A Change of Husband - Chapter 4

A heavy silence fell.

 

Asilie stared nervously at Duke Esperad Camédici.

 

He looked at her expressionlessly for a long while. Then, he let out a short, dry laugh with one corner of his mouth lifted.

 

It was a laugh of disbelief—empty and bitter.

 

“Do you even understand what your words mean, Lady?”

 

“Yes, I…”

 

“Do you wish for death?”

 

He glared at her with contempt.

 

“To you, is the misfortune that’s happened to me just a joke?”

 

“Your Grace, please calm down and listen to what I have to say—”

 

Asilie tried to soothe him, but Esperad had already lost his composure.

 

He couldn’t understand the woman in front of him. No—she seemed completely insane.

 

How dare she come to him, a man who had lost three fiancées, and ask for marriage?

 

She had even been present at the Count of Gariburn’s banquet.

 

She was one of the few who had seen the entire incident unfold from beginning to end.

 

This wasn’t just bold—it was mockery. It was an insult to him and to the Camédici family.

 

“Did the Duke of Grandier put you up to this?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

His thoughts suddenly turned to Duke Grandier.

 

“Yes, that must be it.”

 

“No, Your Grace, I think you’re misunderstanding. What I want to say is—”

 

“A young lady who was adopted not long ago—what ideas could she possibly have of her own? What power does she have to go against her adoptive father’s orders? Before joining hands with the conservative nobles, you must have wanted to win their favor by insulting me.”

 

Esperad was already convinced that Asilie’s actions were the result of Duke Grandier’s orders.

 

If that were the case, there was no need to be angry with the woman.

 

The Duke of Grandier’s daughter was simply following instructions.

 

“Go back.”

 

“Your Grace.”

 

“Tell Duke Grandier that I was greatly angered and deeply insulted. That should satisfy him enough. This is the end of my kindness toward you.”

 

With that, he stood up from his seat.

 

There was no reason to continue the conversation. His patience, like his kindness, had run out.

 

“Please, Your Grace, don’t go. Just hear me out.”

 

“…”

 

“Stop right there!”

 

She couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

 

Asilie quickly got up and ran toward him. Just as he was about to open the door, she grabbed his wrist tightly.

 

“I said, don’t go!”

 

Esperad turned to her with a shocked expression.

 

“Let go of me—”

 

“I can’t.”

 

“Do you even realize what you’re doing to me right now, Lady?”

 

“I can’t just let you leave.”

 

“What?”

 

“Even if you think I’m crazy, at least listen to what I have to say. Please… I’m begging you.”

 

Asilie pleaded desperately, but Esperad’s stern face didn’t soften.

 

Still, from the moment she grabbed his wrist, she had no intention of asking for permission anymore.

 

“I won’t take up much of your time. And after you hear me out, if you still want to send my head to the Duke of Grandier, I’ll accept it without complaint. So please…”

 

“That’s enough.”

 

Esperad sighed as he looked at her.

 

Maybe it was because a lady with such a gentle face, who looked like she didn’t know anything about the world, was now speaking so desperately—even saying something as grim as offering her own neck—that he didn’t feel like turning her away coldly.

 

“I have no intention of sending your head to Grandier even after I hear you out. Go ahead and speak when you’re ready.”

 

Only then did Asilie feel slightly relieved.

 

She took a sip of tea to steady herself and carefully watched Esperad’s face.

 

He had reluctantly agreed, but his expression still showed resistance.

 

She never thought this would be easy. But now, without any trust from him, persuading him within the time she had felt even harder.

 

“First, there’s something I think Your Grace is misunderstanding. This has nothing to do with my adoptive father, and it’s not a joke either.”

 

Esperad didn’t respond, but he listened quietly.

 

“Whatever Your Grace might be thinking right now, I firmly believe you’re not cursed.”

 

“If even I don’t believe that, how can you be so sure?”

 

“Because it doesn’t make sense.”

 

“What?”

 

“Wouldn’t it be more logical to think that someone doesn’t want you to get married and is doing something to stop it, rather than you being cursed?”

 

Asilie looked straight into his eyes.

 

She still had no idea what Esperad was thinking, which made her feel even more nervous. But now, she had to overcome both her fear and persuade him.

