A Change of Husband - Chapter 79

“Why do I have to be around that sly and evil magician?”

At Edgar’s protest, Esperad looked at him silently.

“I said I don’t like it! It’s my duty to protect you, not that magician!”

“Because she has strange powers, you should be the one to watch over her. You’re the only one I truly trust.”

“Esperad!”

“Are you scared she might use magic? If you’re too afraid, then I have no choice but to ask someone else…”

“It’s not that!”

Edgar clenched his fists and shouted.

Honestly, to be very honest, the idea of being close to an unknown magician and having to watch her was a bit uncomfortable, but he wasn’t truly scared.

‘Really, I’m not.’

Esperad nodded.

“I thought so. I didn’t think you’d be afraid of just one small woman. But while protecting me is important, for now, it’s more important to ensure her safety. You understand that, right?”

“I do… I understand.”

“Then please do it. You’re the only one who can.”

“Alright. So, I should go now?”

Edgar, still with a reluctant expression, left.

Esperad watched his back quietly, then turned her gaze away and fell into thought.

In the world she used to live in, by this time, Edgar and Lydia were already married.

But now, they hadn’t even met, and Edgar was even being considered for engagement with another noble lady. Though the engagement wasn’t finalized yet.

‘If they’re meant to be, they might meet again. But if not…’

Actually, perhaps she wanted to confirm something through Edgar and Lydia.

Whether in this world, he could meet Asilie again, who is now married, and be together once more.

She felt this was a bit cowardly, but Esperad comforted herself, thinking she was just giving the couple, who were once married, a chance to reunite, and soon stopped thinking about it.

Right now, what mattered wasn’t how Edgar and Lydia’s relationship would go.

Last night, Esperad secretly met with Albert and told him how the daughter of Count Gariburn died.

The heads of the Cassnut and Triburn families also lost their daughters or sisters due to engagements with Esperad, but she only informed Albert, thinking it was better that only a few knew about her actions.

Moreover, Albert was the most suitable person to trap Count Mirk.

Even after Esperad became king, Albert didn’t stop showing hostility towards him.

If the conservative nobles tried to bring in neutral nobles, Albert would surely be their first choice.

‘I’ll cut it off from the root.’

The current situation wasn’t very good.

Before, when he started ruling, he removed all the rotten parts, so there were no obstacles in pushing policies and changing laws that favored the privileged. In short, politics were easier then.

But now, conservative nobles were still strong, and since Hort hadn’t been involved in state affairs for seven more years than before, the country was even more chaotic.

Therefore, a more definite plan was needed to cleanly tie them up and remove them.

They would start moving soon. Or maybe they already had.

Meeting of the Conservative Nobles

“So far, there’s been no significant movement, but based on past behavior, we don’t know when they’ll act.”

“Perhaps the most threatening king is one who, without understanding the real situation, burns with a desire to change the country and tries to be unnecessarily righteous.”

“That’s exactly like the current king. Haha!”

“This isn’t a laughing matter. With that youthful energy, we don’t know what unexpected events he might cause.”

Count Mirk, who had been listening to the conservative nobles’ conversation, leaned back and cleared his throat.

At that sound, everyone fell silent and looked at Count Mirk.

“Do you have a good idea?”

At Count Bonaparte’s question, Count Mirk shook his head.

“I don’t have a definite idea. For now, we don’t know what direction Esperad will take. But I have thought of a precaution.”

“A precaution? I’m curious about your intention.”

“…How about recommending a new queen? Of course, from our side.”

At Count Mirk’s words, the conservative nobles looked at each other and nodded.

It wasn’t the best way to control Esperad, but they didn’t have any better ideas.

Then, Joseph, who had been quietly listening, cautiously spoke.

“Will he accept that? Isn’t it too soon since the queen died?”

“There shouldn’t be a problem. Since it’s the start of a new reign, if we persuade him that it’s to reassure the people, he might agree.”

Geoffrey answered in place of his brother’s question.

Then Count Mirk nodded, seemingly very satisfied.

“The young master’s words are correct.”

“Then we need to find a suitable lady to recommend, don’t we?”

“There’s no need to decide that now. We can look for one after the king agrees.”

If they couldn’t make him king, it was better to turn Esperad into a puppet.

Hort had no choice but to become a puppet due to his limited lifespan, but Esperad was different.

Count Mirk thought that’s why it was even more thrilling.

He would personally teach him what it feels like to be powerless, unable to do anything despite being physically whole.

“Then let’s push for welcoming a queen at tomorrow’s meeting.”

“Is there anything else to discuss?”

“Since we’ll meet again after tomorrow afternoon’s meeting, we can decide on other matters after seeing how the king reacts.”

“Then let’s end the meeting here.”

As Count Bellucci wrapped up the situation, the nobles began to stand up one by one.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Take care. Haha.”

Even while exchanging farewells with the nobles, Count Mirk didn’t get up from his seat.

He was deep in thought, recalling the letter sent by Count Gariburn this morning.

I can no longer overlook the new king’s arrogant attitude.

He needs to know his place.

For that reason, I request a meeting.

‘How should I use this?’

He knew why Albert Gariburn held a grudge against Esperad, who had been his long-time friend. But amusingly, he didn’t feel any guilt.

Using all available cards was the wise move.

That’s why he continued to keep in touch with Cordelia, who was now almost useless, meeting and comforting her.

