A Change of Husband - Chapter 42

Asilie thought it was strange how much she had gained from this wedding.

It was the wedding of her ex-husband, Joseph, and her former sister-in-law, Monica. Although she didn’t show it, she had felt uneasy before attending.

But watching their wedding itself didn’t bother her at all. And at what had seemed like a bad-omened event, she unexpectedly gained a lot.

That’s how life was—always full of unpredictable turns.

As soon as she got into the carriage, Asilie told Esperad every detail of her conversation with Geoffrey.

“He said it was related to Father, but I don’t think we can just assume it’s all because of a ‘conflict.’ That kind of fixed idea might make it harder to uncover the truth.”

“Of course, since they were close, it might be something like that. But I think the first thing we need to do is figure out what that conflict was.”

“Is there a way to find out?”

“We could try asking people who worked at the Medici Mansion a long time ago. Or, it might be rude, but checking the letters or documents left by Father-in-law before he died might give us a clue.”

At those words, something suddenly flashed through Esperad’s mind.

It was the letter from Count Mirk that he had found in Benjamin’s jacket pocket.

That letter had clearly ordered: “Destroy all remaining documents, just in case.”

At the time, he hadn’t understood what it meant—but now he thought he did.

It was probably meant to destroy documents that gave a reason why Count Mirk couldn’t inherit the throne immediately.

In the mansion or the estate, there wasn’t any place Benjamin couldn’t reach.

The thought that it might be hard to find any clues made Esperad feel discouraged.

He was about to tell Asilie about this but closed his mouth. He didn’t want to crush her motivation or spirit.

“I’ll try searching myself.”

“I’ll help too. And I think it might be good to ask Madam Marce if she knows anything. Should I do that?”

“There’s no need to…”

He was about to refuse, not liking the idea of her worrying over small things, but changed his mind at the last second and smiled.

“I’ll gladly accept that help.”

Asilie felt strange at Esperad’s smile.

Lately, whenever he said something kind that warmed her heart, or when he gave her a gentle smile, her chest would suddenly feel tight.

Is it because I’m tired?

After being poisoned during the third attack, Asilie would get tired Asilie with just a bit of exertion, often sleeping so deeply that even Esperad was surprised.

Madam Marce, not knowing that Esperad and Asilie had never shared a bed, even suspected it might be early pregnancy.

They had to call in the royal physician to finally clear her doubts. But that caused an awkward moment between Asilie and Esperad—because both of them knew that having a child was one of the requirements for claiming the throne.

Looking back, no one had brought up the subject of children since that day.

When they had first learned about that condition, they had quickly brushed it aside. But whenever the topic came up again, they both fell silent in awkwardness.

It was something they needed to face eventually.

Esperad knew it. Asilie knew it too.

But even though she didn’t know what he was thinking, Asilie didn’t have the courage to talk about having a baby.

To be honest, she didn’t want to have a child just for the sake of the succession.

She had already lost one child before.

She tried to pretend it had never happened, since she had returned to the past. She made an effort not to think about it.

Still, every time the memory surfaced, her chest felt like it was being ripped apart.

It was pain only she could feel until the day she died—so she couldn’t explain it to Esperad.

There was probably only one reason she could say out loud.

She didn’t want to get pregnant just as a means to an end.

And Asilie believed that was reason enough.

She had once tried to have a child just to win Joseph’s heart, to receive his loving gaze even once. She had gotten pregnant for that ‘goal.’

But what had come of it?

She didn’t want to make the same mistake again.

A child should be the result of love—not used to achieve some goal.

And if Esperad couldn’t accept her thoughts—or worse, didn’t understand them at all—she knew she would feel deeply disappointed and hurt.

No, that wouldn’t be the end of it.

If their views were completely different, then ‘breaking up’ would be unavoidable.

That made it even harder to gather the courage.

She couldn’t leave the Medici Mansion just yet, not when things were still unstable. If she left, neither she nor Lydia would have any protection.

Also, if Esperad—who right now seemed like the perfect husband—stopped looking that way, she felt like it would break her heart.

She didn’t even know why that would hurt her so much.

Trying to stop her thoughts from spiraling, Asilie bit her lip.

“Asilie?”

His voice made her lift her head a little late.

The carriage had stopped. They had arrived at the Medici Mansion, but she hadn’t moved—so he had called her name.

“Oh… I was just lost in thought.”

“I see. If you want to sit a little longer, I’ll wait.”

Was that why she had started to fear losing him—because even in small things like this, she always came first, and he always cared for her?

With a dark look, Asilie shook her head.

“No, it’s okay. Let’s get out.”

“Let me help you. It must be hard to move in that dress.”

In the end, even though she was wary of his kindness, she had no choice but to take Esperad’s escort.

Normally, once they returned to the Medici Mansion, they would have taken a bath, eaten dinner, and chatted before falling asleep.

But today, they had to give up that relaxing routine after a long day. People were waiting for them outside their bedroom.

Those people were Lydia, Edgar, and Jonathan.

It was an odd group that didn’t seem to fit together, and Esperad asked in confusion,

“What brings you all here…?”

No one answered right away, so Edgar glanced around and opened his mouth first.

“I understand you must be tired after attending the wedding. But this boy created a very strange object, claiming the Duchess ordered him to make it. I couldn’t ignore it.”

“This object even put Miss Lydia in danger.”

“What on earth are you talking about…”

Esperad didn’t understand the words right away.

He was about to ask in more detail what was meant, but Asilie interrupted.

