The Husband I Thought Was Dead Has Returned - Chapter 28

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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 028
Hayden had fallen asleep long ago, yet sleep eluded me. I thought perhaps reading a book might help, so I made my way to the library. The Bereidan Mansion’s library held an impressive collection of books, befitting a duchy.
Light seeped through the crack in the door. At this hour?
I carefully opened the door. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and Cherez sat at the desk by the window. Two candles—one already half-melted.
Still working at this hour.
I gently pushed the door open, but the hinges creaked. Cherez looked up.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Cherez set down his quill pen.
“Can’t sleep, it seems. Come in.”
I glanced at Cherez and headed toward the bookshelves. Scanning the spines, I pulled out a volume titled “The Southern Region: Past, Present, and Future.”
It was somewhat dry, but it seemed adequate as an informational text. If I were ever to leave this place and build a new life, I would need to gather as much knowledge as possible.
Rather than go north to Hejest, it seemed better to continue living in the Southern Region.
I sat across from Cherez with the book in hand. He didn’t seem particularly aware of my presence.
Only I was bothered by it.
He was far too handsome to ignore.
Soon, silence settled over us. Only the crackling of wood in the fireplace and the soft scratch of Cherez’s quill against paper filled the quiet library.
The wind outside could be heard occasionally. The Southern Region’s wind was not sharp—it felt like a gentle hand brushing through leaves. The season was turning mild, which made it feel even softer.
Even the wind sounds from outside felt soothing.
It was strangely comforting.
I turned the page. The name “Carencia” caught my eye among the small towns along the Southern Coastline.
It was a small port city with a population of roughly three thousand. Fishing and salt trade were the primary livelihoods, and prices were relatively low. The settlement of outsiders was not uncommon, and small-scale farming also took place. It was worth noting.
A place like this would be perfect to live without drawing anyone’s attention. My past as the daughter of Hejest and as a Duchess was far too conspicuous.
I wanted to hide my identity as much as possible and live quietly.
“Carencia?”
“Yes.”
I looked up in surprise.
“It’s a fine city. Mountains and sea both touch its borders.”
“…You were watching?”
Cherez gave a light shrug. He had been standing behind me, but now he returned to his seat across from me.
“You didn’t answer when I called, so I thought you’d fallen asleep.”
I shook my head slightly. Contrary to expectations, sleep still hadn’t come. Cherez interlaced his fingers and rested them on the desk.
His neatly arranged fingers drew my gaze without reason.
I was stealing glances at Cherez over my book when he spoke.
“When my Elder Brother was on the battlefield, I spent many nights alone in this library.”
Cherez’s voice was low and calm. Like a grandmother telling an old story. But unlike a grandmother’s fairy tale, this would not have a happy ending.
Cherez spoke of his past matter-of-factly.
“After my Elder Brother left, I inherited this position. In the mornings, documents would be piled up, and in the evenings, I would meet with vassals for conferences. I thought at least the nights would show an end, but when I sat down, more documents would be waiting.”
Cherez laughed bitterly.
“Tormented without rest, whenever I glimpsed the sky for a moment, I would think: my Elder Brother was bearing all of this burden alone.”
So that’s what he had thought.
In this moment, I could see the Cherez of that bygone era reflected in him.
“While I lived as I pleased, Elder Brother may have been slowly dying alone in this vast Mansion.”
Hearing it directly from his own lips carried a weight entirely different from what I had imagined.
My time and Cherez’s time had been so vastly different.
I could not fathom the entirety of his life, yet his suffering seemed somehow comprehensible to me.
“Sometimes I see traces of Elder Brother in this Library. There’s a book he left unfinished on the third shelf of the bookcase, with a memo tucked between its pages. Whenever I see it, I wonder how Elder Brother would have decided. Whether I’m right, whether I’m doing well. But there’s no one to give me an answer.”
That book still lay in that exact state. Its meaning required no explanation.
“…Are things better now?”
I asked carefully. It was certain that he was opening his heart to me now. The usual Cherez never spoke of such things.
Was this the magic that night weaves?
The changes Cherez showed me were both beautiful and terrifying. Even knowing I should not give him my deep affection, I found myself troubled by his slumped shoulders.
I wanted to comfort him.
“…Now, I feel as though I’m not alone anymore.”
The world stopped.
Only Cherez’s voice remained.
If I gave my heart here, only I would shatter. Offering my affection to Cherez was truly, truly a dangerous choice.
He may know nothing, but I know so much, do I not? And yet, knowing the danger, I—
“…I’m glad. I feel the same way.”
Cherez gazed at me.
“I was able to find courage because I’m not alone, Cherez. Because you’re here.”
I bit my lip gently.
“I’m not afraid of Mother anymore.”
Did Cherez understand what that meant? That Roana had overcome the fear she had carried since before birth. Cherez smiled faintly.
The awkwardness that had lingered between us seemed to dissolve, and the distance between us narrowed.

* * *
We remained in the Library for about another hour after that.
We spoke very little. Cherez returned his focus to his documents, while I pretended to read a book whose words refused to register.
Yet strangely, it was not uncomfortable. His words lingered in the air, pressing down upon my heart with a heavy weight.
Cherez rose first.
“It’s late. Rest now, Roana. I should head to my Study.”
I nodded.
“I’ll just look at this before you go.”
After Cherez left, I remained alone.
The fire in the Fireplace had burned down to glowing red embers, the logs nearly consumed. I sat gazing at that firelight for a long while.
The book no longer mattered. The conversation I had shared with Cherez would not fade from my mind.
Cherez seemed so solitary. He had become the master of this vast Mansion alone, lighting the Library each night to wrestle with documents, and now he sat across from me.
I could see him pacing before the bookcase, remembering his Elder Brother.
Perhaps tonight was the most dangerous night I had faced since arriving at this Mansion.

* * *
A fortnight dissolved in the blink of an eye.
In that span, I had orchestrated countless preparations. The time had been remarkably brief, yet I had fortified my defenses against Hayden thoroughly, ensuring that the Duchess and he would cross paths as infrequently as possible.
Everything was ready.
I stood before the mirror, examining myself in the gown Yureain had selected. The navy dress bore the crest of the Bereidan Family, a brooch that caught the eye with understated elegance—refined without ostentation, befitting the dignity of a duchess.
According to Yureain, my appearance today suggested I had been born to the role of Duchess of Bereidan.
I checked my hair one final time, each strand secured in its careful arrangement.
The woman in the mirror bore little resemblance to who I had been upon first possessing this body. My cheeks had filled, my complexion had regained its vitality, and my eyes now gleamed with life. I was utterly transformed from that starving woman who had been forced into a carriage.
How would the Duchess of Hejest perceive this metamorphosis? Perhaps she would regard me as a beast freed from its chains.
“Are you prepared, madam?”
Yureain asked.
“Yes, I believe so.”
“They say she will arrive shortly.”
I glanced at the mirror once more, straightening my spine and lifting my chin with quiet resolve.
I am the Duchess of Bereidan now. I whispered this truth to myself like an incantation.

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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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