A Change of Husband - Chapter 102

It was ten days after he had woken up.

 

Now that his body had somewhat recovered and there were no annoying women around, he was about to resume his usual behavior of teasing the maids. However, he had to visit his doctor due to a problem with an important part of his body that was not functioning properly. To his shock, the diagnosis he received was nothing short of devastating.

 

“What?”

 

Joseph furrowed his brows, glaring at the doctor.

 

“What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by that?”

 

“I, I… I said exactly what I meant.”

 

“Are you telling me to believe this?!”

 

Joseph, completely flabbergasted, couldn’t even feel angry at first.

 

He continued to glare at the doctor, as if trying to confirm if what he was hearing was true. The doctor trembled but did not retract his diagnosis or offer any correction.

 

“So, you mean to say that I… I’m a eunuch?”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“Really? I’m a eunuch? How did this happen?”

 

“I’m not entirely sure, but it seems that even when a person is injured in a completely unrelated area, the shock can sometimes affect certain bodily functions. It seems that your injury near your lower back may have caused this malfunction.”

 

“Ah, no… No!”

 

Although Joseph had occasionally felt a dull, tingling sensation when trying to perform, he never expected to be diagnosed as impotent. It was completely absurd.

 

He turned his gaze away from the doctor and stared into the empty space.

 

The situation was so ridiculous that he couldn’t even bring himself to speak. After a long silence, Joseph suddenly realized his face was wet.

 

…He was unknowingly crying.

 

“I… I…”

 

“Joseph…”

 

Countess Bonaparte called his name in a concerned voice, but Joseph couldn’t hear her.

 

“I’m a eunuch… I… I’m really a eunuch!”

 

“I will find a way to fix this. I won’t let this end so uselessly…”

 

“…Mother, am I really a eunuch? The heir of the Bonaparte family, me… I… Ahhh…”

 

“There must be a way. I will search across the country, no, I’ll search the world if I have to, to find someone who can cure you.”

 

“No! Ahhh, mother…”

 

Monica watched Countess Bonaparte try to comfort Joseph, and she turned away with a sympathetic expression. As a mother with a daughter of her own, she could understand the pain of a mother’s heart, but there were far too many things she needed to think about to be touched by the scene before her.

 

‘How do I explain this to Lady Bourbon?’

 

The reason she had chosen to marry the daughter of Count Bourbon was that the girl could not bear children. However, the inability to have children and the complete loss of sexual function were two different issues.

 

Monica didn’t like to dwell on complicated thoughts.

 

‘I guess I just won’t say anything.’

 

The Bonaparte family would not want to leave their eldest son alone, so they would likely try to hide his sexual dysfunction in order to marry him off. Lady Bourbon, on the other hand, cared more about marrying into a reputable noble family than anything else, so there wouldn’t be much problem with their union.

 

Monica felt that, in terms of having children, both Joseph and Lady Bourbon were in a similar position.

 

‘Besides, Lady Bourbon doesn’t have much of a clean reputation either.’

 

Having made her decision, Monica let out a relieved sigh.

 

Still, she couldn’t shake the strange feeling in her heart.

 

‘Why did this happen? Is it really that common for someone to have such bad luck?’

 

She was a little suspicious.

 

But since it was not her problem, Monica quickly decided to stop thinking about it.

 

It was unfortunate for Joseph, but as long as her husband Geoffrey was safe, that was all that mattered to her. Moreover, this situation only made it more likely that Geoffrey would become the heir to the Bonaparte family.

 

Feeling refreshed, Monica stretched and looked out the window, but then she tilted her head when she saw Count Bonaparte boarding a carriage with a dark expression.

 

‘Why is he in such a hurry?’

 

Since Asilie left, Monica had been managing Count Bonaparte’s schedule with the Countess. There were no outings planned for today, so there was no reason for him to leave.

 

‘It must be something personal.’

 

However, as Monica managed only the official schedule, she quickly turned away from the window and headed to Joseph’s bedroom.

