A Change of Husband - Chapter 110

The air inside the conference hall was heavy.

 

There was still no news from Count Mirk, and the conservative faction, which had rallied around him, was furious at having been thoroughly deceived by Esperad. Yet, they were at a loss for what to do and floundering in confusion.

 

The progressive faction also knew that Esperad would not take Cordelia as his queen. However, they had not heard anything about a proposal to Asilie so the atmosphere was tense and unclear. Of the three groups, the neutral faction was the calmest.

 

They, too, did not understand the situation, but the fact that a queen from the neutral faction might ascend the throne gave them hope for many favorable developments in the future. So they chose to see things positively.

 

“His Majesty the King is entering!”

 

Just before the meeting was about to begin, Esperad entered the conference room.

 

The conservative nobles openly scowled at him, clearly showing their displeasure. But he paid them no mind and took his seat at the head of the table.

 

“Good morning.”

 

His overly cheerful greeting filled the nobles’ faces with awkward surprise.

 

Esperad had clearly noticed their reactions, but he casually flipped through the papers on the table and continued speaking.

 

“There don’t seem to be any new proposals besides what we were already discussing yesterday. Unless I’m mistaken… today’s meeting should finish quickly.”

 

“Your Majesty!”

 

Count Bourbon, who had been glaring at Esperad as if in disbelief, suddenly shouted.

 

Esperad lifted his head from the papers and looked at him.

 

“Is there a new proposal?”

 

“H-How could you do this, Your Majesty!”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“There are rumors you officially proposed to Lady Grandier…”

 

“Ah, did I not inform you in advance? I must have been too busy to think of it. I can understand if the sudden news caught you off guard.”

 

“She is a divorcée!”

 

As soon as Esperad finished speaking, Count Bonaparte shouted so loudly it seemed the room might explode.

 

He stared at Esperad with a furious expression and shouted again.

 

“How can a ‘divorcée,’ someone who should be shunned by society, be the mother of Astel? Please reconsider, Your Majesty!”

 

“That’s right! This goes against social norms and will definitely have a very negative effect on the public sentiment!”

 

“Social norms and public sentiment, huh.”

 

Esperad, who had been silently listening to the conservatives, repeated their words in a dry tone.

 

“You make it sound like a divorced woman should never take part in society and should live as if she’s already dead.”

 

“Marriage is a sacred bond. How can someone who irresponsibly broke that bond stand beside the King? Can the people trust and follow a woman who couldn’t even keep her own family together, as their queen?”

 

“How can you…”

 

Esperad looked down at the conservatives raising their voices and asked,

 

“…decide the person you’ll share that sacred bond with without even seeing their face? Is a family name or reputation enough reason to choose a life partner?”

 

“……….”

 

“Your argument makes no sense. And I’m not foolish enough to respect such contradictory opinions.”

 

The conservative nobles’ faces twisted with anger.

 

Saying he wasn’t “foolish enough to respect contradictory opinions” could Asilie be taken as a direct insult—calling those who held such opinions fools.

 

“She is the first step toward changing this country. A country where citizens can’t make even the most basic choices because of customs and social pressure. That is the future I want to create as this nation’s king. So I will not take back my decision. And at the very least, I…”

 

“Feels like a stab in the back.”

 

Interrupting the King mid-sentence was a serious act of disrespect.

 

Everyone turned to see who had dared to do such a thing.

 

“Count Mirk!”

 

It was Count Mirk, who had just entered the room.

 

“How dare you interrupt His Majesty!”

 

“His Majesty said he would strengthen ties with Velkoz through Queen Cordelia. The nobles agreed to relax the marriage conditions because the King’s diplomatic goals matched our own hopes.”

 

“……….”

 

“So the man sitting in that noble seat might just have a tongue worse than a flashy market merchant who speaks well but cheats others.”

 

As Count Mirk insulted the King, progressive nobles jumped to their feet. Some even rushed forward as if to grab him by the collar.

 

If Esperad hadn’t raised his hand to stop them, Count Mirk might have been thrown onto the table by Count Cassnut.

 

“Is that your opinion, Count?”

 

“Yes, it is.”

 

“It’s quite funny for you to say I have a tongue worse than a merchant.”

