A Change of Husband - Chapter 13

At the sound of loud shouting, the nobles no longer held back and began openly watching the confrontation between the two.

 

Asilie met his gaze, but couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

 

Though she had anticipated this, facing such genuine murderous intent rendered her speechless, as though her throat was blocked.

 

She realized she was afraid. It was only natural—Joseph had truly killed her once before.

 

She had words prepared but couldn’t say them. It was frustrating, but the moment she opened her mouth, she felt like she might vomit.

 

Joseph, who had been glaring at her as if he wanted to kill her, suddenly let out a snort.

 

Seeing her unable to run her clever mouth, he was certain this lowly woman knew exactly what kind of grave sin she had committed.

 

“A base wench, marrying a duke and behaving so recklessly… In the end, isn’t she just a cursed and miserable woman? Sold off to a man doomed to die, yet she flails around cluelessly. How pitiful.”

 

His vile words made it hard for her to breathe.

 

Asilie held her breath and closed her eyes for a moment to regain composure.

 

The murmur of the crowd reminded her that she wasn’t alone in this place.

 

They were at the royal palace’s grand ballroom, filled with people eager to show off how noble and remarkable they were.

 

No matter how murderous Joseph might be, in front of all these witnesses, he couldn’t actually do anything to her.

 

In fact, she had the upper hand now.

 

He had made the mistake of revealing his true nature in a public place. As long as she remained calm, she could take him down.

 

“How incredibly rude. One might begin to question your upbringing,” Asilie said coldly, staring directly into his oily eyes.

 

“What did you say?”

 

Joseph’s face turned bright red.

 

The humiliation of being scolded in front of everyone filled him with shame.

 

Until now, no one had ever dared cross him. Naturally, he’d never been tested in such a way before.

 

And Joseph lacked the capacity to assess and act rationally in situations like this.

 

“Rude? Rude?! How dare you say that to me?!”

 

Asilie almost felt grateful for Joseph’s stupidity and short-sightedness.

 

He came from a noble family, had a handsome face, and was the heir to a title.

 

With such advantages, it was no surprise he had earned the image of a noble darling in society without much effort. But from today on, that image would be completely ruined.

 

That realization thrilled her.

 

Suppressing her excitement, Asilie calmly said,
“I have the right to end this conversation and walk away, sir. However, you have no right to touch a married woman’s body without her permission.”

 

“Hahahahaha!”

 

Joseph burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. It seemed genuinely funny to him.

 

“You’re making such a fuss over me grabbing your wrist once? Coming from the gutters, who knows what tricks you pulled to join the ducal house? You probably used your only asset—your body…”

 

Smack!

 

Asilie’s hand slapped him across the face again.

 

Joseph had slapped people before, but no one had ever laid hands on him.

 

Yet this petite woman standing before him had slapped him twice—without hesitation.

 

“You… how dare you…”

 

He was too stunned to finish his sentence.

 

Asilie looked at him with disgust.

 

This man was foolish and arrogant. The fact that she had once been infatuated with someone like him sent chills down her spine.

 

“You have insulted not only the House of Camédici by spreading groundless rumors, but also tainted the honor of House Grandier with your vile assumptions.”

 

“You filthy bitch…”

 

Joseph muttered curses, wiping his bleeding lip with his sleeve.

 

“Blood?”

 

He stared in disbelief at the blood on his sleeve.

 

As a child, his servants had carried him everywhere, afraid a single scratch might mar the precious heir.

 

And when he grew older, he threatened his teachers and classmates alike, saying if they ever hurt him during sword practice, he’d make them regret it.

 

He had seen others bleed—but never himself.

 

This was the first time in his life.

 

Realizing that this wasn’t a dream—that this was really happening—caused rage to boil in Joseph’s chest.

 

Some lowly woman had done what no one dared.

 

He couldn’t forgive it. No matter where they were.

 

He had to kill her. He must.

 

Driven by an impulsive yet specific desire to strangle her with his own hands, Joseph lunged at her.

 

But before he could, he was thrown backward.

 

Because there was a firm arm pushing away his filthy hands.

 

“Urgh!”

 

“What do you think you’re doing?”

 

A cold voice rang in Joseph’s ears.

 

He turned his head, determined to kill whoever had dared interfere.

 

Then froze.

 

It was none other than Esperad Camédici—the very man Joseph had just been calling a cursed wretch.

 

“I… I…”

 

He tried to say something, but the contempt in Esperad’s gaze made him speechless.

 

He tried again to speak, but Esperad wasn’t even looking at him anymore.

 

As if he had never worn that expression of disgust, Esperad now looked at Asilie with deep concern.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

“I was just startled, that’s all.”

 

What wasn’t alright was her stinging palm from slapping him with all her strength—twice.

 

But Esperad didn’t seem entirely convinced.

 

“Let’s go home and talk there,” he whispered just loud enough for her to hear, then gently shielded her with his tall frame.

 

Esperad had been on his way back from checking on Hort’s condition after briefly leaving the ballroom.

