Why Is My Husband the Villainous Schemer! - 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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Episode 16
In the murky darkness, only his crimson eyes burned like flames.
He gave a single nod, his expression tinged with ennui.
“Countess Asha Delmore is requesting a communication connection.”
“What?”
Karsel’s eyes, which had seemed devoid of all feeling mere moments before, suddenly blazed with life.
Matt, bewildered by how his taciturn superior had abruptly become animated, obediently asked the question.
“Shall I accept the connection?”
“Connect me right now.”
She might hang up before I can answer!
Anxious, Karsel stared intently at the state-of-the-art Mana Communication Device on his desk.
He’d made the right decision buying one of the few such devices in the entire empire.
Without it, he would never have heard Asha’s voice directly from his study!
The connection soon went through, and the device on Karsel’s desk vibrated.
Before the vibration even ceased, he hastily picked up the receiver and accepted the call.
“Hello?”
At the sound of Asha’s voice coming through the device, Karsel suddenly pressed his temples.
He missed her.
That distinctly cheerful voice of hers.
“Can you hear me okay?”
When his answer was slow in coming due to his sudden surge of emotion, Asha spoke again.
Karsel answered hastily.
“I can hear you perfectly.”
“I’m not disturbing you while you’re busy, am I?”
“Not at all. I have considerable free time, so please feel free to use as much of it as you need.”
Of course, the moment Karsel accepted the connection, Matt’s expression crumpled as he stood there groaning under the weight of the stack of documents waiting for his signature.
Karsel even made a shooing gesture to Matt!
Muttering inaudible curses about his boss, Matt left the office.
Asha spoke warmly through the receiver.
“Actually, I was wondering if we could see each other tomorrow for a bit?”
“What time would be convenient?”
“Well, I need to pick up Linea’s Dress in the morning and check if the size fits, so do you have time in the afternoon?”
To her question, Karsel answered without pause.
“Of course I’ll make the time.”
“That’s good to hear.”
As Karsel spoke, Matt burst urgently back into the office and tried desperately to communicate something silently.
Karsel looked at Matt indifferently, while making every effort to add one more word to Asha.
“How was your day today?”
Matt gazed at his superior with pity—here was a man who should be delivering urgent news, yet he wouldn’t so much as hang up the call, instead doing everything he could to keep it going.
Soon Matt lost the will to relay anything at all and trudged out of the office.
Fortunately, Asha answered his question willingly.
“It was a good day, I suppose.”
“Did you eat?”
“This morning I went to a restaurant called Oliveto in Lombardi, and it was delicious.”
At those words, Karsel’s eyebrows faintly contorted.
“May I ask… who you went with?”
“I had a tea party this afternoon, so I went to eat with Linea beforehand. Since I promised to treat you to an expensive meal, I also wanted to check directly whether the restaurant would be a good choice for us.”
Only then did Karsel’s expression soften.
His heart ached unbearably at the thought that she had personally visited the restaurant he would take her to, testing it out for their date.
Finding her so endearing, Karsel bit his lip hard and squeezed his eyes shut.
‘I’m losing my mind.’
His heart had trembled at the thought she might have gone with another man.
But her thoughtfulness toward him struck him with overwhelming emotion.
“Then let’s go to that restaurant together tomorrow.”
“That sounds nice. Do you like meat? They had alcohol in the evening too.”
“I do.”
Whether the object of his affection was the meat or Asha herself hardly mattered—as long as he was with her, even if that place were hell itself, he wouldn’t care.
“Good. I actually wanted to ask you about something you mentioned before tomorrow.”
“About trading your time for the connections I have?”
“No, not just that calculating kind of talk. You’ll understand once we meet.”
At those words, Karsel laughed gently.
He’d never understood what a smile was, or why it was needed.
But lately, whenever he thought of Asha, smiles simply poured out of him.
So he laid bare his honest heart.
“I miss you.”
“……”
At those words, Asha fell silent for a moment.
