A Change of Husband - Chapter 78

People were truly strange.

Nothing had improved. In fact, the people of the Bonaparte Count family acted as if they were disappointed that she hadn’t died and had returned.

In this worse situation, Asilie had to make a choice. She had to decide what to do.

She didn’t want to bow her head to such people anymore.

Even though she knew things had gotten worse for her, she wanted to act according to her beliefs.

Of course, it wasn’t because of a specific goal or clever plan. She simply did what she wanted, followed her heart. Because she hadn’t been able to do that before.

And strangely enough, after doing so, things actually became easier.

The people who used to laugh at her and mock her no longer hurt her with thoughtless words, and before they acted, they now looked at her reaction.

Just like right now.

“Shall I prepare some tea for you to drink after your bath?”

“No need.”

Ever since she came to this house, the maids had never once asked if she wanted tea after bathing.

Even bathwater or washing water was only prepared slowly if she asked. Sometimes, it took over an hour.

It was meaningful in its own way, but even so, Asilie refused the maid’s offer because of a possible danger.

Her life in the parallel world had taught her to be alert.

She entered the bathroom for a bath, expecting warm water in the tub, but was shocked.

The water was ice-cold.

“Hah.”

It was ridiculous. They had moved so quickly because they didn’t bother heating the bathwater?

Asilie had a good idea of who had ordered this. It wasn’t even surprising.

“Seriously…”

She couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh at the childish situation.

Looking silently at the freezing water, Asilie soon put down her towel and stepped into the tub.

It was so cold it gave her goosebumps all over, but she firmly bent her knees and fully immersed herself.

“Haa…”

She shivered.

She tried to tell herself that this was the best way to cool her boiling emotions, but it was still hard to endure.

Still, Asilie tightly closed her eyes and, as usual, poured the scented oil and washed herself.

Normally, she would soak in hot water for a long time while thinking, but today’s bath ended very quickly.

After changing clothes and returning to her room, a maid looked at her. When their eyes met, the maid quickly lowered her head.

“What time is it now?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked what time it is.”

“Uh… it’s eight o’clock, madam.”

At eight, after dinner, the Bonaparte Count and Countess, along with Joseph, Geoffrey, and Monica, would gather in the Count’s study to read together.

At first, Asilie didn’t even know they met separately, but Monica had mocked her, asking why she never joined, and that’s how she found out.

What was even more miserable was what happened when she pretended not to know and followed Monica that evening.

“Why are you here?”

“M-Monika said everyone gathers here…”

“So the second one acted out of line again. The eldest daughter-in-law doesn’t even have basic manners. How could she possibly understand the kind of books we read or join in meaningful conversation?”

“I didn’t realize you were being so considerate, Mother. I just asked because she wasn’t coming, but she insisted on following.”

Back then, even after seeing Monica blatantly lie in front of everyone, Asilie couldn’t say anything.

She could Asilie guess that if she said something, she would just be accused of lying and be hurt even more.

With a devastated face, Asilie had no choice but to leave the study like she was being thrown out.

“Are they all in the study again today?”

The maid didn’t seem to understand her question at first but soon bowed her head.

“Yes, madam.”

After getting a definite answer, Asilie put on a shawl and walked out into the hallway.

She walked for a while and arrived at the study door—where she had once been miserably thrown out.

Taking a deep breath, Asilie knocked lightly and stepped inside. As expected, everyone except her was gathered, reading and chatting.

“What are you doing here? And what’s with that look?”

The first to notice her was the Countess of Bonaparte, who snapped in a sharp voice.

Thanks to her loud voice, the others turned and noticed Asilie too.

“Oh my, sister-in-law. How could you come here looking like that? How embarrassing.”

“I was in such a hurry that I had no choice but to come like this. Please forgive my rudeness, Father, Mother.”

The Count frowned and asked with displeasure.

“What’s so urgent that you came here all of a sudden?”

“I think we need to call the Grandier family’s doctor. I didn’t think it was right to contact him without permission, so I came to ask for your approval.”

“The doctor? For what reason?”

“I think I might be coming down with a cold.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“As you know, when I was attacked by a wild animal, the Grandier family took me in and treated me. Though I’ve recovered, I’m not completely healed. They told me I must rest. But today, I bathed in water that was far too cold, and I think my condition might worsen.”

The Count seemed to realize something was wrong with what she said.

“What do you mean, cold water? Why didn’t you use warm water?”

“Well… I told them to prepare bathwater, and they gave me cold water.”

“Isn’t that sister-in-law’s fault? If she just told the maid to prepare water, how would the maid know if it should be hot or cold?”

Monica shrugged as she spoke.

It was an irritating gesture, but judging from her slightly stiff expression, she seemed to be the one who gave the order.

“Sister-in-law, just so you know—normally, bathwater should be warm. If you prefer cold baths, I’ll make sure to tell the head maid to always prepare cold water from now on.”

Monica seemed shocked by this kind of counterattack and glared at her with a red face.

Ignoring Monica, Asilie turned her gaze to the Count.

He, too, seemed to have figured out what had happened.

But he couldn’t really call the Grandier family’s doctor just because Asilie asked.

He didn’t know exactly how much the Duke of Grandier valued her, but if they found out how she was being treated after just returning to the Bonaparte estate, it wouldn’t look good for their family.

“…It seems there’s been some mistake. Since you’re a member of our household, the Bonaparte family’s doctor will look after you.”

