A Change of Husband - Chapter 64

Though no coronation had taken place, Esperad was undoubtedly Astel’s king in name and in reality.

Following Agua Nale Roja’s testimony, most of the conservative nobles involved were arrested.

Outwardly, it appeared as though Esperad was asserting royal authority by suppressing his subordinates, as new rulers often do, but in truth, it was different.
Esperad was trying to uncover the true source of the threats that had targeted him.

Things were unfolding much more smoothly than expected—almost as if everything had been planned from the beginning.
So Asilie, so naturally.

Perhaps that was why Asilie felt uneasy.
The world around her was moving along too peacefully, too Asilie, while her own circumstances were anything but.

Agua Nale Roja’s words had left Asilie completely confused.

“This child has made many attempts, simply hoping to end their solitude. Whether their self was involved in those attempts, I do not know. But now it should be fine. At last, I am free from my duty and able to send this child away.”

“You do not belong to this world. So in the natural flow that seeks to remove impurities, your life must have constantly been in danger. The one who protected you from that—until now, when he finally found peace—was this child.”

“Perhaps it was because this child brought you into this world…”

The king, Hort, who had tried many things while his body and soul were separated.
It had been Hort who protected her from the world’s efforts to purge “impurities.”
It was also Hort who had brought her into this world.

And the baby’s cries that she always heard in moments of crisis…

“Why?”

Her head throbbed painfully.

She couldn’t understand why Agua Nale Roja had spoken of “this world” instead of simply saying they went back in time.

Too many things were mysterious. And too many things had changed.

Of course, the changes were caused by Asilie’s own actions, which had differed from the past.

The strict etiquette teacher had softened because of Asilie’s improved conduct.
Esperad, who in the original timeline could not marry before Siena, had become her husband.
Joseph, who had originally been her husband, ended up engaged to Monica instead, after Asilie married Esperad.

Most of the changes in the past were directly influenced by her.

Except for one.

Hort.
The change in the timing of his collapse had nothing to do with anything Asilie had done.

“Maybe he entered my womb when his soul and body were separated? If not, then why…”

Maybe entering her womb was one of the many attempts he made to end his loneliness.

But she knew far too little to say for sure.
It was all just speculation.

“Ugh, my head…”

Asilie could feel an unbearable headache pressing down on her.
It had started the moment Hort fully passed away.

She wondered if his death was somehow tied to her, as she felt something like the pressure of air weighing down on her.

Like being underwater—she couldn’t breathe properly.
Her whole body felt like it was stuck in a swamp, and even lifting an arm took effort.

“He must be busy right now.”

Asilie felt relieved that Esperad was occupied and away from her at the moment.

Currently, Esperad was unofficially handling internal matters at the palace, while Asilie—who had no official title since there had been no coronation—had returned to the Medici mansion to manage family affairs.

That, at least, was fortunate.
She truly didn’t want to burden him.

Knock, knock.

A knock on the office door snapped her out of her thoughts.
She composed herself and spoke.

“Come in.”

As expected, Lydia stepped inside.

Since returning from the palace, Lydia had seemed like she wanted to say something, constantly watching Asilie for days.

Asilie instinctively sensed it was related to Agua Nale Roja.
There was no way two magicians—beings considered nonexistent in this world—could have suddenly appeared in Astel without a connection.

There had to be a link between Agua Nale Roja and Lydia.

“Sit down.”

“Sis, are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your condition.”

“There’s no reason I wouldn’t be okay.”

But Lydia didn’t seem to believe her.

After silently watching Asilie for a moment, Lydia spoke with determination.

“I heard a bit about your condition.”

“Was it Agua Nale Roja who taught you magic?”

“…Yes. Since we didn’t have a way to contact each other, I had no idea she was at the palace like that.”

“What did she say to you?”

“She told me a little about your condition. We had a chance to talk. I don’t know exactly how you’re connected to the dead king, but I do know he influenced you somehow.”

Lydia looked like she wanted Asilie to explain.
But Asilie didn’t have anything she could say either.

She didn’t understand the situation herself.

“I don’t really know what’s going on either. I’m not even sure how we’re connected.”

“I see…”

“What did she tell you?”

“She said your body would be under strain. And… that you’d be threatened by the forces acting on this world from now on. She told me to protect you.”

“Protect me?”

“Yeah, you.”

Asilie felt conflicted.

It was uncomfortable that someone else knew more about her condition than she did and was giving advice.

“Did she say anything else?”

“She said you’d meet again when the time comes—or rather, that you would be the one to seek her out…”

“How could I meet her, even if I wanted to?”

“You’ll be able to. I explained her situation to Brother-in-law, and he understood. So she’s being protected at the palace now. She’s an important witness, after all.”

“You mean Esperad knows you’re a magician?”

At Asilie’s question, Lydia nodded.

“I had to tell him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to get involved. Besides, he already suspected something. Especially after I found you when you were kidnapped.”

“I thought so…”

“And actually… when Master first saw the dead king, she said she could feel my power in him.
That’s what made her get involved. She couldn’t ignore it.”

“…What?”

Asilie’s face turned cold and stiff.
She wasn’t sure if the guess was right, but it wasn’t completely out of nowhere.