Wondering if the line had gone dead, Karsel called out again.
“Asha? Are you all right?”
“…Yes. Then let me make a reservation for 6 p.m. tomorrow. Shall we meet at Oliveto?”
“I’ll come pick you up.”
“That’s all right. I’ll come myself.”
Karsel nodded.
“Then please come carefully. And if you need anything else, contact me anytime.”
“All right. See you tomorrow.”
“I wish tomorrow would come quickly.”
Asha gave a small, helpless laugh through the receiver.
At that laugh, Karsel twisted his face in confusion and didn’t know what to do with himself.
He simply liked Asha.
‘Ah, she’s adorable.’
Karsel’s chest felt so tingly it was like being filled with bubbles, so he ran his fingers haphazardly through his hair.
He wanted to see Asha immediately.
“Then I’ll hang up.”
Karsel did not hang up first.
He was simply content to know that Asha was connected to him through this Mana Communication Device.
Soon she ended the call on her end.
“May I come in now?”
Matt poked his head in and asked, realizing the call had ended.
The moment Karsel saw Matt, his eyes reverted to their icy gaze, and he nodded.
“What is it?”
“An urgent report came in just now.”
That’s not good news.
Karsel frowned, thinking of the date with Asha scheduled for tomorrow.
“Surely not.”
“Yes. It’s exactly what you fear. Demon Beasts have appeared near the Capital.”
“Unusual.”
“Your Grace’s assistance is desperately needed.”
Karsel held two titles.
His publicly acknowledged status in high society: the Marquis of Rivandel.
And his true role as guardian: the Duke of Rakan, the empire’s Inspector and its guardian sword.
When operating as the Duke of Rakan, he kept his identity concealed and always wore a Silver Mask to keep his appearance unpredictable.
As Inspector, Karsel rooted out internal spies and controlled information flowing through the Information Guild.
And as the empire’s guardian, he held one more responsibility: exterminating Demon Beasts.
The beasts had been largely purged recently.
But lately, their appearances in unexpected locations had become distressingly frequent.
“I’m going tonight.”
“There are still stacks of documents requiring your approval, Your Grace.”
“I’ll handle them today and leave as soon as I’m done.”
“Your Grace, just the travel alone will take three hours.”
“Then I’ll work through the night if I have to. Bring sorcerers from the Magic Tower and set up a Teleport.”
Because I have a date tomorrow.
If I go tomorrow and deal with the beasts, I might be late.
Karsel planned to pound the Demon Beasts to death with his bare hands all through the dawn if necessary.
He couldn’t let Asha catch even a whiff of blood on him.
He had to come home, perform a ritual purification, and only then see her.
“Give me the documents, and you prepare for departure.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
Matt headed off to his colleagues waiting outside to deliver this unfortunate news.
Karsel, of course, had grown up in what was essentially a battlefield of Demon Beast extermination, so one could overlook his workaholic tendencies.
But his aides were merely ordinary office workers.
“Overtime confirmed.”
As Matt delivered the news with a wilted smile, his colleagues unleashed silent screams.
Every one of them was silently pleading: ‘Please, just get married. Or at least fall in love!’
Without a family, Karsel was naturally almost workaholic in his dedication to the job, his stamina something his office workers couldn’t begin to match.
They had no way of knowing that soon a wife would join his household, and Karsel would become someone who actually thought about leaving on time.
Unaware of this, the aides refocused on the mountain of work before them.
* * *
I woke up early in the morning to receive the Dress delivery.
I had specified 9 a.m.
“Good. She’s still asleep.”
The party the night before had gone on until nearly 3 a.m., so I knew my mother-in-law was still sleeping.
Thanks to building some rapport with Linea yesterday, she now opened her door to me when I knocked, something she hadn’t done before.
“You’ve kept the Doll safe?”
In the back of the wardrobe Linea opened to put away her new Dresses, the Doll sat as if hidden away.
When I asked, Linea nodded shyly.
“But why did you hide it? Play with it!”

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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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