 

She was preparing to cry dramatically as if in mourning.

 

 

Two weeks later, the Grandier family returned.

 

The time spent at the Medici mansion had felt like a long-awaited happiness for Asilie. She had been able to meet Lydia whenever she wanted and enjoy tea time together. Esperad also visited her whenever he had time.

 

However, Asilie did not think the time that seemed to slow down for her would flow that slowly for others as well.

 

Though she had hoped Esperad would stay longer, she had packed her things and decided to return to the Grandier family, feeling that time was dragging on.

 

“I’m so glad you made it back safely.”

 

“I’m happy you’ve returned.”

 

“So am I.”

 

Since the Duke of Grandier had to attend a meeting at the palace, it was the Duchess of Grandier and her two sons who greeted Asilie upon her return.

 

“You must have been worried, and I’m sure you were shocked. I’m sorry.”

 

“No, it’s fine. But now I’m not sure how to address you.”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?”

 

“It’s good news. The divorce from Count Bonaparte has been officially approved. He agreed to it without any resistance.”

 

Asilie had expected some trouble from the Bonaparte family, so the situation going so smoothly caught her off guard.

 

Seeing Asilie’s confused expression, the Duchess of Grandier led her into the sitting room for a more detailed conversation.

 

“How did this happen so quickly? I didn’t expect them to agree to the divorce so Asilie.”

 

“We thought the same. The Duke was even planning to meet with the nobles’ council, but the Bonaparte family agreed to it without any trouble. So we checked into the matter and found out why.”

 

“Why?”

 

“They were planning to marry Lady Bourbon. In fact, the Bourbon family had been looking for a match for their daughter for some time, so they probably thought there was no harm in it. Still, getting ready for marriage right after the divorce… It’s quite rude, I think.”

 

That explanation made sense.

 

The reason Joseph had tried to kill her in the first place was because he wanted to marry Lady Bourbon. If Asilie had made it clear that she was determined to divorce, they likely would have welcomed her decision, except for the issue of the family ledger.

 

‘Impressive.’

 

Asilie had witnessed Joseph lying on the ground after being shot by her. The blood soaking his white shirt.

 

Despite clearly being seriously injured, the fact that he was pushing for marriage was truly astonishing.

 

“Anyway, from now on, you’ll be introduced as the Duchess of Grandier. It might feel strange, but we’re not sure what to call you now.”

 

“If you don’t mind, you can call me by my name.”

 

“Oh my.”

 

Asking someone to call you by your name in a difficult relationship meant that you considered them close enough to do so. The Duchess of Grandier looked at her for a moment with a touched expression, then smiled and nodded.

 

“Alright, you can call me Rosita. …Asilie.”

 

“Of course, Rosita.”

 

The former Duke of Grandier had urged the current Duke and Duchess of Grandier to move down to their estate and handle its matters. Because of this, the current Duke and Duchess of Grandier did not have many friends in the capital. Especially since the Duchess of Grandier was from a noble family in the provinces and had met the Duke by chance, falling in love and marrying him, she had a harder time adjusting to the high society of the capital.

 

The reason she maintained only formal relationships with the noblewomen of the capital and focused on raising her two sons was partly because of this. In such circumstances, becoming close to Asilie, who had gone missing for a few months, and continuously sharing a friendship, felt strangely emotional.

 

Perhaps it was because she was so used to being the ‘lady of the Duke’s house’ or the ‘mother of two sons’ that forming new friendships felt unfamiliar. She may have also been unused to the idea of forming real bonds with someone.

 

“Oh, that reminds me…”

 

The Duchess of Grandier, still overwhelmed with new emotions, suddenly clapped her hands as she realized something she needed to tell Asilie.

 

“Jonathan wants to meet you. He’s been asking to meet for a few days now, but since you were absent and I wasn’t sure whether I could let him know, I told him you were unwell.”

 

“Oh, I see. What does he want?”