“Hmm, there is something like that. When I use healing magic, it works faster and better on you than on others. Maybe it’s because my magic works better on people I’m related to?”

She remembered what Lydia had said before.
Even though Asilie couldn’t use magic herself, magic wasn’t completely unrelated to blood ties.

If that’s the case…
‘Agua Nale Roja said he felt Lydia’s power from the king, but the former king collapsed much later than now. So the time when a mage’s power was needed must have been after that.’

Maybe the mage who had extended the king’s life before the regression—or in another world—was not Agua Nale Roja, but Lydia.
Asilie had thought she was dead, but in truth, Lydia was alive.

If Lydia had saved Hort’s life back then…
And if Hort’s soul, who had received her power, was drawn to Asilie because she was Lydia’s blood relative…?
‘It’s all just guesses, but I can’t say it’s completely nonsense.’

If that’s true, then what should she do now?
Would she have to live the rest of her life trapped under this heavy pressure, like a corpse, constantly avoiding the world’s efforts to erase her?

“Anyway… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I thought it would confuse you. I was confused too.”
“It’s okay.”
“…Alright, then I’ll go now.”
“Could you call Sophia for me?”
“Sophia?”
“I need to check on the progress of things.”

At those words, Lydia couldn’t hide her surprise.
It made sense—while Esperad had been staying at the palace, Asilie had taken on all the family’s duties that he was supposed to handle. Even though she had collapsed several times recently.

And now, even with everything going on, it was hard to believe she would still care about Sophia’s new tailor shop.
“Sophia will do fine. Don’t you think you should rest a bit?”
“If it’s too much trouble, you can ask Madame Marce.”
“…No, I’ll tell Sophia.”
“Thank you.”

After Lydia left, Asilie went over the many things currently happening.
Starting from the day of Esperad’s coronation, she too would have to enter the palace.
When that happened, she wouldn’t be able to care for the people she had taken in like she did now—
especially Sophia and Jonathan.

She needed to finish everything she could before moving into the palace.

While she was deep in thought, there was a knock, and the door opened. Sophia walked in, and Asilie stood up to greet her.

Still, maybe because he was royalty, the prison cell was better than expected—except for being a little hot.
Count Mirk looked into a half-broken mirror and let out a small laugh.

He knew very well that he had ruined everything because he put off the most important thing he should have done.
If he had wanted to take the throne, the first thing he should have done was kill Esperad.

Of course, as long as the royal elders remembered the crimes he had committed, that alone wouldn’t have been enough. But if he truly wanted to become king, that had to be the first step.
Not killing innocent fiancées.

‘But I just couldn’t do it.’

Because he hadn’t been able to make up his mind, Cartel Mirk now found himself stuck in this dark prison, staring at a broken mirror, lost in thought.

“Rihanna…”

Even so, he just couldn’t do it.
Not if he thought about Rihanna. She had been his first and last love.

It was truly pathetic.
It wasn’t because he felt guilty about his old friend.
It wasn’t because of their memories together.
It wasn’t because Esperad was his old friend’s son.

It was because Esperad was her son.
Even though he looked just like Astron, those blue eyes were Rihanna’s.
He was her final trace in this world.

That’s why he couldn’t kill Esperad.

Whenever he saw Esperad’s face that resembled Astron, he felt the urge to kill him on the spot, remembering the friend who had taken Rihanna from him.
But when he looked into those blue eyes, so much like hers, his resolve would crumble.

Because the moment he killed Esperad, he feared he would lose all the pieces of Rihanna that still remained.
She was the woman he had loved so deeply.
He still loved her.
Even in death, he wanted to find her again.

And yet, maybe because human memory is limited,
the more time passed, the more the image of that lovely woman faded.

One day, he couldn’t remember her expression when they first met.
He could remember how he felt and the way his heart had raced—
but he couldn’t remember her face.
When he recalled their first kiss, he could still feel the sensation, and the overwhelming emotion—
but he couldn’t remember what her lips looked like.

Rihanna was becoming more and more blurry with time.
That’s why he couldn’t kill Esperad.

He was afraid that one day, he wouldn’t remember the color of her eyes,
or how her gaze looked.

Then, only Esperad would remain as a way to remember Rihanna.

Love always held him back.
And each time, it drove him into a corner and stained his life.

‘And yet, I still can’t give her up. Does that make me a madman?’

Count Mirk laughed weakly. Then he shut his eyes tightly.

‘Rihanna, are you satisfied now?
In the end, I couldn’t even beat Astron,
and I gave up the place I should have had
to your son, because of the sin I committed against you.’

All he had left was the sound of her painful scream the last time he saw her.
Only then did he realize—
He still loved her, but she no longer loved him.
He had been holding on to a love that had long ended.

‘Will this love end only with my death?’

Maybe, for the sin of toying with Hort’s life,
he really did have to give up his own.

It was normal for losers to die.
But even so, dying like this felt unfair.
Even though he had no real regret about dying.

“Rihanna, I’m not a good man, so I don’t want it all to end with me losing everything.
I’m sorry.”

Count Mirk whispered to himself and placed his hand on the broken mirror.
A sharp shard of glass cut into his hand,
and the blood dripped to the floor in a strange pattern.

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