A Change of Husband - Chapter 35

If it was “Contradictory Succession,” then all of these unbelievable events could be explained.

Esperad couldn’t hide his shocked face as he looked at Asilie.

Maybe this clever woman had really found the cause of this terrible incident and showed the path forward.

“What is Contradictory Succession?”

“To put it simply, it’s a system where a royal who normally wouldn’t inherit the throne can get the right to succeed if they meet certain conditions.”

He began to explain.

The first Contradictory Succession happened when David, the second king of Astel, ascended the throne.

Astel’s founding king, Estor, wasn’t originally from this land.

Estor was wise enough to know that he needed the power of the mainland nobles to stabilize the kingdom and strengthen royal authority.

So he first extended a hand to the nobles of the mainland and married their daughters to keep good relations. Naturally, he had many children.

“King Estor thought the fifteenth prince, David, was the most suitable to become king.”

But since the other sons were already adults, naming the young David as crown prince could’ve made the others rebel with the support of powerful nobles.

To pass on the throne with the least bloodshed, he came up with a rule within the Astel family called “Contradictory Succession.”

Because Contradictory Succession was based on a strict “secret,” even the person involved didn’t know they were the chosen one, nor how to fulfill the requirements.

“For David, the second king, the condition was to survive until the age of twenty. Even before he turned twenty, he didn’t know he was part of the Contradictory Succession.”

“Then who knows the secret?”

“The king who designates the Contradictory Succession, one elder of the royal family chosen by that king, and three historians. But even the historians don’t know which elder was chosen.”

“If all of this happened because of Contradictory Succession, why did the late king make it so Count Mirk couldn’t inherit the throne?”

“…I didn’t mention this because I thought it unnecessary, but actually, Count Mirk cut ties with my father when I was very young. It was such a sudden break that it’s hard to believe they were ever friends. And the late king took my father’s side in that fight.”

His head hurt.

Even if King Brium III had sided with the former Duke of Camédici over Count Mirk, that alone wasn’t enough reason to block Mirk from inheriting the throne.

“Do you know why they broke ties?”

“I don’t. Hmm, but I do think it’s possible Count Mirk could be the Contradictory Successor.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because the condition might apply to him. If only Count Mirk had a child by a certain time, then he could become the heir… something like that.”

Asilie shook her head.

“If he were the successor, there would’ve been no need for Contradictory Succession. He’s the closest blood relative to the king.”

She had been so overwhelmed that she forgot the definition of Contradictory Succession.

Esperad was about to admit he made a mistake out of embarrassment, but suddenly, Asilie’s eyes widened.

“Wait.”

Something flashed through her mind.

Asilie finally realized what she had forgotten—what she had completely missed.

Before her return to the past, she didn’t care about anyone other than Joseph, so she hadn’t remembered it until now. But it was such a simple thing.

“Yes?”

“You just talked about the condition if Count Mirk were the successor.”

“Didn’t we already decide that wasn’t it?”

“But that was it.”

Esperad looked at her, confused and troubled by her unclear words.

He couldn’t understand what she was saying.

“I mean, now I know what we were both missing.”

“What we were missing? What do you mean?”

“…It was a child. A child!”

“A child…?”

But even Esperad seemed to realize what she meant at that moment, as if something clicked in his mind.

Asilie couldn’t believe it herself. Why hadn’t she remembered this earlier?

She had focused only on the fact that Siena was a “widow” and had completely missed the more important and decisive difference.

She had totally forgotten the reason why the nobles mocked Esperad and Siena’s marriage so much before the return.

“Maybe she rushed into it because she couldn’t get married.”

“Exactly. Even if you’re cursed, you have pride. How could you marry a widow?”

“And she even brought a child with her.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes! Shamelessly, she even took the child into the ducal house. And the most shocking part is, the Duke of Camédici legally adopted the child!”

“Oh my, that cunning woman must have made that a condition!”

Siena had a child with Count Artlinger.

And before the return, Esperad accepted both Siena and the child into the Camédici family.

Once the child got the Camédici name, he was legally eligible to be the heir of the Camédici family.

Yes, that was it.

Now Asilie understood the condition of the Contradictory Succession for sure.

