A Change of Husband - Chapter 3

“What did you say?”

 

“What on earth…!”

 

At the man’s frantic shout, the banquet hall erupted in chaos.

 

Count Gariburn, unable to even imagine the idea that his daughter had died, came forward with a face full of confusion.

 

“Max, what are you talking about!”

 

“M-My lord! Lady Violetta, she…”

 

As soon as the name “Violetta” came out of the man’s mouth, Count Gariburn’s eyes widened.

 

He stared blankly at the man for a while, saying nothing, before suddenly shouting.

 

“What are you saying! Violetta—what happened to Violetta?!”

 

But in truth, the moment the name left the man’s lips, Count Gariburn seemed to understand what had happened.

 

“Speak! Right now!”

 

Count Gariburn marched forward and grabbed the man by the collar, shaking him.

 

But the man just lowered his head and stayed silent, as if he couldn’t bear to say the words.

 

The other guests also seemed to sense what was happening.

 

“…I’m sorry, my lord.”

 

“This can’t be true! Why her! Why!”

 

It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened.

 

Two of Duke Esperad Camedici’s fiancées had already died under strange circumstances.

 

And now, the rumors that he was cursed seemed to be confirmed.

 

“No! Violetta! Violetta!”

 

“Father, please calm down! Father!”

 

“Max, tell me. What happened to Violetta? Why?!”

 

Asilie looked at Count Gariburn and his sons with a sad expression.

 

It was impossible not to feel sorry for them. She was the only one at the banquet who knew how all of this would unfold.

 

Lady Violetta had grown up loved by the Count, the Countess, and her three older brothers.

 

At eighteen—the same age as Asilie—she had become engaged to Esperad after her mother, who had fallen gravely ill, said she wanted to see her daughter married before she died.

 

But then, at the Petro Roget banquet, Violetta was found dead in a lake. The shock of her daughter’s death soon took the Countess’s life as well.

 

After losing both his daughter and wife, Count Gariburn stopped appearing in public, and his eldest son, Lord Albert, took over all duties as the head of the family.

 

And from then on, the Gariburn family treated the Camédici Duke as their sworn enemy.

 

“This is your fault!”

 

Finally, Count Gariburn’s anger turned to Esperad.

 

He ran at the Duke with unsteady legs, then collapsed in front of him and screamed.

 

“You killed my daughter! You killed Violetta!”

 

Esperad reached out a stiff hand to help him up.

 

But Count Gariburn, his face full of tears, violently slapped the hand away.

 

“Get out!”

 

“……”

 

“Get out, I said! I never want to see you again! Never! You’re cursed! Poor Violetta died because of that curse! Aaargh!”

 

Count Gariburn screamed again as he fell to the floor, crying and pounding his fists on the hard ground.

 

His sons ran to him and helped him up.

 

Lord Albert, the eldest, said something to Esperad, and with a heavy face, the Duke had no choice but to leave the hall.

 

Once he was gone, the guests began to murmur.

 

“Do you think he really is cursed?”

 

“At this point, no family will want to marry their daughter to him. Who would risk that?”

 

“Before, we thought maybe it was enemies of the families who caused the deaths. But now it’s clear. The problem is the Duke himself.”

 

“Honestly, I don’t even want to be near him. What if that curse rubs off on us?”

 

Asilie listened carefully to every word the nobles around her said about the so-called curse on the Camédici Duke.

 

Just like their rumors, the Duke received no more marriage proposals, and he stopped trying to form ties with other noble houses. As if he truly believed he was cursed.

 

But Asilie knew the truth.

 

Esperad Camédici was not cursed.

 

He was blessed.

 

He would later become the sole heir to the Astel throne.

 

‘Yes, he’s the one.’

 

Asilie also knew instinctively—

 

That his blessing might be able to save her, too.

 

 

“You’re amazing. You’ve mastered all the etiquette in just a week.”

 

Of course, it was only natural.

 

On the outside, she looked like a naive eighteen-year-old girl from the countryside. But inside, she was a noblewoman who had already spent seven years in high society.

 

“Thanks to your excellent teaching, I’ve learned a lot.”

 

Asilie replied modestly, lowering her gaze. Baroness Airis smiled warmly in return.

 

“Everything about you pleases me. You’ve worked hard, my lady.”

 

Baroness Airis had also been her instructor in the past.

 

But back then, she hadn’t been this kind to Asilie.

 

She had looked down on her with clear disdain, as if she were just a clueless country girl. She constantly criticized her, making her shrink into herself even more.

