A Change of Husband - Chapter 63

Being granted the right to succeed the throne meant the same as becoming the official heir to the crown.

Because of that, Count Mirk completely lost his authority to manage royal affairs in place of the ailing King Hort.

Even so, Esperad decided to hurry into the palace.

It had been far too long since he had last seen Hort with his own eyes.

He felt he needed to understand the king’s condition in order to make plans for what was ahead.

“Are you sure about this?”

Of course, even that could be delayed if it was for Asilie.

His lovely wife had been kidnapped by a madman—someone whose name he didn’t even want to say—and had only regained her senses two days ago.

Even just by looking, it was clear that Asilie wasn’t in her usual condition.

Even with makeup on, her complexion looked pale.

“I’m really fine. And Lydia’s coming with us, isn’t she?”

“That’s true, but I can’t help but worry. You still don’t seem fully recovered, Asilie.”

“If anything happens, you and Lydia will help me.”

“Even so…”

“Esperad, don’t worry. I truly don’t want to ruin something important because of me.”

Esperad could guess well enough what Asilie was feeling and why she said that.

Still, he believed it was okay for Asilie to be selfish sometimes and think only about herself.

He let out a deep sigh and reached out his hand to her.

Soon, her cold, small hand rested in his large, warm palm.

As if trying to comfort himself, Esperad held her hand tightly, then stepped down from the carriage with her.

When they stood in front of the palace, members of the royal family who were part of the royal elders’ council were already waiting to greet them.

Because of Count Mirk, the royals hadn’t been able to properly see King Hort in a long time.

Maybe they thought they wouldn’t get a chance unless they followed Esperad, the new heir to the throne, because there were more people waiting than expected.

Now, Esperad had to show a dignified appearance in front of them as the next king.

Asilie, who knew him better than anyone, also straightened her back and tried to keep her posture as proper as possible.

When Esperad and Asilie bowed first in greeting, the royals also returned the gesture.

Normally, there would have been some small talk—congratulations and such—but perhaps because of the setting, they all exchanged only light greetings and followed behind Esperad and Asilie into the palace, heading specifically toward the hallway where the king’s bedchamber was located.

“Hmm…”

As Lydia let out a small groan, Asilie turned her head carefully. She was worried the heavy atmosphere might be bothering her younger sister.

Lydia was frowning and glancing around the place.

Thankfully, she didn’t seem uncomfortable because of the situation itself, but her behavior was not quite normal either.

Asilie wanted to ask what was wrong, but with so many royals following them, she simply hoped whatever was bothering Lydia would go away soon and walked a bit faster.

“We’re here.”

Esperad stood in front of a lavishly decorated bedroom door.

Maybe someone had been informed ahead of time, as no palace staff could be seen.

“I’ll open it.”

There was no point in stalling. He briefly let go of Asilie’s hand and grabbed the door handle.

The heavy, ornate door creaked loudly as it opened.

At the same time, a musty smell wafted out from inside.

“What is this…?”

It wasn’t just Esperad and Asilie who sensed something strange—the royal elders seemed confused too.

Esperad stepped inside slowly, and Asilie followed with Lydia.

The room was very dark, and the air was thick, as if it hadn’t been aired out in a long time.

Compared to the last time he saw it, the king’s bedroom looked completely different, and Esperad felt overwhelmed by the sight.

It seemed the same was true for the other royals.

“Where is His Majesty?”

They looked around the room in confusion, but then someone spotted the bed and shouted.

“Ah, over there!”

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, what is going on?!”

On the bed, the young King Hort lay completely naked, his body dried up and tied tightly to the bed.

He looked so small and frail that one could mistake him for a child. The sight of him bound like that was disturbing.

Asilie stared blankly at the strange scene, but turned her head when Lydia grabbed her wrist.

Everyone, including Esperad and the royals, was too shocked to notice Lydia’s action.

“Sis.”

“What is it?”

“That king… he has no soul.”

“…What?”

Asilie’s eyes widened at the strange words.

Lydia lowered her voice and whispered close to her sister’s ear.

“His soul already left his body. What’s left is just a shell, a body with no flow of life. He will never open his eyes again.”

“How is that possible?”

“Well…”

Lydia seemed like she was about to explain but then hesitated.

At that moment, a faint figure appeared near the curtains in the room.

Asilie and Lydia weren’t the only ones who saw it.

“Who’s there?!”

One of the royals shouted, but there was no reply.

Everyone was tense, frozen in place. Then Esperad stepped forward.

“You mustn’t!”

“We should call the knights…”

Because they had come to check on the king’s health, no one had brought weapons into the palace.

That’s why everyone was worried when Esperad, the heir, moved on his own.

But he ignored them and walked forward, yanking the curtain aside.

Sunlight burst into the room, revealing an old woman wearing a dull-colored robe.

“…!”

Her appearance was horrifying—something one couldn’t forget after seeing once.

Most of her white hair had fallen out. Her pale skin was covered with liver spots, and her face was so wrinkled that it was hard to tell her features apart.

The others stood frozen, overwhelmed by her grotesque appearance.

Then Esperad grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward.

“Who are you?”

“…”

“Who are you, and why are you here?”

The old woman looked up at Esperad without answering.

Then she suddenly cackled.

“So, the true king has finally arrived. Hahaha!”

“…What?”

“Let us show respect to the next king. I am Agua Nale Roja, the one allowed to stay here and extend the king’s life.”

“Allowed by who?”

