[Chapter 007] Husband's 'legitimate' mistress

Since attending my own funeral, I've been acting like a crazy woman all day. I woke up in the morning, happy about my healthy body, then I sobbed and fell into sadness… . When I got out of bed, I stared blankly at the newspapers and gossip magazines, reading them over and over again. There was no more news about me in the Imperial Gazette. Not only that, but I kept taking out the card with Noebian's handwriting and reading it again and again whenever I had a chance.

'What kind of promise did Noah and Blier make?'

It's a note without even a greeting or a closing, but it's strangely unsettling. Noebian is a man who is always polite, even to someone as humble as a commoner without a title. As far as I know, he doesn't even have any close friends.

"Friends?"

Blier Acacia, who can't even get his name in the gossip magazines, and him being friends? And Noebian, who is so upright that he's not even close to women, and Blier?

"Relatives?"

He's royalty. If he's his relative, then Blier would be royalty too. There's no way the Count of Acacia could marry a young and beautiful woman who is royalty.

"Colleagues?"

Judging from the reactions of the people in this mansion, who flinch whenever I read a newspaper or a book, Blier doesn't seem to be a very intellectual person. Noebian, who graduated from the academy with top honors, despises those who have nothing in their heads. Isn't that obvious from Mazi's attitude, as if she thinks I'm easy to deal with? The head maid, Mazi, isn't a bad woman, but she's not very polite either. It wasn't that bothersome to me, who had already seen only cunning maids in the Grand Duke's mansion, but the underlying contempt in Mazi's attitude, who treats Blier as if he were her niece, even though she's only called the Countess, is subtle. I slowly approached the mirror and looked at myself. Blier is very beautiful, even in my eyes. It's because she's eerily similar to me. The Iron Chancellor, Noebian, didn't get the title of Grand Duchess for nothing. She wasn't a weak body that seemed like it would crumble, and she was full of energy for her age. It's not that she was looked down upon because she had a physical defect or an unusual appearance.

I must have looked completely foolish.

But not anymore. I had been to the academy for a short time, and Noebian had even told me that I was the only woman in Ronta who could understand him. I actually felt that the servants at the Count's mansion were looking at me differently. I hadn't just been acting like a crazy woman for the past few days. I had also instructed them to make the bedroom and reception room, which were filled with a horrible pink, a little less horrible. I had also divided the work a bit, seeing that the head butler was overworked. Mazi cheered as the pink disappeared from the house, and the old butler's face started to glow as his workload decreased. Unlike the servants at the Grand Duke's mansion, who wouldn't even exchange a word with me, more and more people were coming to me, asking me what to do about this and that. They clearly needed someone to properly manage the household. I was worried if I should get attached to these people, even though I didn't know what would happen to me in the future, but I started to interact with them anyway.

I need to find out.

What kind of promise did Blier and Noebian make? Noebian had personally invited the vassal's wife and even sent this strange note, but he hadn't come to see me once. It was unsettling that he hadn't taken any action after acting so out of character. He must know Blier, since he wasn't surprised to see my face at the funeral.

Would he know that I'm Adrienne if he saw me up close?

I was excited with the strange expectation that he would definitely recognize me if he saw me up close. We've been together for years. I couldn't wait any longer. I couldn't just wait for Noebian to contact me first, with no promise of when that would be.

I need to go find Noah.

But how? Without the seal of the Count of Acacia, it's impossible for my letter to reach the roof of the Grand Duke's mansion. I walked through the Count's modest garden, keeping my ears open for any sign of someone delivering or coming to deliver another note. Soon, I heard a commotion nearby, and Mazi, with a flushed face, ran into the garden.

"Oh my, where have you been this time! I told you to tell me where you're going!"

"Why?"

"The master is back! I thought you had gone out without knowing he was in the garden."

"!"

"The master has returned to the mansion after months, you should go see him quickly."

"…Did he say he wanted to see me?"

"What are you talking about? You should go even if he didn't say he wanted to see you. That's what husbands and wives do!"

That's right, actually. The things I have to do as someone's wife are still unfamiliar to me. The Count of Acacia, who had left the mansion, returned after months… . I hesitated for a moment, then nodded and followed Mazi to the study on the third floor. The sudden appearance of a new husband was confusing, but it might not be a bad thing. Thinking about it, he's the only one who can give me information about Blier Acacia.

