My Contract Husband Demands a Divorce - Chapter 9

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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 demanded an answer with a sharp look.
I had a general idea of where the money was leaking, but with so many ears listening, I kept my mouth shut.
Besides, without knowing Scheit’s true intentions, I had no desire to be entirely honest with him.
“It’s your money, so you can do whatever you want with it. It was given to you for personal use anyway, so why should I bother interfering?”
“Then you’re saying you have no clue where the five billion Bern dowry went either?”
“Exactly.”
“Hmm…”
“Is that all you wanted to know?”
“…A lady like you must have had a long line of better marriage prospects than the Huniswald Barony. Why did you choose me?”
What an absurd question.
‘That’s because Prince Kildian forced me to pick a husband from among his subordinates, utterly ruining my wedding plans!’
Well, putting that reason aside.
“Because you have no ambition, no drive, and no power. You’re the perfect fit for someone like me who just wants to live off her inheritance and loaf around.”
Scheit stared at me, his expression blank with incomprehension.
So I kindly offered a bit more elaboration.
“If you marry a high-ranking noble, you have to manage the fief, handle family affairs, attend all sorts of events, and constantly walk on eggshells around the elders. On top of that, there’s politics. Ugh, just thinking about it gives me a headache.”
I loathed politics and hard labor equally.
It was the absolute truth, but it was also a warning to Scheit.
Whatever your reasons for showing your true colors, don’t even dream of getting my cooperation.
Stop trying to drag me into your troublesome messes.
‘Did you catch that?’
I looked at him, full of expectation.
Scheit wore a hard-to-read expression.
It was as if he were looking at a clueless child, or perhaps the world’s most pathetic, unemployed slacker…
Wait, a pathetic slacker?
How dare he look at me like that?
“My lady.”
And yet, the voice he used to call me was as warm as spring sunshine.
A shiver ran down my spine at a tone I had never heard from him before.
As I rubbed my goosebump-covered arms, a gentle smile graced Scheit’s lips.
Then, entirely out of the blue,
“We should get a divorce.”
He spouted absolute nonsense.
“…What did you just say?”
“A divorce.”
Was he joking?
Did he acquire some useless extra setting where losing his memories meant losing his sense of humor too?
Or was he just making a terrible joke?
‘Let’s just ignore him.’
The moment I turned my head away, pretending not to hear, Scheit rose from his seat.
Resting one hand on the dining table, he leaned his upper body toward me.
Closing the distance until he was too near to ignore, he spoke once more.
“You must grant me a divorce, my lady.”
That was how it all began.
* * *
Scheit’s daily routine remained largely unchanged.
Which meant he spent most of his time cooped up in his room, refusing to come out.
However, whenever he did step outside, he came looking for me without fail, whispering into my ear as he stuck close to my side.
“The Palace happens to be opening right about now. Won’t you come with me to get our divorce approved?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Don’t be like that, let’s divorce.”
“No.”
“Divorce…”
“I said no!”
I leaped up from my seat and stormed off to another spot.
Yet no matter where I went, Scheit trailed right behind me. To the servants, this apparently looked rather affectionate, and strange rumors began to circulate.
“The master and lady have been spending a lot of time together lately.”
“Right? The lady used to wander all over the place like she had a severe case of wanderlust, but these days she only stays home.”
“Could they be courting?”
“Courting? They’re already married.”
“Oh, look at you. For nobles, romance always starts after the wedding because everyone marries for convenience.”
“Oh my, then the two of them… Oh goodness, gracious me!”
The maids burst into giggles, playfully slapping one another.
I could only stare at them, my shoulders sagging.
Listening to such ridiculous rumors made my head spin.
The only reason I barely left the house was out of fear that Scheit might pull off a ambush divorce while I was out.
My inability to travel stemmed from the exact same concern.
What if he filed a divorce lawsuit behind my back?
Since we had no children, the odds would heavily favor him.
Despite our marital obligations to produce an heir, I had never shared a bed with him even once.
Furthermore, lawsuits generally favored the party who actually showed up to court.
If I went abroad or to some distant province to enjoy myself as usual, only to get slapped with a surprise divorce trial, I would be doomed.
My precious inheritance would vanish like dust, so how could I possibly go anywhere?
And they called this romance? Ro-maaaance?
