My Contract Husband Demands a Divorce - Chapter 58

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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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“Where are we going?”
“Our usual destination.”
Our usual destination could only mean the Kleinheits Mansion, the residence of Archduke Yulisian.
Why did he want to go there?
Knowing it was a question that couldn’t be answered where there were too many listening ears, I swallowed my curiosity.
I could simply ask him on the way.
With that, I returned to my room the moment we finished eating.
Glancing in the mirror, I saw that I was an absolute wreck.
My pale face peeked through a wild tangle of curly hair. Even the sight of a heavy coat thrown carelessly over a nightgown looked utterly ridiculous.
Ordinarily, standing before a mirror in such a state would have made me lightheaded with shame, but right now, a strange calm washed over me instead.
I had already been branded a culprit who insulted her friend and framed for the murder of a young child. What did it matter if I walked around looking a bit disheveled?
Besides, I had no reputation left to lose anyway.
I changed my clothes, tidied my hair on my own, and stepped outside.
Before heading to Scheit, I made my way to Nina, Princess Lucretia’s former maid.
Crouched inside the room Sindy used to occupy, Nina snapped her head up.
“B-Baroness.”
As she scrambled to her feet and bowed politely, I held out a letter of recommendation and a coin pouch to her.
“Take this.”
“What… what is this…?”
“As you well know, this place isn’t very safe for you. Especially when Scheit and I aren’t around.”
Nina nodded slowly.
“That money should be more than enough for you to settle down elsewhere. If you feel uneasy, you can go to the estate mentioned in the recommendation letter and work as a maid for a while. It’s safe there.”
“Thank you, Baroness. Thank you so much.”
She bowed repeatedly in gratitude until I gently stopped her.
“Scheit and I are heading out now, so it would be best if you left immediately as well.”
If something were to happen inside the mansion while the two of us were away, there would be no one to protect this maid.
Not with Sindy gone, too.
Understanding the gravity of my words, Nina nodded once more.
“Yes. I will do that.”
After arranging a carriage for Nina and watching her safely leave the mansion, I finally went to Scheit.
Together, we boarded a carriage and rode into the forest.
After instructing the coachman to head back first, we made our way toward the Kleinheits Mansion.
Even though the sun was high in the sky, Scheit didn’t bother to blindfold me as he began unlocking the secret passage.
Curiosity pricked at me, but I dutifully turned my back to him anyway.
“You may look.”
Startled by his unexpected remark, I whirled around.
“…Aren’t you worried I might memorize the way and sneak in later?”
Instead of answering, Scheit let out a soft chuckle and moved forward.
As I followed closely behind him, we ran into Papilion.
We had clearly arrived without any prior notice, yet he didn’t look the least bit surprised.
Instead, he just stared intently at me.
Involuntarily flinching at his gaze, I shrank behind Scheit’s back.
“Do you have any idea how much I suffered trying to decipher that notebook all by myself?”
That was all he said.
It was a complaint, certainly, but it had nothing to do with the rumors. Uttering words that sounded closer to a grumble, Papilion turned around and walked away.
Scheit followed right behind him.
I couldn’t even begin to grasp what kind of situation this was.
As I tilted my head in utter bewilderment, Papilion came to a halt in front of a certain room.
“He should be awake.”
“Who is?”
Instead of giving me an answer, Papilion threw the door open.
Sitting inside the room was Tommy.
What was more, his face looked perfectly fine as he happily tore into a piece of meat.
* * *
“Are you telling me you still haven’t found them?! You utterly useless wretches!”
Princess Lucretia shrieked in a fit of rage, grabbing her maids by the hair, throwing them to the floor, and kicking them viciously.
Enduring the violence without even daring to scream, one of the maids eventually lost consciousness.
Only then did Lucretia halt her kicking, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
Three or four maids crouched helplessly on the floor, clutching their swollen cheeks or bruised ribs.
Listening to their painful groans, Lucretia sank onto the sofa.
While her personal lady-in-waiting stepped forward to tidy her hair, Lucretia swept a venomous glare across the remaining maids.
“By the way, where did that girl go?”
“To whom are you referring, Your Highness?”
“The one I brought from Kildian. The one with the filthy, curly hair.”
“Ah, her? I heard she was dismissed yesterday after Prince Imperial Kildian’s political rival, Princess Imperial Isoldra, found fault with her.”
“What? Fired?”
Being dismissed over some trivial pretext was a common occurrence.
But the timing was incredibly unpleasant. Just when the little gift she had left to utterly crush Amarynthis’s spirit had vanished, the maid who was being tormented had left the palace as well?
