My Contract Husband Demands a Divorce - Chapter 19

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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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Perhaps because of the sheer exhaustion, I found myself desperately longing for the bed that awaited me at home.
“We will open the bidding at two hundred million. Do I hear any takers?”
There were none.
The auction was crawling at a pace slower than a snail.
‘I might as well just wrap this up quickly.’
The moment I raised my hand, a stir rippled through the crowd.
Others began to lift their hands one by one. Whether they trusted my eye or simply wanted to establish a connection with me, I couldn’t tell, but it ultimately only dragged the auction out longer.
And here I was, just wanting to go home!
Since it had come to this, I decided to just throw out a high number and end it.
“One billion has been bid. Any further bids? …Sold.”
Scheit furrowed his brow and turned to look at my way.
“Armor for a small dog? Why would someone who doesn’t even own a dog buy that…?”
Bringing my lips close to his ear, I murmured in a barely audible whisper.
“I want to go home and rest already, but the auction won’t end until all of that is sold. That’s the only way we can leave.”
A look of utter exasperation crossed Scheit’s face.
“Do not forget that if we divorce, you must return the entirety of your inheritance. Behaving like this will only increase your financial burden.”
Did he really think I was ignorant of that?
“We aren’t going to get a divorce, so it’s perfectly fine.”
Besides, the purpose of this charity ball was donation.
Duchess Beutelen was renowned for managing funds with absolute transparency, making her highly trustworthy.
‘I get to head back early, and plenty of charity funds are raised.’
Was that not killing two birds with one stone?
I passed on the items that were moving quickly and raised my hand whenever an item failed to attract buyers.
“A stone held by Saint Karkov for a hundred days. We have a bid at four times the base price. Four hundred million. If there are no other bids, I shall mark it as sold.”
Beside me, Scheit pressed a hand to his forehead.
“A stone this time. Combined, that makes 1.4 billion. Those items simply do not possess that kind of value.”
“But they are well worth the value of my time.”
His expression made it entirely clear that he could not comprehend my logic.
“Are you telling me that heading home a few hours early is worth 1.4 billion?”
“Yes.”
“I highly doubt that.”
Why was he picking a fight? Out of sheer habit, I almost glared at him, but I barely managed to restrain myself upon remembering how many eyes were on us.
Meanwhile, the next item was brought up to the auction block.
“This is a dagger engraved with the name of Archduke Yulisian Kleinheits.”
An item belonging to Archduke Yulisian?
I hadn’t even done anything wrong, yet a sudden pang of guilt pricked at me.
Reflexively, my gaze threatened to drift toward Kildian or Scheit. I made a conscious effort to avoid looking in their direction, keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead.
“Did you hear that rumor? About Archduke Yulisian.”
“They say he’s dead, but they’re keeping it a secret, right?”
“Perhaps that object will become his memento.”
As if it were a rumor known to anyone who mattered, the price began to escalate rapidly.
This time, the bidding grew far too overheated, dragging the process out.
‘I need to put an end to this one quickly too.’
Though it weighed on my mind that the item belonged to Archduke Yulisian, I raised my hand.
“Five times the base. We have 8.5 billion.”
Instantly, the gaze of everyone in the room snapped directly to me.
I remained utterly unfazed.
I had already bought up all the items that were taking too long to sell, so it would look even stranger if I specifically avoided the one belonging to Archduke Yulisian.
The attack on Archduke Yulisian would inevitably come to light in the future.
When that happened, Scheit would surely be accused as the perpetrator, and Kildian would be named as the mastermind.
If I acted suspiciously now, I might be framed as an accomplice when the time came.
Maintaining the most casual smile possible, I kept my eyes locked on the auctioneer.
“Are there no other bids? Ten, nine, eight……. Sold.”
Naturally, even after that, I proceeded to buy up every single item at a high price whenever it lacked buyers or faced intense competition that delayed the sale.
I expected Scheit to offer another lecture, but he remained strangely quiet.
Tilting my head slightly, I glanced at him.
Whatever thoughts were racing through his mind, his expression was astonishingly rigid.
“Scheit.”
His hazel eyes rolled slowly to meet mine.
An inexplicable chill crept down my spine, prompting me to avert my gaze as I lowered my voice so only he could hear.
“You need to control your expression.”
Scheit curled inward even further and bowed his head. He rubbed his face roughly with the palm of his hand.
