The Husband I Thought Was Dead Has Returned - Chapter 101

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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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The Husband Who Should Have Died Returns Episode 101
Three hours earlier.
The journey to meet Roana and Hayden was short, yet my heart—tangled between anticipation and tension—made every step feel impossibly distant.
Upon Cherez’s shoulders rested a great burden: the territory he’d been forced to relinquish, the Southern Region’s people he could no longer protect, and the Red Moon Palace.
But more than any of it, I needed Roana and Hayden now.
I yearned for the warmth and affection only they could offer.
Having fulfilled my duties as Duke of Bereidan these past years, surely this once my own peace could take precedence.
“Onward!”
Cherez urged his horse forward.
My heart thundered in my chest. I had never felt more alive than in this moment—the wind brushing past, the sun beating down, the scent of the forest path enveloping me.
I knew I would never forget the sensation of all this.
For me, this moment stretched into eternity.
The sensation of reclaiming what was lost sent electricity through my veins. My breath came faster and faster.
I savored this moment intensely. A fierce exhilaration surged through me from head to toe.
All those moments I’d been forced to abandon, unable to dare touch them, came flooding back.
I’d wanted to hold her but never could. I’d longed to kiss her yet never extended my hand. Even the desire to embrace her remained unspoken.
Those years had been defined by masculine longing and love that could never be released.
Cherez clenched his lips tightly.
“Your Grace!”
I felt those following behind me falling further back.
When I finally arrived in Carencia, when I set foot upon the mountain, when I tethered my horse to a tree and sat beside Hayden.
Only then did I feel true rest.
Only then did victory become real.
The knights who’d followed took their positions quietly at the forest’s edge, holding their breath. I savored every moment of it.
The instant I encountered Roana, who’d come searching for Hayden, was uniquely vivid and burning.
“Cherez…?”
Her eyes widened in shock, and they sparkled with such brilliance. Roana’s radiance outshone the very sunlight.
In that moment, I couldn’t bring myself closer to her. I didn’t want the filth and grime clinging to me to transfer to her.
Roana was sunlight itself to me.
“Roana. I’m sorry I’m late.”
Even as I spoke in that heavy voice, it didn’t feel real.
That Roana stood before me.
“This can’t be… this can’t be real….”
Roana’s jaw trembled, and transparent tears fell one by one.
“It shouldn’t be possible….”
Roana reached out, breathing heavily. Her dilated pupils and slightly parted lips laid bare her bewilderment.
I grasped her hand as it fumbled through the air. I felt her warmth—and she felt mine too.
“You’re real, you’re really… you were alive? You really came back?”
Roana staggered. I caught her firmly as she nearly collapsed forward. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she spoke in fragments.
I exhaled slowly and steadied her. I gently brushed back her disheveled hair.
“Yes, I’m sorry for being so late. From now on, I promise I’ll never leave your side.”
That was when it happened.
[So that woman is what you desire.]
My vision blurred with violet light, and a ragged voice echoed through my mind.
The Demon King. Cherez’s eyes turned cold and sharp. Was this what they meant when they said there was a demon within him as well?
Without realizing it, Cherez tightened his grip on Roana’s hand.
[Your desire is fixed upon that woman. Yes, a beautiful and noble soul.]
Cherez whispered inwardly.
‘Shut up.’
Veins bulged at his temples.
[That woman has family. She has a place to return to. Shouldn’t you let her go?]
‘Shut up, I said shut up!’
[Yes, if you want to possess her, then possess her. Isn’t your greed more important than her life? Keep holding her like this, realize your desire, Cherez Bereidan. Expose your true nature.]
Violet light seeped into the corners of Cherez’s eyes.
[Confine that woman, keep her from going anywhere. She might escape, wouldn’t she? Then you’d be alone again, wouldn’t you?]
Cherez took a step toward Roana. The demon seemed to be scrambling his thoughts. Roana, held in his grip, let out a small whimper.
“Ah….”
Roana was biting her lip hard, about to say something, when—
Hayden made her realize that they were not alone in this place.
“Our Roana, nooooo!”
Hayden, his face flushed with anger, wedged himself between Roana and Cherez. Having forced his way in, he clung tightly to Roana’s legs and spoke to Cherez with a toad-like expression.
“Get away! Roana, I told you not to talk to strangers! Not to Atang either! Not to Carame!”
Hayden’s shrieks caused Cherez to step back.
“No, Hayden, this person is….”
“A stranger! A bad person! Mister!”
Hayden’s eyes widened. Then he glared at the face that resembled his own.
“Mister, go home!”
Roana laughed awkwardly.
“Not mister, uncle. Hayden, didn’t I tell you? You should be kind to people….”
“No! Mister! Go home, I said, go hooooome!”
Hayden stomped his feet and burst into tears. The four-year-old, just beginning his toddler tantrum phase, could not accept Cherez’s presence.
Roana, flustered, scooped Hayden up into her arms. Hayden, who had been crying pitifully, clung tightly to Roana.
“My Roana! Mister, go away!”
Hayden scattered his tears. Truly, it was a reunion drenched in tears.
* * *
It was a reunion full of tears.
Yureain wept openly, Dorpin’s eyes reddened, and Robin and Mila quietly wiped away their tears.
‘If only he were alive, if only he could say he was alive! How much the Duchess has suffered!’
‘I would have said something if I could have, Mila. But has a rumor spread that I died?’
‘Yes. Everyone already believes the Duke fell in battle.’
Cherez’s expression turned cold and rigid.
‘Who dared to spread word of what happened on the Battlefield?’
If that were true, it meant a spy had infiltrated the Knight Order. Cherez’s mood was anything but pleasant.
‘I cannot say for certain, but we have remained here throughout. We could only rely on rumors.’
‘So you believed I was dead?’
‘Yes, that is correct, sir.’
In any case, they decided to settle their grievances later. Cherez and the Knights would rest for now—the accumulated stories and future plans could wait until tomorrow. What they needed was nourishing food and sufficient rest.
The problem was.
Hwa-ah.
Cherez emerged from his bath. He swept back his damp hair, revealing eyes that were slightly reddened beneath.
The moment our eyes met, I bolted upright. The real problem was that I would be sharing a chamber with Cherez.
“I should go check if dinner is ready outside!”
I cried out in a voice that cracked embarrassingly, then spun around and hurried out, closing the door behind me.
I must be losing my mind. I swallowed hard. Had he been training intensively on the Battlefield?
His body was nothing but lean muscle beneath a loose shirt and trousers, and….
And somehow he looked even more handsome than before…?

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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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