Why Is My Husband the Villainous Schemer! - Chapter 36

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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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Chapter 36
Ten minutes later, Carcel stepped out of the room without a single hair out of place.
Matt, who had been waiting outside the door, asked him a question.
“Did you find out anything useful, sir?”
“Nothing much. Apparently, he was sent by Asha’s husband’s family.”
More precisely, because Asha had recently suspected she’d come into money unexpectedly, they’d put someone on her, he said.
The man insisted he knew nothing beyond that and had only accepted the maid’s request for a simple job to earn pocket money—though he sounded genuinely wronged about it.
Still, Matt found it odd that the in-laws had sent someone to watch her at all.
“Since her husband is already dead, there’s nothing illicit about the two of you meeting. Why would they send someone to spy?”
“Why do you think?”
Carcel let out a soft chuckle.
“They wanted to keep her in line—just provide food and shelter while working her like a slave. But they realized she was sharper and more driven than they’d expected.”
He smiled with a satisfied air, despite having done nothing of the sort himself.
“That’s why someone as wise as Asha—you can’t hide her true nature no matter how hard you try.”
The thought of Asha—luminous and polished as a perfect pearl—softened his expression in an instant.
Matt, watching his face, gave him a look that said ‘Are you serious right now?’
“Well, I suppose I can accept that. But what do you intend to do about him? If we just let him go, he’ll blab about this to everyone.”
“Report him missing. We’ll bury him underground for about a year—that should keep things quiet until Asha and I are married.”
“Very good, sir.”
Not killing him at all was generous enough by his standards.
“Oh, and keep someone watching Asha at all times. Use the one who’s best at staying hidden. She’ll be surprised when she finds out, if she does.”
“Understood, sir.”
Carcel walked straight to his desk and sat down.
With the date tomorrow, there was no time to rest.
As if he’d been waiting for this, Matt promptly brought over a stack of documents and dropped them on Carcel’s desk with a heavy thump.
“Once you’ve handled these, you’ll be free to leave for the day, sir.”
Carcel, by now accustomed to this routine, picked up the papers without hesitation and began scanning through them at speed.
He’d gotten through several documents when he turned to the next one.
A drop.
A crimson bead of blood fell onto the white paper.
“……Eh?”
Matt reacted faster than Carcel did.
“Wait, what—what’s going on?”
“It’s just blood. Have this reprinted.”
With those words, Carcel pushed the document with the blood droplet aside.
But Matt began to make a fuss.
“This is serious enough to call Doctor Lebarn immediately!”
“Why would I summon my physician for one nosebleed that’s already stopped?”
“In all your years, sir—after all-nighters spanning entire weeks—have you ever had a nosebleed even once?”
At that, Carcel’s lips pressed shut.
Never.
All the children born into House of Lakan—remarkably robust as the family was—resembled Carcel in this regard.
In other words, they were the type of infants who seemed born to stare with solemn expressions, as if about to announce in formal tones: “Mother, this child was born at XX o’clock on XX date. I thank you for your care.”
The children of House of Lakan never cried even once in their cradles, their expressions more aged than those of adults.
Carcel himself had suffered injuries from time to time, but weakened from illness and confined to bed?”
“Never.”
Hearing Matt’s confirmation, Carcel belatedly realized something was genuinely wrong with his body.
“You’re saying my stamina is failing? Over just a few nights without proper rest?”
“I’m going to call your physician at once. This is clearly a serious problem, sir.”
Carcel, in the end, had no choice but to nod in agreement.
And several minutes later.
“I’m not quite sure how to say this, but…”
Doctor Lebarn set down his stethoscope and delivered his diagnosis with an expression of utmost gravity.
“It appears the blood flow in your heart has accelerated excessively, causing a rise in blood pressure. Have you experienced any recent emotional stress or worry?”
Before Carcel could answer, Matt jumped in.
“He’s recently begun courting someone, sir.”
“Congratulations. However, I was referring to stress of a psychological nature—arising from work or daily matters.”
Matt shook his head.
“The Duke is emotionally quite dull. He doesn’t even know how to experience stress.”
Carcel agreed with this assessment.
“What on earth would I have to feel stressed about?”
“Quite right—I asked a foolish question indeed.”
The physician had no choice but to look elsewhere for the cause.
“Then there appears to be only one explanation.”
The doctor declared this with conviction.
“The only thing that’s changed in your life recently is your courtship! Therefore, the emotional impact must have come from the evolution of your relationship with the lady in question.”
Matt posed the next question.
“Did the two of you perhaps quarrel today, or was there any incident of particular note?”
“How would I overpower someone as small and delicate as Asha? There was nothing to quarrel about in the first place.”
Carcel couldn’t even fathom the notion of fighting with her.
“The only unusual thing today was that she looked even more beautiful than ever.”
By now, Matt had grown accustomed to dismissing such remarks with half an ear, yet something still puzzled him.
“So there was truly nothing extraordinary between the two of you today?”
“Ah.”
A memory of today’s events suddenly came back to Carcel, and his gaze deepened.
“I’m not sure if this is the sort of thing I should mention, but…”
“Did you perhaps kiss?”
“What nonsense is that? Asha is a lady of nobility.”
To kiss before marriage—
That would be an insult to her honor.
Carcel’s eyes grew cold as he warned Matt.
“Do not speak of what physical contact, if any, transpired between Asha and myself. It would be to sully her reputation.”
“No, no—I’m not some deviant! I don’t care about your romantic affairs in the slightest. I only asked because I needed to find the cause!”
Matt, who ordinarily cared nothing for what Carcel did with Asha so long as he returned punctually to stamp documents, felt deeply wronged.
Yet Carcel, at those words, opened his mouth with careful deliberation.
“Only today… I held Asha’s hand for the first time.”
“Pardon?!”
‘So he does manage to court someone, despite that blank expression.’
As Matt thought this, the sight of his superior looking something like bashful stirred a wave of nausea.
But after hastily wiping away the drool that nearly spilled from his lips, he asked:
“That must be it!”
“A good thing causes a nosebleed?”
“Just imagine holding her hand again.”
Carcel’s eyes grew darker, and then, as if on cue….
A drop.
Another bead of blood trickled down.
“See!”
Matt chirped out the words with absolute certainty, having witnessed it.
The doctor also nodded. And he issued his prescription.
“It appears you’ll need to undergo Tonification.”
“Tonification? Can’t you just prescribe something that would make me
impotent and call it a day?”
“The matter of your heirs is of great importance to our family as well, sir. I cannot prescribe anything with such side effects.”
Carcel, who had never undergone Tonification in his entire life, furrowed his brow deeply.
“For now, I’ll prescribe some nutritional supplements and arrange a proper diet for you. Take them consistently, if you please. Beyond that, I’m afraid there’s little more I can do.”
After the doctor left, Asha alone filled Carcel’s mind.
Today was a historic day—the day he’d held her hand.
The moment his fingers had clasped hers, heat had rushed through his entire body, from fingertips to the crown of his head.
Even as his mind reeled in confusion, his only thought had been never to grip her hand too tightly.
When he’d cupped that tiny, fragile hand of hers, she’d grasped his in return, and….
His heart had felt as though it might burst.
Carcel now understood that he should be grateful he hadn’t suffered a heart attack today.
“I want to see her.”
Without realizing it, those words had escaped him, and now he tried deliberately to push Asha from his thoughts.
All while counting down the hours until he could see her tomorrow.
* * *
Hours later, Mary paced nervously near the back entrance used by the servants.
‘I promised myself I’d find out what Asha Delmore was doing tonight.’
It was already past one in the morning.

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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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