The Husband I Thought Was Dead Has Returned - Chapter 15

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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 015
I let out a hollow laugh. Cherez didn’t strike me as the type to make exceptions for anyone.
“I’m an old friend of Cherez’s. Very different from Roana.”
Now she was casually using my name. Were we really that close? I certainly didn’t think so.
There was something unsettling about her—a faint whiff of psychopathy.
“When we were young, it was truly wonderful. I used to call Cherez ‘Ces.’ What an adorable child he was.”
Her expression was dreamy, as if she were simply spilling out whatever came to mind without any filter or deeper thought. She seemed to live entirely in her own world.
The kind of person who existed only within their own reality.
What on earth was Cherez thinking, sending such a woman to me?
Was it revenge against Hejest? Or perhaps a reminder to always remain vigilant?
I was contemplating this seriously when—
Chloe continued her incessant prattling.
“And Cherez called me El. His voice was so tender when he said it. We were truly good friends, after all. Of course, we still are. And we always will be. That’s precisely why I’m so special.”
El?
Did she just say El?
In that instant, it felt as though my head had been struck by a hammer.
The original work contained all manner of villains. One of them was a woman named El.
She claimed to have a special relationship with Cherez, and she hurled sharp accusations at Hayden.
She sent letters, visited uninvited—
“‘You’re the reason Cherez died. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have lost my dear friend Cherez! Oh, my love, I’m so devastated I feel I might die. I can still hear Cherez calling my name so vividly.'”
I recalled how she’d dragged her own husband into her tantrums and played the role of mother-in-law to the female protagonist with nauseating zeal. That deranged woman—’Lady El’—was Chloe? No. No way.
Why hadn’t anyone told me?!
If I’d known, I would have avoided her at all costs! This was a landmine among landmines.
In the original work, I’d already deemed her utterly unhinged, and now I was stuck with her. Cherez, do you harbor ill will toward me?
The problem was that this Lady El character genuinely loved the Bereidan Family and cared for Cherez—in her own twisted way.
It was no coincidence that she carried the blood of the loyal Maleight line. There were even accounts of her supporting Cherez during the war when the Imperial Court had turned its back on him.
That made her an even more troublesome minor villain. In terms of difficulty to eliminate, she was practically a major threat!
“So Roana, you should listen carefully to what I say. I’d appreciate it if you devoted yourself entirely to caring for Hayden. And perhaps you should avoid napping so lazily. Eating too much isn’t becoming either. I noticed at the Ladies’ Gathering that you have a fondness for sweets. If you gain weight, wouldn’t that only damage the Bereidan Family’s reputation?”
She was doing to me exactly what she’d done to the female protagonist.
Good heavens. She’d been like this since childhood. I genuinely wondered who had given birth to and raised such a creature.
I hadn’t recognized her immediately because she’d taken the name Oyster Castle when she married Chloe.
“Oh, and another thing. You shouldn’t carry such heirlooms about carelessly. I shouldn’t have to tell you this—they’re precious items. It’s better to use them only in more appropriate settings. And do try to refine your temperament a bit. Speaking so disrespectfully of Countess Yotlrey was hardly dignified. I acknowledge that Diane was at fault, but she’s still a young lady.”
That woman was older than me.
“Those in elevated positions should know how to protect those beneath them. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Please, just stop talking.
I made a conscious decision to stop listening to Chloe’s nonsense. If I continued to hear such absurdities, I feared I might lose my mind entirely.
Tonight, I would absolutely demand answers. What possible intention could Cherez have had in foisting this deranged woman upon me?
What grievance was he harboring?

