My Ex-Husband Came Back Crazy - Chapter 31

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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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Episode 31
Chapter 3. The Turning Tide (11)
Rowald Havingrove’s intoxication vanished in an instant.
He was the eldest son of a family that owned orchards throughout the Central Region and quality wool farms—a house of some repute, though without a title to its name.
His passion was reading. He had met the man called “Rowald”—who rarely showed discomfort—at the Reading Discussion Club.
A fellow whose background and origins were difficult to discern, and whom he’d never expected to encounter in such a place; his initial delight swiftly transformed into bewilderment.
“Who is that woman?”
“Why is she with Rowald?”
The eyes of two women who had faithfully attended the Reading Discussion Club to catch a glimpse of the handsome gentleman sharpened at once.
In that moment, the woman who had been concealed behind Rowald stepped forward quietly, into view.
‘The same man who used to have people whispering about his lack of interest in women—wondering if something was wrong with his… constitution.’
Rowald forced composure onto his features, summoning a smile to his lips.
Soon the woman drew her hair back behind her ear and lifted her head slowly.
‘Wow. A beauty.’
Genuine admiration flickered across his eyes.
She was, without exaggeration, among the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes upon.
Even standing beside Lucius, who commanded all attention, her presence remained undiminished.
Silver hair fell from her shoulders like moonlight itself, and her blue eyes were deep and clear.
In her upright posture and downward gaze lay an innate arrogance and nobility.
Each step she took carried with it grace and restraint, and Rowald found himself swallowing hard.
‘They’re not merely acquainted, it seems.’
Even the women who had been bristling moments before fell silent as if their mouths had been sewn shut.
It was much like what happened whenever Lucius appeared at the Reading Discussion Club—the preening men would instantly quieten. One could hardly blame them; confidence faltered when faced with one’s superior.
Rowald, who had been momentarily entranced, snapped back to himself when her steady gaze found him, and he opened his mouth.
“A radiant lady. If I may be so bold, might I have the honor of your name?”
Her head tilted slowly at his courteous tone.
“Before you presume to address me, you should make clear who you are first.”
Her voice carried no trace of artificial sweetness.
This alone assured Rowald of one thing.
‘This woman… she’s nobility, without question.’
It was evident from her skin alone—untouched by a single freckle from the sun’s rays.
“My apologies. I am Rowald of the Havingrove Family. I tend modestly to some orchards.”
“…Celia.”
“Miss Celia.”
He managed an easy smile, stealing a sidelong glance at Lucius.
At that moment, Lucius shifted his position between them, and Celia’s form naturally disappeared behind his frame.
“It’s been a long time. How have you been?”
His voice still carried that rich, pleasing timbre like organ notes.
“I’ve been well. And you? I haven’t seen you much lately.”
Lucius moistened his lips briefly, then continued in an unconcerned voice.
“…I’m sorry. There have been some unavoidable circumstances.”
“I see. But is this a date you’re on?”
Fortunately, Rowald’s interest lay not with Lucius’s “unavoidable circumstances,” but with the woman at his side.
Lucius confirmed it with a gentle smile. Celia glanced up at him for a moment, but his answer was unmistakably straightforward.
Rowald momentarily felt sympathy for the women behind him. But they, already beaten into submission, could only avert their eyes and confront an unexpected heartbreak in silence.
“Rowald. I’m sorry, but I’ll contact you separately later. As you can see, today is… a personal matter.”
It seemed their chance meeting would end here.
“Of course. Let’s see each other again soon.”
“Then I’ll be taking my leave.”
When his pleasant baritone turned toward Celia, it became noticeably softer.
“Shall we go?”
Lucius met her eyes and gently traced her back with one large hand. When Celia raised her chin and whispered something to him, he exhaled softly and offered her a smile.
It was a sight transparent from any distance—a question of whose heart was devoted to whom.
Rowald turned away, scratching his temple.
‘Wow… you can actually see it in his eyes.’
He never thought he’d witness that man so thoroughly taken with a woman. Despite knowing him for six years, this was an entirely new side of him.
Wait. A woman?
“Oh? Hold on, hold on. Rowald! There’s something I need to tell you.”
Having remembered something he’d forgotten, he hastily called Lucius back.
Lucius turned, retracing the steps he’d begun to take.
“Something you need to tell me?”
