Newlywed Life Begins with a Mistake - Chapter 32

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 32

 

“Ian?”

 

“The man I encountered at the auction house.”

 

Casian smiled slyly while sending subtle pressure.

 

“Hmm, I don’t know what you mean. Want another bruschetta?”

 

“You called his name so affectionately that it stuck in my mind. Is he an ex-lover?”

 

I tried to brush it off while offering food, but at his additional words, my body froze.

 

‘Are you kidding? Why would I look at anyone else when I have you!’

 

I wanted to say this, but my mouth wouldn’t open.

 

I swear to heaven I’ve never cheated, but regardless of my feelings, others might misunderstand the situation as a married woman having an affair.

 

I should deny it.

 

‘Could I say he’s family?’

 

Due to the voice that suddenly arose from within, I couldn’t open my mouth.

 

‘Certainly, the moment I saw the masked man, a specific name came to mind along with a wave of longing…’

 

Why do I want to avoid this?

 

As the silence lengthened, my palms became sweaty.

 

It was when I was taking out a handkerchief from my inner pocket to wipe the sweat.

 

“Right! This afternoon, some woman asked me to deliver a letter.”

 

The letter given by the mysterious woman during my outing was caught in my hand.

 

“A letter?”

 

“Yes. She looked so desperate that I accepted it, but you’re not secretly having an affair, are you?”

 

“Of course not. I only have you, my lady.”

 

Casian kissed the back of my hand as if it were an absurd suggestion.

 

Fortunately, it seems the topic about Ian will pass.

 

Relieved, I moved next to Casian and leaned my face against his shoulder.

 

“Open it quickly, honey!”

 

At my urging, Casian opened the letter.

 

But the letter contained chilling contents.

 

【Before the Pican granary fire accident, we worked 15 hours daily on farming.</p】

Though we received wages for our work, it was essentially unpaid labor.

 

We were at the mercy of the lord’s usury, and even when wages came out, we struggled to pay interest, and households that couldn’t pay all the interest saw their debts double.

 

Some raised complaints, but they never returned.

 

Furthermore, the Pican fire incident was a crime committed impulsively by someone.

 

Please verify the truth on the land where the warmth of the dead still remains.>

 

“If someone isn’t playing a prank, this is a serious matter.”

 

Casian, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.

 

Even if it were false information, the content written was cruel.

 

It was quite unsettling as it indirectly mentioned that there had been a scene of slaughter beyond human exploitation.

 

“You haven’t met with the Pican Estate residents yet, right?”

 

“No. I tried to hear the full story, but they keep postponing the meeting.”

 

“What about the protest site?”

 

“I went, but they just said they’d contact us separately. There was no particular response.”

 

A devastating emotion settled on Casian’s face as if words couldn’t explain everything.

 

Sensing his anxiety, I made a new suggestion.

 

“Shall we go see?”

 

“Let’s send someone first.”

 

Casian pulled the bell cord and summoned Pabel, ordering him to investigate the Pican Region situation.

 

A few hours later.

 

“It’s likely to be true.”

 

“…”

 

Pabel reported with a somewhat stiff expression.

 

The room quickly became quiet.

 

Suddenly, chills ran down my spine.

 

‘What happened to the Letter Sender?’

 

Are the currently remaining survivors safe?

 

As various thoughts led to one another, my mind became complicated.

 

“Honey, it seems…”

 

“I need to go see for myself.”

 

Casian, who had been lost in thought, rose from his seat.

 

Though his voice was monotone, I could feel he was suppressing anger.

 

“Let’s go together.”

 

“It’s dangerous for you, my lady…”

 

“Going alone is more dangerous. If I seem to be in the way, I’ll withdraw on my own.”

 

At least I won’t be a hindrance.

 

Perhaps seeing such determination, permission was readily granted shortly after.

 

“Very well.”

 

After that, we hurried to prepare for departure to Pican.

 

While putting on a colorless shirt and comfortable cotton pants and tying my shoelaces, a puzzled voice came from above my head.

 

“Isn’t this your first time wearing men’s clothing?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“You look quite natural at it.”

 

Though I hadn’t changed clothes openly in front of him, I suppose the way I folded the hem and fastened the sleeve buttons looked natural.

 

“I guess it feels familiar to me.”