“Come to think of it, it’s time to meet that girl.”

Count Mirk looked around the now-empty hall and stood up.

Listening to the complaints of a girl who had grown quite a bit was tiresome, but he decided not to neglect this investment for the future.

“The carriage?”

“It’s ready, sir.”

At the knight’s words, he moved without delay.

“Joseph.”

He was on his way home after finishing a meeting with the conservative nobles.

Joseph, who had been looking out the window thinking about how tired he was, quickly turned his head at the voice of Count Bonaparte.

“Yes, Father.”

“Do you have any plans this afternoon?”

“Plans? Nothing is scheduled, but…”

“Good. Then I think you should go visit your wife today.”

“…What?”

At the completely unexpected suggestion, Joseph looked stunned.

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“Your wife has returned to the mansion, but you haven’t visited her even once. That’s quite unnatural. Besides, she just lost her child. As her husband, you should at least offer her some comfort—even if only for appearance’s sake.”

If the child had truly been lost to a wild animal, Joseph might have accepted Count Bonaparte’s order reluctantly.

But the one who had taken the child from Asilie was Joseph himself.

Even if she didn’t remember that fact, he still felt uncomfortable pretending to comfort her.

On top of that, ever since returning to the Bonaparte estate, Asilie had been acting crazier than ever before.

Maybe she had gone insane from grief after losing her child.

Joseph didn’t have the courage to speak to a mentally broken woman about the child he had taken.

“…I can’t do it, Father.”

“You have to.”

“I think he should do it as well, Brother. I can guess why you’re avoiding it… but you should still take responsibility for what you’ve done.”

“I—!”

Joseph almost yelled at Geoffrey for speaking so rudely, but remembering that their father was also present, he barely swallowed the words rising in his throat.

His frustration was growing, but since his father clearly wasn’t going to change his mind, Joseph had no choice.

Today wasn’t a good day for him.

He had planned to watch Asilie’s mood during dinner, but she had informed the staff that she would be eating in her room because she was feeling unwell after bathing in cold water the previous day.

As a result, the dinner table was filled with the voices of his mother and Monica criticizing Asilie’s rude and improper behavior.

Joseph, who wanted to stop thinking about her altogether, found that time even more stressful.

But thinking about his father’s serious expression and firm tone, he felt he couldn’t just ignore the suggestion.

Even after his bath, Joseph sat and hesitated for a long time before finally standing up with a scowl.

“That wretched woman! Why did she have to come back…!”

If Asilie hadn’t returned, he would have smoothly continued with his marriage to the Countess of Bourbon.

Unlike Asilie, whose background was unclear, the Countess of Bourbon was a well-educated and cultured noblewoman from a long-established family.

She even had the right skills to please him at night.

Unlike his current wife, who always looked like she was forcing herself to please him with that annoying expression!

He had been so satisfied at the thought of the Countess of Bourbon standing by his side.

But because Asilie came back, the talks with the Bourbon family were cut off, and this morning, he had even received a letter from the Countess filled with despair about the situation.

“Damn it, damn it!”

Joseph paced around his room in frustration, then finally made up his mind and stormed out into the hallway.

He truly hated going to Asilie’s room.

Her room was small, located in a far corner of the top floor of the mansion, where even sunlight barely reached.

Every time he entered, he had to endure the musty smell of mold, which only worsened his impression of her.

But even so, he didn’t want to bring Asilie into his own bedroom. If such a lowly woman lay on his bed, he’d have to replace everything—from the bedsheets to the bed itself.

“So damn far.”

His father had said he needed to comfort Asilie, but Joseph didn’t know how to comfort someone.

No, even if he did know, he wouldn’t bother doing it for her.

The only reason he was going to see Asilie now was to spend the night with her, casually.

That lowly, dirty woman should feel honored just for being given a night of his time.

That alone should be enough to comfort her. She would take it as a sign that he wouldn’t abandon her, even after she carelessly lost their child.

“Damn it.”

After a long walk, Joseph finally arrived in front of Asilie’s room. He glared at the old door, which looked like it might fall apart if he pushed it too hard.

Then he took a deep breath and flung the door open.

But only cold air greeted him—Asilie was nowhere to be seen.

“What the…?”

Wasn’t she supposed to be resting because she was sick?

As he looked around the empty room in confusion, a sudden thought crossed his mind and made him clench his fist.

“Don’t tell me that woman is having an affair?”

Given her background, it wasn’t hard to imagine she might do something like that.

He was speechless. How dare she do something so bold behind his back?

But at the same time, this could be a chance—a perfect opportunity to drive her out of the Bonaparte family properly.

Joseph decided he needed proof first. He yanked the cord next to the door to summon the servants.

If everyone saw that this shameless woman was gone, he would have the justification to throw her out!

Before long, a maid entered with an annoyed expression. But upon seeing Joseph, she was startled and bowed her head deeply.

“Y-Young master. What brings you here?”

“That woman isn’t here right now. For a woman to be out of her room at this hour must mean she’s up to something disgraceful. Don’t you agree?”

Servants usually had a good sense of what their masters wanted to hear.

This maid was no different, but she couldn’t say what Joseph wanted to hear.

Looking troubled, she eventually bowed her head deeply and told him the truth.

“Madam moved rooms some time ago, young master. If you’d like, I can take you there…”

Joseph’s face twisted with frustration, his ambitious plan ruined.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Asilie was playing tricks on him.

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