“I’ll explain the rest. But we can’t keep talking out in the hallway. Let’s go somewhere else. The sitting room downstairs would be best.”

Esperad knew that Asilie became Asilie tired after the third attack.

Because of that, he had already asked Madam Marce to schedule her activities more loosely.

In his opinion, Asilie had already pushed herself too much just with today’s schedule.

She had been standing throughout the entire wedding, hadn’t eaten, and even met Geoffrey.

By the time this conversation ended, it would likely be too late for a proper dinner.

That meant Asilie would go the whole day without a real meal.

So Esperad wasn’t happy with the situation.

But whether the boy had done it on purpose or by accident, the fact that he had threatened Lydia couldn’t be ignored.

In the end, he had no choice but to suppress his displeasure and follow Asilie down to the sitting room.

“Lydia, are you hurt anywhere?”

Asilie asked about Lydia’s condition first after sitting down. Lydia quickly shook her head.

“No. Actually, I don’t really know what even happened.”

“I thought so. I’m sorry—I should have warned you ahead of time. This is more my fault than Jonathan’s.”

“Oh, no, my lady. I should have been more careful of my surroundings. I was stupid… I was too excited and in a rush, and I didn’t pay attention. I’m sorry…”

Jonathan bowed his head deeply and apologized.

But Asilie didn’t let him take all the blame.

“You’re not yet of age, and as your guardian, I’m the one responsible for your mistakes. It was my fault for not warning you in advance.”

“Still, I almost hurt your sister, my lady…”

“Yes, you almost did. Thankfully, no one got hurt this time—maybe heaven was watching over us. But be more careful from now on. We might not get lucky a second time.”

“I will. I’m really sorry…”

Asilie looked quietly at the boy, who spoke in a small voice with his head bowed.

She wasn’t surprised that Jonathan had managed to make a gun.

In a previous conversation, she had learned why the Jonathan from before her return had taken so long to create one.

Since she had solved that problem for him, she didn’t think it would take him long after that.

She just hadn’t expected it to happen this soon, so she hadn’t warned either Jonathan or the people of the Medici mansion.

That had been her mistake.

Because nothing had actually happened, she could sit calmly now.

But if Lydia or someone else had died because of that weapon, she would have been crushed with guilt.

Jonathan, too, could have become a killer at such a young age.

Admitting that she had failed to prepare for what could happen, Asilie raised her head.

The three others, waiting to hear her explanation, were watching her closely.

“…The Duke must be confused by all this. Lydia and Sir Villian saw it happen, so they must feel dazed too. That’s why I’ll explain what I asked this boy to do.”

Asilie began her story, blending truth with fiction, saying that she had seen a new weapon called a “gun” at the Count of Bourbon’s estate. Curious, she had followed the inventor and saw the weapon’s true power.

“While looking into it, I found out that someone else had actually made the gun. That someone was this boy.”

Everyone held their breath and looked at Jonathan.

It was hard to believe that a young boy had created such a dangerous and strange weapon.

“At the time, our lives were constantly at risk. I thought that if the gun could really be used, it would help strengthen the Duchy’s forces and defend against enemies.”

She explained that she had taken Jonathan under her protection and supported his development.
Fortunately, Jonathan had kept quiet the entire time she spoke, so everyone seemed to accept her version of the story.

When she finished, Edgar was the first to ask a question.

“Then that loud thing is a powerful, deadly new weapon?”

“If Jonathan made it properly, then probably yes.”

“Miss Lydia and I only heard the loud noise. We didn’t actually see what the weapon could do. Also, I find it hard to believe that it’s truly deadly.”

“May I ask why you think that?”

“It’s common knowledge that any weapon should have a sharpened end to increase its power. But the bullet that came out of that gun, though it had a pointed shape, wasn’t sharp at all.”

Asilie didn’t know the answer to that either.

When she looked at Jonathan, he seemed to take it as permission to speak and confidently answered.

“The bullet comes out with such strong force that if it were sharper, it could pass through the target and hurt something—or someone—else. It would also be less stable. That’s why I made it that way on purpose.”

Unfortunately, no one there seemed to understand the explanation.

Even Asilie, who had ordered the weapon to be made, only grasped the general meaning—she didn’t fully understand either.

If this kind of confusion continued, maybe the weapon couldn’t be used at all, even if it worked.

Asilie felt frustrated.

The gun she had seen before had power that couldn’t be compared to any other weapon currently in use.

If the Medici Duchy quickly completed its military preparations using the new weapon, they could take the upper hand in the inevitable battle for the throne.

In a real conflict, the gun would shine even more.

But if they couldn’t convince people of its value, it would all be for nothing.

Even Lydia and Edgar, who had at least heard the gun’s sound, still wore doubtful expressions.

“The knights of House Medici need to learn how to use guns. That’s the fastest way to become the strongest force.”

“…Knights have the right to choose their own weapons.”

Esperad, who had quietly listened until now, finally spoke.

“It wouldn’t make sense to have them choose a weapon without seeing it in action.”

“You mean…”

“I fully trust and support you. But I can’t force others in this household to do the same. So, you’ll need to prove it to them.”

Asilie understood what he meant and turned her head.

Jonathan was looking at her, his face a mix of excitement and nervousness.

“Can you get ready?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking if you can show everyone what your weapon is and how powerful it is.”

This was the moment Jonathan had been waiting for ever since he finished the weapon.

Without hesitation, he nodded.

“I can do it.”

Support