The Husband I Thought Was Dead Has Returned - Chapter 68

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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 068
The next day.
I should inform Cherez about this. Though if I were in his position, I’d likely grow disillusioned with these Southern nobles. Cherez had stepped away—he’d gone to the Knight Order.
“Hayden, what would you do in this situation?”
I still don’t know the terror methods, nor do I understand the detailed plans. It feels like I’m fumbling in the dark.
“Dada, dada!”
Hayden waved something he’d been holding. It was a card with a pig drawn on it.
“Yes, a pig. Pig, oink oink.”
“Dada, oink!”
“There we go, that’s right! You did so well!”
I shouldn’t have asked. I nodded and was playing with Hayden and the picture cards when a visitor arrived.
It was Countess Yotlrey.
Countess Yotlrey was waiting for me in the Reception Room with an anxious expression. The refreshments placed before her had already grown cold.
Even if I can’t trust that woman, I can certainly exploit her anxiety.
Countess Yotlrey greeted me. Despite her nervous demeanor, she was making an effort to maintain her composure.
“How have you been lately?”
I spoke gently. She considered me an ally, after all.
“Not much to do. They haven’t invited me to any tea parties. That blasted devotion.”
Countess Yotlrey pouted. From her expression, she seemed to know little about the terror plot.
“Speaking of which, did the information you gathered before prove useful? Have you made contact with Countess Caslit? Will they invite me soon?”
“Don’t worry, Countess. Fortunately, it seems Countess Caslit was quite pleased with the gift I sent.”
The Count and Countess Bruate had gone inside and come back asking for information, after all.
“But I heard that Countess Caslit hasn’t been attending any social gatherings at all lately. It seems her mother has tasked her with something.”
I let the words trail off casually while observing Countess Yotlrey. Her eyes darted about.
“Ah, about that…”
Countess Yotlrey leaned forward.
“She seems to be focusing solely on Liansherus Society matters these days. That’s probably why she’s not holding tea parties. But there’s something rather odd.”
It seemed she’d come specifically to mention this oddity. She was curious about how much power what she held could wield.
And she desperately wanted to prove her usefulness somehow.
“Something odd? Could it be that she’s betrayed her mother…?”
“That’s unlikely. It’s just that, you know the Beltria Textile Shop? Apparently, they’ve been purchasing large quantities of something there recently.”
The Beltria Textile Shop. The place through which Kaslit and Liansherus Society funds flow. Outwardly owned by House of Yotlrey, but in reality, it was as good as Countess Caslit’s property.
Countess Yotlrey could have accessed such surface-level information.
“What have they been purchasing?”
“Dyes, apparently. But the quantity is strange. You wouldn’t need that much dye just to color fabric. I’ve handled cloth before, so I know. And at this particular time?”
Countess Yotlrey tilted her head in confusion.
“It seems they’ve already secured all the stock available on the market. So I looked into it a bit, and apparently someone from Countess Caslit’s side is collecting it directly. They wouldn’t say what it’s for.”
“I see.”
I spoke with deliberate calm. I felt as though I’d grasped something crucial. Dyes, you say?
I barely managed to suppress my lips from curling upward.
It seemed that even dog dung had its uses as medicine, just as Cherez had said.
“I still have value to offer, Duchess. I would appreciate it if the North recognized that fact. In truth, aren’t you closer to the North than Countess Caslit is? Please do convey to them that I am a capable person, just like Countess Caslit.”
Ah. So not to Countess Caslit, but directly to the North? Since it seemed impossible to gain her favor no matter how hard I tried, had she firmly shifted her allegiance to my side?
I played along with her suggestion.
“As the Countess says, Mother should certainly know of this fact as well.”
Countess Yotlrey sipped her tea with a satisfied expression. I took a sip of my own tea, which tasted of nothing. Somehow, I could see right through what was going on in Countess Yotlrey’s mind.
She was eyeing Countess Caslit’s position.

* * *
I moved immediately after sending Countess Yotlrey away.
Sometimes a small puzzle piece completes the larger picture.
I wanted to verify it myself.
I left Hayden in Linnen’s care and prepared to go to the market with Yureain. It was fortunate that Linnen had recently become quite skilled at looking after Hayden.
The Beltria Textile Shop was located slightly removed from the Territory Center. The shop itself wasn’t large, but it had a warehouse attached to the back.
“Yureain, is there a place nearby that deals in chemical compounds?”
“There is one chemical shop. It handles miscellaneous goods and raw materials, and the Beltria Textile Shop also does business with them.”
The place Yureain guided me to was a narrow shop two alleys away from the textile merchant. As I stepped inside, the mingled scent of chemicals assaulted my nose. Glass bottles and sacks of various substances crowded the shelves.
The owner noticed us and approached. Was he also someone aligned with the Beltria Textile Shop?
Now I viewed everyone through a lens of suspicion. It was a measure of how few people I could truly trust.
“What might you be looking for?”
“I’m interested in learning about chemicals used in dyeing. I heard that the textile shop has been purchasing certain items in large quantities recently.”
The shop owner glanced at me, having noticed that the shawl I wore was made of fine fabric. Yureain stepped forward.
“The noblewoman I serve is preparing to start a dyeing business herself. To do so properly, it’s necessary to investigate rival enterprises, wouldn’t you say? If there’s a chemical that’s being supplied to the textile shop in large quantities, I’d like to obtain the same product.”
Yureain presented a plausible pretext. The owner nodded.
“Ah, that. The Beltria shop has indeed been taking quite a lot of it recently.”
“Of what?”
“They called it a dye mordant. But to be honest, I’m not sure why they need it. If you’re planning to start a textile business, will you be establishing a trade relationship with us going forward?”
I withdrew another purse and quietly placed it on the counter. Money loosened tongues. From the way he spoke, it seemed he wasn’t connected to that establishment.
“I’d like to hear more details. As you say, we’re currently seeking new suppliers. I’m curious what you might tell us.”
The owner’s mouth opened as he grasped the purse of money.
“In truth, what the textile shop takes isn’t mordant. What I’ve been supplying them is hydrochloric acid. I’m only telling you this, madam.”
“Hydrochloric acid?”
My heart sank.
“Yes. It’s a strong acid used to dissolve metals. In small quantities, it could be used for goldsmithing or ore refining, but the amount they’ve been taking…”
The owner tilted his head uncertainly.
“They paid well, so I sold it to them.”
“Have you mentioned this to anyone else?”
“No. A merchant can’t go around gossiping about his customers, can he? Besides, the Beltria Textile Shop is sensitive about their own affairs.”
I quickly placed another small purse on the table.
“Let’s keep this conversation between us. And I have a feeling you’ll be quite essential to my future business ventures.”
“Of course. Thank you so much, madam!”
It was worth coming here in person. I now held the thread of truth in my hands.
I emerged from the narrow alley. Like sunlight piercing through the alley’s end, it felt as though the sun was breaking through the fractured sky above.

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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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