My Contract Husband Demands a Divorce - Chapter 34

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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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Scheit’s face instantly twisted into an ugly grimace.
At most, I had expected him to doubt my words or express a bit of surprise, but his current expression made it look as though he would rush over to Kildian this very second and wrap his fingers tightly around the man’s throat.
In fact, he was already striding out of the basement.
“Wait, Scheit!”
Gathering the skirts of my dress, I scrambled after him, but the distance between us only widened.
He bolted out of the Annex in the blink of an eye, vanishing completely from my sight.
Good grief, does he have wheels strapped to his feet? How is he that fast!
The only silver lining was that I knew exactly where he was heading.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I pivoted and made a bee-line for Scheit’s room.
The very instant I flung the door open, I froze: Kildian was leveling the point of a sword right at Scheit’s throat.
“—First you tell me the medicine burned, and now all the research is ruined. You are utterly, entirely useless. Give me one good reason why I should let you live.”
“Lower your weapon! If the research is gone, he can just start over. Why must you threaten a man with a blade over this?”
Though I shouted boldly, my own life was far too precious for me to actually step in front of that terrifyingly sharp edge.
Standing by the doorway, I caught Kildian’s gaze as it shifted toward me.
“Interfering again, are we?”
“It involves my husband, after all.”
Kildian burst into laughter. It wasn’t a cheerful sound, but rather a mocking sneer, as if he had just heard the most absurd nonsense.
“Anyone listening would think you actually cherish him. Do you even have the slightest clue what kind of research that bastard ruined before you decided to butt in?”
I merely stared back at him, offering neither confirmation nor denial.
With his sword still drawn, Kildian took a step toward me.
As I instinctively recoiled, Scheit suddenly stepped forward, putting himself between us to shield me.
Surprised, I blinked at the broad expanse of Scheit’s back.
In any case, Prince Kildian couldn’t bring himself to harm me because of my family’s standing.
Scheit, on the other hand, had no family to speak of. I hadn’t seen any relatives at our wedding, so even if they existed, they were likely worse than strangers.
Even the surname ‘Huniswald’ was a title bestowed upon him by Prince Kildian.
Scheit belonged entirely to Prince Kildian.
He occupied a precarious position where he could be harmed at any moment should Kildian throw a temper tantrum.
Or worse, he was a man who could be quietly disposed of by Kildian’s hands without leaving so much as a trace behind.
‘Though he doesn’t seem to realize that himself.’
Even so, to think he would stand in front of a man holding a sword.
It was clearly an instinctive gesture to protect me, but frankly, I couldn’t comprehend it.
Given his current predicament, antagonizing Kildian wouldn’t bring him a single shred of benefit.
Sure enough, Kildian’s features contorted in a bizarre fashion.
He looked exactly like a master watching his perfectly broken hound wag its tail at a complete stranger.
Fixing Scheit with an intensely displeased glare, he continued through gritted teeth.
“A monumental project that was meant to fulfill my lifelong desire……. It was practically complete, and you let it all go up in smoke? Documents and ancient texts that can never be replaced have been reduced to ash, so who else is going to take responsibility for this if not you?”
“Scheit didn’t start the fire. Even if he has to take responsibility, it shouldn’t be done in this manner.”
“Right. Aren’t you a clever one, Amarynthis? Then why don’t you tell me? What exact form should his responsibility take?”
“Wouldn’t it be far more productive to reconstruct the research? You said it yourself, it’s a project meant to fulfill your lifelong desire. Right now, all the data regarding that research exists solely inside Scheit’s head.”
Kildian’s sword-wielding hand lowered slightly. He appeared to be weighing the options.
Watching that subtle shift, a cold shiver ran straight down my spine.
Wait, was he actually planning to use that sword for real?
The mere thought of someone—especially someone I actually knew—dying right in front of my eyes was absolutely sickening.
As images of death flashed through my mind, my eyes squeezed shut automatically.
Nausea swirled in my stomach, and cold sweat began to pool in my palms.
Desperate for an anchor, I reached out and snagged a tight handful of Scheit’s clothes.
Scheit didn’t look back. Yet, as if he possessed eyes in the back of his head, or perhaps simply sensed my distress, he reached behind his torso and wrapped his fingers over mine. He didn’t just hold my hand; he enveloped it, shielding it.
The sudden warmth of his skin instantly evaporated the vivid, gruesome images that had been hijacking my brain.
Shaking off the lingering dread, I looked up to face Kildian.
However, Kildian had still not sheathed his blade.
His eyes were wide, pupils dilated to show the whites all around as he stared unblinkingly at Scheit.