“Having a child to continue the line—that was the condition for Contradictory Succession.”

“So Count Mirk…”

All the scattered puzzle pieces fit together.

Now it made sense why the fiancées had to die and why Asilie had been threatened.

If Esperad got married, he might have a child. If the child was a boy, then Esperad would meet the condition for succession.

So once the condition was known, Count Mirk must have thought it would be easy.

Since Astel didn’t recognize illegitimate children, he just had to remove the official marriage candidates.

But before the return, there was the unexpected Siena. And now, there was Asilie, who had returned from the future with knowledge.

“Then, to fulfill the condition of Contradictory Succession, we have to…”

Esperad’s face suddenly turned red.

Funny enough, they had never done the one thing Count Mirk was most worried about.

Before the atmosphere could get any weirder, Asilie quickly raised a new question.

“But if what we guessed is true, then Count Mirk doesn’t need to hide the king’s condition, does he?”

“What?”

Esperad hadn’t known the condition of the Contradictory Succession until now, and he still hadn’t fulfilled it.

In this situation, Count Mirk was the closest blood relative to King Hort.

So if it was revealed that the king was in a coma, the Senate would give Count Mirk the right to inherit the throne.

“I don’t get it. If people find out about the king’s condition, does the Contradictory Succession become public too?”

Asilie asked, and Esperad shook his head.

“King Estor, who made Contradictory Succession, was the king who worked hardest to stabilize Astel.”

If the closest blood relative—not the intended successor—took the throne and people later learned about Contradictory Succession, it could cause public chaos.

For example, people might say the late king’s chosen heir was the rightful one.

“The Senate only announces who has the right to succeed. Even if someone becomes king through Contradictory Succession, it’s never officially revealed.”

Even David, the first and only Contradictory Successor, had the full details of his rise revealed only after his death—through his autobiography and the records of the historians.

Now Asilie understood why, even though she knew the future from seven years ahead, she hadn’t been able to figure out anything besides the fact that Esperad would inherit the throne.

“Then why is Count Mirk going to such unnecessary lengths?”

“Looking only at what’s been revealed, his actions seem strange. But there must be a reason. He’s not a fool.”

After that, silence fell between them.

Esperad fell into thought. Even though they had uncovered so much, it still wasn’t enough to explain everything.

But strangely, he didn’t feel rushed. Maybe it was because, thanks to Asilie, he had learned so much he never could’ve found out on his own.

The despair he felt when Violeta died could no longer haunt him.

“There’s still a lot we have to find out.”

At Asilie’s words, Esperad nodded.

“Before that, there’s something we need to do.”

“A step to take?”

Even though the window was open, it still felt stuffy.

Asilie knew it wasn’t just her imagination.

It was no wonder. After the attack, she had been sharing the office with Esperad.

Asilie stamped a document and sensed someone looking at her. She turned her head.

As expected, Esperad was staring at her.

“Do you have something to say?”

“No.”

“Then why…”

“I was thinking of ordering tea and wondered if you’d like some too.”

“No, thank you.”

She wasn’t the type to eat or drink while working.

That was why she refused, but Esperad seemed to think she had turned him down because she

was uncomfortable with him. He looked a bit sulky.

Unfortunately, Asilie wasn’t good at comforting people in situations like this.

Seeing him looking gloomy made her feel uneasy.

She missed the days when she used the office alone.

But they had agreed to stay together unless absolutely necessary, so she had no choice.

“They’re not targeting me, so for your safety, you must always stay with me. That’s the best

action we can take.”

It was a convincing argument.

Actually, even without solid reasons, she probably couldn’t have refused.

Esperad had been so worried that he even tried to limit her activities.

She understood how he felt. And she also knew what would happen to him if he lost her too.

That’s why she had to accept the suggestion, even if it meant this kind of discomfort.

“I don’t usually eat or drink when I’m focused.”

Asilie ended up giving an excuse for her refusal.

Esperad, who hadn’t expected her to notice his feelings, shook his head with a surprised expression.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I know. But you seemed uncomfortable.”

It was awkward.

He knew he had lost control of himself ever since he realized his feelings for her, but he didn’t expect her to pick up on it so clearly.

