A Change of Husband - Chapter 14

Esperad was in a very bad mood.

 

At first, he had felt relieved that Asilie was completely unharmed, but as time passed, he became increasingly irritated.

 

He regretted not delivering a more decisive punishment to that bastard.

 

“You don’t look very happy,” Asilie said carefully.

 

Esperad had been wearing a grim expression ever since they boarded the carriage back to the Medici mansion.

 

She wanted to ask if he was okay, but something told her that she might be the reason for his anger, so she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

 

“…I can’t suppress this unpleasant feeling,” he finally said.

 

“Because of me?” she asked.

 

“More precisely, because of that bastard.”

 

Asilie’s eyes widened.

 

It was hard to believe that the always composed Esperad had used such crude language.

 

Of course, he was human too, and people curse when they’re upset. And even then, his words were nothing compared to the vulgarities Joseph often used.

 

It was just surprising to see someone who always maintained a poker face show such raw emotion.

 

“…I’m sorry. You got dragged into a pointless mess because of me,” she said.

 

“As I said before, I’m not angry with you, Asilie.”

 

Esperad looked at her.

 

The way she was trying to read his mood made him sigh.

 

The situation was frustrating. Asilie hadn’t done anything wrong today.

 

In fact, Esperad had partly expected something like this—that someone with ill intentions might try to approach her.

 

The capital’s nobility was full of people with a sense of entitlement.

 

They wanted to monopolize privileges, and so they rejected and ostracized new nobles and those from the provinces.

 

Most nobles who couldn’t withstand this territorial bullying ended up being sidelined from high society.

 

From the capital nobles’ perspective, Asilie was an exceptionally lucky case.

 

By marrying the Duke of Medici, a groom everyone avoided due to his curse, she had managed to enter high society despite being someone who, in their eyes, didn’t deserve it.

 

So naturally, they couldn’t be pleased about her existence.

 

To them, Asilie was someone to avoid—and perhaps even someone they wanted to humiliate so badly that she’d never dare show her face in society again.

 

“I’m angry at them.”

 

There had been two attacks.

 

From the daughter of the Count of Bellucci and the son of the Count of Bonaparte.

 

Both incidents happened while he wasn’t around.

 

Even though he had anticipated it to some extent and had made preparations, it still infuriated him that she had been placed in danger.

 

His duty to protect her went beyond mere threats to her life.

 

Which meant that today, Esperad had failed to protect her.

 

“…I’m sorry, Asilie.”

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

“Because I was incompetent. I should have handled things better. It’s frustrating.”

 

“Oh, please don’t say that. You did more than enough.”

 

“Enough?” Esperad repeated incredulously.

 

Asilie hesitated slightly at his reaction but nodded firmly.

 

“Yes. You saw it yourself—I wasn’t hurt. In fact, I was the one who punched the Bonaparte heir.”

 

“Thank goodness.”

 

“Sorry?”

 

“If you hadn’t done that, I’d probably be regretting right now that I didn’t punch him myself.”

 

It felt strangely tingly, like someone was lightly scratching his chest with short-trimmed nails.

 

Asilie silently watched Esperad, who had one hand to his head as if annoyed.

 

Was he always like this? she wondered.

 

She was confused.

 

From the way Esperad acted—how they worried about each other and were disappointed when they couldn’t help—it seemed like this was what a married couple should be.

 

Yet she had never experienced anything like this during her marriage to Joseph.

 

She couldn’t tell what was normal and what wasn’t anymore.

 

But one thing she was certain of: she didn’t dislike how she felt in this moment.

 

It felt like—for the first time—someone was on her side.

 

“Thank you, even just for saying that. But I hope you don’t feel bad about anything related to me. After all, I wasn’t hurt in the end.”

 

“It’s the fact that you could have been hurt that makes me angry. If I’d been by your side, none of this would have happened.”

 

“Is that really a good thing?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“No matter how close we are as a married couple, we can’t always be together.”

 

“But still…!”

 

“You have to accept it. You’re amazing, Esperad, but even you can’t always protect me. Not even legendary heroes could do that.”

 

Asilie continued calmly.

 

Even as she spoke, she worried he might misunderstand and think she was criticizing him. But she chose her words carefully and spoke with conviction.

 

“This was something I was going to have to face sooner or later. I think I handled it well in my own way, and I’m proud of that.”

