The Husband I Thought Was Dead Has Returned - Chapter 16

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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 016
Cherez regarded Chloe with a cool, piercing gaze as she suddenly pressed herself against his side without warning.
Borgus, who had occupied that seat moments before, now stood displaced, wearing an expression of utter bewilderment.
In mere days, Borgus’s complexion had grown ashen. He stared irritably at the catastrophe he himself had unleashed.
Chloe bounced on her feet, resting her chin against her hand as she spoke in a buoyant voice.
“Cherez, isn’t this mansion terribly dreary? Should I redecorate it a bit?”
“No.”
Cherez redirected his gaze to the documents before him as he spoke. Pointless words, as expected. Chloe had no authority to make such decisions in the first place.
“Why not! If I do it, it’ll become absolutely beautiful…!”
“No.”
“Just some bright fabrics and ribbons would transform everything completely. Starting from the Lobby… I’ll give special attention to your chamber, Cherez.”
“No.”
Cherez repeated the same word flatly. At this point, speaking to a wall would have been more productive.
Yet Chloe had already retreated into her own world.
“We could change those old curtains, replace the sofa covers, and if we place artificial flowers above the fireplace, the atmosphere would truly be….”
“Chloe. I said no.”
Despite being rejected outright, Chloe refused to relent.
She pursued Cherez throughout his meeting preparations and journey to the Coastal Knight Order, even standing beside him while he discussed troop deployments with the commander, swishing her skirts all the while.
As Cherez reviewed weapon inventory with the commander, she stood at his side asking,
“Cherez, would ivory or pale pink be better for the curtains?”
She prattled on relentlessly.
Finally, Cherez asked quietly from within the carriage.
His expression betrayed utter exhaustion with her antics.
“How much do you need.”
“I knew you’d trust me, Cherez! A harmonious home atmosphere is so important. They say a comfortable house leads to better work performance. Roana simply has no sense for these things! Trust only me!”
Rather than willingly giving her money, it would be more accurate to say he paid her to go away.
At that moment, Cherez had no inkling of the pink tide that would inundate the mansion the very next day.

* * *
The real problem erupted the following morning.
The moment I opened my eyes and stepped into the corridor, it was awash in pink.
“…?”
Pink ribbons were wound around every pillar. From the chandelier descending from the ceiling, pink satin fabric cascaded downward. Along the staircase railing, ribbons coiled like serpents, and even the suit of armor at the corridor’s end had been adorned with bows.
According to Yureain, it was armor that had belonged to a household head from five generations past—he had worn it into battle against monsters and achieved a resounding victory.
The household head had perished from wounds sustained in that very battle, but the armor had been carefully restored and preserved.
Yureain had spoken of it with considerable pride.
A pink ribbon now sat bashfully atop the majestic helmet of that armor. The suit seemed to be weeping.
Before it stood Yureain, her face drained of all color, a pink ribbon clutched in her trembling hand. Her expression was that of someone who had just received a death sentence.
I approached her cautiously.
“Yureain.”
“…The moment morning came, people brought by Chloe descended upon the place….”
Yureain released a long, weary sigh.
“The Duke apparently gave his permission.”
“What about Cherez?”
“He left early this morning. He’s gone to the Knight Order, so he won’t return until afternoon.”
As she spoke, Yureain’s eyes were utterly lifeless.
“…I promise you, I will resolve this. I give you my word.”
I removed the ribbon from the armor and pressed it into Yureain’s hand, nodding firmly.
Yureain nodded back, her expression grim. Chloe was a disaster in every conceivable way.