 

Count Mirk’s expression darkened as he realized Esperad was mocking him.

 

“Someone who covered people’s eyes and ears for his own gain, who shamelessly did things no decent person would do—you are not the one to speak.”

 

“I don’t know what you mean.”

 

“Then I’ll show you. Albert.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

At Esperad’s call, Albert took some papers he had been carrying and handed them over.

 

It was well known that Esperad had become estranged from the Gariburn family after the mysterious death of his former fiancée, the daughter of Count Gariburn.

 

So when he called Albert by name instead of by his title, “Count Gariburn,” the nobles were shocked, looking back and forth between the two.

 

Even more shocking was the reaction of the conservatives, who until recently had been conspiring with Albert to trap Esperad.

 

“Using dark magic to desecrate the late king’s passing…”

 

Esperad flipped through the documents Albert gave him and mocked Count Mirk.

 

“Illegally bringing in foreign workers, avoiding taxes, using your position for personal gain… And yet you dare speak like that?”

 

“This seems like Count Gariburn’s slander.”

 

“Slander, you say?”

 

Count Mirk slowly nodded.

 

“Yes. It’s all slander, and I am completely innocent in this matter.”

 

“If you’re so innocent, then we must make everything perfectly clear. I hope you’ll cooperate in uncovering the truth.”

 

“Unfortunately, I don’t plan to.”

 

Even the conservative faction had not expected Count Mirk to respond so defiantly. They exchanged anxious glances.

 

‘Could it be already…?’

 

They had planned a rebellion, but it was meant to be a last resort—not something they had finalized.

 

Yet Count Mirk’s attitude now was far from someone who respected Esperad as king.

 

“I will no longer endure unjust treatment. Just because you were lucky enough to become king doesn’t mean we should trust a swindler who stabbed us in the back.”

 

“Do not insult His Majesty!”

 

“It was His Majesty who picked this fight. We simply can’t sit by and do nothing anymore. That’s all I’m saying. Now then, I believe we’re done here.”

 

Count Mirk turned around and began walking out, without a hint of hesitation.

 

Esperad stared at his back and said just one thing.

 

“If you walk out like that, I’ll take it as a declaration of war.”

 

Mirk stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around.

 

As he faced the room, his face was filled with a wide grin.

 

The nobles were visibly shaken by the unexpected reaction—even the conservatives.

 

“Heh… a declaration of war, you say?”

 

“……….”

 

“Then so be it. I’ll take it as that. I look forward to it.”

 

With an exaggerated bow, Count Mirk turned and walked away. The conservative nobles, now resolved, followed after him.

 

The real battle was just beginning.

 

 

Asilie had been busy since the morning.

 

Her only break had been a short visit from the Duchess of Grandier, who had come to the palace to deliver her belongings. After that, she had to begin a new round of etiquette training.

 

She had learned some royal etiquette before the coronation as well, but since the schedule had been so tight back then, the lessons hadn’t been this thorough or organized.

 

Even Madam Marce seemed to feel sorry for her, having to endure such a demanding schedule just a day after entering the palace. Since the national wedding preparations hadn’t been finalized yet, she allowed Asilie some free time in the evening.

 

“They allowed shops to use the word ‘Shop’ in their names, so now many stores are being opened with names like ‘Shop Sophia.’”

 

So Asilie called Sophia to the palace, using the excuse that she wanted professional advice.

 

“That’s why so many shops have been popping up in the capital lately. But did they really allow it without any conditions?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

“They didn’t?”

 

“The condition was that they blacklist people like Madam Monica Bonaparte, who harm the industry, and refuse them entry. The designers had no reason to disagree.”

 

Asilie opened her eyes wide in surprise, having unexpectedly learned the full story.

 

That morning, a rumor had spread like wildfire throughout the capital that Monica had been denied entry to a new store called “Shop Ermerte” in a busy district. It hadn’t even taken half a day.

 

Even Asilie who was in the palace, had heard the news through the Duchess of Grandier.

 

At first, she had wondered why someone as prominent in society as Monica had been turned away. But learning that it was Sophia’s doing left her astonished.

 

“…I’m honestly impressed by your influence.”

