A Change of Husband - Chapter 72

Her head spun.

For a moment, the sky looked yellow, and she couldn’t breathe.

Only after standing there for a while and catching her breath could Monica barely regain her senses.

Today, the corset tightening her waist felt even more suffocating than usual.

‘Is it anemia?’

Since she kept her slim figure through a strict diet, anemia had become her inseparable friend ever since she passed adolescence.

But today felt stranger than usual.

Lately, she had not been feeling well. No—she had definitely been feeling bad.

She got tired Asilie, felt overwhelmingly sleepy, and even her usually smooth skin kept breaking out.

She tried going to a skilled masseuse, but it didn’t make her body feel lighter. It actually made her feel even more tired.

Her breasts were swelling and felt heavy, clear signs that her period was coming, but it hadn’t, and that only made her more irritated. On top of that, her appetite and mood swings had increased.

“Young Lady, shall I call a carriage for you?”

Normally, she would’ve at least forced a polite smile for the knight who had gathered up the courage to talk to her.

But today, Monica couldn’t control herself. Her face froze coldly, and she shook her head.

“No need. The family carriage is on its way.”

“Ah, yes. Excuse me.”

The young knight stepped back with an awkward expression.

Now that she looked, he had a handsome face, tall height, and broad, reliable shoulders—the type of man she liked. But instead of feeling it was a shame to miss him, she just wished he would go away quickly.

With a frown on her face, Monica waited for the carriage.

‘Why is this damn carriage taking so long?’

Today, she had attended a noble council meeting and gave testimony about what happened between the Duke and Duchess of Camedici and Prince Bonaparte.

Count Bellucci had tried to stop her, but Monica was determined. In truth, this act was not just to keep close ties with Joseph—it was more about her hatred and desire to bring down Asilie no matter what.

“Young Lady!”

In the distance, the Bellucci family carriage came into view.

Monica was about to yell at the coachman for being late but decided against it.

Rather than wasting her energy shouting and drawing attention, it seemed better to hurry and rest her body in the soft seat that the Count and Countess had prepared just for her.

Knowing well that the young lady was in a foul mood lately, the coachman was relieved she let it go and quickly drove the horses.

As the carriage started to shake, Monica’s stomach grew even more uncomfortable. She felt like she might throw up at any moment.

“Ugh, so annoying…”

She just wanted to go home and take a nap. And take off this wretched corset, too.

“Urgh.”

In the end, Monica couldn’t hold it in and began to gag.

She banged furiously on the carriage wall.

If the coachman hadn’t quickly noticed and stopped the carriage, she would’ve thrown up inside.

As soon as she stepped down, Monica started vomiting. It took quite a while before she could stop gagging.

Even after that, cold sweat poured, her head spun, and she couldn’t breathe well. Everything still looked yellow in front of her eyes.

Her heart was beating faster than usual, and she couldn’t calm herself down for a long time.

“Young Lady, are you alright? Shall we go straight to the doctor?”

“No, I’m fi—…”

Monica’s eyes widened.

Something flashed through her mind.

‘No way…’

Now that she thought about it again, her condition was too strange to ignore.

A bad feeling—or rather, a gut instinct—snapped her to attention.

“Young Lady?”

“We need to go home. Now.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t you understand what I’m saying?! Drive the carriage right now!”

Barely suppressing her nausea, Monica arrived at the mansion and immediately ordered the head maid to gather all the kitchen maids.

Most of the maids already knew about Monica’s edgy state these days, so they stood frozen, terrified she might start shouting.

“Head Maid.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

“I heard something very interesting inside the mansion. Would you care to confirm if it’s true or not?”

Sensing the serious mood, the head maid bowed her head with a stiff face.

“W-what is it, Young Lady?”

“What is it, you ask…”

Monica picked up a teacup on the table in front of her. But she didn’t drink from it. Instead, she threw it hard toward the maids.

Crash—!

“Kyaaah!”

The expensive teacup shattered, and shards flew everywhere, making the maids scream.

Monica rose from her seat with fire in her eyes.

“I heard that some insolent wench put something very suspicious in my tea.”