“To your enemy.”

Everyone gasped at Agua Nale Roja’s use of the word “enemy.”

She pulled her wrist free from Esperad’s grip, glanced around at the gathered crowd, and smiled when she spotted Lydia.

Asilie, who had been on high alert, noticed this but kept quiet and held her breath on purpose.

“So many have gathered. That means the king won’t be alone on his journey.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Look at that poor young king. He’s so weak, you might believe he’s already a corpse. If someone here just leaned on him, his fragile body would be crushed immediately.”

It was a shockingly disrespectful thing to say to a king.

At first, the nobles had been too surprised by her appearance to say anything, but now they shouted at her in anger.

“Who do you think you are, speaking so rudely to His Majesty?”

“Do you have two lives or something?!”

“How dare you say such a thing about His Majesty’s journey!”

“Shh. We can’t turn this poor child’s final path into a noisy market, can we?”

Agua Nale Roja seemed like a madwoman.

But still, no one thought she was lying.

There was something about her presence that made her words seem believable.

Once the crowd quieted, Agua Nale Roja spoke again, her voice now tinged with sorrow.

“The king’s life ended long ago. The thread connecting his soul to his body is barely hanging on. Only his fragile body remained in this world—because of a misguided purpose and overwhelming greed.”

“…….”

“This child tried many things, just hoping to end his loneliness. I don’t know if his own will was part of those attempts. But now, it’s alright. Finally, I’ve been freed from my duty, and I can let him go.”

“Who… what are you?”

“Who knows?”

Agua Nale Roja gave a bitter smile.

“There was a time the world called me a sorcerer. I don’t know what they call me now.”

While everyone stood frozen at her shocking confession, she turned again and walked toward Hort.

Someone tried to stop her, but Esperad raised his hand.

Even in the chaos, he understood what Agua Nale Roja meant.

Hort had to die. Count Mirk had been holding on to the thread of his life to keep the crown within reach.

“Was it Count Mirk?” Esperad asked as Agua Nale Roja arrived before Hort.

She stood still for a moment, then answered in a voice that sounded like she was laughing and crying at the same time.

“Cartel Mirk. That’s his name.”

“What…!”

“He did something so cruel!”

“We can’t just let him get away with this. How dare he do this behind our backs!”

As the crowd grew loud again, Agua Nale Roja spoke with a solemn and heavy voice.

“Now, everyone, pray. Pray for the poor king, whose body was forced to remain in this world, and for the fate that will dissolve once his soul finally disappears.”

Her words clearly meant she was about to end the king’s life—an unthinkable offense. If it were true, she was going to harm the king, and someone should have stopped her.

But no one did.

Her strange words sounded absurd, yet there was such weight behind everything she said and did that no one could move.

And seeing Hort’s condition with their own eyes made her words even more believable.

Once she confirmed no one would interfere, Agua Nale Roja reached out her wrinkled hands over Hort’s nearly dried-up body and closed her eyes.

And that was all Asilie saw.

She couldn’t breathe.

Inhaling and exhaling were both hard.

It felt like she was surviving on the tiniest bit of air in the middle of suffocating smoke.

Waaah, waaah!

A baby’s cry echoed from far away.

And Asilie opened her eyes.

At that moment, she remembered every time she had heard that baby’s cry before. Even if the memory faded again later, she understood now.

‘Were you the one protecting me all this time?’

Every time she was in danger, Asilie had heard a baby crying.

And each time she woke up after hearing it, she somehow survived a life-threatening situation.

Esperad’s swordsmanship had been unusually sharp.

She, who had no quick reflexes, had lifted a pillow to shield herself.

Lydia had used powerful magic that someone at her level shouldn’t have been able to cast.

And Esperad had arrived just in time to save her from Joseph.

When she returned to the Medici mansion and collapsed unconscious, she had heard the faint, dying breaths of someone.

It felt like a sign of the end, and she had asked Esperad a question she couldn’t keep to herself.

If something happened and she died first, what would he do?

‘I couldn’t protect you, so why were you the one protecting me, baby…?’

Her chest ached with guilt.

Why hadn’t the baby left her side? Why did it keep watching over her?

“You couldn’t leave. That’s probably why.”

Asilie opened her eyes at the sound of someone answering her thoughts.

She wasn’t in the Medici mansion. Though the place was unfamiliar, she quickly remembered the moment she had collapsed.

And the voice—it was Agua Nale Roja’s.

“Why are you here…?” Asilie asked with a frown.

She couldn’t understand why they were alone together in this bedroom.

But Agua Nale Roja didn’t answer that question.

“You don’t belong to this world.”

“…What do you mean?”

“That’s why the world tried to remove you, threatening your life again and again. And the one who protected you through it all is the child who finally found rest today.”

She muttered in a chilling voice.

“Maybe that child brought you into this world in the first place…”

“What are you even saying?”

“My role, allowed by the world, ends here. I’m sure we’ll meet again someday. That is, if the new king chooses to accept me.”

Agua Nale Roja smiled.

Her face, full of wrinkles, looked hideous—but neither of them cared.

Asilie stared deeply into her eyes. Then Agua Nale Roja whispered in a low voice.

“Good luck.”

At the same time, the door opened and Esperad came in.

“Asilie!”

He ran to her and held her tightly. While he embraced her, Agua Nale Roja quietly left.

Asilie could no longer see her, but she couldn’t forget her words.

It was the first time—

That even with Esperad by her side, she couldn’t focus on him fully.

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