 

Asilie’s admiration was genuine, and Sophia smiled as she replied.

 

“I’ve been in this industry for a long time. Honestly, most of the designers are like colleagues to me. Besides, this problem was long overdue for a solution.”

 

Just as there are all kinds of people in the world, there were quite a few nobles who behaved terribly simply because they disliked seeing commoners handling large sums of money.

 

Using Monica as an example, shameless nobles who ran up credit and never paid would now start to disappear.

 

Sophia believed that people with power in the industry—like herself—should step forward to fix such issues.

 

“And I was also inspired by watching you.”

 

“By watching me?”

 

“Yes. When His Majesty asked me to deliver that item, saying it was something you absolutely needed to know. I realized a lot seeing you make a firm decision, even though no one knew what might happen to you. Honestly, I was really worried then…”

 

She could say it calmly now, but back then, she had been truly anxious.

 

She had ended up giving the item to Sir Villian at Asilie’s request, unable to refuse, but she had feared she might never see Asilie again because of it.

 

“I thought I might lose the person who once saved me.”

 

Asilie realizing Sophia was gently blaming her, gave a sheepish smile and replied as if to defend herself.

 

“But in the end, everything turned out fine, didn’t it?”

 

“Now that we’re talking about it… I almost hired mercenaries back then.”

 

Asilie looked puzzled, not quite understanding what Sophia meant. Sophia let out a deep sigh and explained.

 

“In case something went wrong and I had to rescue you.”

 

Asilie had never considered that. That made it all the more touching.

 

As she stared at Sophia, speechless, Sophia added again.

 

“You weren’t worried about yourself, so someone had to be.”

 

Maybe Sophia had sensed Asilie’s state of mind back then.

 

Though she was doing her best to live, she hadn’t had much will to go on. The only reason she kept going was a sense of obligation.

 

To Asilie life was about getting through each day knowing that the one person who had ever been on her side was gone.

 

At the very least, she didn’t want to live just waiting for death when she met him again. She wanted to be able to say she had done what she could in this world.

 

Sophia was right. That’s why Asilie hadn’t worried about her own safety. That’s why she hadn’t taken precautions.

 

“…I won’t be like that anymore. You won’t have to worry about me again.”

 

After a long silence, Asilie finally spoke.

 

“You’re not someone who lies, so I’ll believe you. And you really shouldn’t do that anymore. You’re going to be the mother of this nation, after all.”

 

Realizing she had pushed Asilie too hard, Sophia gently changed the subject.

 

“But I heard you had something you wanted to entrust to me?”

 

“Well, if it’s too much, you can say no, but… I was hoping you’d help with the national wedding preparations. Of course, I understand if you’re too busy, so I wouldn’t pressure you—”

 

“Of course I will!”

 

Sophia raised her voice without meaning to.

 

A designer involved in a royal wedding earned a level of fame that couldn’t even be compared to before.

 

But that wasn’t the reason Sophia wanted to do it.

 

“If I could make the wedding dress for the person who allowed me to be here now, it would truly make me happy.”

 

That was the real reason.

 

Even after they reunited, Asilie had continued to inspire her and give her new insights—though unintentionally.

 

If she could make Asilie’s wedding dress, Sophia felt it would be something she could proudly talk about for generations to come.

 

“That’s something I should be saying to the best designer like you. If you make my dress, I’ll be truly happy.”

 

At those words, Sophia’s face lit up clearly.

 

Knock, knock.

 

“Your new refreshments, my lady.”

 

The two women paused their conversation at the maid’s voice.

 

Seeing the maids bring in a fresh set of refreshments, they realized they had been talking for far longer than they thought.

 

As the maids quickly cleared the old set and arranged the new ones on the table, Sophia discreetly glanced at the face of the maid pouring the tea.

 

‘She looks really familiar…’

 

Sophia, who met countless customers, still made an effort to remember faces for her business. So she rarely forgot someone she had seen before.

 

Most maids in the palace were from noble families and had their identities verified, so it wasn’t impossible she might know one. But something felt off about this particular maid.

 

‘I know I’ve seen her somewhere…’

 

Just then, as the maids bowed and left the room—

 

It suddenly hit her.

 

She finally remembered where she had seen that maid’s face before.