* * *
It was late afternoon when Cherez finally returned. Hayden had already been playing with the ribbon for quite some time.
Chloe, who had left the house in this state, announced that she was exhausted from all the hard work and needed to leave early, then departed.
Cherez came to a halt as he entered the Lobby. He stared at the brilliant pink curtains for about three seconds before turning his gaze toward me. I had no idea how to describe that expression.
“I was told this was something you authorized, sir.”
“…This is not something I approved.”
I could see the veins bulging at Cherez’s temples. He took a deep breath.
Behind him stood Borgus, looking positively ashen. Yes, there was no way to remain composed after witnessing this.
Borgus opened his mouth, then promptly closed it again.
I watched as he squeezed his eyes shut.
While I was observing Borgus’s reaction, Cherez reached a decision.
“…I’ll handle it. It would be best to burn those eyesores.”
“No, please allow me to do it. I only waited because I was told you had authorized it. May I take care of the cleanup myself?”
“Please do so.”
Cherez pressed his forehead and spoke. Veins stood out on the back of his hand as he pressed firmly against his brow. I could see Borgus nodding vigorously.
He looked like a man drowning in regret.
This was precisely what one deserved for their own actions.
It seemed as though Borgus would soon ask for Chloe to be cast out. I was waiting for that moment.
Of course, having no intention of tolerating this state of affairs for long, I immediately summoned Yureain and the Maids to begin restoration work.
I watched as Yureain gritted her teeth and carefully scraped away the adhesive stuck to the armor to restore the dignity and majesty of the Bereidan Duchy.
The butterfly effect unleashed by Chloe began to sweep through the Mansion.

* * *
Of course, Chloe could not have accepted the situation so easily. When she arrived at work that morning and saw the Mansion restored to its original state, she was appalled.
“Who dared to touch my masterpiece?!”
Chloe’s shriek echoed throughout the entire first floor, and thanks to that, Hayden woke from his morning sleep earlier than intended.
“Waaaaaah!”
Hayden’s cries and Chloe’s shrieks overlapped in a cacophony.
Chloe rushed toward me with the speed of a charging beast. Then, right in front of me as I tried to soothe the crying Hayden, she began to rage.
“Did the Duchess clean this up?! Do you know how much effort I put into this?!”
“Chloe, Hayden is crying. Please lower your voice.”
“That’s not the point!”
It was impossible to calm the thoroughly agitated Chloe. Hayden, whose tears had just subsided, began crying again at the sound of her shrill voice.
I exhaled a long sigh. I had already anticipated this might happen and taken precautions.
No matter how wild a filly Chloe was, she still had parents.
I had hastily sent word to House of Maleight.
When I had asked Yureain about Countess Malate, she had described her as “a very proper, upright, and principled woman.” She had also added that Countess Malate was one of the few people who could actually manage Chloe.
In Yureain’s hands at that moment had been a bottle of adhesive remover.
Fortunately, Countess Malate arrived by carriage in less than an hour.
Chloe had squealed like an angry pig for that entire hour.
It was around the time Hayden had cried himself to sleep from exhaustion.
The moment Countess Malate spotted her daughter shouting at me, her expression froze completely.
Chloe, sensing her mother’s displeasure, closed her mouth slightly. I wished she would keep it shut.
“I offer my greetings. I oversee the Malate Estate. Please, call me Fiona for your comfort.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Fiona. I apologize for receiving you under such circumstances.”
“I must apologize for my daughter’s rudeness. I beg your forgiveness for the child’s immaturity.”
“Mother!”
Chloe turned her gaze toward her mother, her face flushed with indignation.
Countess Malate called to Chloe with measured composure.
“Chloe. Explain to me what you are doing right now. How dare you, why are you—”
Countess Malate spoke with a chill in her voice, each word deliberate.
“—shouting at the Duchess?”
It must have been difficult to infuse such restraint into her refined tone while containing such fury.
Chloe’s momentum crumbled.
“Oh, no, it’s just… I decorated the Mansion beautifully for Cherez…”
“We are leaving.”
“Mother!”
“Right now.”
Countess Malate seized Chloe’s arm and dragged her away. Even in doing so, she did not forget to bow respectfully to me.
Chloe looked wronged, but she could not overcome her mother. From Countess Malate’s retreating figure, I could sense decades of accumulated patience and exhaustion simultaneously.
Perhaps Countess Malate was the strongest person in the entire Southern Region.

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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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