A Change of Husband - Chapter 101

After finishing his dinner, Albert completed the tasks he hadn’t been able to finish in the afternoon.

Normally, he would have pushed tomorrow’s work to today, but since he had a scheduled event, he finished what needed to be done today and immediately started preparing to leave.

I’m tired.

At this time, he usually didn’t go out, but today was different.

Count Mirk had subtly hinted that he wanted him to attend the conservative nobles’ meeting.

Although it had been quite some time since he agreed to cooperate with the conservatives, this was the first time he had been formally invited to one of their private gatherings, so it was worth attending.

Albert quietly left the building on horseback, arriving at one of Count Bellucci’s villas.

There were many carriages parked outside, indicating that many nobles had already arrived.

“Who are you?”

As Albert approached the villa’s door, armed knights came forward and asked stiffly.

“I am Albert Gariburn.”

After confirming his name with the list, the knights moved aside and let him pass.

Albert dismounted and entered the villa.

The exterior of the mansion was grand, but the interior was even more luxurious. It was clear how much wealth the conservative nobles had accumulated during the king’s absence.

“I will guide you.”

An old servant led the way, and Albert followed behind silently.

After walking down a long corridor, they finally entered the meeting room, where many conservative nobles were already seated.

As soon as Albert entered, the nobles who had been conversing fell silent.

In the awkward silence, Count Mirk spoke first.

“You’ve arrived, I see. You’ve come all this way.”

“I’m grateful for the invitation to join such an esteemed gathering.”

“Haha, your kind words are appreciated.”

Count Mirk smiled kindly and pointed to the seat next to him.

“Please, sit, Count.”

“Thank you.”

Albert swallowed his disgust and sat down next to him with a formal smile.

The conservative nobles seemed awkward about his presence, but they remained silent, possibly because they hadn’t received any explanation.

Now that all the attendees had arrived, Count Mirk looked around the room before speaking in a serious tone.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard that Prince Bonaparte has been gravely injured by the king and is still unconscious.”

The news that Prince Joseph Bonaparte had fallen into a coma due to the king’s actions had recently reached the conservative nobles.

This was a very threatening development for them—it felt almost like a declaration of war from the king.

“We’ve heard.”

“I have too. But the reason behind it…”

At the mention of “reason,” Count Mirk frowned slightly and asked.

“Reason? Didn’t you all hear about it?”

In response, Count Bellucci spoke for the others.

“We all know, but we find it strange.”

“What do you mean?”

“That the king himself would intervene to protect a lowly woman doesn’t make sense. I even looked into it, but before this incident, there was no connection between them.”

Count Bourbon nodded in agreement with Count Bellucci’s words.

“Count Bellucci is right. Furthermore, the king probably intended to use that woman and then discard her. So why did he go as far as to harm Prince Bonaparte?”

“That’s exactly it. There was no reason to injure the prince just to protect her.”

“As far as I know, the Bonaparte family’s ledger has already been handed over to the king. Doesn’t that make it even stranger?”

At this, the other conservative nobles started murmuring.

After listening to their opinions for a while, Count Mirk nodded.

“…Actually, I’ve been thinking the same.”

“It’s a declaration of war.”

For the first time, Count Bonaparte spoke up.

As the direct victim of this event, his words immediately silenced the room.

“He’s using Joseph as an example, to show that this is what will happen to anyone who opposes him. And by stealing our family’s ledger through that lowly woman, he’s declaring us as enemies.”

“Hm, what do you all think?”

Count Mirk asked, and the conservative nobles slowly shared their thoughts.

The conclusion they reached was clear.

“The king has clearly shown that he intends to turn the conservatives into enemies. There was no need to go that far with Prince Bonaparte.”

“Count Mirk, are you going to let this continue?”

Count Bourbon’s question made Count Mirk raise an eyebrow.

“What are you suggesting?”

“I’ll make him realize that the throne he’s sitting on is nothing more than a façade. And we’ll also show him that we can take that throne from him.”
Count Bonaparte’s voice was filled with anger.

Noticing that Count Bonaparte was getting too worked up, Count Bellucci called him back to calm him down.

“Calm down, Count Bonaparte.”

“Why shouldn’t we do it?”

Finally, Count Bonaparte exploded, releasing all his pent-up anger.

“We’ve accumulated wealth for years, and we’ve armed ourselves with the latest weapons! But what does the king have?”

No one answered his question.

“We have the advantage. If we just stop the ammunition supply, the king’s army will have no choice but to surrender!”

“But…”

“I have to sit in these meetings and watch the king’s disgusting face while my son, whom I had marked as my heir, lies unconscious! I can’t stand it. I can’t bear it any longer!”

“…I agree with Count Bonaparte’s words. If a puppet can’t fulfill his duties, we must replace him, right? Then we can install a competent leader as our monarch.”

At Count Bellucci’s words, all the nobles turned to look at Count Mirk.

Now was the time for him to make a decision.

“Is everyone’s opinion the same?”

There was no answer, but the silence spoke volumes.

Realizing that everyone was in agreement, Count Mirk nodded.

“In that case, we must prepare.”

“……”

“Honestly, I still think it’s too early to act. But if we can’t move the king to our will, then yes, as the others have said, we must remove him.”

Just then,
“I have a different opinion.”

Breaking the heavy atmosphere, it was Albert who spoke up.