Esperad looked at her and asked carefully,

“Are you… uncomfortable?”

Asilie was about to shake her head but paused.

Esperad always complained when she wasn’t honest. And she thought it might be better to

express herself clearly, at least on less sensitive matters like this.

“Yes, a little.”

“I see…”

He tried not to show it, but he seemed very down after hearing that.

Asilie noticed the change right away.

In the past, she would have tried to comfort him, looking troubled, unable to hide her anxiety.

But strangely, today felt different.

She didn’t know if this was the right word, but strangely… his reaction to her words—
‘He’s kind of cute.’

Asilie was surprised at herself for thinking that.

She couldn’t believe she thought a full-grown man that big looked cute.

What was even more shocking was that when she looked at him again, the same thought came to her.

‘That’s ridiculous.’

Had she been working too long?

Or was she stressed from being stuck close to him all day?

While questioning herself, Asilie decided to change the mood first.

“Um, Esperad.”

“Yes.”

She was a considerate person by nature and couldn’t stand seeing someone upset because of her for too long.

“Can you help me with something? I’ve got a mountain of party invitations stacked up since

before my eyesight recovered. It’s hard to sort through them.”

Before she even finished speaking, Esperad stood up and came over.

When he saw how many invitations there were—enough to fill a huge basket—he immediately

started sorting them by the family names on the envelopes.

“Hmmm…”

The longer he looked, the darker his expression became.

Invitations from noble families of the progressive faction were somewhat acceptable. But the

ones from the conservative faction?

He couldn’t understand their intent.

Curious, he opened some envelopes to check. The contents were full of subtle insults toward

Asilie, and his anger flared.

‘Unbelievable…’

It wasn’t hard to imagine that she’d be excluded from society because she was from a fallen noble family in the countryside, and had even lost her title.

But he didn’t expect them to mock her so openly.

Regardless of her past, Asilie was now the lady of the Camédici dukedom.

Apparently, the ones who sent those shady invitations had no sense of the present.

“These should all go in the trash—or better yet, let’s burn them in the fireplace. It’s been a while since we lit a fire.”

“What are you talking about? In this heat…?”

It was full-on summer now, and both of them were dressed lightly.

Realizing he had spoken without considering the season, Esperad blushed.

“Ah, well, I meant to get rid of the dampness.”

“Dampness? We can deal with that another way. Anyway, are you saying we don’t need to read those invitations?”

“Yes. And for invitations like these, there’s no need to reply. Also, gatherings like this usually…”

As the daughter-in-law of Count Bonaparte’s family for seven years, Asilie already knew all that.

But listening to him explain it with such enthusiasm wasn’t boring.

Come to think of it, the way he carefully explained which invitations she should and shouldn’t attend—it looked different today.

It was strange. In the past, she never would’ve imagined a situation like this.

Him sorting out the proper gatherings she could attend, and explaining them so kindly and clearly…

But now, she found herself accepting it naturally.

Somehow, without her realizing, Esperad—this man—had made all of this feel natural.

He seemed to sense her gaze and looked back at her mid-sentence, puzzled.

She hadn’t done anything guilty, yet for some reason, she couldn’t meet his eyes.

Asilie felt her face heating up and looked away, pretending to be distracted.

“It’s… hot.”

Why was that?

She had done nothing wrong, but for some reason, she couldn’t look at Esperad.

She had only pretended to be hot to escape the moment, but now she really felt hot, so she started fanning herself.

Startled, Esperad stepped back.

“I’m sorry. I must’ve been standing too close…”

“That’s not what I meant. I just, um… I’m usually sensitive to heat.”

If she really had been, she would’ve died back when she was a poor fallen noble’s daughter.

Having grown up in such a rough environment, she had always been insensitive to seasonal changes.

Lying like this felt strange. She didn’t even understand why she was doing it.

Unable to bear the situation anymore, Asilie suddenly stood up.

Surprised, Esperad looked at her.

“Asilie?”

“I’m done with work. I’m going to see Lydia. Well… see you tonight.”

Without waiting for his reply, Asilie rushed out of the office.

The way his gaze burned into the back of her head felt hotter than usual.

…It was a different kind of afternoon.