Why Is My Husband the Villainous Schemer! - Chapter 67

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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 67
“There’s no way a child born from a woman like that could carry my blood!”
Doris drew in a sharp breath at those words.
Asha wrapped an arm around her shoulders and spoke with quiet firmness.
“As a woman myself, watching this lady fight to protect her child even in a place like this breaks my heart. Yet you say bloodline is what matters most to you? It seems that’s not quite true.”
“My son’s child might not be mine at all!”
“No. The dates of the pregnancy match perfectly with when the two of them traveled together to the countryside. They were together for nearly a full week, and there’s more than enough alibi to confirm it.”
Urigella shook her head desperately.
“I don’t know anything!”
“Even if you deny it now, once the child is born and a paternity test confirms it, you’ll be obligated to pay child support and contribute to the inheritance regardless.”
In the Caldtran Empire, children were still technically treated as property, yet they remained precious beings nonetheless.
Even bastards were guaranteed a minimum level of financial support by law to ensure their basic care.
But Urigella turned away from the reality.
That was when it happened.
Doris, who had been cowering in silence, finally found her voice.
“M-Mother! You were never a good mother to Theo in the first place!”
“What?!”
“You couldn’t let me keep my own child—I know this. You boasted that you never struck him, but you locked Theo away in a dark, cramped room for days at a time, starving him, and it damaged him deeply.”
Doris cried out desperately, heedless of the eyes around her.
“You treated Linea the same way!”
“How dare this ignorant creature speak!”
Urigella shot up from her chair in a fury, but Doris squeezed her eyes shut and shouted back with all her strength.
“You are a child abuser!”
“What did you—?!”
As if a dam had broken, Doris poured out the truth.
“Theo told me everything. How you always took out your anger on him, calling him worthless and pathetic, a fool who couldn’t do anything right.”
“I never—!”
“He said the twenty years he spent under you were the most horrible of his entire life!”
Doris’s words came out like arrows, and she breathed heavily as she finished.
Asha quickly moved to soothe her.
“Calm down. Getting upset like this isn’t good for the baby.”
“Th-thank you, Duchess.”
Gratitude shone sincerely in Doris’s blue eyes as she spoke.
All of this traces back to that early morning when they first found the whereabouts of the mistress.
* * *
Knock, knock.
Carcel and Asha rapped on the door of a shabby tenement building in Tusalek.
Asha shook her head with an incredulous expression.
“I can’t believe a pregnant woman lived here alone in a place like this.”
“I believe the mansion was originally obtained by Baron Delmore, and after his death it was reclaimed by his family.”
“My late husband never expected to die so soon, I suppose.”
Had he known, he would surely have transferred the mansion to the woman he loved so dearly before his time came.
“There’s not much we can do. But someone’s home.”
There were signs of life inside, yet whoever was there seemed wary and reluctant to answer the door.
Finally, Asha spoke carefully.
“Excuse me—is this the home of Doris Viache?”
At the sound of a woman’s voice, the person inside seemed somewhat reassured.
“Yes, but who are you?”
“Well… how should I put this?”
Asha introduced herself with some awkwardness.
“I was Baron Delmore’s wife.”
“Oh!”
A sharp intake of breath came from inside, and Asha spoke gently.
“I apologize for dropping by unannounced, but I came because there’s something urgent I need to ask. May we come in for a moment?”
“Y-yes, of course.”
Even through the door, her gentle, fragile voice was evident.
Creak.
As the door opened with a chilling sound, the woman behind it appeared terrified.
And right there in the doorway stood Carcel, whose muscular frame filled the entrance so completely that it was impossible to see past him.
“Eeek!”
Doris let out a frightened cry, and Asha approached her as gently as possible.
“I’m sorry. This is my current husband, Marquess Ribandel.”
“M-Marquess Ribandel? Isn’t he… the leader of the underworld?”
“He doesn’t engage in illegal activities, I assure you. Carcel, come inside.”
Asha and Carcel stepped through the doorway.
Though the room was shabby and small, every decoration within it held memories of her past lover.
“Your home feels so warm.”