 

“I hate that you had to deal with it alone.”

 

“I understand. But Esperad, it means so much to me that you care this much. That you worry about me and get angry on my behalf—it makes me feel like I’m receiving more kindness than I deserve. Truly.”

 

“You always say that.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Asilie constantly doubted her worth, always second-guessing herself, always censoring her own emotions.

 

It didn’t happen often, but whenever he showed concern for her, she would smile awkwardly and insist she was fine.

 

Esperad wished she could understand how worthy she was—how much she deserved all the good things that came her way.

 

But he didn’t say it aloud. Wanting too much might end up hurting someone as cautious as her.

 

“…We’re a team, Asilie.”

 

“A team?”

 

“Yes. A team.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean I can’t forgive anyone who disrespects you. Because we’re a team. Because we’re a married couple who share a life.”

 

They had married around the same time. Esperad and Joseph were the same age, both heirs to prestigious families.

 

Yet how could two marriages turn out so vastly different?

 

“Thank you for saying that.”

 

He wouldn’t know, but today, Asilie was deeply satisfied and happy.

 

Because she had finally managed to strike back at the two people who had tormented her the most.

 

It wasn’t just satisfying—it felt like she had climbed a towering wall.

 

“Since we’re a team, I’ll share it with you. Today was a meaningful day for me. It felt like years of frustration just melted away.”

 

It dawned on her for the first time: she had never had anyone she could truly open up to.

 

Esperad was the first.

 

“…So really, don’t worry. Please.”

 

Esperad could tell that Asilie wasn’t just saying that to ease his mind—she meant every word.

 

“Phew. Understood.”

 

“Thank you, Esperad.”

 

She smiled brightly.

 

Seeing her genuinely happy, Esperad decided to respect her wish for him not to worry.

 

Of course, what sort of punishment Joseph Bonaparte would face… that was a different matter altogether.

 

Perhaps it was the aftereffects of what happened at the banquet last night, but for the first time since marrying Esperad, Asilie slept in late today.

 

After a leisurely breakfast, she finished getting ready and headed toward the garden behind the Medici Mansion.

 

“Madam?”

 

As expected, she heard a familiar voice calling her.

 

It was Sophia.

 

“Good morning.”

 

“What brings you here… Did you come to see me, by any chance?”

 

Right in front of the garden was Sophia’s workshop.

 

The reason Asilie had come all the way here was, after all, to see her.

 

“I was busy preparing for the banquet during the day yesterday, and it was too late at night to talk.”

 

“You must have been busy. You could have just summoned me. Do you have something to say to me…?”

 

Back when Asilie was receiving her training to become the future lady of Count Bonaparte’s household, the first thing she learned was to properly reward those who served her.

 

At the time, she never had the opportunity to put that lesson into practice since she never had anyone to command. But things were different now.

 

Asilie pulled out a bundle she had prepared for Sophia from her pocket and handed it to her.

 

“Go ahead, open it.”

 

Sophia instinctively took the bundle handed to her, then looked at Asilie, realizing only afterward what she had done.

 

Seeing her hesitate as if asking for permission to open it now, Asilie gave a nod.

 

Only then did Sophia carefully open the bundle.

 

“This is…”

 

Inside the bundle was a pincushion and a needle case neatly organized by length and size.

 

She was genuinely surprised—it was something she had badly needed.

 

Astel was a conservative country. As such, there was a general belief throughout society that investing in good tools or developing equipment for women’s work was a waste.

 

That attitude extended to sewing as well. Most famous boutiques imported their sewing tools.

 

Needles were no exception.

 

When she worked as a junior designer at The Marriage, she could use imported needles. But ever since joining the Duke’s household, she hadn’t been able to find the same ones in the local markets.

 

Though it had been inconvenient, she had endured using the coarse, locally sold needles, too embarrassed to request something as seemingly trivial as needles…

 

“How did you know about this?”

 

No matter how much Asilie knew about the future or how successful Sophia would become, she couldn’t possibly have known the minute struggles of a dressmaker.

 

What allowed her to discover Sophia’s needs was simple observation.

 

Since being hired by the Duke’s family, Sophia had tirelessly brought dress samples to Asilie, day and night.

 

And each time, Asilie had noticed Sophia’s hands becoming rougher and more injured.

 

She found it strange.

 

Sophia was a competent and experienced designer with 15 years of experience.

