The Husband I Thought Was Dead Has Returned - Chapter 118

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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 118
Was this what Anna had been trying to warn me about?
“Cherez.”
“Go.”
Cherez smiled softly.
‘They say he beheaded them with his own hands. I wonder if he’s stopped feeling any guilt about taking lives.’
Yureain’s words, spoken with a deep sigh, flickered through my mind.
Cherez had personally executed every sentence. The fear people harbored toward him accumulated layer upon layer with each passing day.
Cherez remained courteous toward me, composed and ascetic. Within the respect and consideration he showed me, traces of his former self persisted.
“Ah!”
As I stumbled forward, Cherez caught me. It was the fault of the high heels I hadn’t worn in ages—I swayed like a scarecrow buffeted by wind.
“Careful. Aren’t these heels too high?”
“Madame said they create a beautiful silhouette. She recommended them when we were fitting this dress. Every gown has its proper proportions, Cherez.”
At my words, Cherez clicked his tongue softly. His ruby-like eyes fell to my feet. The way he furrowed his brow was impossibly seductive. It was one of the changes that had emerged since Cherez’s eyes turned crimson.
How everything he did seemed to radiate such temptation.
The moment I tried to withdraw my hand, it was gripped firmly. The warmth of his large hand clasping mine was vividly apparent.
The second physical change Cherez had undergone was this:
His body temperature had risen. His heat sometimes felt as though it might consume me entirely.
Once I became aware of it, everything connected like puzzle pieces.
“Don’t say such pointless things.”
Cherez knelt before me.
“Wait, Cherez!”
He reached out and grasped my calf. My leg, wrapped in white stockings, was exposed beneath the lifted hem of my dress. His hand holding my calf was equally warm.
I pressed my shoulder against his to steady myself as I leaned forward. Looking around, I noticed the servants watching us with startled eyes.
“Cherez, people are watching. What are you doing right now!”
Without thinking, I whispered urgently and gripped his shoulder tightly.
Cherez exhaled and looked up at me with a wry expression.
Another way Cherez had changed:
He acted on his desires without hesitation. Cherez seized my ankle and removed the heel from my foot.
“Cherez…!”
“Wait. At least they should be wearable. At this rate, they’d serve better as a weapon.”
Cherez clicked his tongue and examined the shoe.
When he bent the heel sharply, I caught my breath involuntarily.
How much did those cost? I think I’d spent a considerable sum purchasing them for our first event since his return.
I could almost hear Madame’s cry of anguish as she delivered her speech about the value of this dress and these shoes.
After holding the shoe for a while, Cherez slipped it back onto my foot. My foot, resting in his hand, looked as small as a toy.
Cherez whispered to me.
“The other foot.”
“I think it’s fine now…”
“Roana.”
Cherez’s eyes crinkled as he laughed, though I could tell his heart wasn’t in it.
“I want to remove that dress too.”
“Cherez!”
My entire face flushed crimson. Of course, he didn’t mean it that way—but still…!
“You said the dress and shoes are a matching set.”
I exhaled deeply and extended my other foot toward him.
After fiddling with my shoe for some time, he finally slipped it back onto my foot, and only then could I move again.
Cherez drew my hand and placed it upon his arm, so I could walk while leaning on him for support.
I found myself breathing heavily. My head spun from the sudden turn of events.
Another change in Cherez.
He no longer conceals his emotions and thoughts—not even before others’ eyes.

* * *
The brilliant light of the Banquet Hall flickered and danced.
All eyes converged upon Roana and Cherez. The stark contrast between his daytime and nighttime demeanor left everyone struggling to comprehend.
“…I heard that today’s trial determined how many will be executed tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow as well? What about those who died today?”
“…Tsk, that’s the thing. Thieves caught trying to steal and sell heirlooms from the Bereidan Household—how easily do you think such stolen goods move?”
Those conversing exhaled deeply.
It was Roana who commanded the light, airy, and gentle atmosphere of the Banquet Hall. Even Cherez, whose sharp gaze had pierced through people moments before, now smiled softly and without edge in her presence.
It was only natural that people’s attention gravitated toward Roana.
Just as it was inevitable they would gather near a warm hearth to escape the cutting, icy storm of his gaze.
“…It seems the saying that the Bereidan Household’s power now centers upon the Duchess is not without truth.”
“If she bears a child soon…”
Roana had recently surged to become the hottest topic in Bereidan.
It was an open secret that invitations to tonight’s banquet had been traded for exorbitant sums behind the scenes.
Count Sirion had somehow obtained an invitation and was in attendance. As people watched him move toward Roana, they fell silent as clams.

* * *
I had arranged this gathering to demonstrate to everyone that Cherez and I were alive and well, while simultaneously serving as a warning to the ambitious nobles of the Southern Region. I was already aware that backroom dealings had occurred for the privilege of attending.
And one of my purposes in hosting this banquet.
I had publicly excluded Count Sirion, yet secretly sold him an invitation myself—a transaction conducted entirely behind the scenes.
It was an excellent opportunity to instill desperation in Count Sirion while simultaneously filling my coffers. The Southern Region was now completely sealed off.
The Liansherus Society had been dismantled, and Countess Caslit had been confined—a situation that would leave Count Sirion frantic with anxiety. Moreover, I had deliberately refused his requests for an audience.
All for this moment.
It was I who had lured Count Sirion to me.
I gauged the distance between Cherez and myself—far enough that he could still rescue me should anything go wrong.
Yet close enough for me to conduct a private conversation with Count Sirion away from his watchful gaze.
“What an honor to meet you at last, Duchess of Bereidan. I see traces of your childhood beauty remain. I am delighted to hear you have been in good health. The Duchess of Hejest must be equally pleased.”
“My mother?”
Count Sirion nodded at my words.
“Of course! Surely the Duchess of Hejest would be…!”
“I doubt that very much. You would know better than anyone, Count.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand your meaning.”
I glanced around the room. It was filled entirely with my allies.
The fact that Count Sirion had appeared here meant he was desperate to save his own life by any means necessary. Cherez’s reign of terror had certainly backed him into a corner.
I smiled at Count Sirion, my eyes narrowing with amusement.
Countess Caslit had remained silent. She denied all accusations and maintained her innocence. But Count Sirion wouldn’t know that.
Moreover, I could see how the oppressive atmosphere of this place weighed upon Count Sirion’s rounded shoulders.
“Surely my mother wouldn’t have sent you here without reason.”
Count Sirion’s expression crumbled.
“You came to kill me, to kill Hayden, and to seize the rights of the Bereidan Family.”
“That’s impossible…!”
“Count. This morning, I met with Countess Caslit before coming here. What do you think she told me?”
I watched as the color drained from Count Sirion’s face.
This was what it meant to hold a hostage—the ability to seize yet another.

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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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