 

“If that’s the case, then what is it that’s causing someone to stop Your Grace’s marriage? You must be curious about that too. But maybe you haven’t looked into it because you’re afraid another innocent woman will die.”

 

“You’re not entirely wrong. But why would you risk your life to marry someone you didn’t even know before?”

 

“Because I hate the man I’m supposed to have a political marriage with.”

 

No matter how much she thought about it, revealing everything she knew right now would be foolish.

 

She would be seen as crazy, and she wasn’t even sure she could trust Esperad yet.

 

For all the seven years she’d spent in high society, people had always said that if not for the curse, Esperad Camédici would be a perfect husband. But the truth often differed from appearances.

 

Joseph Bonaparte—her late husband—had also had a good reputation.

 

“That’s your reason?”

 

“It’s important to me. I hate that man.”

 

More specifically, she hated Joseph Bonaparte’s younger brother, Geoffrey—the man she was now expected to marry.

 

“If I go through with this marriage, I’ll be forced to live with him until I die, whether I want to or not. I’d rather marry a stranger than spend my life with someone I despise.”

 

“Why do you hate him?”

 

“…Do I have to explain that too?”

 

Esperad quickly shook his head, realizing that his question might have been rude.

 

“No, you don’t.”

 

“Your Grace wouldn’t be at a disadvantage either. My background may be humble, but right now I belong to the Duke of Grandier’s family. That should be enough to maintain appearances.”

 

“Still, I don’t understand. You’re willing to risk death.”

 

“Are you worried I might die? Even if I do, it wouldn’t be a problem. I’m not the Duke’s biological daughter, after all.”

 

“I’m not worried about your family’s reputation.”

 

Esperad looked directly at her and said,

 

“You speak too casually about your own death.”

 

“You might not believe me, but I probably know better than anyone how precious my life is.”

 

Esperad clearly didn’t trust her, just as she’d guessed.

 

“I’m only saying this because I’m sure I won’t die.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because you’ll protect me, Your Grace.”

 

That simple answer left Esperad feeling disarmed.

 

Even if he agreed to marry her, he knew he couldn’t completely protect her.

 

He had tried to keep Violetta, his last fiancée, as safe as possible. But she had still died suddenly on the day of the banquet.

 

“You may not know how I see myself, but I am far from perfect.”

 

“But you can at least protect me while we’re together.”

 

“I can try. But that won’t be enough.”

 

“No, it is. Because I’m not asking for an engagement. I’m asking for marriage. Right away. So I won’t be exposed to danger any longer than necessary.”

 

He had considered it.

 

But in Astel, getting married without an engagement period was very rare. It only happened in emergencies—usually when a couple got pregnant.

 

“Duke Grandier values appearances.”

 

“But Your Grace’s case is special. People won’t suspect anything strange. They’ll just think the wedding was rushed to avoid the curse.”

 

“…Why are you willing to endure possible disgrace?”

 

“As I said earlier, my political marriage partner is awful enough to be worth it. And as an adopted daughter, I have no honor to lose.”

 

What she was saying was completely unreasonable.

 

Yet Esperad felt himself slowly being persuaded.

 

“There’s nothing for you to lose here. At the very least, I’m a presentable partner. And if I survive, we’ll have a better chance of uncovering who’s behind all this.”

 

Asilie could tell he was seriously considering her words.

 

Hope flickered in her chest. Confidence began to build.

 

“And I believe that by marrying Your Grace, I can get what I want too. It’s a win-win.”

 

“What do you want?”

 

She knew her motives would seem suspicious no matter what.

 

So she decided to explain her desperate situation to make it clear why she had to persuade him.

 

“I need to bring my younger sister, Lydia, from Pembis to the capital. As soon as possible. But my adoptive father sees no value in her and won’t help. So I need Your Grace’s support.”

 

She really did have to bring Lydia to the capital soon—to protect her from debt collectors.

 

To save Lydia and fix what had gone wrong in the past.

 

That was Asilie’s mission.

 

“I’ll help you, Your Grace. So please, help me too.”

 

Her plea was over now. The decision was in his hands.

 

So Asilie repeated herself once more, full of hope.

 

“We can definitely help each other.”

 

She hoped her words would move his heart.