***

A soft knock. The door was already open, making the knock feel awkward. The study was simple. A bleak space with no paintings or flower vases. It was in stark contrast to Blier's bedroom, which was filled with all sorts of beautiful things. I carefully stepped inside, leaving Mazi outside, and saw the Count of Acacia standing by the large window next to the study desk. He was standing by the window, looking out. This was the first time I had met him in the body of the Count of Acacia and Blier, so I was a little nervous.

"Count."

"…My wife."

"You're back."

I bowed slightly to the Count, who turned his head at the sound of my footsteps. The aged Count of Acacia bowed slightly to me, his posture stooped. Then, he naturally sat on the sofa and gestured for me to sit as well. I was about to relax, thinking he seemed quite kind, when… .

"Have you met the Grand Duke?"

Silence fell instantly. My heart pounded rapidly, and my palms were sweating. I didn't answer right away. I simply stared at the Count, neither confirming nor denying. I was trying to gauge what I should say, and his amber eyes, which seemed to be looking at a disobedient daughter, scanned me. It was strange to see the face of a vassal who was so nonchalant, even though it seemed like his wife had gone out without a single servant, and even though he was asking if she had met his lord.

"…No."

I finally spoke, my voice stiff with confusion and tension. A short sigh mixed with a voice came from the other side.

"Do you not intend to keep your promise with the Grand Duke?"

My heart felt like it was plummeting to the ground. I stiffened my body and sat up straight. I finally met the Count's gaze, and there was no contempt or anger on his face. He naturally asked me about Noebian, asking if I had met him. Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! My heart beat faster. Blier, who might be a commoner, from a humble family. And the Count of Acacia, who treated her with respect. The conversation didn't feel like a husband and wife at all. And if I wasn't mistaken, his face was a little pale.

As if he were terrified.

"…What promise?"

What kind of promise was it? Noebian, who was so cautious that he didn't even write his own name on the note, had he told this vassal about the promise? The Count looked startled by my words. He clutched his chest and slowly got up, walking towards me. It was a short distance, but he was so out of breath that he gasped for a while. The old vassal, with his frail body, knelt in front of me.

"….Count!"

I was startled and tried to help him up, but he spoke first. The Count clutched his knees with his old hands and spoke desperately.

"Please. Save me, my wife!"

"…!"

"Please, keep your promise, my wife. I don't want to die a dog's death in my old age! Please… ."

"Get up, Count!"

"I've put it off for too long. At my age, others are leisurely playing poker, but I'm still running back and forth between the Grand Duke's territory and the capital, working my tail off!"

I was confused again. A man begging his wife to save him. I had only asked what the promise was. Wasn't it too strange?

"You know that the Grand Duke isn't very merciful, don't you? Now that the Grand Duchess is gone, and the Grand Duke is even more ruthless, he's putting pressure on me… . I can clearly feel what he wants, even with this old body."

"I… I'm just curious what the promise is."

"If I tell the Grand Duke that, will my neck be safe?"

He said, clutching his neck with trembling hands.

His eyes were filled with terror, as if his neck would be cut off at any moment. His pale lips said that his life was on the line for a single promise. It wasn't a light promise, like having tea together. I stared at the Count, who was still kneeling, trying to hide my trembling hands. My mouth was so dry that even saliva wouldn't pass.

"I don't want to be involved anymore. I don't want to be caught in the middle of this. In the first place, wasn't the reason we had that absurd wedding to make you the Grand Duke's mistress legally?"

"!"

My stiff body relaxed as if it had never been stiff. At the same time, I felt like someone had pushed me off a cliff. In the midst of the chilling feeling that the ground had given way beneath my feet, the Count's words, which he kept muttering, didn't reach me. I didn't need to go find Noebian to confirm what the promise was. The image of my husband, grieving in front of my body, flashed before my eyes. My heart… hurts. But, but… .

"…Yes, that's right. I, no, Blier… this Blier… ."

According to his vassal, the Count of Acacia… . This Countess of Acacia, Blier, was indeed my husband, Noebian Trovica's mistress.

********************************************

Cheer me on 😍🤗🤩!!!!!!!!

Your votes, comments, and treats will really motivate me. You can treat me via 

Trakteer: trakteer.id/gurujadul/tip

Saweria: saweria.co/ibuibujadoel

Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/guru_jadul