days together, but it turned out the man was a swindler of the highest order. When the woman discovered the truth and left, only then did he belatedly realize his feelings were genuine, regret washing over him as he desperately clung to love with endless pleas.
If you dug deeper, there was more nuance, but that was the gist of it.
For heaven’s sake.
What kind of nonsense was he performing?
Uncharacteristically anxious and distracted the entire time, Hazel, by contrast, was utterly absorbed.
In the bright light spilling from the stage, Hazel’s profile came into sharp focus.
These days, except when she was asleep, there were precious few moments he could gaze at her like this, lost in thought. It was a good opportunity.
If only the content of the play weren’t so infuriating.
“How can I trust you? Everything that comes from your mouth is a lie!”
“No, listen to me. Though I spent my whole life as a swindler, what I feel for you is genuine.”
At that moment, Hazel tilted her head slightly and gazed at Kailas with a lingering stare.
Caught off-guard, as if his own feet had betrayed him, Kailas cleared his throat.
“You’re truly a villain. How could you deceive a woman you love?”
…….
Hazel turned her head back to face forward, but Kailas distinctly caught it.
A smirk—the corner of her mouth lifting in barely concealed amusement.
Damn it.
Kailas stopped looking at Hazel and clenched his teeth hard.
He wanted nothing more than to shut that con artist’s mouth.
He half-considered just burning the whole theater down.
Impossible—not with Hazel watching.
Kailas began subtly scratching her hand with his fingertips, hoping to redirect her attention from the play to himself.
Without even glancing at him, Hazel pulled her hand away as if to say no.
After this happened several times, Hazel grabbed his hand firmly and gave him a look that could kill.
“I’m watching.”
Her lips shaped a warning, though her eyes were doing the real cursing.
Kailas sat through the rest of the performance without a single murmur, perched uncomfortably on a bed of nails.

* * *

After the date with Hazel and putting her to sleep, Kailas finished his remaining work and picked up a newspaper he’d tossed aside earlier.

[The Atrocities of Count Gabriel and His Wife.]

Even seeing the newspaper plastered with all manner of sordid articles did nothing to ease his rage.
Ever since seeing Hazel’s expression—as if she might shatter—he’d spent considerable effort digging into everything concerning Count Gabriel and his wife.
There wasn’t concrete evidence, given how long ago it all was, but fortunately other witnesses remained who could speak to what had happened then.
Count Gabriel and his wife hadn’t merely been strict—they’d done things that left Hazel with trauma deep enough to scar her permanently.
Because of the power she possessed.
Daring to do such things.
He wouldn’t have minded grinding them to dust, but Sid’s words—that focusing entirely on Hazel right now might be better—had shifted his thinking somewhat.
Sid had also suggested that it was precisely because Hazel came from the count’s house that he’d met her; otherwise, he’d have married some worthless fool instead.
Well, in any case, he’d made sure they’d never stand again.
Kailas set the newspaper aside.
His resolve was set, but anger still burned in his eyes.

* * *

One week later.
Preparations for departure to the Duchy were now complete.
The necessary luggage had been sent off this morning to be packed, and all that remained was my own body.
After finishing my preparations and dismissing the servants, I held the Communication Device Annie had given me a week ago, turning it over in my hands.
There was a Contract binding us together as a safety measure, but I hesitated—what if I reached out carelessly and invited her wrath?
I dismissed all the servants and spent a long time observing my surroundings before activating the Communication Device.
The Magic Stone embedded in the coin-like device glowed, and soon a familiar voice reached me.
-Hazel?
“Yes, that’s right.”
A breath of relief escaped from the other end of the Communication Tool.
-You arrived safely. I got word that you delivered it properly, but there was no contact, so…
“I was late getting the timing right. How did you know I went there?”
I hunched over the Communication Tool and lowered my voice.
-I knew the day you came up from Ferarium. It was very difficult to track, though.
“Nothing went wrong?”
-Nothing went wrong? Ah, no. Someone did follow me briefly when I left Ferarium that day, but there was no problem. Your promise… you kept it better than I expected, actually.
This time, I was the one who exhaled in relief.
They hadn’t been touched, just as promised.
But my underlying anxiety had never fully faded—I’d been genuinely worried that they might have been disposed of silently, without anyone knowing.
“You didn’t need to do it this way, though.”
-It just felt unfinished leaving it like that. Oh, about those Purification Stones…
“Yes?”
-The output from the Temple has been decreasing. I’ve stockpiled a whole warehouse full, but with Demon Beasts appearing so frequently lately, it seems they’re hoarding the supply for themselves.
I nodded along as Annie spoke.
Soon enough, they’d probably cut off the external distribution entirely.
“That much should be enough.”
-Can’t I gather more?
“It’s not impossible.”
-Then I’ll scrape together every last one. I’ll contact you if we need anything else.
“I’m heading north tomorrow.”
I delivered the essential information quickly, ready to cut the connection the moment I sensed anything wrong.
-Understood. In an emergency, it’s the red-haired one.
And with that, the communication cut off simultaneously.
The red-haired one? In an emergency?
Left with only that cryptic phrase, the Communication Tool dark, I had no choice but to think it over alone.
What on earth did that mean?
It didn’t seem to be referring to my own hair color.
After pondering it for a long while, I left the dressing room.
“Ah…”
Only then did I notice that the maid waiting outside had hair the same reddish hue as mine.
I’d deliberately paid her no attention until now.
I stared awkwardly at the maid, who bowed as she always did.
…Hisan.
I’d thought she’d been here from the beginning, but when exactly…?
“Miss, is there anything you need? Shall I bring you some tea?”
“Oh, no. Never mind, it’s fine.”
I gazed intently at the maid’s utterly unremarkable face.
No, really—when did that happen?

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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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