“W-what?!”

“Surely, the other maids who worked with her would’ve noticed her odd behavior. So who could be the foolish girl who dared to betray her master, Head Maid?”

At her chilling voice, all the maids trembled.

Whoever it was, this was a serious matter.

No—if no one knew who it was, it was even more serious.

The merciless young lady would punish the traitor in the cruelest way.

“I will definitely find her, Young Lady.”

“By when?”

“Pardon?”

“How long do I have to wait? I already know someone in this house had ill intentions—how much time should I give you?”

“T-that is…”

“You’ve already failed your duty. You didn’t catch it the first time.”

“I apologize, Young Lady. Within a week…”

“Too late.”

Monica cut her off coldly.

She looked around at the maids with piercing eyes, then signaled to the knight next to her.

“Sir James, if these maids couldn’t even spot what their fellow was doing, they clearly don’t need eyes. Take them out.”

At those words, the maids’ faces went pale.

They knew better than anyone—if Monica said it, she would do it.

“Y-Young Lady!”

“Please, have mercy!”

“We’re so sorry!”

The maids broke into tearful pleas, but Monica had no intention of backing down. Then, one young maid raised her hand.

“I-I think I saw Bessie putting something in your tea…!”

“Bessie?”

Not long ago, I remembered the face of the maid who had brought the contraceptive to her.
‘What if she put something else in it instead of the contraceptive?’
Monica glared at Bessie, almost certain.
Bessie trembled with a pale, sickly face, which looked pitiful, but unfortunately, Monica felt no sympathy at all.
“Who ordered you?”
“Wh-what…?”
“If you confess now, you might save your life. But if you continue to deny it, I’ll bury you and your family alive in the forest. Make a wise choice.”
Bessie realized that everything was wrong. She couldn’t lie to Monica.
In the end, she knelt down and hit her head against the floor.
“P-please let me live! I couldn’t resist Prince Bonaparte’s threats! He said it wasn’t poison, just a drug to cancel out the contraceptive effect…”
“Was it the older one or the younger one?”
“Y-yes?”
“I asked which one, the eldest or the second son of that family.”
“It’s… It’s Prince Geoffrey Bonaparte!”
Monica’s face twisted in disgust.
She had known that sly little brat wasn’t simple, but she never expected him to do such a petty thing.
“P-please save me, miss! I know I’ve committed a great sin, but I was so scared. I was so, so scared…”
“I understand, Bessie. How terrifying it must have been for someone as powerless as you, facing such a high-ranking noble.”
Bessie stared at Monica with a confused expression, hearing the unusually soft tone. The young lady she knew wasn’t this kind.
“Miss…?”
“I’m someone who always keeps my promises. Especially in front of so many people, I can’t lie, can I?”
“T-thank you…”
“Of course, it’s the least I can do.”
Monica smiled faintly, then quickly ordered in a cold tone.
“Lord James, cut off every single one of her damned fingers. If it’s too troublesome, just cut off her wrists.”
“Miss!”
“Head Maid, put her fingers on display in the maid’s lounge for a week as an example to the other maids.”
With that, Monica turned and left the room.
Now, she finally understood what this awful fatigue was about. She was pregnant.
‘Damn it.’
What was more annoying was that she couldn’t tell exactly who the father of the baby was.
Monica had slept with both men around the same time.
‘Wait, this might work out in my favor.’
Joseph and Geoffrey Bonaparte had similar physical features.
Of course, Joseph was closer to a more glamorous, handsome type, but whichever baby she had, it was clear that it would carry the Bonaparte family blood.
Monica smirked.
‘Geoffrey, you dare pull such a childish trick?’
He had clearly tried to manipulate her with the baby.
But Monica hadn’t imagined that he might be scheming behind the scenes.
This was the limit of ordinary men who thought women were always beneath them.
‘I won’t move according to your wishes.’
Monica decided on her next move and headed without hesitation to her father’s office.
Knock knock.
The sound of knocking made Count Bellucci, who had been absorbed in his work, lift his head.
“It’s me, father.”
It was his daughter’s sweet voice. He had heard that she had been feeling down lately and staying mostly in her room, so he wondered if she felt better after going to the nobility council today.
