The Husband I Thought Was Dead Has Returned - Chapter 44

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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 044
Unfortunately, Linnen’s tongue did not return.
The Physician shook his head. The poison had killed the muscles in her tongue, he said. She would never be able to speak again. She would have to live her entire life this way.
For a week after learning this fact, Linnen had not left her room and only wept.
Only Yureain visited her. She went back and forth to the guest room where Linnen stayed several times a day. Even now, she did. Yureain gently patted Linnen’s back.
“The Duchess said she would send a letter. Is there anything you wish to convey?”
Yureain placed a quill in Linnen’s hand. Linnen stared blankly at the paper.
“Your family will worry, Young Lady Linnen. Even if you cannot speak, you can still write, can’t you?”
At the word “family,” Linnen’s trembling hand rose as she grasped the pen and began to write on the paper.
[I’m scared.]
Yureain gazed at Linnen with pity.
“Of course you must be frightened.”
I didn’t know what to do. The wings of a child who should return to her family’s embrace had been broken.
“I will summon your family.”
Linnen hesitated, then buried her nose and scribbled letters. She unfolded what she had written and showed it.
[When can they come? I want to see them right now. As soon as possible.]
Yureain nodded. It still felt sinful to meet the gaze of Linnen’s swollen eyes.

* * *
That night.
Lately, fever had bloomed across Hayden’s face. His complexion flushed and mottled, Hayden breathed heavily with his small fists clenched.
My heart sank at the sight of the small face flushed with fever.
“How is he?”
Others were also unable to sleep. Cherez asked in an anxious voice.
The Physician examining Hayden let out a soft sigh. Then he smiled faintly.
“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be anything serious. Children at this age often develop fevers for no particular reason. As long as the fever subsides safely, it should be fine.”
I bit my nails slightly. It seemed like a rash fever, after all. At times like this, children could sometimes have febrile seizures. I had heard that was quite dangerous.
My nephews had also had febrile seizures, and fortunately they had recovered safely. The cheek I had been struck for not properly watching them then seemed to throb now.
“Is there a way to bring the fever down quickly?”
The Physician’s gaze turned toward me.
“I will give him a fever-reducing medicine now. Please continue to wipe his body with a cloth dampened in lukewarm water. Fortunately, he is not at a dangerous level at the moment.”
I swallowed hard. The Physician glanced at the clock and pushed his glasses up. Then he yawned slightly, looking tired, and added:
“It is midnight now, and I will give him this fever-reducing medicine with the blue lid. If the fever does not subside, give him one spoonful of the red-lidded one around two in the morning.”
“So you alternate between them.”
“That’s correct. Fortunately, you seem to know this.”
I nodded slightly. Fever-reducing medicine was practically a staple medicine in households raising children. Still, since he said it wasn’t at a dangerous level.
“I will stay by his side.”
I shook my head at Yureain’s words.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep anyway. I’ll be here with him.”
“I’ll be right here too.”
Yureain hesitated before speaking.
“The night seems long for me as well. I’ll stay with you.”
And so the three of us remained—with the medicine the Physician had prescribed, a basin of lukewarm water, and handkerchiefs.

* * *
The Physician, who had left yawning repeatedly with an exhausted expression, appeared without fail at 2 a.m.
“You didn’t sleep?”
Cherez asked, leaning back in his chair.
“I haven’t completed my duties yet. How could I sleep? Now, let’s try this new medicine, and I’ll return in two hours.”
He insisted on administering it himself. He seemed to have a somewhat tsundere quality about him.
“…Your name is?”
I asked in a hoarse voice.
“Robin. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Robin let out a long yawn and disappeared with a listless expression.
Robin? Where had I heard that name before? I swallowed hard.
That name was also very familiar. Robin was one of the people who had worked at the Bereidan Household for a long time.
And even after Hayden regained his authority, Robin had continued to assist him for years. To meet Robin here, like this.
If it’s Robin, he’s trustworthy. Though his manner of speech was a bit rough, he was someone who would never neglect his responsibilities.
I stared intently at the empty space where Robin had been, when Cherez spoke to me.
“Did Robin do something wrong?”
“Ah.”
I turned to look at Cherez, then shook my head slightly. It was just that every time I met a character from the novel, I found it a bit strange.
I should be used to it by now.
“It’s nothing. I think I’m just tired.”
“Then go and rest. You too, Yureain.”
“No.”
“No.”
Yureain and I answered together. Then, covering our mouths, we laughed silently.
Cherez chuckled and rolled his shoulders, loosening his stiff body.
He rose fluidly and brushed his hand across Hayden’s forehead to check his temperature.
“…Tsk. It won’t come down easily.”
“They say this is part of growing up.”
“If Elder Brother were here, what would he have done?”
Cherez spoke in a low voice.
“I wonder. Is the child sick because I’m lacking?”
Cherez murmured. It seemed less like a question seeking an answer and more like mere muttering to himself.
My eyes met Yureain’s. Her expression was also bitter.
“…No. It would have been the same. Raising a child for the first time is the same for everyone. I think Cherez is doing very well right now.”
Cherez turned his gaze toward me. I was reflected in his sunken eyes. He looked utterly haggard. He fidgeted with his hair as he spoke.
“Children can tell when someone dislikes them. They’re that sensitive to emotions. But Hayden likes you very much, Cherez.”
“…From where I stand, it seems you care for him far more than you do for yourself.”
“Well, that’s inevitable. The one who feeds you naturally becomes the favorite. Children that age are hardly different from puppies, or so I’ve heard.”
Cherez let out a low chuckle.
“Still, Hayden clearly adores you. That alone means you’re doing more than enough.”
Cherez turned his gaze back to Hayden, then gently stroked the boy’s hair.
While caring for my nephews, there were things I longed to hear. This was my first time raising a child, and doubt and fear had been my constant companions. What if my presence somehow corrupted the boy?
What if my mistakes left deep scars upon him? Was I doing this right? Could I truly be called a good guardian?
What had come back to me was only abuse, violence, and contempt.
I wanted to be a comfort to Cherez. To make his final journey as peaceful as possible.
“…You’re doing well, Cherez.”
Cherez stilled.
“Because of you, Hayden will grow into a truly upright and wonderful person.”
In the world he would leave behind, Hayden would surely grow into exactly that—a truly magnificent man.
“To Hayden, you are an excellent guardian.”
Would such simple words truly reach Cherez? I felt a pang of regret that these were the only words I knew how to offer.
Yet they were the words I myself had needed to hear.
“…I wish that were true.”
Cherez’s voice was hushed in the pre-dawn darkness, barely a whisper. And perhaps because his worry had been answered—
Or perhaps because I had bathed the boy’s fevered body, or because Robin’s seemingly careless medicine had taken effect—
At four in the morning, Hayden’s fever miraculously broke.
That night, what blossomed between us was a warmth masquerading as kinship. Perhaps Cherez and I had drawn one step closer to each other.

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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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