“You know. What you asked me to look into.”
When Lucius fell silent, Rowald lowered his voice to a whisper.
“The matter you asked me to investigate before.”
“….”
After a brief pause, Lucius’s gaze shifted to the side. When his eyes settled on Celia, she, who had been standing quietly, finally lifted her head.
“Why?”
“I thought it would be good to speak briefly about it.”
Rowald, who had inadvertently become the lady’s temporary companion, forced an awkward smile in her direction, seeking her permission.
“If you’re fine with it, go ahead.”
Despite her consent, Lucius’s face remained frozen like a sculpture below the freezing point.
“I can’t leave you alone.”
He was being extraordinarily protective.
Then again, with a beauty like that, anyone would worry about leaving her unattended.
Rowald fidgeted with the Cigar Case he’d absently withdrawn, waiting for their exchange to conclude.
“…There are soldiers scattered all about. What could you possibly be concerned about?”
“Still.”
Fortunately, Rowald didn’t have long to wait.
Lucius’s fingers traced along the surface of her glove before meeting Celia’s fingers with careful hesitation. As the woman’s eyes, which had been quiet until then, rippled at the contact, her gaze and Rowald’s suddenly collided over Lucius’s shoulder.
Her eyes filled with emotion all at once.
Surprise and embarrassment, an expression she hadn’t managed to suppress, spread rapidly across her face.
Celia withdrew his hand sharply, as if shaking off heat.
“Celia-”
Celia pressed her own hands together, stifling the lingering warmth, and turned away.
“I’ll be on the main street—come find me yourself!”
She clutched her skirts tightly and fled the scene.
***
After walking for some time, Celia came to an abrupt stop.
‘It’s all Lucius’s fault.’
Soothing her unexpectedly turbulent heart, she resented Lucius as the source of all her troubles.
She rubbed her heated cheeks repeatedly. Shame seeped thinly beneath her skin with no sign of fading.
‘Why did he hold my hand in front of all those people…’
She moved her gaze busily to distract herself from the thought.
Most of what she saw were peculiar items.
A piece of ore split into the shape of a bear, a small iron bell shaped like a lark, a Colored Glass Button—these sorts of things had gathered one by one in her pockets from her recent purchases.
“There…”
Just as Celia turned, spotting a Brooch Pin spinning like a pinwheel—
Small children at about her waist height approached her. In their hands were an unevenly dyed Ribbon Bundle and a Matchbox.
“Noble lady. Just one ribbon, if you please.”
“Matches too. We’ll light up the night for you.”
Celia stopped walking. Her gaze passed indifferently over the crudely made goods and the children clad in clothes that hung from them like wet autumn leaves.
‘Even now, there are still children like this.’
Sending children onto the streets late at night was already an all-too-familiar social blight.
‘How much money do I have left?’
She had no use for worthless ribbons or matches, but she could spare the coin. After all, it was Lucius’s money anyway.
She thrust her hand into her pocket.
That was when something erupted in the sky.
As fireworks tore through the night, an excited crowd surged into motion.
People moved like a receding tide, and the street became instantly tangled. Celia was swept up in the flow, jostled this way and that. She had to endure the unpleasant experience of colliding shoulders and being stepped upon.
‘Damn it. Fireworks!’
As she swallowed a curse, a small hand suddenly gripped her wrist.
“This way, please!”
The children held her hand firmly and deftly changed direction. Celia had no time to assess the situation before she was pulled along for several steps.
As they escaped the crowd and reached the edge of an alley, the noise followed with a beat’s delay.
“Th-this should be safe enough.”
Celia, who had nearly been swallowed by the throng, managed to catch her breath.
She had intended to give them a modest sum and leave, but since she’d received their help, she planned to add a bit more than originally intended.
“Those ribbons and matches—how much for all of them—”
As Celia lowered her gaze absently, one eyebrow couldn’t help but rise.
The child’s thin wrist, exposed between raggedly torn sleeves, was trembling visibly.
“…?”
By the time she realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
Click—
As she drew out her coin purse, a single Glass Bead slipped free and rolled across the ground with a glimmer.
“Hello, miss.”
Unfamiliar shapes overlapped and reflected across the smooth surface, lit not by firelight.
“Welcome to Dunlow Hollow. A place without hope or dreams.”
The shadows of men descended upon her all at once.

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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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