 

Though the size was large, remembering how I used to enjoy wearing short sleeves and long pants in my previous life, this much was like eating cold soup.

 

After giving a casual response to Casian’s words, I stuffed my long hair into the hat and followed him to the scene.

 

“From the outside, nothing seems wrong?”

 

Black earth. Trees charred by fire. Remnants of burned grain.

 

Anyone could see it was a scene swept by flames.

 

“Look here.”

 

As I surveyed the scene, I shifted my gaze following Pabel’s finger.

 

Fiber fragments were mixed among the black soil and charred grain husks.

 

“It seems to have been sacks that contained grain.”

 

“Don’t they usually use cloth sacks?”

 

“Judging by how it didn’t burn, it appears they used synthetic fibers.”

 

Casian, who answered instead of Pabel, was sweeping the dirt with his hand when he suddenly began tapping the ground.

 

“Honey?”

 

I called to him with a puzzled heart, but Casian didn’t stop his actions.

 

Instead, he expanded the area he was tapping.

 

After continuously tapping the ground like knocking, he stood up after a moment and moved his steps.

 

Following closely behind him, I eventually witnessed a sight that made my eyes widen greatly.

 

“Huh?”

 

“There’s a hidden space.”

 

There were stones unnaturally protruding among the dirt piles. When we moved the placed stones aside, an old iron ring appeared.

 

When I pulled the ring, with a creaking sound, a passage leading underground appeared.

 

“How did you know?”

 

“The ground felt hollow. And where the fibers came from earlier seemed like a path leading somewhere.”

 

“Your Grace, I’ll go first.”

 

The basement was so dark that its depth couldn’t be gauged.

 

Though there were stairs, since we didn’t know what the interior might be like, Pabel, who had been maintaining silence, moved first.

 

Led by him, three Valhalla knights went down below.

 

Only after confirming the signal that there was no danger did Casian and I move.

 

“You stay here.”

 

“Yes, Your Grace.”

 

The remaining three knights also tried to follow us down, but at Casian’s command, they guarded the entrance with stern faces.

 

“You should be careful of your footing.”

 

“Yes. Honey, don’t let go of my hand.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Casian lit a candle, took my hand, and carefully went down.

 

The humid and cold basement was emitting a burnt smell as if it wouldn’t forget the disaster.

 

Following the markers left by the Valhalla knights, we stopped walking when we reached our destination.

 

“Old tableware and parchment with work logs written on it. And…”

 

“Ugh!”

 

“My lady!”

 

“I’m, I’m fine!”

 

With nausea rising sharply, I turned my head and retched toward the floor.

 

I thought it was strange because of the rotten smell, but there were corpses. Not just one, but several.

 

“They seem to be those who couldn’t escape when the fire broke out.”

 

“Judging by their condition, they don’t seem to have been dead for long.”

 

Casian, who was inspecting the scene, gently stroked my back and gave me a cloth.

 

When I placed the cloth around my mouth, breathing became much easier.

 

“Are you really alright?”

 

“If you’re uncomfortable, we’ll remove the bodies, my lady.”

 

“No! If we miss evidence doing that, it would be terrible.”

 

I already felt sorry for being a burden, so I couldn’t hold them back further.

 

After answering several times that I was fine, I joined the search to be helpful.

 

“The fled Lord of Pican must really be vicious. Looking at the loan shark list, it’s at a level that couldn’t be repaid even working a lifetime.”

 

No matter how recently the slave system had disappeared, this wasn’t right.

 

Starting with the ledger, I carefully observed the surroundings to collect things that could serve as evidence.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

“Huh?”

 

“What’s wrong, my lady!”

 

“Look here! There’s a button between the fingers.”

 

A corpse on the floor was clenching its fist.

 

It was gripping so tightly that opening the corpse’s hand wasn’t easy.

 

With Casian’s help, I barely managed to extract the button, and after checking the pattern, my expression hardened.

 

“There’s a deer engraved on it.”

 

Generally, nobles prove their status by showing their emblems.

 

However, when employing subordinates, nobles cannot hand over their family emblems, so they give buttons to reveal their affiliation.

 

Buttons engraved with patterns symbolizing the family are items given only to trustworthy subordinates.

 

That means….

 

“Who goes there!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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