“I’m sorry. It’s a filthy, cramped place for such honored guests to visit.”
Doris’s complexion looked decidedly unwell.
Moreover, there was barely anywhere suitable to sit, so Asha settled onto the worn bed beside her.
Carcel also entered and closed the door behind him, standing guard in front of it.
Doris glanced nervously around, then suddenly bowed her head to Asha in apology.
“I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!”
“What?”
“I… I did presume to love him, your husband. I’ve done something unforgivable to you.”
Asha shook her head as Doris held up her hands in desperate supplication.
“No, that’s not why I’m here. And honestly, the Baron and I had no romantic feelings for each other, so it never bothered me in the least.”
“I’m terribly sorry…”
Her pallid, wan face and cracked lips made her look more like an invalid than an expectant mother.
Having noticed this, Asha broached the main subject.
“Doris, I’m going to get you out of this place.”
“What?”
“No matter what, a pregnant woman shouldn’t be in such a dangerous situation.”
“B-but you’ve remarried, haven’t you…?”
Doris glanced sideways at Carcel, unable to hide her confusion.
“Actually, I took Linea away from my mother-in-law, and I think that’s created some resentment.”
“Linea? Isn’t she the Baron’s daughter? …But how did you know I was pregnant?”
“It’s obvious at a glance. In any case, since your child is also the Baron’s child, you have certain rights.”
Bewildered by this sudden situation, Doris stammered her question.
“R-rights?”
“The right to demand child support and a safe environment for the child once he’s born—from the father’s family, of course. And naturally, since the Baron has passed, the child may also be entitled to inherit his portion.”
“I don’t know anything about such things.”
Doris shook her head frantically, her eyes wide with fear.
The way she cradled her belly suggested that the child was her only priority, and everything else terrified her.
Asha soothed her with reassuring words.
“Doris, I’ll move you to a new place by tonight.”
“But why would you go to such trouble for someone like me?”
A hint of suspicion flickered in her eyes.
Asha opened her mouth and answered.
“I want to make a deal with you, Doris.”
“A d-deal?”
“My mother-in-law wants Linea back, so she’ll certainly air her grievances in front of people.”
At that, Doris’s eyes grew slightly clearer.
Asha continued calmly with what remained to be said.
“It’s not just about wanting Linea back—there’s also the matter of the child abuse trial coming up. She’s calculating how to ensure that public opinion and the loss of custody don’t work against her.”
“Then…”
“So I want you to appear before my mother-in-law and testify to the people.”
Doris, who had been lost in thought, spoke up again.
“Testify? You want me to go to court?”
“No. There’s a ball being held tonight, and my mother-in-law will attend. She’ll cause a scene to draw attention to herself.”
“So when she makes that scene, I’m supposed to announce that I’m carrying her grandson?”
Looking into the eyes of Doris, which still held traces of fear like those of a frightened fawn, Asha spoke.
“I think you already know how the abuse my mother-in-law inflicted on the Baron has also extended to Linea.”
Doris’s face darkened at those words.
Asha squeezed her hand firmly.
“Truth is, I’m also a mother.”
“You and the Baron… already have a child?”
“No. I mean Linea. Seeing the child suffer abuse, I decided to become her mother.”
Asha spoke with a playful smile.
At the mention of being a child’s mother, Doris seemed to feel a kinship with her.
“I don’t want Linea to return to that house, nor do I want her to become a tool for my mother-in-law to use favorably in the trial.”
Doris nodded.
“You know the Baron was abused too, don’t you?”
In response to Asha’s question, Doris finally sighed softly.
“The Baron always kept every door in the house open because of it, and he couldn’t sleep without the lights on.”
Recalling that day when she herself had been locked in the warehouse, Asha’s lips curved into a bitter smile.
“Exactly. And my mother-in-law tore apart every book, doll, and dress I bought for the child with my own money, right in front of her.”
Doris drew in a breath.
“So… will you help me just once? In return, I promise I’ll make sure you and your child get back everything you’re rightfully owed.”
And so Doris gave a heavy nod, and in the end, she would reveal all of her mother-in-law’s misdeeds before everyone gathered.

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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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