The Male Lead Is Going Mad Searching for His Dead Wife, and I’m That Wife - 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 male lead goes mad searching for his dead wife, and that wife is me. Chapter 016
After that, the noblewomen finished their desserts in silence and rose from their seats.
Lowell Countess hesitated at the door, then turned back.
“Um, Duchess. About that tablecloth you mentioned earlier.”
“Yes?”
“…May I send someone to see you about it another time?”
“Of course. Anytime.”
I answered with a bright smile.
The more money, the better. If I save as much as I can, I won’t be left empty-handed when the day comes that I no longer have a place here.
I wonder how much embroidery she’ll order.
* * *
The castle was in an uproar from early morning.
The clatter of armor plates knocking together, the harsh breathing of horses, the shouts of knights. All of it blended into one roaring din at the center of the courtyard. Today was the day Lucian set out for the front.
I had heard that Lucian was leaving. Rita was now telling me things that nobody else had bothered to pass along.
As if she didn’t want me to be left out anymore.
‘The Grand Duke will win, right?’
‘I’m sure he will.’
‘Yes, of course! He’ll come back for sure. Back to the Duchess’s side!’
She looked strangely resolute, though I had no idea what she was thinking.
The large-scale war that had served as the turning point in the novel hadn’t broken out yet. Demon Beasts had been appearing along the northern border, so he was going out to inspect and suppress them, or so I’d been told.
“Madam, you must come out.”
The Head Maid rushed into my room, out of breath. She draped a shawl over my shoulders.
“Must I really go out? I have a feeling there are people who would find my presence uncomfortable.”
At my words, the Head Maid faltered.
“Who said that?”
Her eyes held a rather menacing glint.
No one said anything, really. It’s just something anyone could think of.
“I’m the Emperor’s daughter. And the man who calls himself my father is itching to tear the Actes house apart.”
“Madam.”
“I know perfectly well why the Actes Grand Ducal House doesn’t welcome me. So if I’m a discomfort to you, then I—”
“No!”
The Head Maid raised her voice, her face pale.
“You must go. No one will object, and you shouldn’t feel uncomfortable! You are the Duchess, after all!”
The Head Maid’s kindness just kept on coming. Rita was the same, and so was the Head Maid. At times they seemed like people who couldn’t bear to see me left unattended.
But, well. Soon the female lead will arrive, and these people will realize who the true mistress is.
“You don’t have to, but… fine.”
I let out a sigh and nodded.
The Head Maid showed no sign of backing down, so I gave up. And it wasn’t a bad thing to see him off, after all.
The Head Maid pressed her lips together, clearly with a great deal left unsaid.
In the square before the castle’s main gate, the armed knights stood in formation. Lucian, in his black armor, looked far larger than usual, and intimidating.
The servants lined up along both sides, heads bowed.
I quietly stood at the very back, in the shade of a pillar.
Just leave already. It’s cold.
I wriggled my toes, lost in my own thoughts.
The Head Maid seemed displeased that I was standing at the very end of the line, but she couldn’t say anything to me in front of everyone.
Lucian exchanged a few words with the Head Butler and was about to mount his horse. Then he suddenly paused. I saw him turn his head and scan the line of servants.
What is he looking for? His gaze came to rest on me, tucked away in the corner.
Me?
“…”
Our eyes met. His gaze was deep and dark, shadowed by the visor of his helm. The surroundings fell silent.
The Head Maid and the Head Butler glanced at me, watching my expression, and stepped aside.
What’s with this atmosphere? Are they telling me to go out and say something?
I hesitated, then took a step forward. I bent my knees slightly and bowed, in keeping with proper etiquette. It was the courtesy owed to the master of the house.
“Safe travels.”
Not that this trip would take long. The battle Lisana tried to escape from in the original novel didn’t happen until spring, after all.
In that brief silence, something stirred in his eyes.
It was the same look he gave me when I was wringing out laundry in the pouring rain, and when I was struggling to carry firewood as tall as myself.
It was the very same gaze he had fixed on me when I told that absurd lie about shielding the Head Maid.
“…The Princess, too.”
He answered curtly.
“…?”
“The Princess must be safe as well.”
What could possibly happen to me here? I nodded.
He said nothing more and turned his horse around. With a clatter of hooves, the knights he led rode out through the main gate. Their black cloaks snapped in the wind as they grew smaller and smaller.
I stared blankly at their retreating backs.
Well, that’s unexpected.
I thought he’d ignore me and leave. But he actually answered.
Watching the dust settle in his wake, I thought to myself.
‘It’s not like he’s leaving for good. Why make such a dramatic show of it?’
From what I’d heard, it would be a week at most, five days if things went quickly. It was like walking to the next village and back.
He wasn’t going off to die. He was just patrolling the border and coming back. There was no need to say goodbye so solemnly.
‘A week, huh…’
But I didn’t know. I had no idea that single week would stretch far longer than either of us expected.
* * *
My daily routine stayed exactly the same, even without Lucian.
Once I’d finished all the alterations, I stopped by Laura’s Tailor Shop. Laura, who had been attending to another customer, rushed out with wide eyes.
Laura grabbed my hand and led me inside.
“Why are you so late?”
“Ah… I had some household matters to take care of.”
With everyone bustling about preparing for the campaign and the air so tense, going out at a time like that? Rather thoughtless of me.
I didn’t want to draw attention by doing something that would earn me unwanted glares, so I had delayed my outing a little. Yet she’d been waiting for me like this? Was there a reason for that?
I had met the deadlines, at least.
Laura pulled me into the office and sat me down on the sofa tucked in the farthest corner, as if to make sure I couldn’t slip away.
After drawing every curtain shut, she came back and sat across from me.
“Miss, today I have something to discuss apart from the work.”
I nodded. What’s so serious about this?
“Do you take on commissions from anywhere else besides here?”
“No.”
Laura lowered her voice.
“Then would you consider working with me more? The truth is, we received a request from the Actes Grand Ducal House. They want our shop to make Winter Clothing for the soldiers stationed at the Northern Front this winter.”
Winter clothing for soldiers. I knew how brutal winters at the border could be. The battlefield would be even colder.
Laura tightened her grip on my hand.
“I want to do this job with you, Miss.”
“With me? All I can do is alterations. Making winter clothing is—”
I’ve never done that before, either. Before I could finish, Laura cut in quickly.
“I’ll handle the cutting, so all you have to do is sew. No, you’re the only one who can do the sewing.”
“Why are you offering this to me?”
I don’t have anything to offer in return, though.
“Ah… you really don’t know?”
I tilted my head.
Is there something I’m supposed to know?
Laura stepped outside and had a servant bring something in. What arrived was a bucket heaped with two blocks of ice.
Laura handed me a piece of cloth and a needle.
“Anything will do, so just start sewing. You can embroider too, if you like.”
I tilted my head again, then did as she said. Laura was stitching another piece of cloth herself.
What on earth is she planning?
Laura placed the cloth I had sewn and the one she had sewn on top of the ice.
Then she brought over a teapot and poured the tea. Holding out a cup to me, Laura smiled brightly.
“Just wait the length of one cup of tea.”

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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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