My Contract Husband Demands a Divorce - Chapter 44

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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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This is too much…….
Even though I had taken my seat and gripped my pen, I couldn’t focus at all.
The round table wasn’t particularly large.
To my right was Scheit Huniswald, to my left was Papilion Cortius, and across from me sat Commander Tristan Wigras.
For the record, my back was against the wall.
There was no escape route.
I could accept that much.
But why was everyone staring only at me!
For over an hour now, three pairs of eyes had been intently tracking my expressions, my hands, and the paper.
I might enjoy attention, but this was a bit suffocating.
In fact, the gazes of two of them felt less like interest and more like surveillance.
“Um, how about everyone does their own thing and we meet up when it’s time to head back?”
Papilion Cortius was the first to refuse flatly.
“How can we trust the Baroness? Who knows if you might secretly take the notebook.”
Scheit Huniswald, who had been watching intently with his chin propped on his hand, smiled slyly.
“I don’t really have anything else to do.”
Only Tristan Wigras loosened up his stiff body and slid up from his seat. However, before he could make his exit, a sharp glare from Papilion Cortius forced him back down.
It seemed no one had any intention of budging.
Left with no choice, I picked up my pen again.
Nothing for it, then.
Since I’m the only person who can decode the notebook…….
Wait, if that’s the case?
That meant I would have to be put on display like this continuously, perhaps even every single night.
I glanced subtly at the stacked notebooks.
It wasn’t an amount that could be finished in a day or two.
‘Hmm……. Couldn’t I just hand the cipher decryption over to someone else?’
I hadn’t told Scheit Huniswald how to decrypt the cipher.
Being useful gave me better leverage in negotiations.
But the situation changed when the Ancient Language entered the picture.
Either way, I was currently the only one who could decode the Ancient Language. Even if I taught them the cipher decryption method, I would still retain my utility as an Ancient Language decoder.
Let’s see. Who should I task with the cipher decryption?
“By the way, Commander, didn’t you graduate from the Military Academy? I believe Cryptography is a required subject there…….”
Tristan Wigras, who had been sitting with his arms crossed over his sword, nodded.
“Mm-hmm. That’s right. I took that class too.”
What a relief.
Then he should be able to figure out the decryption on his own even with a basic explanation, right?
It wasn’t even that difficult of a cipher.
When I looked at him with a bright smile, he grinned with utter confidence.
“And I failed it!”
Well, never mind.
Why is he smiling so triumphantly about failing a class!
Noticing my obvious disappointment, Scheit Huniswald chuckled softly.
Then he added a comment, as if telling me not to get my hopes up.
“He joined the Order of Knights through a special recruitment after winning a swordsmanship tournament. He became Commander in recognition of his achievements in the war.”
“Tristan Wigras relies more on his intuition than his brains.”
That was a polite way of calling him an idiot.
For today, I would handle it myself. Once the atmosphere loosened up a bit later, I could teach the cipher to Papilion Cortius.
In the end, while I remained focused on my work for a long time, Papilion Cortius’s voice drifted over from the side.
“These words look identical, so why are they written differently in the Melbern Language?”
Papilion Cortius pointed at two Ancient Language words with his finger.
Not long after I answered, another question flew my way.
“The angle of the lines is different here. Are they different characters?”
“How do you decode this part?”
“What about this?”
The questions were endless.
At this point, I started to suspect that decoding the notebook was merely an excuse.
In truth, he was using this as a trick to get private tutoring in the Ancient Language from me.
‘…This isn’t a bad thing, though.’
Right now, I needed their cooperation to protect my inheritance, which was why I was putting up with this, but what about after my divorce?
It would be troublesome if I remained the only irreplaceable person.
They wouldn’t let me go then!
What if I used this opportunity to gradually teach Papilion Cortius the Ancient Language right now?
If there was a substitute, I could comfortably step away anytime after the divorce.
It was essentially the equivalent of digging a dog hole to escape through later.
Shifting my perspective made Papilion Cortius’s questions feel not the least bit annoying.
Feeling a sudden surge of academic enthusiasm, I worked diligently to teach him the Ancient Language while decoding the notebook.
A considerable amount of time passed by.
“Snore…….”
A snoring sound echoed from across the table.
Commander Tristan Wigras had fallen asleep right there in his seat.
Scheit Huniswald quietly rose from his place.
“It is late, so shall we call it a night?”
“…Very well.”
Before standing up, I picked up my pen once more.
“I’ll write down the Cipher Decryption Table for you.”
