A Change of Husband - Chapter 40

“What do you mean by a decisive role? Please explain more specifically.”

“Are you aware that Monica Bellucci testified for Joseph?”

Until the trial by the Noble Council is held, any witnesses presented by the opposing side or those who volunteer remain confidential.

Before the regression, Joseph was never brought before the Noble Council, so there was no way of knowing Monica had stepped up.

But Asilie simply smiled without saying anything. How Geoffrey interpreted that smile was up to him.

“I’m going to invalidate her testimony. Since Joseph’s wife testified on his behalf, once it’s revealed that the witness is Monica, people will question the credibility. And if I provide proof at that moment that the testimony is invalid, it will not only cast doubt on the truth of the statement, but could even affect the ruling on Joseph’s crime.”

Right now, the Noble Council trial had essentially turned into a battle between House Medici and House Bonaparte.

That meant whichever family lost this trial would have to accept their honor being completely ruined.

That’s why Asilie was suspicious. No matter what, Geoffrey was still a member of House Bonaparte.

She couldn’t be sure that he had such a strong desire for the heir position that he would reach for it knowing his family’s honor would fall.

While lost in thought, she realized Geoffrey was waiting for her reply, so she asked carefully.

“Of course, it’s a brilliant idea… but is it really possible to do it without revealing your identity?”

“It’s very easy.”

“You’ll still go through with it even if House Bonaparte’s honor is dragged through the mud?”

“When the public starts criticizing the older brother and his wife for bringing shame, the efforts of the second son, working hard to restore the family’s reputation, will shine even more. And if I wasn’t sure it could be restored, I wouldn’t be making this proposal in the first place.”

“I applaud your courage, but… I can’t help but wonder.”

Asilie looked straight into Geoffrey’s eyes.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but when hearts are closed, it’s hard to read anything in them.

Maybe that’s why, despite having the same blue eyes, reading Esperad’s heart had always been so easy.

“What are you wondering about?”

If it weren’t for Geoffrey’s question, Asilie would have kept thinking about Esperad for much longer.

Snapping out of it, she asked the question she originally had in mind.

“If it’s about securing the heir position, this seems like something you could have done on your own. Proving that Lady Bellucci’s testimony is false, I mean.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“Then why are you approaching me with a proposal? I’m curious what you truly want.”

Geoffrey didn’t even hesitate before replying.

His lips held a smile, but his eyes were completely serious.

“As you know, Duchess, trying to restore a family’s honor is meaningless if the family itself no longer exists.”

“What do you mean…?”

“There’s only one thing I want, Duchess.”

Geoffrey took a few steps closer to Asilie.

When he was close enough for their breaths to mingle, he whispered in a low voice,

“When the Duke of Medici takes the throne, I want a guarantee that my family will continue to exist. That way, I can protect my own place in the end.”

Asilie couldn’t say anything for a moment.

This was an extremely dangerous gamble—at least, for Geoffrey.

Despite no promises or certainty about the future, he was charging forward as if he already knew Esperad would win.

By making this offer, Geoffrey was clearly expressing his intention to side with them. In a way, he had laid down every card he had to prove his loyalty.

Which made it all the more puzzling.

What had pushed this man to make such a move?

“…You are far braver than I expected.”

“I don’t mean to insult you, Duchess, but if I were the kind of fool who only acted within your expectations, then Joseph might as well take the family.”

He smiled faintly.

“And in the storms that are bound to come, the fact that my ally is someone no one would ever suspect—that alone could become my greatest strength. So yes, I would go even further than this if it meant gaining such an ally.”

“I can’t even imagine.”

“You really do know how to say things that please me, Duchess.”

Asilie stayed silent for a moment.

Geoffrey making this kind of proposal meant not only that he intended to support Count Mirk becoming king instead of someone from House Bonaparte, but also that he was aware of the crime involving the attempted murder of Esperad’s fiancée.

But if Esperad didn’t become king, all of this would sink below the surface and become a secret no one would ever uncover.

What that implied was clear.