How on earth did chasing me around begging for a divorce look like romance? It was pure harassment!
The injustice of it was unbearable. I needed to expose Scheit’s true face to everyone this instant.
Steeling my resolve, I marched over to the maids.
Oblivious to my presence, they kept chattering away.
“To be honest, I used to wonder why the lady lowered herself to marry a man like him. But now that he’s keeping himself tidy, the Baron is actually quite handsome, isn’t he?”
“I know. He doesn’t stammer at all lately, and he’s become so incredibly polite.”
“I hope the lady accepts the master’s feelings soon.”
“Don’t worry about that. I saw something with my own two eyes just a few days ago.”
“What? What is it? Tell me quickly!”
“Well…”
The maid lowered her voice to a whisper.
“Heavens! I heard that rumor too, so it was actually true? Oh my! They’ve already spent their first night together?!”
“Shh, quiet!”
The maid quickly covered the other’s mouth, but the words had already reached my ears.
‘Our first night?!’
As I froze in sheer shock, I felt a presence behind me, and a chin dropped lightly onto my shoulder.
“Are you reconsidering the divorce?”
“Yikes! You scared me!”
Clutching my chest where my heart hammered wildly, I scrambled away from Scheit.
“Make some noise when you walk!”
I hissed in a low voice to keep the maids from overhearing, but they had already noticed us.
“Gasp! M-My lady.”
The maids gasped as they spotted Scheit and me.
Turning pale, they scurried back against the wall and bowed their heads, exchanging anxious glances with each other.
They had every right to be worried.
Servants caught gossiping about their master’s private life were usually severely punished or dismissed on the spot.
I offered them a reassuring smile before turning around.
As I walked away, I grabbed Scheit by the forearm and dragged him along with me.
Scheit followed submissively, though a flicker of confusion crossed his face.
“Weren’t you about to give them a piece of your mind?”
I certainly was.
I wanted to complain about how his constant pestering for a divorce was driving me insane!
But hearing that rumor changed everything.
With talk already spreading that we had shared a bed, imagine the scandal if word got out that Scheit wanted a divorce.
Vile rumors would inevitably follow, with people guessing that our first night together had been a disaster.
And no matter how strictly one managed the household, such juicy gossip always managed to slip out.
Once it leaked, it was only a matter of time before it reached the ears of high society’s worst gossips.
The aftermath was painfully predictable.
Everywhere I went, those hyenas would eye me up and down while whispering behind my back.
Ugh. The mere thought made me shudder.
Besides,
“If I explain myself every time the servants gossip, it just makes me look petty.”
“Are you saying how you appear to others matters more than setting the facts straight?”
“Sometimes, yes.”
In truth, it had always been that way for me.
Ever since I was born, perfection held far more value to me than the raw truth.
Scheit stared at me as if he couldn’t fathom my mindset at all.
Of course, I didn’t care about his understanding; it wasn’t what I needed.
“Which brings me to my point. Let’s keep this divorce business between ourselves and settle it privately.”
Instead of answering, Scheit quietly studied my face.
Then, a bitter, somewhat ominous smile played on his lips.
“If that is what my lady wishes. I shall do so.”
* * *
Ever since I told Scheit to settle the divorce privately between the two of us, he had turned into an absolute madman.
“My lady, the sky is exceptionally clear today. It matches the beautiful color of your hair, have you seen it?”
“Oh, it really is.”
“Indeed. Thanks to that, every time I look up, I find myself wishing for a divorce.”
“…What?”
“I truly hope you will grant me a divorce today.”
Like a man possessed, he followed me everywhere, using every trick in the book to press for a divorce.
Even though he couldn’t actually divorce me anyway due to Prince Kildian’s orders!
Why on earth was he tormenting me like this?
‘Could he be after something else?’
Yet even when I cornered him in his room to scold and reason with him, he remained entirely unfazed.
“I appreciate your sweet and charming offer to put our heads together and solve this, my lady. However, the only way to help me—”
“…”
“—is to divorce me.”
When he shut the door in my face, I stood there in utter disbelief.
Right, so you won’t talk easily, is that it?
Fine. Once a person’s heart softens, their mouth naturally opens.
And I happened to know a very swift, highly effective method for unlocking someone’s heart.

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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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