Papilion Cortius and Scheit Huniswald stared at me at the same time.
The expressions on their faces were starkly different.
Papilion Cortius instantly grew wary.
He looked exactly like someone encountering a cultist on the street claiming they have a pure aura.
And Scheit Huniswald looked visibly hurt.
* * *
On the way back home.
The forest remained dark since dawn had not yet broken.
A strange silence radiated from Scheit Huniswald, who was walking behind me to guard my back.
What is it? What’s his problem?
Whenever I tried to look back, he would gently grasp the side of my head and fix my gaze forward.
“You’ll trip if you walk without looking ahead, Baroness.”
“Are you pouting?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You definitely seem to be pouting right now.”
“I am not a man of such narrow mind.”
He gently nudged my back as I tried to halt, guiding me forward.
Then, he suddenly spoke up.
“You never told me how to decrypt the cipher no matter what. What is it about Papilion Cortius that caught your fancy? His academic enthusiasm?”
He was definitely pouting.
“It bothered me that I was the only one working hard while the three of you just stared blankly. Besides, since only I can decode the Ancient Language, teaching you the cipher decryption method doesn’t mean I’ll be discarded halfway through.”
“Hmm. Discarded, is it…….”
While he murmured quietly to himself, we found ourselves facing the wall once again.
To think I had to do this stunt a second time.
“From next time, can’t we use the passageway that Kildian uses?”
“No. We don’t know where the exit leads, and it would be troublesome if we happened to run into Kildian on our way out.”
“I’ll look into other routes.”
“Regardless, we have to go back right now, so you must climb over.”
“Wa-Wait a moment……!”
Ignoring my protests entirely, he hoisted me up onto the wall like a piece of laundry once more.
Then, he used the wall for leverage and leaped over.
Having cleared the wall effortlessly, he spread his arms wide toward me.
Perhaps because I had already done it once, the second time was less terrifying.
When I took a proper leap down, Scheit Huniswald caught me with a far more stable hold than before.
Holding me tightly in his arms, Scheit Huniswald looked down at me intently.
“Shall we go all the way to the Mansion like this?”
“Excuse me?”
Is he serious?
The moment I stared at him in shock, Scheit Huniswald adjusted his grip on me and began to stride forward.
“You must be exhausted from all the walking, so I shall escort you to your room.”
“I-I’m fine!”
Heedless of my refusal, Scheit Huniswald kept moving.
“Do not squirm, Baroness. Did you not use to be carried around in my arms like this anyway?”
“That was back when my leg was injured. What if someone sees us……!”
“If someone sees us, they will simply say we share a harmonious marriage.”
Dumbfounded by his shameless response, I looked up at him.
Even during our exchange, the Mansion kept drawing closer.
……To be completely honest, it was comfortable.
As I relaxed my body, a soft chuckle drifted down from above my head. Feeling needlessly embarrassed, I glared up at him.
“Do you know that you are incredibly stubborn?”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Seriously, he is infuriating.
* * *
“Milady! It’s time to wake up.”
Sindy’s voice pierced through my consciousness.
“Mmm……. Let me sleep just a bit longer…….”
“You can’t. It’s already one in the afternoon! Besides, they said the finished dress would arrive today.”
“What dress…….”
Perhaps because I had used my brain until late last night, I didn’t want to get up at all.
When I lingered on the bed and crawled deeper into the blankets, Sindy yanked the covers right off.
While I shivered from the sudden chill, she rolled the blanket into a bundle and tossed it into a corner.
“You know, that dress you ordered using the silk from the Nodis Kingdom when you invited guests over last time.”
“Ah…….”
I remembered.
I had invited the Duchess, the Count’s Wife, and the Marquis’s Daughter over to have dresses made.
That was the very day which had ended rather abruptly when Melis Haller suddenly barged in and then left as if fleeing.
My eyes snapped open.
I couldn’t possibly greet a dressmaker who frequented all sorts of social circles while wearing my nightclothes.
“Sindy, quickly. Prepare the water for me to wash!”
“I’ve already got it ready.”
Sindy replied as she followed closely behind me.
Relieved, I quickly washed and changed my clothes.
However, my hair was a total mess.
Having slept with it tangled by the night breeze, and because I had washed it without remembering to brush it first, it was now soaking wet and clumped together in places.
Even though I tried to dry it, it wouldn’t dry easily.
First, I needed to untangle all the knots.
Five maids gathered around and began combing through my hair.
While we were causing quite a fuss, the door opened.
“You are busy so early in the day.”
It was 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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