 

At the time, Asilie had thought the Baroness hated her for no reason. But now, she understood.

 

Baroness Airis hadn’t hated Asilie as a person—she had simply been displeased with a student who failed to meet expectations.

 

“You must have had a hard time helping someone like me.”

 

“Not at all. The Duke will be very pleased with your progress. I’ll let him know that the lessons have ended.”

 

After seeing the Baroness off, Asilie called for Greta to help her change clothes for her dinner with the Duke.

 

“You’re like a whole new person, my lady,” Greta said as she brought out a dress.

 

“Desperation can change people.”

 

“But not everyone shows such a big change, even when desperate.”

 

Asilie didn’t reply. She simply lifted her arms so Greta could fasten the buttons on her dress.

 

The desperation of someone who died and came back to life couldn’t be compared to anyone else’s.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Once she was ready, Asilie followed Greta downstairs for dinner.

 

The long, luxurious dining table was neatly set with polished silverware. At the end sat the Duke, waiting for her.

 

“Sorry for being late, Your Grace.”

 

“I arrived early, that’s all. Don’t worry. I heard your etiquette lessons have ended?”

 

“Thanks to Baroness Airis’s dedicated teaching, I was able to learn a lot.”

 

“She told me you were a quick learner. Well done.”

 

“It was a necessary effort. I’m simply grateful that you gave me the chance to receive such an education.”

 

The more he looked at Asilie, the more the Duke felt that taking her in as his adopted daughter had been the right choice.

 

She had accomplished much more than he expected. She could probably marry into another noble house right away and no one would question it.

 

Of course, to avoid gossip that she was only taken in for political gain, he would need to keep her for at least two more months. But even so, it felt like a waste to let her go.

 

“You will soon be married to Count Bonaparte’s second son, Geoffrey Bonaparte. It’s not confirmed yet, but he’s the most likely choice.”

 

“…”

 

“You should be satisfied. He has good looks and a decent reputation.”

 

Asilie had heard these same words before in her past life.

 

But back then, Geoffrey had gotten the daughter of Count Bellucci pregnant during a secret relationship. So the marriage had gone to his older brother Joseph instead.

 

Joseph, who always demanded the best, resented having to marry Asilie, a woman from a lower-ranking noble family. He ended up hating her, cheating on her, and eventually killing her.

 

Poor Asilie had held on, hoping that one day he would finally accept her as his wife.

 

“I have something to ask, Your Grace.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Are you arranging this marriage with the Bonaparte because the conflict between the conservative and progressive factions is forcing neutral nobles to choose sides?”

 

The Duke glared at her, eyes sharp.

 

“How dare you! What are you implying? Are you mocking me?”

 

“You misunderstand, Your Grace. I was only wondering how my marriage might help repay the kindness you’ve shown me.”

 

“Hah. How bold of you…”

 

The Duke kept his stern gaze on Asilie.

 

But deep down, he thought she was incredibly clever for seeing through the situation so clearly.

 

Asilie hadn’t been given much information. She had figured all this out from only a few small clues.

 

“I’m sorry if I offended you, Your Grace. I overstepped.”

 

“Enough. This dinner is over.”

 

The Duke stood up with a displeased expression. But then—

 

“I’d like to apologize to Duke Camédici.”

 

“What?”

 

“I made a terrible mistake at the Gariburn banquet.”

 

The Duke’s expression softened slightly.

 

“It was due to my lack of etiquette. I’d like to apologize to him in person.”

 

‘What a clever girl,’ the Duke thought.

 

He immediately understood what Asilie was really saying.

 

These days, even the neutral nobles were being forced to choose sides. That’s why the Gariburn family had tried to form a marriage alliance with the progressive Duke Camédici. And that’s also why the Duke himself was now speaking with the conservative Bonaparte family.

 

Asilie’s mention of the Duke meant one thing—he was back on the marriage market.

 

To the Duke, it didn’t matter whether his allies were conservative or progressive. He didn’t care about their politics.

 

He just needed allies to gain power and influence.

 

And if he compared Joseph Bonaparte to Esperad Camédici, the Duke currently leading his house, the choice was obvious.

 

Camédici was even of royal blood.

 

The current king of Astel was young and sickly, with no children. That’s why so many noble families had once tried to marry into the Camédici line.

 

Though now, after Violetta’s death, no families were trying anymore.

 

“You’d be wise to stay away from him. Weren’t you at that banquet too?”