“The Grandier family’s doctor has been caring for me since I was injured. Even yesterday, he checked my condition, so if there’s any change, he’ll notice it first. That’s why I want him to come.”

“Our family’s doctor will take care of you. Why be so stubborn?”

The Countess shouted in frustration.

“You think it’s okay to disturb this time over something like this? It’s incredibly rude and shameful!”

“But Mother, this isn’t my fault.”

“What? Then whose fault is it?”

“If we’re pointing fingers, I’d say it’s the foolish maid who brought cold bathwater and the head maid who failed to supervise her properly.”

The head maid was practically the Countess’s right hand, managing the house and the staff.

That’s why the Countess took Asilie’s words as a personal challenge.

Even if arguing with her wouldn’t cause much harm, Asilie didn’t want to go that far right now.

“Father, I’m very upset. I finally returned home after recovering, but I’m being treated like this. Ignoring what happened feels disrespectful to the Duke and Duchess of Grandier, who cared for me so kindly.”

“…So, are you saying you want something?”

“I want the head maid to take responsibility and leave the house.”

“That’s outrageous!”

The Countess shouted angrily.

She was already furious with Asilie for acting so arrogantly during dinner, as if she were being looked down on.

Now, how dare she demand the head maid be dismissed?

The head maid was someone the Countess had brought from her own family when she got married—someone very dear to her.

“How dare you say such a thing…!”

“Are you saying that the head maid is more important than me, the future wife of this family’s heir?”

Asilie asked the Countess Bonaparte directly, her eyes wide open.

In the past, the Countess Bonaparte would have answered without hesitation that of course she was.

But this time, she couldn’t say it—because of her husband, who was holding her arm tightly.

When the Countess Bonaparte turned to look beside her, the Count Bonaparte shook his head seriously.

“Honey!”

“It will go as you wish.”

“What are you saying right now?!”

The Countess shouted, clearly upset, but the Count just shook his head again with a serious face.

He didn’t like the situation either, but he thought Asilie must have had a reason to bring up the Grandier ducal family.

“This is clearly the head maid’s mistake, so she must be punished accordingly. And… you look unwell, so go inside and rest.”

It meant: You’ve gotten what you wanted, so step back now.

To be honest, Asilie still wasn’t fully satisfied. But since she had achieved her goal, she knew it was time to leave.

“Yes, Father. And… I hope you all enjoy a peaceful evening.”

It was clearly sarcastic.

The Countess Bonaparte’s face turned red again, after already grabbing the back of her neck in frustration because of Asilie earlier that day. But Asilie left the study calmly and walked away.

“You’ve changed a lot.”

If it weren’t for the voice behind her, she would have gone to her room and slept well, enjoying her small victory.

Knowing who the voice belonged to, Asilie turned her head.

“You’re not staying inside?”

“Since no one came out to see you off, I thought I should at least.”

“You didn’t have to. I’m used to it.”

“But today, you didn’t treat this usual situation in your usual way.”

His blue eyes reflected the moonlight and gleamed sharply.

Asilie felt a chill. Geoffrey’s eyes were cold enough to send shivers down her spine.

He was definitely different from the Geoffrey she had met in the parallel world.

Back then, he had been younger than he was now, but the difference she felt wasn’t about age.

Geoffrey looked at her like a predator watching its prey. It made her instinctively cautious.

“…That’s not wrong, is it?”

“Not wrong? Yes, I suppose. Even though the world is full of unfair and unjust things.”

“What do you mean?”

Asilie asked, but Geoffrey didn’t answer. He just turned around.

As he walked away, as if the conversation had never happened, Asilie was left with a strange feeling.

Many people she had met here were different from those in the parallel world, but Geoffrey—he felt especially, truly, like someone else entirely.

“Are you telling me to believe that?”

“If you can’t, there’s nothing I can do.”

“How did you know?”

“It’s not like I completely ignored the deaths of the noble ladies.”

“Hah…”

Esperad looked at Albert with a blank expression.

In this world, Albert was much more hostile toward Esperad than he had been before.

Probably because of the long time they spent without contact, and because the things that had happened to Albert here were much harsher than in the other world.

In this world, after Violeta—Esperad’s last fiancée—died, the Earl and Countess of Gariburn also passed away shortly after.

It was the opposite of the previous world, where the Earl of Gariburn had lived long enough to see Albert’s two sons.

“You and I are both victims. Blaming each other and arguing over who’s right or wrong is foolish. Especially now that we know who the real enemy is.”

“So Your Majesty is saying that the one behind all this is Count Bellucci, the only person who could import that poison called ‘Phenome’?”

“Count Bellucci had no motive.”

“Then…”

Albert had always been very smart, even as a child.

There was no way he didn’t understand what Esperad was implying.

“Was it about the succession requirement?”

“Having an heir—that was the requirement for inheritance.”

“Ha! So they stopped the marriage itself?”

“They must’ve thought it was the easiest way.”

Anger that had been building up for years rose again.

Albert clenched his fists and looked down. He was filled with bitterness and resentment toward a truth revealed only after seven years had passed since Violeta’s death.

To think that innocent girl, that child as delicate as a blooming flower, had to die for such a worthless reason.

“What do you want me to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“You must want something from me. Tell me what I need to do to make them pay. I’ll do anything. Anything!”

After Violeta’s death, her parents, overwhelmed by grief, soon passed away too.

Their once happy and peaceful family was destroyed in an instant, starting with her death.

Albert could never forgive those responsible.

“To the public, you are known to hate me.”

“……”

“Say that you cannot accept me as king. Then join hands with them.”

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