“Why do you think Count Mirk won’t become king? Did the broken engagement with Lady Bellucci make you anxious?”

“It would be a lie to say it didn’t affect me, but that’s not the only reason.”

Failing to marry Monica Bellucci had dealt a heavy blow to Geoffrey, but that alone wasn’t enough to make him change sides so rashly.

It would have been bothersome to go through the whole marriage process again, but there were still plenty of noble ladies who could replace Monica.

“I receive detailed reports on every move the Duke of Medici makes. Even though he’s acting differently than before, Count Mirk hasn’t been able to fix the derailed plan. The fact that the Duchess is still alive proves that.”

Geoffrey found it a little surprising that Asilie remained calm even while discussing her own death.

“Does that answer your question?”

“Not enough.”

“What more do you want to know?”

“Did you change your mind because you’re sure Count Mirk won’t become king? If so, why hasn’t he taken the throne yet, even though he should be able to? Why hasn’t the king’s condition been revealed to the public?”

Her eyes gleamed with suspicion.

“Do you really not know the reason?”

Geoffrey knew that answering that question could win him complete trust.

But he shook his head, aware of the risk—if he lied and was caught, he would lose even the trust he had now.

Unfortunately, he really didn’t know.

Lately, even among the conservative nobles, people had started whispering about how strange Count Mirk’s actions were.

Despite how unstable things had become, Mirk hadn’t given any explanation. He just kept saying he was waiting for the right time.

Geoffrey realized Mirk wasn’t the kind of man who shared his secrets with others.

“Unfortunately, he’s far too secretive. Especially when it comes to anything that might be used against him, he never says a word.”

“So you really don’t know anything?”

“My father also said he doesn’t know anything except that he’s related to the late Duke of Camedici. There are even complaints arising among the nobles who support him because of this.”

“However, Your Highness, you didn’t wait for him.”

“I judged that he wouldn’t have a chance of success if he can’t even explain himself to his supporters and has weaknesses that restrict his movements. Besides, if it were in the past, it might have been different, but now that Duke Camedici is beginning to sense something, it’s even more so.”

Asilie no longer doubted him.

Even if Esperad had been here, Geoffrey would have been able to persuade both of them.

He had shown everything except for a little embellishment of his own desire for power.

“The Camedici Duke family owes a great debt to Your Highness. I promise to repay the trust you have shown. I swear this on my name.”

To Geoffrey, Asilie was still a lowly and insignificant provincial noblewoman, even if she showed a different side.

For this reason, the promise made in her name did not deeply impress him.

Geoffrey hid a sneer and bowed deeply. Then, he extended his hand toward Asilie.

Asilie slowly placed her hand on his, and without hesitation, he kissed the back of her hand.

He despised her lowly background so much that he even showed a disgusted expression in that moment.

“I sincerely hope that promise will be kept. I believe the Duke of Camedici will not lose his pride and honor as a noble.”

Asilie clearly saw Geoffrey’s expression reflected on the smooth marble floor. Of course, she wasn’t moved by it.

‘At least he’s consistent, so he won’t back out Asilie.’

Without feeling any shame, she turned her gaze away from Geoffrey’s back as he left the room and fell into thought.

‘Being related to the late Duke of Camedici…’

It was impossible to simply put it aside as something from the past.

Esperad had said that he didn’t know the reason for the conflict between Count Mirk and the late Duke of Camedici, but if he truly didn’t know, then now was the time to dig into it.

The very ‘reason’ for the conflict seemed to be the weakness that Count Mirk wanted to hide.

‘I wonder what that reason could be.’

She wanted to think deeper about it, but it was soon time to meet Esperad again. Besides, being left alone in a room with no one around wasn’t safe.

Asilie quickened her steps and left the room, a wry smile forming as she thought about how she couldn’t afford to let her guard down anywhere.

The protagonist of a wedding is traditionally the bride.

However, despite it being her own wedding, Monica Bellucci—no, now she was called Monica Bonaparte—did not feel good at all.

She had chosen her husband willingly, knowing his shortcomings, but she never imagined that it would be so irritating.