 

“I only want to apologize for my mistake. I’ve done nothing wrong—so what do I have to be afraid of?”

 

“You’ve got guts.”

 

Asilie could tell she had half-won him over.

 

“Even if something bad happens to me, Your Grace could use that to make the Duke pay a price.”

 

So really, you have nothing to lose.

 

The Duke clearly understood what Asilie meant.

 

He laughed out loud.

 

At first, he had worried she might be useless. But the more he saw her, the more impressed he was.

 

With that much courage, she was worth betting on.

 

And as she said—he had nothing to lose.

 

Even if Asilie died, the Duke could use that to gain political support against the Camédici house.

 

“Very well. You may meet him once. I’ll have a carriage prepared for tomorrow.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

 

Esperad read the letter from the Grandier household again.

 

I am Asilie of House Grandier.
That day at Petro Roget, I made a serious mistake toward Your Grace.
I wish to apologize in person.
If you allow, I will visit you this afternoon.

 

He had agreed to meet her, but he still didn’t understand.

 

He had been too distracted that day by Violetta’s death. But as far as he remembered, none of the young ladies had done anything wrong to him.

 

“Hmm…”

 

“My lord, Lady Asilie of House Grandier has arrived.”

 

“Take her to the parlor. Prepare some refreshments.”

 

“Yes, my lord.”

 

She mentioned making a mistake at the Gariburn banquet—and that alone made him feel uneasy.

 

His engagement with the Gariburn family had been one arranged by his dearest friend…

 

Because his fiancée had died twice in a row, the atmosphere was understandably grim. Esperad knew that even within the Count Gariburn’s household, there were people who had opposed the engagement.

 

However, Albert remained firm. He believed that Esperad was the only trustworthy person worthy enough to take his precious younger sister, and he didn’t back down—even when Esperad himself tried to refuse.

 

In the end, Esperad gave in to Albert’s persuasion and made a promise.

 

He promised to protect Violeta.

 

But that promise became one he could not keep.

 

Due to the tradition in Astel that unmarried women must be especially mindful of their conduct, they hadn’t spoken at length even though they had met often. Still, it had been enough for him to see how much love Violeta had grown up with—and how deserving she was of it.

 

That made it all the more painful. If she hadn’t been engaged to him, Violeta would surely have married a decent man—one carefully chosen by her three older brothers—and lived happily.

 

“…Haa.”

 

Even Esperad himself didn’t know why his fiancées kept dying. In fact, he couldn’t even guess.

 

He had once wondered if it had something to do with the royal succession. But even if the frail young king were to die, the next in line wouldn’t be him, but Count Mirk, the king’s closest relative. So that seemed unlikely.

 

Moreover, his engagement had nothing to do with the royal succession.

 

So he next considered the conservative nobles who opposed him. But the more he thought about it, the more far-fetched it all seemed.

 

It was something he simply couldn’t figure out.

 

So now… what was he supposed to do?

 

Trying to calm his troubled heart, Esperad made his way to the parlor.

 

Knock knock.

 

The only reason he wasn’t startled by the sudden knocking was probably because he’d been tense the whole time.

 

Asilie quickly stood from her seat and bowed politely to Duke Esperad Camédici as he entered the room.

 

“I am Asilie of the Grandier family.”

 

After bowing briefly, she straightened up and met Esperad’s eyes.

 

It was the first time she was seeing him directly like this—even counting her previous life.

 

The Duke of Camédici, now seen properly, was an exceptionally handsome man.

 

His neatly groomed, silky black hair and firm, muscular build was impressive, but what stood out the most were his blue eyes.

 

Clear and deep, his gaze met hers unwaveringly.

 

Asilie liked that clean, steady look in his eyes—so different from Joseph’s vague, dull gaze.

 

This man really is royal.

 

Now that she saw him again, she understood for sure.

 

Why this man was royalty, why he had the right to inherit the throne, and why—before that tragic incident—he had been the most sought-after groom in the kingdom.

 

“I’m Esperad Camédici, my lady. Please, have a seat.”

 

When he gestured and sat across from her, Asilie took her seat as well.

 

“I’m afraid I don’t recall meeting you before, my lady… Did I somehow offend you?”

 

“It’s not then that you offend me, Your Grace. It’s today.”

 

“…I’m not sure I follow.”

 

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

 

Asilie took a deep breath, then looked him squarely in the eyes and spoke in a firm, unwavering voice.

 

“I, Asilie Grandier, formally request Your Grace’s hand in marriage.”