 

That’s when his close friend, Thomas Artlinger, came rushing up in a panic to tell him what had happened.

 

Even the brief summary sounded serious. He had hurried back, only to find Asilie had already slapped Joseph.

 

Strangely, the sight brought him relief—at least she hadn’t just stood there and taken it.

 

If Joseph’s hands had truly touched her neck, Esperad would never have stayed calm.

 

Of course, even now, Joseph had gone too far.

 

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Esperad asked, not bothering to hide his disgust.

 

“There’s a misunderstanding. The duchess approached me first…”

 

“She approached you first?”

 

“That is…”

 

Joseph had never been good at making excuses or telling lies—especially in a tough spot.

 

It had always been the other person who had to watch their words around him.

 

So now, coming up with a lie in his favor felt nearly impossible.

 

As he hesitated for a long time, Esperad sighed irritably.

 

“You have insulted our house and harassed my wife. I will call witnesses and bring this matter to the Noble Tribunal. Be aware of that.”

 

The Noble Tribunal was an official body that issued disciplinary action against nobles who brought shame to their class. In severe cases, it could even petition the royal family to strip someone of their title.

 

Announcing in advance that one intended to take a matter to the Tribunal usually meant the offense was clear and severe.

 

Joseph, arrogant as he was, wasn’t entirely brainless.

 

But by the time he opened his mouth to object, the Duke and Duchess of Camédici had already left.

 

Geoffrey kissed Monica’s flushed cheeks several times.

 

No matter how many times he looked, she was beautiful. Truly, a perfect woman.

 

Her flawless, fair skin, her mysterious green eyes that made it nearly impossible to guess what she was thinking, and her fiery red hair.

 

Geoffrey believed that if Monica hadn’t been born into a noble family, she would have become the most famous courtesan in the red-light district.

 

That’s how alluring she was.

 

And she lacked nothing.

 

As the only daughter of a prestigious family, her political stance aligned perfectly with that of the Bonaparte House, and she possessed exceptional social skills.

 

Geoffrey thought of the maid from the Bellucci family whom he had bribed.

 

“That wench had better play her part…”

 

The maid, known for her plump cheeks, had agreed to swap the contraceptives in Monica’s tea with fertility enhancers in exchange for a large sum of money.

 

Even someone as cunning as Monica would never imagine that Geoffrey had bought off her own maid.

 

He looked at Monica, soon to be his woman, and secretly smirked.

 

“There’s always someone better at the game.”

 

Geoffrey wasn’t naïve. He knew Monica was only seeing him for fun.

 

After all, he wasn’t the heir to the Bonaparte House, nor was he particularly wealthy or honored with a royal title.

 

Monica was the kind of woman who wouldn’t rest until she had the very best man.

 

But looking at it another way, if she happened to meet a lacking man, she was also the kind of woman who could elevate him to the top.

 

“I want to spend my life with you,” Geoffrey said.

 

“I feel the same, sir,” Monica replied.

 

Her voice was sweet, but void of emotion.

 

But that was fine. The day would come when she’d say those words with sincerity.

 

When Geoffrey had almost been engaged to the adopted daughter of the Grandier Ducal House, he had realized how desperately he needed a wife.

 

As long as the seat beside him remained empty, Geoffrey would always be swayed by his family’s will and end up marrying a woman he found unsatisfactory.

 

He couldn’t let that happen. It was far too unreasonable.

 

He smiled as he looked at Monica, her eyes closed as if tired.

 

This woman would undoubtedly help him steal the position of heir from that fool Joseph.

 

“I’m thinking of proposing to the Bellucci family. It’s hard being apart like this.”

 

At his words, Monica smiled softly and nodded.

 

“I don’t mind.”

 

It was no issue—she could always turn down the proposal if she wished.

 

And if a marriage offer came from the Bonaparte House, she could simply replace her fiancé with someone more suitable.

 

A noble lineage, a shockingly handsome face, and a wealthy fortune.

 

That was all she needed.

 

Monica didn’t think her future husband had to be too intelligent.

 

“Joseph Bonaparte.”

 

The man she had in mind was Geoffrey’s older brother, Joseph.

 

Of course, he had been rather disappointing at today’s banquet.

 

Normally, that would’ve been enough for her to strike him off her candidate list without hesitation, considering how important social reputation was.

 

But today was different.

 

Perhaps because the man who confronted Joseph was none other than Asilie Camédici—the same man who had once stood against her.

 

“If I had to choose between a reliable fool and a clever risk…”

 

Unfortunately, Monica believed the former was the better option.

 

Besides, they had a common enemy.

 

Joseph was currently being reviewed by the Noble Disciplinary Committee, but if the Bellucci family could help prove that the Duchess of Camédici was also at fault, the alliance between the two houses would only grow stronger.

 

Having finished her calculations, Monica smiled.

 

At that moment, the two of them were physically closer than anyone else in the world—but neither had the slightest idea of what the other was truly thinking.

 

And so, the secretive night passed.