Count Bellucci quickly responded, eager to see his daughter’s smile after a long time.
“Come in.”
Once granted permission, Monica entered the office, stepping lightly and gracefully.
Seeing her beautiful form, Count Bellucci smiled with pleasure.
His daughter was always beautiful, which was why so many marriage proposals had arrived.
In fact, there were a few proposals that he had set aside to discuss with her. He needed to ask her opinion.
“What’s the matter?”
“I came to see you, father, and have a little chat. I hope I’m not interrupting your work.”
“Interrupting? Not at all. In fact, I have something to discuss with you. A marriage proposal came in that I think you should consider.”
Monica’s eyes widened as she pretended not to know anything.
“A marriage proposal?”
“Yes, one from Count Proud’s family, one from Count Jeffery’s family, and one from Count Bonaparte’s family.”
“Count Bonaparte’s family?”
Monica was already curious about the Bonaparte family’s proposal, as Count Bellucci had expected. He smiled kindly and nodded.
“Both sons of that family have grown up and are now looking for brides. Prince Geoffrey Bonaparte sent a letter with a heartfelt marriage proposal, saying he was deeply taken by your beauty. I’ve never seen such a sincere proposal before.”
“Prince Geoffrey Bonaparte, you say?”
“Yes, he’s the second son of the Bonaparte family. I know he’s the second son, but he’s handsome, intelligent, and well-mannered. He has a good reputation among the nobles.”
In contrast, the eldest son, Joseph Bonaparte, had recently caused a scandal at a royal banquet, and his reputation had suffered.
Count Bellucci had originally considered Joseph, but after that incident, he had completely ruled him out as a potential husband for his daughter.
“…How can you say that?”
“Oh, my dear, what do you mean?”
“How could I marry someone like the second son, who won’t even inherit the family name?! Did you think so little of me, father?”
Seeing his daughter’s betrayed expression, Count Bellucci quickly waved his hand.
He hadn’t meant it like that, but his lack of explanation had clearly hurt her deeply.
“That’s not it, Monica. After the scandal at the royal banquet, Count Bonaparte was very disappointed. They haven’t officially chosen an heir, and there’s talk that Geoffrey could take that position. That’s why I thought it might not be a bad idea.”
Monica’s eyes narrowed.
She had assumed Joseph, being the eldest son, was the most likely to inherit the Bonaparte family, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“Are you understanding now?”
“I do, but…”
She hesitated, still unsure.
After hearing her father’s explanation, she could tell that Geoffrey wasn’t such a bad option.
But the fact that he had gotten her pregnant and tried to make her his woman was unsettling.
It wasn’t a relationship based on trust in the first place, but after what had happened, she couldn’t trust him at all.
She had met many men, but none as sly as Geoffrey. She had never met a man who schemed so shamelessly.
He was a formidable opponent, and that made her hesitate.
What Monica wanted was a handsome, capable man from a noble family, someone she could be proud of, not a schemer who calculated everything.
“Isn’t it still more likely that Joseph Bonaparte will become the heir of the Bonaparte family?”
“After the upcoming nobility council, if his punishment is confirmed, Count Bonaparte won’t be able to keep supporting the eldest son. Even though you helped Joseph with your testimony…”
Monica bit her lip.
In the end, she would have to marry one of the Bonaparte brothers, since she was carrying their child.
“Please give me some time to think, father.”
“Of course, take all the time you need, my dear daughter. It’s a big decision, and you should take it carefully.”
Monica understood her father’s intention, but his words gave her no comfort.
Count Bellucci thought they had time, but the truth was, they didn’t.
Before her belly grew any bigger, she needed to decide and set a wedding date with the Bonaparte family.
A wedding without an engagement would be highly unusual, but since the Duke of Cameriti and his wife had done something similar recently, it wouldn’t seem too strange.
‘They’ll probably just gossip that this kind of wedding is becoming a trend.’
Count Bellucci patted Monica’s head, who had fallen into thought.
“Take your time, Monica.”
She forced a smile at his kind words.
“I will, father.”

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