The Husband I Thought Was Dead Has Returned - Chapter 115

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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 115
Upon his return to the Lord’s Castle, Cherez’s first act was to summon every noble residing in the Southern Region to the Banquet Hall.
No one could refuse the summons of the Duke who had returned.
Cherez swept his crimson gaze across the hall.
“Is everyone seated?”
“Yes, Your Grace. Though some are running late.”
Countess Caslit spoke first. Cherez glanced at her and replied in a languid tone.
“In ten minutes, I will lock the hall doors. Any who fail to arrive will have their names struck from the nobility registry.”
Everyone murmured at his words, yet none dared speak back to the lord of the Southern Region. Cherez, returned from the battlefield, emanated an aura far sharper and more terrifying than before.
Countess Caslit, who had been keeping her head bowed, trembled violently. She stared down at the patterns on the floor.
The Banquet Hall was vast. Before the war, it had hosted balls and feasts. Now, all the candles in the chandeliers were extinguished, and dust settled upon the marble floor. Because of this, every sound echoed.
The glory of this place still belonged to Cherez alone.
Only Cherez and Roana sat upon the dais. Cherez smiled only when Roana spoke to him. Roana sat as though she had always belonged in that place, adorned in the formal robes of the Duchess, flaunting her victory.
‘A filthy traitor. A filthy thing that drank the blood of her own kin and survived.’
Countess Caslit chewed over the thought.
Ten minutes later, the doors closed as Cherez had promised. Sharp-eyed Knights locked them firmly. The late nobles pounded on the doors and cried out. Most of them were Countess Caslit’s people.
They had been delayed by their own arrogance and pretense.
“Confiscate their names from the registry. If they refuse, you may execute them.”
Cherez spoke coldly. Countess Caslit clenched her fists.
Then it came. Cherez’s command.
“Bring him in.”
Dorpin and Mila dragged a man inside and threw him to the floor.
The man, sprawled on the ground, groaned and pushed himself up. He lifted his head. His face was covered in blood, his forehead split open.
The crowd murmured again. Cherez’s next command followed.
“Testify.”
At those words, Bart swallowed hard. The Banquet Hall fell silent. Bart opened his mouth with a terrified expression.
“C-Countess Caslit paid me to assassinate Your Grace the Duke. She ordered it. Multiple assassins were deployed, not just me.”
The Banquet Hall erupted in whispers. Dozens of eyes fixed upon Countess Caslit.
Countess Caslit’s expression froze.
“It was Countess Caslit. That woman gave the order.”
The man mumbled with his face pressed to the floor. His shoulders shook pitifully.
‘Ha.’
So this was the Duke’s gambit. How crude and trivial.
Countess Caslit stepped forward.
“Your Grace the Duke.”
Countess Caslit’s unwavering voice rang through the Banquet Hall.
“I do not know who this man is, but surely Your Grace understands that the testimony of someone whose identity cannot be proven proves nothing. I deny his testimony entirely. I have never seen this man, nor have I given him any money. This is all a false accusation.”
Countess Caslit was not the sort to crumble in such circumstances. She was the woman who had wielded the Liansherus Society and manipulated the shadows of the Southern Region.
Cherez laughed softly. This had merely been a small trap from the beginning. An amusement, even.
That laughter scraped across the floor of the Banquet Hall.
“True, I’ll concede that. We cannot punish the Countess Caslit based on such a man’s testimony alone.”
The Countess Caslit’s expression hardened.
“However, an investigation is certainly warranted. She attempted to take my life, after all. Countess Caslit, refrain from any actions until the investigation concludes.”
Cherez gestured. Knights approached the Countess Caslit.
“Do not leave your quarters, meet with no one, and cooperate fully with the investigation. Sir Borgus.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“You shall oversee all of this.”
Borgus’s eyes gleamed a piercing blue. It was effective confinement. Moreover, she had fallen into the hands of her sworn enemy.
The Countess Caslit’s lips trembled slightly.
“Escort the Countess to her quarters.”
Cherez commanded the knights.
The Countess Caslit lifted her gaze and fixed it upon Cherez. Their eyes met in the empty space between them.
Cherez smiled coldly. That smooth smile seemed to hollow out her very soul.
“I wish you good fortune.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
The Countess Caslit grasped her skirts and turned away. She never crumbled, not once.

* * *
A week had passed since Roana departed and Ryukan arrived at the Black Market.
No one had come in all that time. Sena had departed with the others, heading toward the Duke’s Castle.
The quarters seized from Sesef had now become mine. Lavish as they were, this place was nothing but a sandcastle built by force. Anyone could covet my position.
In a realm governed by strength, such was the way.
I had to maintain the pretense of being whole. The Duke’s return meant discussions were underway to relocate the Black Market’s operations to somewhere more concealed. People wanted to burrow deeper into the shadows.
I had to make all those decisions.
‘I need someone who can provide me with quality information, Ryukan. I hope you’ll take on that role.’
I recalled the soft touch patting my shoulder. It was Roana.
‘There is another way. You could confess the crimes you’ve committed and report them to His Grace the Duke. After that, you’d be beheaded.’
It was a fitting punishment for impersonating nobility. Moreover, hadn’t I even violated the rights of the Bereidan Household? My heart clenched as I gasped for breath.
“Anyone, please come. I beg you.”
Why wasn’t anyone coming?
If I died here, it would be a dog’s death. My legs trembled uncontrollably. Whenever someone sought me out, I pretended to be fine.
“Master. More men wish to join the next chapter. They all wish to offer their wealth. Will you meet with them?”
I cleared my throat.
‘A con artist should act like a con artist. Deceiving people is your specialty, after all.’
Roana’s cold voice clung to my ears. I puffed out my chest.
“Hmph. Tell them to come. They’ll have to surrender everything they have.”
I spoke boldly. As afternoon gave way to evening, drinking bouts commenced. For those in the underworld, indulgence and drinking were a way of life, day and night.
I remained alone in the Master’s chamber. With a pallid face, I gazed out the window, then rested my head against the glass.
Tears threatened to spill. I was not such a remarkable person. I even missed the taciturn Dorpin. My mouth moved like a gasping fish.
At the sound of footsteps, I straightened myself and turned my head, feigning composure once more.
“Who is it?”
The figure that emerged before my tense gaze was….
“D-Dorpin….”
Ryukan’s eyes filled with tears.
“Dorpin… I missed you so much!”
A week’s worth of accumulated emotions burst forth all at once. Fear and loneliness, and every complex feeling intertwined. Each time the thought crossed my mind that I might die here, the fear only deepened further.
Dorpin let out a hollow laugh as he watched Ryukan cling to him tightly, weeping uncontrollably.

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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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