A Change of Husband - Chapter 21

The morning sunlight was brighter than usual.

 

Asilie woke up, unable to endure the light that slipped through her eyelids and tickled her eyes.

 

She saw Esperad, not lying beside her, but standing in front of the mirror, fixing the collar of his shirt.

 

“Mm.”

 

Her voice was hoarse.

 

She hesitated, not wanting to look too lazy in front of him, but Esperad spoke first.

 

“Are you awake?”

 

“Yes. Are you going somewhere?”

 

“I thought I told you. I guess I didn’t. There’s a meeting today.”

 

Asilie tilted her head, trying to remember the date, and said with doubt,

 

“But it’s not Monday.”

 

“There’s still some unfinished business, so we scheduled an extra meeting. It doesn’t happen often, but there are many things to handle before the season changes…”

 

Now that he mentioned it, it was about time the season changed.

 

The weather had gotten much warmer, and looking at the calendar, it would already be June next week. Summer was beginning.

 

Every summer, Astel suffered from droughts.

 

Because it was a regular disaster, they always prepared carefully. Though the situation improved each year, a disaster was still a disaster, and there must be a lot to discuss.

 

“We’ll have to prepare for summer in the estate too. You’re going to be very busy.”

 

Benjamin had taken care of not only the mansion but also estate affairs.

 

Since no new steward had been hired after his death, Esperad was going to have an even harder time this year.

 

“I think I will be, a bit. Ah, and next week or the week after, I’m planning to visit the estate. Would you like to come and take a look?”

 

“Hmm, let’s try to match our schedules once your plan is set. I already accepted some invitations to social gatherings.”

 

“That sounds good. Also, I think I’ll be home late today. I’m having dinner with some nearby nobles after the meeting…”

 

“Really? Then the Medici Mansion will feel a bit empty today. Countess Bourbon invited me to her tea party, so I’ll also be out until late evening.”

 

At those words, Esperad’s expression slightly darkened.

 

‘The Bourbon family…’

 

He didn’t have a good opinion of that house.

 

Nobles in Astel were divided into conservatives, neutrals, and progressives. The conservatives centered around the Mirk and Bonaparte families.

 

Count Bourbon didn’t stand out politically, but he was skilled in business and had grown his family’s wealth through various ventures both domestic and international.

 

However, recently there were rumors that he had stolen political donations from lower nobles, used the money to grow underground funds, and forged documents so that the Mirk and Bonaparte families could use it for their private purposes.

 

It was too specific to dismiss as a baseless rumor.

 

Esperad didn’t believe it was just gossip. That’s why it bothered him.

 

“Hmm.”

 

It was just an ordinary social gathering, so there shouldn’t be any problems, but lately, he had been more concerned about Asilie’s safety. That made him anxious over even small things.

 

“Please be careful, Asilie.”

 

“You too.”

 

Asilie accepted his words naturally, smiled, and nodded.

 

Her fine hair floated up from the pillow with static electricity.

 

That messy look was so cute that Esperad couldn’t help but watch her for a while. Then he realized he was running late and finally left the bedroom.

 

‘Somehow, my feet feel heavy.’

 

He thought it was just because going to work was troublesome and forced himself to walk faster.

 

 

Asilie skipped breakfast and spent all morning in the study.

 

Since she had to prepare for a social gathering, she wouldn’t have any time to work in the afternoon.

 

She was focused for a long time when suddenly, there was a knock.

 

Knock knock.

 

Asilie paused in the middle of stamping a document and looked up.

 

The maids knew she was usually kind, but became sharp when working, so they never interrupted unless called.

 

That meant only one person could be visiting like this.

 

“Sis, it’s me.”

 

As expected, it was Lydia’s voice.

 

“Come in.”

 

Lydia walked in wearing a dress jacket over a comfortable dress she usually wore at home. Asilie forgot her irritation from being interrupted and asked,

 

“Why are you dressed like that?”

 

“I’m going out.”

 

“Out? Where?”

 

“I’ve got a place to go. You don’t need to worry. It’s nothing important.”

 

Asilie felt like she’d seen this kind of situation before.

 

Thinking back, there was a time when Lydia brushed off her questions the same way.

 

Normally, she wouldn’t press about things Lydia avoided, but this time was different. Lydia was going out alone in a capital city that was still unfamiliar to her, and that made Asilie concerned.

 

“I’m going out too, so I can take you. Just tell me where.”

 

“I’m going to the market. You can just drop me off at the market street. It’s hard for carriages to go inside anyway.”

 

“Why the market?”

 

“Just… to look around, maybe buy something.”

 

Lydia didn’t seem willing to answer directly.

 

Asilie frowned.