* * *
That evening.
I made a decision. I would not tolerate someone like Chloe anywhere near me. My life was already exhausting enough.
“Cherez. It’s about Chloe.”
“Hmm.”
Cherez’s brow furrowed immediately. So even this righteous man could make such an expression?
Cherez’s frown deepened slightly.
It seemed Cherez wasn’t particularly favorable toward Chloe either.
“…May I speak frankly?”
Cherez nodded.
“…Does she possess some exceptional quality to have been selected as the Duchess’s attendant? In terms of ability?”
I understood she was exceptionally unstable mentally, at least.
Cherez spoke with a sigh in his voice.
“What’s your honest impression from dealing with her directly? You may speak freely.”
“…At minimum, her abilities don’t seem particularly outstanding. I wondered if she was hired for some other purpose.”
Cherez regarded me with calm, settled eyes. That gaze felt like permission, so I voiced what had been weighing on my mind.
“Is it to monitor me?”
Cherez didn’t answer. So I hadn’t been wrong.
“…Then couldn’t you assign me a different monitor instead?”
At my words, Cherez let out a quiet laugh. He clearly understood what kind of person she was. I narrowed my eyes and studied him.
“Cherez?”
“Borgus seems to view Chloe as a sort of… gateway.”
A gateway?
“He believes that if you can endure Chloe, there’s no reason to doubt your character.”
I stared blankly at Cherez.
“To be more candid, he thinks you’d reveal your true nature in front of Chloe.”
So his aide, still displeased with me—a person of Hejest blood—had attached Chloe to me as a test. And it seemed Cherez agreed to some extent.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have placed her at my side from the beginning.
Why must they treat me this way?
Why are you like this to me?
“…I see.”
I knew there was no helping it. A true servant of Bereidan wouldn’t trust Hejest so easily.
So I would have to break through this problem in my own way.
“Could you tell me about the Maleight Family? What kind of person Countess Malate is, what she values, and how she treats her daughter?”
Cherez wiped the corner of his mouth with his hand. Laughter pooled in his eyes. I was going mad, but he seemed to find this amusing. Sigh.

* * *
Five days had passed since Chloe became my lady’s maid, and her presence grew more pronounced with each passing moment.
Chloe had begun to act on everything she desired.
Starting from this morning, Chloe sat on the reception room sofa consuming my refreshments when she suddenly spoke.
“Duchess, isn’t the interior decoration of this mansion far too dreary? It feels like the atmosphere of someone just returned from the battlefield. I do wish Cherez could rest in a more comfortable space. Wouldn’t it be lovely if it became a more charming environment?”
The interior decoration? I hadn’t noticed anything amiss about it. Yureain had been managing that aspect well. She had mentioned that Cherez found particular comfort in bronze wood tones.
I stared at Chloe in silence, and she seemed to interpret my quietness as consent.
“I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry—my aesthetic sense is quite exceptional. Oh, does it seem like I’m overworking myself? It’s fine. I consider this part of my duties. As the Duchess’s maid, such work is naturally expected of me.”
I wondered if others would share that sentiment. I had opened my mouth to stop Chloe but closed it again.
For now, I decided I needed to experience what kind of person Chloe truly was. That’s what Borgus and Cherez would say.
Only then would my future actions gain their proper justification.
I sipped my tea with an amused smile.
With Hayden asleep at this hour, the peace was truly unparalleled.
If the aesthetic sense Chloe spoke of was reflected in the dress she wore, I could already envision what would become of this mansion. I grew curious about just how destructive Chloe’s influence might be.
How far would she go?
The wickedly smiling face of Cherez suddenly came to mind.
Yes, one must experience it to truly understand. I spoke in a gentle voice.
“Chloe, you cannot use the family’s budget without Cherez’s permission.”
I had shifted the decision to Cherez. In truth, the interior decoration mattered little to me.
“Is that so? Then I’ll go ask Cherez! I’ll handle it myself, so don’t worry. Roana, I hope you’ll focus solely on Hayden.”
Chloe rose from her seat after finishing all the refreshments. Her temperament was remarkably hasty. The speed at which she transformed thought into action was truly astonishing.
The sound of her footsteps in the corridor grew increasingly distant.
A satisfied sigh escaped me as I sipped my tea. I nodded to myself with a pleased smile.

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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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