Seriously, what was wrong with him? It was as if he were practically begging everyone to notice he was the culprit.
Anxious by association, I turned on my heel the moment the auction concluded.
Excusing myself from the approaching crowd, I guided Scheit along as I made my way toward Arpeggio.
“I’m going to head out first, Arle. See you later.”
“All right, Lintis. Travel safely, and make sure to contact me. If you can’t visit, at least write to me often.”
“You’re already hearing updates through Sindy anyway.”
“Hearing it directly from you is entirely different. I’m truly feeling a bit slighted here.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll get in touch frequently.”
Though I wished to leave immediately, I could not simply ignore Kildian, who stood right beside Arpeggio.
“Your Highness, I shall see you next time as well.”
“Let us do so, Amarynthis.”
A faint, mocking sneer played upon his lips.
It was an thoroughly unpleasant expression.
Beside me, Scheit bowed his head slightly, his posture completely hunched over.
Kildian’s gaze swept up and down over Scheit.
“Tsk. You should have been carrying yourself like that from the very beginning.”
“Yes……”
His voice was so quiet it sounded as though it were breaking apart.
Why was a man who usually spoke perfectly well suddenly acting this way?
I was the only one who found Scheit’s behavior questionable.
To anyone else glancing over, he probably didn’t look much different from how he used to be.
“Scheit, let’s go.”
Together with him, I slipped out of the ballroom and returned to the carriage.
Scheit remained entirely silent.
Normally, he would have seized this perfect opportunity to demand a divorce as naturally as breathing.
“What is the matter? You’ve been acting a bit strange for a while now.”
“It is nothing.”
He maintained a grim, silent countenance until the carriage finally arrived back at the mansion.
Usually, I would have prayed for him to just shut his mouth, but now that an absolute silence actually hung between us, it made me feel uneasy.
Before I could even attempt to strike up a conversation, Scheit vanished straight into his room.
There was still plenty of time for him to bring up the divorce, yet he didn’t even spare me a glance!
‘What is honestly wrong with him? It’s getting on my nerves.’
Narrowing my eyes, I stared at the firmly shut door, but it never opened again.
* * *
Upon entering the room, Yulisian leaned his back against the sofa.
Anxiety had often crept over him.
The thought that he might never regain his original body and instead die as Scheit Huniswald occasionally crossed his mind.
Whenever that happened, he forced himself to look away from the grim possibility.
He kept repeating to himself that he would eventually return to his own flesh and blood.
After all, when his soul had drifted out, Yulisian had undeniably still been breathing.
Though he had sustained injuries, they were far from untreatable.
Furthermore, Papilion had arrived immediately after. There was no way that man would have simply left Yulisian to die.
Thus, he had taken it for granted that he was alive, believing that as long as his body survived, he would find a way to return to it, but……
‘I am… dead?’
His mind was so thoroughly dazed that he could barely remember how he had managed to return to the mansion.
Even when he first realized he had ended up inside another man’s body, he hadn’t been quite this shaken.
Burying his face in both hands, he let out a long, heavy breath.
He needed to pull himself together.
Cowering like this was entirely unlike him.
Yulisian rose slowly from his seat.
He had to uncover the truth behind those rumors.
There was only one way to do so.
To verify it with his own two eyes.
‘They wouldn’t have recklessly moved my injured self all the way to the Kleinheits Archduchy.’
Therefore, his true body had to still be residing within the mansion in the Capital.
Yulisian immediately grabbed his coat, but he came to a sudden halt right before the door.
He recalled that Scheit Huniswald was supposedly a character who rarely went out.
If he exited through the main gates, the Butler would undoubtedly notice Scheit’s departure, and word would inevitably reach Kildian’s ears.
It would prove troublesome if Kildian made an unexpected visit later and demanded to know where he had been.
‘I do know of one method to slip out unnoticed, but……’
Yulisian’s gaze drifted toward the bookshelf.
There was a secret passage that Kildian frequently utilized.
However, it was utterly useless to him now. He had no inkling of how to trigger the mechanism, nor did he know where the tunnel actually led.
‘It will be faster and far safer to simply slip out through the window.’
Yulisian locked the door to ensure no one could enter during his absence.
He then approached the wardrobe, selecting a pair of plain, inconspicuous black clothes to change into.
Before stepping out, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and paused for a brief moment.
No matter who looked at him, the figure reflected back was unmistakably Scheit Huniswald.

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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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