 

“You’re acting strange. What’s going on?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“It feels like you’re trying to hide something from me. That’s weird.”

 

“I said it’s nothing to worry about. I’ve told you again and again.”

 

“Then what exactly is it that I don’t need to worry about?”

 

Usually, Asilie would let it go, but not today.

 

Maybe it was because she was annoyed from being interrupted, or maybe she was just extra sensitive to her sister acting out of character—especially since she had lost her once before.

 

Either way, she couldn’t ignore it.

 

“If it’s nothing to worry about, then you can tell me. And how can I not care about something that involves you?”

 

“You’re acting weird today, sis.”

 

“You’re the one who’s weird. You feel different. And every time you act like this, you feel even more distant. We never used to hide things from each other.”

 

“I’ll tell you when it’s time. Can’t I decide that?”

 

“And when will that be? It’s so frustrating, Lydia. Why are you—”

 

“Sis, please!”

 

Lydia cut her off, looking tired.

 

“I’m not going anywhere. Just stop.”

 

They were sisters, so arguments weren’t rare.

 

But Lydia had never looked so harsh before.

 

Asilie realized that Lydia was just as tense as she was.

 

“We’re adults now. We each have our own lives.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“Don’t you get it? You belong to this duchy now. I don’t.”

 

“What are you talking about? You—”

 

“Can you show me the duchy’s confidential documents?”

 

“What?”

 

Asilie’s face hardened.

 

Normally, Lydia would back down when her sister got mad, but this time she didn’t flinch. Instead, she confidently asked,

 

“Can you tell me every secret you know? Can you really say you don’t keep anything from me? You can’t, right?”

 

The sharp question left her speechless.

 

To be honest, she was the one hiding something.

 

“I’m not trying to fight. I’m not asking to see secret papers. I just want you to respect my privacy.”

 

There was nothing she could say.

 

Especially because she couldn’t honestly say Lydia was wrong.

 

In the end, Asilie gave in.

 

“…Just come back early.”

 

“I’ll try. When are we leaving?”

 

“After 2. Lady Marce will be visiting.”

 

“Then I’ll wait.”

 

“Wearing that?”

 

“Just taking a walk. See you later.”

 

The conversation between the two ended so calmly that it was hard to believe they had argued at all.

 

But strangely, Asilie couldn’t relax.

 

For the first time since she started managing family affairs, Asilie postponed her work and called Sir Edgar Villian to her office.

 

“I’m sorry for asking to see you so suddenly, Sir. I hope I didn’t disturb your training.”

 

“It’s fine, Ma’am. These days, I’ve been focusing more on submitting military expense reports than training, so I’m always in the office. Since I’m staying in the mansion, please feel free to call me anytime.”

 

“Oh my, I didn’t know you were also handling paperwork.”

 

“His Grace the Duke is already doing enough. I just wanted to help however I can. Haha.”

 

“Thanks to your good efforts, I believe the House of Camédici is running so smoothly. I should be more grateful from now on.”

 

“No need to say that. But may I ask why you called for me?”

 

Actually, she had been avoiding the main point on purpose.

 

Because she wasn’t sure if what she was about to do was right or wrong.

 

After a moment of silence in response to Edgar’s question, Asilie finally made up her mind and opened her mouth.

 

“I think I need to ask you for something important, but difficult.”

 

“To me?”

 

Edgar had always thought that Asilie was not someone who Asilie asked others for help.

 

And now she was asking him for a “difficult” favor? That meant it was something she couldn’t handle alone and was also troubling.

 

He grew curious about the request.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Well…”

 

Even though she had made her decision, Asilie couldn’t speak for a while.

 

Because she knew better than anyone how strange her request would sound to Edgar.

 

“Please tell me, Ma’am. Let me judge it myself.”

 

“Haa, well… could you follow Lydia today?”

 

“…Excuse me?”

 

The request was so unexpected that Edgar thought he misheard her.

 

But looking at her expression, it didn’t seem like he had.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Lydia said she’s going out today. She wants to walk around the capital by herself, but I’m worried because she’s not familiar with the area. But she keeps insisting. I think she believes I’m trying to interfere. So… that’s why I’m asking you.”

 

Now he understood why she was making such a request.

 

But Edgar didn’t answer right away.

 

He understood how she felt, but his duty was to guard the Duchess, and today, she was going out.

 

That made her safety even more important.

 

That was also part of his promise with Esperad.

 

“I’m sorry, Ma’am…”

 

“Please, I’m begging you. She’s only sixteen. Letting her wander around the capital alone, when she doesn’t even know the way, is unthinkable.”

 

“There might be another way—like convincing her.”