On top of that, the person who dismissed her was Princess Imperial Isoldra, Kildian’s political rival.
“And what was the reason given for her dismissal?”
“They said her messy hair ruined the dignity of the Palace.”
It sounded plausible enough.
After all, Lucretia had hacked the girl’s hair into a disastrous mess just to vent her anger. Even when hidden beneath a cotton cap, the untidiness would have been noticeable.
Though she tried to brush it off as a stroke of bad luck, a sharp, nagging intuition kept grating on Lucretia’s nerves.
“Go and fetch Melis Haller.”
The lady-in-waiting bowed politely and withdrew from the room.
Before Melis Haller arrived, Lucretia irritably barked out an order to drive away the maids who were still crawling across the floor.
Shortly after, Melis came scurrying into the room behind the personal lady-in-waiting.
“Princess! Thank you for always inviting me first.”
Stupid idiot.
While inwardly mocking Melis Haller, Lucretia forced a sweet, warm smile onto her face.
“Welcome, Melis. Come, have a seat.”
Tea and refreshments were promptly laid out on the table. As Melis distracted herself with the sweet treats, Lucretia casually inquired.
“You mentioned seeing Amarynthis at Princess Imperial Isoldra’s tea party the other day, right? How was the atmosphere?”
“Ah! That day?”
Excitedly, Melis began to babble on and on about how Princess Imperial Isoldra had tried to humiliate Amarynthis.
‘What is this? Princess Imperial Isoldra has absolutely no reason to help Amarynthis.’
Had she simply overreacted?
Deeming the matter trivial, Lucretia was just about to chase Melis away when the girl spoke up again.
“Oh, but they had a private meeting after the tea party ended.”
“Ha! I knew it.”
The corners of Princess Lucretia’s mouth twisted bitterly.
“Pardon? Knew what?”
“Pretending to know nothing, acting so innocent, playing the hypocritical angel out in the open, while secretly pulling strings in the dark to hatch some gloomy plot.”
“Looking at it this way, I suppose it really does seem that way. Especially with how her dress was torn to shreds…”
“Exactly! She was just like that back during our university days. Winning over the people around me to get them on her side, isolating me, and dragging my reputation through the mud—all while pretending to worry about me and look out for me in front of others just to protect her own image!”
Even after it was revealed that Princess Lucretia was the mastermind behind the rumors, Amarynthis had continued to treat Lucretia exactly as she had before.
If anything, she had gone out of her way to look after the isolated princess.
Whether that kindness had been genuine or not didn’t matter.
What truly mattered was that Amarynthis’s actions felt like cheap pity. Every single time she took care of Lucretia, people would endlessly praise Amarynthis right in front of the princess.
To the arrogant princess, that was an unendurable humiliation.
After sending Melis away, Princess Lucretia summoned her lady-in-waiting.
“Find that filthy, curly-haired girl immediately and dispose of her. And get rid of those four maids who have been working here as well.”
“But Your Highness, if so many people vanish all at once…”
“Shut up! Who do you think you are to question my judgment? Have you forgotten that nothing has ever gone wrong until now? Even if we are discovered, what can anyone possibly do? Prince Imperial Kildian will protect me. Stop talking back and just do as you’re told.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
* * *
I blinked my eyes wide several times, but the sight of Tommy happily munching on his meat didn’t disappear.
“Hahaha! Eat more, eat up. Hmm? A growing child needs to eat plenty and eat well!”
Sitting right beside him, laughing heartily as he offered more food, was Commander-in-Chief Tristan, who remained very much real as well.
I had entertained the slim possibility that the boy might still be alive.
However, I had never in my wildest dreams imagined that the child would be staying here at the Kleinheits Mansion.
“Scheit, what on earth is going on here?”
Commander-in-Chief Tristan paused for a moment, his gaze shifting back and forth between Scheit and me.
“Scheit?”
“It’s a nickname.”
To be precise, it was a moniker I had chosen arbitrarily to differentiate this man from the original Scheit, but that didn’t matter now.
“Oho. The two of you are close enough for that… Mm. Good, very good.”
I had no idea what he found so pleasing, but that wasn’t the priority right now.
Leaving Tristan to nod with a warm, gratified smile and Papilion to scowl deeply as if he had just heard something utterly revolting, I turned my body.
As I stared intently at him, Scheit gave me a subtle nod.
It seemed he wanted us to step away to another room.
It made sense. There might be details involved that a young child shouldn’t overhear.
I nodded in agreement and began to walk.
Behind me, I heard the sound of Tristan leaving Tommy in Papilion’s care and following after us.
“I shall accompany you.”

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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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