 

She was already half-expecting it.

 

That is, the fact that a marriage proposal would arrive under the name of Duke Camédici.

 

What caught her off guard—despite being prepared for most things—was that he had even written down a wedding date in the proposal.

 

One thing was certain: Esperad had taken her words to heart.

 

He had not only accepted her suggestion to skip the engagement and proceed directly to marriage, but also set the wedding date exactly one week later for the bride’s safety.

 

All the Grandier Duchy had to do was say yes or no.

 

To make matters more absurd, Duke Camédici had also informed them that he would personally visit the Grandier estate this evening to hear the answer.

 

“What a ridiculous situation.”

 

It really was a ridiculous turn of events.

 

Due to the sudden announcement, the staff at the Grandier estate were rushing around in a frenzy—scrubbing every surface and preparing a lavish banquet.

 

Duke Grandier, watching the flurry of servants, felt a headache coming on.

 

On his way to the dining hall, he suddenly turned his head and asked Asilie,

 

“What exactly was said between you two?”

 

“…Nothing special, really.”

 

“Nothing special? Yet he sends a marriage proposal like this, totally out of the ordinary?”

 

Duke Grandier fell into thought.

 

Talks had been going smoothly with the Count of Bonaparte’s family. And now, out of nowhere, a proposal had come from Duke Camédici.

 

He didn’t know what had happened between his adopted daughter and the Duke of Camédici, but… his head felt like a mess.

 

It didn’t help that neither the Camédici Duke nor the Bonaparte family’s second son were bad choices—it only made the decision harder.

 

“What do you think?”

 

Eventually, Duke Grandier decided to ask Asilie’s opinion.

 

When he had first taken her in as his adopted daughter, he hadn’t planned to ask for her input in such matters. But now that there were multiple options, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to hear from the person involved.

 

“If you’re asking about this proposal… I’d like to accept it, Your Grace.”

 

“And why is that?”

 

“Well, if we tie ourselves to the Bonaparte family, it’ll be a simple alliance. But if we tie ourselves to the Camédici Duke—despite the risks and everyone’s hesitation—it will be a much stronger bond.”

 

Asilie continued walking, pretending not to notice his gaze.

 

But her mind was moving quickly.

 

Convincing Duke Camédici had been important, but persuading Duke Grandier was equally vital.

 

Trying to steady her nerves, she carefully laid out her reasoning.

 

“If I die, then the Camédici family will owe a debt to the Grandier family—so we lose nothing. And if I survive, we’ll maintain a strong relationship, so again, there’s no loss.”

 

Honestly, it was impressive.

 

He’d already suspected she wasn’t an ordinary girl after seeing her at dinner a few days ago, but to calculate all this and explain it without hesitation…

 

If only my son had half her wits, I’d have nothing to worry about.

 

Thinking of his underwhelming son, Duke Grandier looked at Asilie and nodded.

 

In the end, whether they allied with the Camédici or the Bonaparte family didn’t make much difference. In fact, as she said, there was more to gain from choosing Camédici.

 

Duke Grandier made up his mind to grant her wish.

 

“Very well. I’ll see that it’s done as you wish.”

 

“…Thank you, Your Grace.”

 

And with that, their conversation ended.

 

As they sat at the table, both fell into their own thoughts, and the dining room was completely silent.

 

After a long pause, Duke Grandier suddenly asked Asilie another question.

 

“Still, why do you want to marry the Camédici Duke?”

 

“As I said earlier—”

 

“I’m not asking about the politics. I’m asking about you. Why would you take such a risk?”

 

To Asilie, this wasn’t a risk—but that kind of answer wouldn’t satisfy Duke Grandier.

 

She needed to give him a response he could accept.

 

So, without blinking, Asilie calmly lied.

 

“…I fell in love at first sight.”

 

“With the Camédici Duke?”

 

“Yes, Your Grace.”

 

At that, Duke Grandier looked past her shoulder and let out a small laugh.

 

“Well, there you have it, Duke. Were you aware of this?”

 

Startled, Asilie turned around.

 

Esperad had just arrived and was staring at her in shock. Then, realizing he was expected to respond to Duke Grandier, he faced forward and replied bluntly,

 

“We’ve already shared quite a bit between us.”