‘This foolish child.’

Joseph was much more lacking than she had imagined.

He knew how to boast about himself and enjoy being admired by others, but he didn’t know how to make the person next to him shine.

In the aristocratic society of Astel, a newlywed’s reputation was determined by how much her husband adored her.

Especially for young ladies who had the position to choose their husbands before marriage, their reputation was more tightly bound to it.

“Ha…”

Monica sighed.

If a noblewoman was respected by her husband, it meant she had chosen a good husband, which proved her ability to recognize a great man.

But Joseph’s behavior today was far from ‘respecting his bride.’

Joseph was too busy bragging about himself as the newlywed.

He even carelessly talked about the sensitive matter of why he had chosen her over Geoffrey, even though it was a matter that could have caused tension between families.

Both the Bonaparte and Bellucci families showed discomfort, but in a public gathering, they couldn’t reprimand the groom.

Well, that was something Monica could endure.

But Joseph never once complimented his beautiful bride who had grown up like a princess in a noble family.

He treated Monica as if she were a costly ornament, and most of the guests at the wedding pitied her when they witnessed this.

Her pride was hurt, and she was angry.

Monica had never received such a horrendous look since her debut in society.

‘If only I had married Geoffrey…!’

At least Geoffrey wasn’t a fool who thought the only way to increase his value was to brag about himself.

He would have acted much more elegantly and gracefully.

For example, he would have said it was an honor to marry the best bride, Monica, and boasted about his own abilities and qualities that made him worthy of her.

That was truly the way to elevate both of them at once. But Joseph, the fool, couldn’t even think of that.

“Lady Bonaparte, the reception is about to begin. You should start changing into your reception dress with the help of the maids.”

Monica, who was about to shout that she had no mood for the reception, barely held back the curse words that rose in her throat.

If it had been a maid from the Bellucci family, she would have slapped her in the face, but now she was dealing with the head maid of the Bonaparte family, a servant whom Lady Bonaparte greatly favored.

Until everything was completely under her control, she couldn’t act like an ignorant fool who didn’t understand the ways of the world. She would look just like Joseph.

“Then, would you assist me?”

“It would be an honor, my lady.”

With the help of the maids, Monica was able to change out of her heavy wedding dress and into a lighter one for the reception.

Although she regretted this marriage from the very first day, she was at least pleased that she could now wear a gorgeous dress and adorn herself freely without restrictions.

Monica, who thought she wouldn’t have to wear that dreaded braided hair anymore, suddenly remembered Asilie, who had boldly asked her for a hair tie earlier.

‘That insolent woman.’

That same woman had attended the wedding and shamelessly showed her face. She was even smiling leisurely. With her husband’s arm around her.

At first, rumors had spread that the cursed duke had no one to marry and had reluctantly taken in a low-born adopted daughter as his wife.

But now, the atmosphere had completely changed.

The love the Duke of Camedici had for his wife was said to be deep, and it was widely rumored that the Duchess of Camedici was as educated and dignified as any noble raised in the capital.

The lowly girl who had grown up in the countryside, living in poverty, was now receiving envious glances due to her marriage.

However, Monica, who had always lived a privileged life in the Bellucci family, was now receiving looks of sympathy due to her marriage.

How could ‘marriage’ cause such a drastic change in her situation?

It was almost too much to suppress the rising anger.

“I’m going for a brief walk.”

“But the reception will begin soon.”

“I know. I just want to walk down the corridor for a moment to calm my tense mind.”

“Would it be alright with the guests walking around?”

“If I run into them, I’ll just thank them for attending the wedding. Isn’t that right?”

Monica was irritated at the thought of having to persuade this lowly maid.

She had forced a smile but warned herself to lash out at her if she said anything more. Fortunately, the maid, perhaps thinking she couldn’t win, nodded and opened the door.

“I’ll let you know when it’s time to leave.”

Monica didn’t respond and stepped outside the door.

And by coincidence, she ran into ‘that man,’ who she had been thinking about since earlier.

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