 

“I’m not exactly sure. I contacted him when I found out you were returning today, so he should be waiting for you now.”

 

“Really? By the way, where has he been staying lately?”

 

“He’s been staying at the residence arranged by the Duke. He’s been in touch with only a few select companions, but recently, someone came looking for him through the gunsmiths.”

 

Asilie nodded, thinking it was likely either Esperad or someone he had sent.

 

“Well, it seems like something urgent was going on since he’s been looking for you for a few days now. If you prefer, I can leave and give you some space. I have my own things to do anyway.”

 

“Would you do that for me?”

 

“Of course. Oh, and I almost forgot to ask, would you be attending the royal ball next month?”

 

“Me?”

 

Asilie looked at the Duchess of Grandier in surprise. In Astel, being an ‘ex-wife’ was considered shameful, to the point where one couldn’t show their face in public.

 

A woman who had divorced was seen as lacking in virtue and patience, someone who had failed in the important matter of marriage. Even in noble families, someone who had gone through a divorce would be looked down upon. That was why Asilie found the Duchess of Grandier’s invitation so unexpected.

 

“Of course. I would love it if Asilie could come along too.”

 

“Thank you for the invitation, but I’m not sure if I should attend, Rosita. As you know, the public opinion isn’t exactly favorable. It would definitely bring trouble to the Grandier family.”

 

“No, that’s not true!”

 

The Duchess of Grandier shook her head vigorously.

 

“I don’t think that at all. If you come, I’m sure the Duke and I would be delighted. The children would be happy too.”

 

Just the fact that the Duchess of Grandier had accepted her suggestion so kindly made Asilie feel content. No one from noble circles had wanted to get close to her due to her humble origins.

 

In both this world and the parallel world, while she had formed relationships with others, she had never truly shared a friendship with noblewomen, as there was always an invisible barrier, even in favorable situations. That’s why the Duchess of Grandier’s warm words deeply moved her.

 

“…Then, I’ll attend, Rosita. Thank you for inviting me.”

 

“Of course. I’ll leave now. I’ll send Jonathan in shortly, so please wait a moment.”

 

Not long after the Duchess of Grandier left the sitting room, Jonathan entered with a maid.

 

“I heard you weren’t feeling well. Are you alright now?”

 

“I wasn’t actually sick. I was just away.”

 

“Really?”

 

“I was attacked… I know it’s not something I need to mention, but I didn’t want to keep any secrets, no matter how small. After all, we’re working together.”

 

Jonathan frowned slightly and asked,

 

“…Was there something related to the Bonaparte family?”

 

“If I said there was no connection, that would be a lie. Why? Did you come looking for me because of that?”

 

A few days ago, she had heard that the Bonaparte family had taken weapons from the warehouse, but she hadn’t imagined it would be connected to her. She was taken aback. However, that wasn’t why Jonathan had come to see her.

 

“That’s not it.”

 

It might even be something more important.

 

“The person known as the inventor of firearms is looking for me.”

 

“Now it’s no problem if Jonathan disappears, right? But why is he looking for you?”

 

“I heard he’s causing a fuss about needing to invent a more powerful weapon. But so far, I’m the only one who understands the principles of guns, so it seems impossible.”

 

Asilie frowned at that. The gun was already a powerful weapon, and unless there was a large-scale war, there was no real reason to invent a new weapon.

 

“Why does he insist on creating a new weapon?”

 

“I heard there were other orders.”

 

“Other orders?”

 

“They’ve completely stopped the distribution of firearms and instructed to increase the production of guns.”

 

Asilie didn’t want to think negatively, but the various clues seemed to point toward an obvious conclusion.

 

“…This is all going too strangely.”

 

“I think the same. However, I believe this is a definite sign of ‘war.’”

 

The man known as the inventor of firearms was connected to conservative nobles and was receiving their investments. So, even though they had stopped the distribution of firearms, the order to increase production meant one thing: they were preparing for ‘rebellion.’