He looked precisely like a wild beast on the verge of tearing its prey to shreds.
His grip remained white-knuckled around that fang-like blade.
He was still debating whether to kill Scheit right here and now.
He was probably mulling over the words I had just spoken.
Now that all the research materials were reduced to ash, Scheit was the only person alive who understood the contents.
If Kildian wished to continue the project, keeping Scheit alive was the logical choice.
But looking at it from another angle…….
It also meant that if Scheit vanished, the research could be brought to a clean, permanent halt with all evidence entirely erased.
I had misspoken. Prince Kildian was the type of man who would gladly cast aside his own desires if given the chance to seize something infinitely greater.
Stepping out from behind Scheit’s back, I hastily shattered the heavy silence.
“You demanded one billion every month, correct? I will pay it.”
If something were to happen to Scheit and I was left entirely on my own, the funds flowing to Kildian would be cut off immediately.
I was deliberately reminding Prince Kildian of Scheit’s alternative utility.
A mere one hundred million a month wouldn’t phase a man who managed various lucrative enterprises; he might find it regrettable, but it wouldn’t deal a true blow.
But one billion was a completely different story.
Only then did Kildian’s heavy gaze shift toward me. A moment later, he finally sheathed his sword.
Scheit turned his head to look at me.
He looked partly infuriated, partly utterly stunned that I had so meekly agreed to hand over the money.
The deep furrow of his brow clearly broadcasted his immense displeasure.
But really, what else was I supposed to do?
To yank Scheit out of Kildian’s immediate crosshairs, this was the absolute best card I could play.
Besides, I had intended to give him the money from the very beginning. The period I needed to endure until the law was revised was exactly three months. Paying three billion as the price for maintaining a peaceful life was a bargain, honestly.
When I stared back at Scheit with a pointed look, he smoothed over his expression and straightened his posture.
I stepped up to stand squarely by his side.
I could feel Kildian’s crimson gaze flitting back and forth between my face and Scheit’s.
“I haven’t the faintest clue what sudden whim has taken over you. Weren’t you about to berate me just moments ago for demanding that very billion?”
His eyes grew sharp and piercing, trying to dissect whatever hidden scheme I might be harboring.
Scheit glanced down at me.
It seemed he, too, was incredibly curious as to why I was suddenly behaving this way.
The weight of both their gazes bearing down on me was suffocating.
In that split second, a scene from a romance novel Sindy had highly recommended flashed through my mind. I leaned in, pressing my shoulder tight against Scheit’s.
“I had misunderstood, believing Scheit was merely using me under Your Highness’s orders. But seeing how he shielded me just now, I finally realize the depth of his sincerity. If it’s to save my beloved husband, why on earth would I grudge a trivial sum like one billion?”
“Ha! Beloved?”
“…….”
An incredulous sigh from Kildian was met with absolute silence from Scheit.
Pretending to fold my arms, I drove my elbow firmly into Scheit’s rigid flank. Only then did his stiff posture finally relax a fraction.
A mocking sneer carved itself onto Kildian’s face.
“Do you honestly expect me to buy that nonsense?”
“Even if Your Highness refuses to believe it, the truth remains unchanged. Look at how this timid man stood against Your Highness just to keep me safe—does that not prove everything?”
I deliberately angled my head up to look at Scheit. Forcing a bright smile to my lips, I threatened him solely with my eyes.
‘If you want to live, play along!’
He seemed to deliberate for a brief second before choosing to align himself with me.
It was only natural; since I had blown up the laboratory at the perfect moment and successfully decoded the cipher, he undoubtedly had a mountain of questions for me.
“My wife speaks the truth.”
Though Scheit chimed in to affirm my claim, Kildian’s expression didn’t budge an inch.
Kildian watched us as if he were an audience member enduring a poorly executed amateur play, taking a step back and crossing his arms.
“From what I’ve gathered, I was under the impression that a Divorce Petition had been filed.”
“That occurred when I was still blind to Scheit’s true feelings, mistakenly believing his kindness was merely a ploy to wring money from me. It was an act driven purely by the heat of the moment. Once we confirmed our mutual affection, I withdrew it immediately. Isn’t that right, Scheit?”
He barely managed a stiff nod of agreement.
To my eyes, his gesture appeared painfully unnatural, but the original Scheit was always an awkward, rigid, and gloomy fellow anyway, so Kildian likely wouldn’t find it suspicious.
Sure enough, the faint amusement gradually drained from Kildian’s lips.
“Then what of the scandalous rumors linking you with Beldamin Pollen?”
What in the world. Why is he so remarkably well-informed about my personal gossip?

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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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