Count Mirk looked at him with a curious expression. It was difficult to understand the meaning behind Albert’s words. After all, being from the opposition party, he knew very well that he had no real standing here.

“What’s so different about your opinion, Count Gariburn?”

Count Mirk asked slowly, and Albert replied stiffly.

“You may not remember, but not long ago, the king hinted at the possibility of marrying the late queen.”

“…What does that have to do with anything?”

Count Bonaparte asked gruffly, but Albert didn’t care and answered calmly.

“Civil war is the quickest way to destroy a country, so I believe we should choose the safest option. If we can use the late queen, it’s not a bad idea to make the most of her. It’s better than taking the clear risk of ‘treason.’”

Count Mirk’s eyes glinted ominously.

‘He’s more thoughtful than I expected.’

Albert revealed his identity as a neutral noble, someone who seeks safety, but at the same time, he made it clear that he aligned with the conservative nobles. His words had enough persuasive power.

‘He’s definitely useful.’

Count Mirk could now understand why Albert was so supported among the neutral nobles. Accepting his proposal had been a good move. In fact, he regretted not suggesting it to Albert first.

“Good.”

Count Mirk glanced around at the conservative nobles and spoke.

“Replacing the figurehead should be our last resort. For now, let’s try using the late queen.”

“But!”

“Count Bonaparte, I understand your feelings, but with so many of our allies involved, we must be cautious—very cautious.”

It seemed that the conclusion was forming.

Count Mirk thought of Cordelia, who had been out of touch recently.

Perhaps she had forgotten the benefactor who had helped her preserve her position because she was so excited about the possibility of marrying Esperad…

‘I’ll remind her clearly.’

He took a sip of tea, a twisted smile on his face.

Count Mirk’s announcement that he would visit was not welcome news to Cordelia.

“I’m not feeling well.”

“You said it would only be for a short while, Your Highness.”

“I told you I’m not feeling well, didn’t I?!”

“Odette!”

Cordelia snapped, but Lady Avent didn’t flinch, coldly turning her back.

Her disrespectful attitude, considering she was just a maid, made Cordelia shake with anger.

‘How dare she…’

Though Cordelia had known that Lady Avent was not her maid but Count Mirk’s subordinate, she never imagined she would be treated this way.

Squeak—

As Cordelia tried to control her anger, the door opened without a knock.

The person who entered without a sound was Count Mirk.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

“What is this rudeness?”

“Rudeness?”

“How dare you enter a lady’s room like this without even asking permission?

No matter how high-ranking you are, this is too much.”

“If I recall correctly, our relationship was never one where we formally sought permission to interact. Have you changed your mind now?”

“Count! How dare you say such a thing…”

“How dare I?”

Count Mirk chuckled at Cordelia’s words.

To him, the situation was very amusing.

She had once struggled to gain power, even if it meant betraying her allies.

Now, seeing that another possibility had opened up, she coldly turned her back, revealing how shallow the relationship had been. While he had expected this, human pettiness sometimes surprised him.

Of course, he was one of those petty humans himself.

“If I were to find out that you tried to deceive the king into believing you were carrying the child of another man, would the current king still welcome you as his new queen?”

“What… did you say?”

Cordelia’s face went pale.

She glared at Count Mirk, trembling, but then her expression quickly changed as she replied with a false calmness.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Are you slandering me now?”

“Do you think I don’t have proof? The palace doctor who managed Hort’s illness and the physician who kept track of Your Highness’s condition are both mine. There are plenty of people in this palace who would testify to your immoral and vulgar behavior.”

“What… what do you mean by immoral and vulgar behavior?”

“Trying to pass off another man’s child as the king’s heir is the very definition of immoral and vulgar behavior, Your Highness.”

Despite her anger, Cordelia couldn’t refute Count Mirk’s words.

However, it was so unfair. They had stayed in this rotten relationship because they had once helped each other, but now that their purposes were done, why should they continue?

The relationship had always been based on mutual benefit. So, now that their goals were over, shouldn’t they part ways?

“What do you want from me? I have nothing more to offer you! I need to survive now, don’t I?”

“I’m not here to stop you from securing your own survival, Your Highness. Rest assured.”

“What you’re doing is blocking me, Count!”

Cordelia shouted angrily, but Count Mirk didn’t even blink.

“There are plenty of ways to stop you without dealing with an annoying woman like you. I came here to give you an opportunity.”

“An opportunity?”

“Are you hoping to marry the king?”

“…And if I am?”

“That’s impossible.”

Cordelia’s face contorted at Count Mirk’s answer.

She couldn’t understand what he was trying to say.

“What do you mean…?”

“One of the requirements to marry into the royal family is that the person must be a ‘virgin who has never been married.’ Unless that law is changed, you will never be able to become the queen, no matter what.”

Cordelia turned pale, realizing she had never known this fact.

She didn’t want to believe Count Mirk, but deep down, she knew he wasn’t the type of person to lie about something like this.

“The law can’t be changed by the king alone.”

Cordelia knew that for the law to be changed, more than half of the nobles had to agree.

When she realized what Count Mirk was implying, she looked up at him with desperate eyes.

Seeing her completely changed expression, Count Mirk smiled eerily.

“I’ll forgive the first mistake, but I won’t let the second one slide.”

“…”

“You understand, don’t you? If you want to become this country’s queen again, you’d better start listening to me from now on.”

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