The Male Lead Is Going Mad Searching for His Dead Wife, and I’m That Wife - Chapter 17

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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 17
I had no idea why Laura was acting like this. By the time my teacup was half empty, she had worked herself into a state.
A drop of water trickled out from beneath the scrap of cloth I had stitched.
At first I thought I had imagined it. But one drop became two, and soon a thin stream was spreading across the table. The cloth was soaking through.
Ice is supposed to melt, sure, but this is too fast, isn’t it?
“…Huh?”
I set down my cup and lifted my scrap of cloth. The ice had visibly shrunk. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
“What on earth…”
Laura began to talk. She told me that the clothes I had touched had developed an unusual warmth, and I listened to a mountain of stories that proved it.
It was a strange feeling. I laid the damp cloth across my palm. It was warm, as if it had just been taken from beside a hearth.
I am an ordinary modern person who has possessed the body of a villainess from a novel. Thanks to my time in the orphanage, I’m just good at getting by on my own, and I grew up as someone who doesn’t trust people easily.
Besides, the Original Novel never said anything about Lisana having an ability like this.
Is this some kind of Possession bonus?
The scrap of cloth on my palm was still warm.
I didn’t know where this power had come from, but I didn’t think it would work against me. After all, this was a world where magic existed.
So that’s why they asked me for Winter Clothing. I’d pocket the money, and Laura would pocket the fame and the money. And the soldiers would get to spend a warmer winter. If they didn’t freeze, their survival rate would go up.
“I’ll do it.”
Laura’s face lit up.
“But I have one condition.”
I held up a single finger.
“I’d like this story to stay between you and me. Please don’t let my name come up anywhere.”
“Of course. If I let word of something like this slip, I’d never be able to handle the crowds that would come pouring in.”
Laura shuddered sincerely and nodded.
I didn’t want to get tangled up in anything unnecessary either. I wanted to live quietly and ordinarily, and be ready to walk away without regret the moment my place here came to an end. As long as this earned me money that would help me later on, that was enough.
Still, an ability like this. At least I won’t starve to death if I ever end up somewhere else.
“And there’s something else I want to check. So far, all I’ve done is mend things. If those clothes had that effect even so, then it might not matter whether I’m the one who makes everything.”
This was a very important hypothesis.
Laura was listening closely to what I had to say too.
“If I had to make every single piece of clothing myself, it would be hard even if it took a month.”
Laura’s expression clouded over as well.
“I think we should run two experiments. Let’s make one garment in infant size and test it. One will be something I make completely by myself, and the other will only have the sleeve finishing done by me.”
“That’s a great idea. If it turns out to be the second one… we could really make a fortune, my lady!”
Laura said, her face full of elation.
I needed that fortune too.
* * *
Lucian still hadn’t returned. Judging by how long the defensive battle was dragging on, the demon beasts were clearly not letting up.
Lisana hadn’t slept a wink the night before. It had been one tense hour after another, until her lips went dry.
The Winter Clothing she had been stitching nonstop for weeks was due to be delivered to the Ducal House today.
The experiments revealed that embroidery alone at the finishing stage produced the same effect. Thanks to that, they could make a far greater quantity of Winter Clothing.
And Laura, who had no idea Lisana lived in the Ducal House, said with an eager face:
[I’m really curious how the Ducal House will react. Whatever reaction comes, I’ll pass it along to you. Don’t get your hopes up too much, though. The Duke is away at the moment, so Steward Edric is handling the administration, and he’s quite the stern one.]
The Winter Clothing arrived at the castle on a morning when the snow had piled up to the knees.
As the cart sent from Laura’s Tailor Shop rolled in through the castle gate, Edric went out to the courtyard himself to inspect the cargo.
Lisana also crept down and peered into the entrance hall, pretending it was nothing.
“Open the crates.”
Seeing the servants move quickly, I swallowed hard for no good reason.
Thick wool Winter Clothing was packed tightly and folded inside every crate. The stitching was flawless.
Edric gathered the knights who had stayed behind at the castle to train.
“Each of you put one on. I want to make sure they’re fit before we send them to the border.”
The knights gathered at the training ground pulled on the Winter Clothing. Heavy snowflakes were drifting down. Even if they had grown used to the northern winter, this was the kind of cold that bit to the bone and froze a man’s nose solid.
But the knights who had put on the Winter Clothing began to grow drowsy and warm.
“Sir, it’s hot. I’ve never known Winter Clothing to be this warm.”
One knight finally tore open the front of his garment. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
One man lay down in the snow while still wearing his, and when the snow on his back melted into water, he jolted upright in alarm.
Edric turned over the lining of a garment. When he touched the inside, the fabric was as warm as a stone that has soaked up sunlight for a long time.
“…It’s true. It’s really warm.”
Watching Edric murmur with a dazed look on his face, Lisana allowed herself a smug smile.
‘Got it.’
That proves it. Her ability holds a value that’s hard to measure in money!
* * *
A month had passed since Lucian left.
His promise that he’d be back in a week had turned out to be a lie. The campaign against the demon beasts at the border was dragging on longer than expected. The original novel had never gone into much detail about this war of attrition.
Of course it hadn’t. The story before the Female Lead’s arrival had rushed past in a blur.
Still, I knew he would return safely, so I wasn’t particularly worried.
Then one morning, a messenger arrived from the front.
He carried a letter from Lucian, addressed to me.
“Madam, a letter from His Highness!”
Rita came bustling in, balancing the letter on a silver tray.
I set down my sewing and picked up the envelope.
The contents were simple.
[Princess Lisana.
The battle has dragged on longer than anticipated. The demon beasts are more numerous than expected, so I fear my return will be delayed as well.
I wonder how things are within the castle. Please take care of yourself.
-Lucian]
“Oh my, His Highness must be terribly worried about you, my lady.”
Rita said beside me, her eyes sparkling.
Worried? Where? This was nothing but a polite formality of a greeting.
I picked up my pen to write a reply.
But when it came to it, I had nothing to say. After agonizing over it for a while, I decided to just write whatever came to mind.
I dipped my pen in ink and slowly began to write.
[Your Highness the Duke.
I received your letter. It’s a shame your return will be delayed. The castle is quiet.
Lately I’ve been having a great deal of fun discovering new crops in the Rear Garden. Rita and I are looking for recipes together.
The weather has suddenly turned cold, and Rita keeps piling on so much firewood that my room is like a steam bath. Thanks to that, I’m sleeping well.
It must be cold at the front. Please take care of your health.
-Lisana]
Once I’d finished, I wondered if it had come out a little strange. But writing it over again felt like a waste of paper.
Besides, I had no desire to pour that much effort into a single letter of greeting.
And this was my honest update, after all.
I folded the letter without a second thought, slipped it into the envelope, and pressed my seal into the wax.
I wonder if he’ll even read it.
“Send it off.”

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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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