 

“She won’t listen to me. And even if I stop her, I feel like she’ll find a way to go out anyway. For some reason, I feel very uneasy today.”

 

“…I understand how much you care for your sister. But the one who’s actually in danger is you, not Miss Lydia.”

 

Hearing Edgar’s firm reply, she twisted her face in regret.

 

“I know that. I’ve seen two corpses with my own eyes. But just for today—can’t I ask this one thing? I feel like something bad is going to happen. If anything happens to her, my life will no longer be a life worth living.”

 

“What is it that’s making you so anxious?”

 

“Everything. I know my words might sound absurd… but could you please grant this favor?”

 

Asilie’s plea shook Edgar’s heart.

 

He couldn’t say he wasn’t at all worried about the bold sixteen-year-old girl.

 

And don’t they say women have strong intuition?

 

What if something really did happen to Lydia because he ignored this request?

 

Could he live without guilt then?

 

“Haa…”

 

Edgar let out a deep sigh.

 

He knew Asilie wasn’t someone who would make ridiculous requests without reason.

 

So her strange behavior today must mean she truly felt anxious.

 

“…Will you assign another guard to yourself?”

 

After much hesitation, Edgar finally gave his consent.

 

Asilie’s face lit up brightly.

 

“If you’re going to follow Lydia, then of course I will. I’ll definitely make sure to do that.”

 

“Then I’ll ask Sir Gaut to take over. But remember, safety must come first, second, and always. Can you promise me that?”

 

“I won’t do anything that will cause you trouble. I promise.”

 

With her promise, Edgar sighed and turned away.

 

He still wasn’t sure if he had made the right decision.

 

 

“Ma’am, we’ve arrived.”

 

Hearing the coachman’s voice, she immediately took out her hand mirror to check her makeup and straightened her clothes before stepping out of the carriage.

 

As she entered the entrance of Count Bourbon’s mansion, she saw the Countess herself greeting guests.

 

She was warmly welcoming the lady who had entered just before Asilie, but when she saw Asilie, she rushed over with excitement.

 

“Oh my, the Duchess of Camédici!”

 

Her voice was so loud that the lady walking into the mansion turned around in surprise.

 

Asilie, startled by the noisy reaction, hesitated for a moment. Then she smiled and walked forward.

 

“Countess Bourbon.”

 

Now that she saw clearly, this was one of the ladies who used to socialize with her former mother-in-law, the Countess Bonaparte.

 

At social gatherings, her former mother-in-law would always compare her dull and lacking older daughter-in-law with the sweet and pretty younger one.

 

The other ladies would side with her mother-in-law and mock Asilie just to please her.

 

Back then, Asilie had to lower her head while listening to those soft but sharp criticisms.

 

Unlike her sister-in-law Monica, who used to wave it off as nonsense.

 

Meeting someone from those days again felt very strange, but Asilie didn’t let the smile leave her lips and greeted her.

 

“Thank you for the invitation.”

 

“Hohoho, I should be the one thanking you for coming. You can’t imagine how happy I was when I got your reply.”

 

Was that true?

 

If she really was happy, it was probably because she had a fun bit of gossip to enjoy.

 

It was a mistake.

 

Everyone has their role, so Asilie understood why those ladies followed her mother-in-law’s lead. But that didn’t mean she had to face them again.

 

She ended up in this unpleasant situation because she didn’t remember which families were part of her former mother-in-law’s circle. How annoying.

 

Asilie made a note to herself to check the invitation list more carefully from now on and nodded.

 

“I’m glad my reply made you happy. It’s nice to see you again.”

 

“Me too. Everyone in my family feels the same. Oh! I forgot to introduce my daughter. Isabella, come and say hello.”

 

As the Countess turned her full figure, her daughter finally came into view.

 

A young woman around the same age, with rich dark brown hair, walked forward slowly with a relaxed smile.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Duchess Camédici. I’ve been sick for a while, so I haven’t been able to attend any social gatherings. I’m happy to finally meet you.”

 

For the first time, Asilie’s smile disappeared.

 

She couldn’t hide the stiffness in her expression as she looked at the Countess’s daughter.

 

This time, she couldn’t pretend to be calm as she had when recognizing the Countess.

 

Before her return in time, Asilie had never officially met this young lady.

 

After this very tea party, the young lady’s health had worsened, and she had gone to recover in the countryside for a long time. Asilie hadn’t attended this tea party back then.

 

Before she died, she had vaguely heard that the Countess’s daughter had returned to the capital late to find a husband, having missed the proper age for marriage. But she had never seen her face.

 

But there was a time she had met her—not knowing she was the Countess’s daughter.

 

This woman…

 

She was the one lying in Joseph’s bed, looking at her so boldly.