The Husband I Thought Was Dead Has Returned - Chapter 94

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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 094
Countess Caslit clenched her teeth and asked Count Sirion.
“And have you found Morigan, Count?”
Count Sirion flinched at her words. The air in the room froze.
“I heard that Duchess Petunia instructed you to prioritize finding him.”
Countess Caslit unfurled her fan and smiled mockingly. As the fan fluttered, Count Sirion’s gaze wavered with it.
“Ahem.”
“Before you say anything to me, Count, perhaps you should reflect on what you’ve accomplished since arriving in the Southern Region.”
Countess Caslit’s voice turned sharp.
“You hold the title of Acting Lord, yet you cannot manage a single advisor? You lack legitimacy as Acting Lord, and yet you blame me for everything.”
Count Sirion’s face flushed red. Her words were not wrong.
As long as Borgus held firm, it would not be easy for Countess Sirion to expand her influence. Moreover, the forces supporting Borgus were formidable. The indigenous powers long established in the Southern Region commanded the support of its people.
“That bastard Borgus.”
Count Sirion spat out a curse.
“Let me make one thing clear, Count. We are in the same boat.”
Countess Caslit opened the door and left. Count Sirion remained alone in the empty room. He stared at the vacant space and ground his teeth.

* * *
Countess Caslit’s footsteps faded into the distance. Her perfume lingered briefly in the corridor before dissipating.
Once Linnen confirmed she had completely disappeared, she carefully emerged from the corner of the corridor. She released the breath she had been holding and pressed her hand firmly against her chest. Her heart was pounding so violently she feared it would give her away. She walked cautiously down the corridor.
‘So it was Countess Caslit who spread the rumor that the Duke had passed away…!’
Linnen’s pace quickened. She had to inform Borgus of this discovery.

* * *
Dorpin and Mila dragged Ryukan and his wife up to the villa. They trembled with fear—guilt written all over their faces.
Dorpin hurled Ryukan onto the living room floor. Ryukan crashed down hard, his forehead striking the marble.
“Ugh!”
Ryukan cried out. Sena wept, her body crumpled on the floor beside him. Both appeared to be in their early twenties, though up close they looked even younger.
Robin and Yureain had taken Hayden to another room.
I placed a chair before Ryukan and sat. From his position sprawled on the floor, he looked up at me, his eyes brimming with terror.
“Your name is Ryukan, correct?”
“Y-yes…”
“And you claim to be a descendant of the Lord of Carencia?”
No answer came. Instead, his shoulders trembled violently.
“What was it you told the townspeople? That they’d face execution if they didn’t pay taxes?”
Ryukan clamped his mouth shut.
“Do you know who has the authority to carry out executions?”
Silence stretched between us. I leaned back in my chair, looking down at him.
“A minor lord has no such power. Only the Grand Lord can execute. And do you know who the Grand Lord of the Southern Region is?”
Only then did Ryukan’s pupils waver.
“The way you’ve been spouting off about executions suggests you’re not descended from Carencia’s bloodline at all—more like you’re claiming Bereidan’s.”
I smiled, eyes widening. Ryukan swallowed hard.
“Impersonating House Bereidan can get you killed without a trace, Ryukan.”
“W-we had no such intention…”
Ryukan’s gaze swept across the room. He swallowed again, then looked back at me.
Ryukan wet his lips. His eyes flicked toward Dorpin and Mila standing at the doorway, then to the swords at their hips. He was assessing the situation.
“Then what authority do you have to question us and drag us here?”
Fair point—a con artist needed some nerve. I smirked and rested my chin on my hand.
“Should we kill him?” Mila asked coldly.
Mila’s voice was ice.
“No need for that. Just hang him upside down from a tree—he’ll come to his senses soon enough.”
“W-wait! What have I done so wrong?! You can’t execute anyone either!”
His tone shifted instantly.
“Ah, but for words to have weight, you need to know who I am first. Don’t you? My name is Roana Bereidan. I have every authority to carry out executions.”
I held up the seal ring on my finger, displaying the crest of House Bereidan clearly.
It was the very one Sir Borgus had given me. The woman seemed quicker to grasp the situation.
“P-please, spare us…!”
Sena wept as she spoke. Ryukan, now understanding, prostrated himself beside her. Only now did they comprehend their predicament.
“From this moment on, you’ll answer my questions truthfully. Where did you obtain the Carencian noble registry and seals?”
Ryukan lifted his head, meeting my gaze. The contrast between his ashen face and bloodshot eyes was stark.
“W-we stole them…”
Ryukan lowered his head as he spoke.
“Stole them from where?”
“At a tavern. There was an old man who couldn’t even pay for his drink and was sleeping rough on the streets. His belongings contained a seal and a family registry. He was so drunk he was unconscious, so I thought… if I took these, I could pose as a lord…”
His voice trailed off, moisture clinging to his words. So he’d stolen these items, made his way to Carencia, and impersonated a lord. A thief had upgraded himself to con artist.
“Where are that family registry and seal now?”
“In my belongings… at the Lord’s Residence…”
“Dorphin.”
“I’ll retrieve them at once.”
Dorphin left immediately.
Ryukan and Sena trembled on the floor, prostrate.
The gears in my mind began to turn.
Noble credentials left so carelessly unguarded that they could be stolen from a vagrant sleeping on a tavern floor.
The war was crumbling and scattering noble families. This was certainly not unique to Carencia. Similar situations must be unfolding across the entire Southern Region.
My eyes gleamed.
“Ryukan.”
“Y-yes!”
“I have just one question.”
Ryukan looked up at me, trembling like an aspen leaf.
“Is it truly so easy to obtain a noble family’s registry and seal?”
Ryukan blinked. His expression showed he didn’t understand the intent behind the question.
“I’m asking if you can buy them for money.”
“That is… well…”
Ryukan swallowed hard before answering. His words came faster.
“There are many. If you go to the Coastal Black Market, you’ll find quite a few documents from noble families circulating. Some came from looted mansions. Family registries, seals, land deeds, genealogies—such items are being sold for the price of a bottle of liquor.”
Without thinking, my lips curved upward.
If I could secure the family registries and seals of the Southern Noble Families, I could accomplish much. Chaos sometimes becomes opportunity. And those who recognize that opportunity first will shape the future.
Hayden was alone now.
I found myself wondering—what if I could provide him with a weapon?
When Hayden returned to House Bereidan, political struggle would certainly erupt. I remembered how he’d suffered because of it in the original story.
But what if he possessed these noble registries and seals?
Wouldn’t that translate into votes equal to their number?
“Ryukan.”
“Yes!”
“Where is that black market located?”
I found myself developing quite the keen interest in it.
“You’re stealing money from people who have nothing. Why don’t you consider working for me instead?”
Since their identities were already exposed, I couldn’t simply let these two leave unscathed.
I’d grown rather fond of this hideout, after all.
“I can provide sufficient payment.”
I poured golden coins across the table. Ryukan and Sena’s eyes gleamed at the sight.

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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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