 

When she first arrived at the Duke’s mansion, her hands hadn’t been this damaged.

 

Even if she’d been overworking and lost focus, that alone couldn’t explain the increasing injuries.

 

‘Could it be a problem with her tools?’

 

Even the most skilled blacksmith can’t forge a fine sword without a proper forge and a sturdy hammer.

 

Perhaps Sophia had been able to keep producing beautiful dresses only by pushing her body beyond its limits.

 

Asilie had Madame Marce investigate whether the tools used at The Marriage were the same as those Sophia used at the mansion.

 

And she was surprised to learn that many essential tools for dressmaking weren’t available in the local markets.

 

“Cultivating one’s inner character is important, but so is one’s outward appearance. Should the exclusive designer of the Duke’s household have to struggle due to inadequate tools?”

 

“If something is lacking, I will make up for it. What would you have me do?”

 

“Just as I said—fill what is lacking.”

 

“There are many imported tools that aren’t handled in Astel. It may take time.”

 

“Even if it takes time, support her generously so that the exclusive designer can produce the best results.”

 

“Understood, Madam.”

 

Among the many tools that would take time to obtain, the one she had instructed them to rush the most was the needles.

 

She strongly suspected that the reason Sophia kept injuring her hands was because of those needles.

 

And now, judging by Sophia’s expression, it seemed Asilie had been right.

 

“Your hands have become rough, haven’t they?”

 

Sophia’s eyes widened.

 

The person she served was the lady of a ducal house—someone far too busy to pay attention to a seamstress’s injuries.

 

She had never even imagined that Asilie would notice, and the realization stunned her. At the same time, it touched her deeply.

 

“I…”

 

For some reason, a wave of emotion welled up inside her.

 

Sophia paused, afraid she might burst into tears and make a fool of herself.

 

“I feel so ashamed. My hands, which should be skilled at sewing, were always covered in cuts. I feel like I showed a side of me that I shouldn’t have.”

 

“There’s nothing shameful about it. In fact…”

 

Asilie stopped herself.

 

She wanted to say, “In fact, it’s admirable,” but she wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for a duchess to say something like that.

 

Still, Sophia’s passion truly moved her. Seeing someone work so hard, pushing her body to the limit to reach her goal—it had deeply impressed Asilie.

 

If there was anyone in the world who deserved to succeed, it was someone like Sophia.

 

Asilie thought of the way Sophia had shown her the dress samples with such hopeful eyes, how she skipped meals and sewed endlessly to finish chokers—and to Asilie, all of that looked beautiful.

 

In the end, it even made Asilie reflect on herself.

 

‘Have I ever worked that hard for something?’

 

“I thought you were amazing.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Every time you presented a dress, you always looked so confident. I believe that was because you had given it your all.”

 

Asilie’s words made Sophia blush.

 

She had been making clothes for 15 years.

 

She had sewn until her hands were raw and split, been burned while dyeing fabric, and even cut herself badly while trimming with large scissors.

 

Yet no one had ever acknowledged her efforts.

 

All she had ever received were scolding and criticisms that no one wanted her clothes.

 

So how was it that the Duchess of Camedici was saying all the very words Sophia had longed to hear? She couldn’t believe it.

 

“I’m… so happy, Madam. I’ll use this gratefully. And with these needles, I’ll make you the best dress yet.”

 

“You’ve already made the best. The dress I wore to the banquet was the most beautiful I’ve ever worn in my life.”

 

“R-Really?”

 

“Why would I lie?”

 

Sophia felt her eyes growing hot.

 

She didn’t want to cry, but those words felt like recognition for the life she had lived—and she couldn’t stop the tears.

 

Asilie quietly patted her shoulder.

 

Just then—

 

“Madam!”

 

Asilie turned at the sound of someone calling her.

 

It was Madame Marce. She looked slightly awkward, as if embarrassed to interrupt.

 

Asilie found it odd. Marce was a highly skilled attendant and not the type to interrupt at a moment like this.

 

Which could only mean—something important or urgent had happened.

 

Another assassin? Poison in the tea?

 

“Has something happened?”

 

“No, it’s not that…”

 

She was out of breath.

 

Only then did Asilie realize that Madame Marce had run here.

 

Just what could be so urgent?

 

“Speak.”

 

“Your younger sister has just arrived at the Medici Mansion.”