A Change of Husband - Chapter 86

She was a criminal who had committed the grave offense of playing with the life of the young king.

She had tried to save him, but the young king’s soul, as if in a lie, slipped out of her magic and vanished. The body, having lost its soul,

inevitably met death.

In fact, this had been somewhat anticipated when the new heir to the throne appeared. From a great distance, when she first faced him,

she had seen the light of the sun behind him.

It was a righteous light. And so, Lydia thought she would surely become a sinner. However, she was not in the position of a sinner.
It was strange. Despite cooperating with Count Mirk for some reason, she thought that with the power she had, she might avoid death, but

she would never be able to show her face in Astel again.

In the midst of these doubts, she met Esperad. And just by looking into his eyes, she could understand the situation completely.

They didn’t have any private conversation. They just briefly discussed Count Mirk.
Yet, just by looking at Esperad’s eyes, Lydia could tell that he had experienced something beyond ordinary.

‘He shines much more deeply and brilliantly than when I first saw him.’

Lydia thought as she looked down at Esperad, sitting in the center of the banquet hall.

When she first saw him, his light had been faint, but now, because of some strange experience he had undergone, a brilliant light, like the

sun, was emanating from his back.

On the opposite side, Count Mirk, who was drinking and chatting with other nobles, had no light at all. Only a gloomy and foul aura

surrounded him.

However, remarkably, in this world, nothing was set in stone.

All fate was created by oneself, and one had to carve their own path.

At times, Count Mirk might have had the light of the sun as well. His wrong choices in youth must have led him to his current position.

Lydia found it both interesting and cruel that the gods didn’t tell people like him that truth.

“Are you jealous?”

Lydia turned her head at Edgar’s voice.

She had been looking down at the banquet hall for a while, so he must have thought she was jealous.

“No, I’m not jealous.”

“Then why are you looking at them like that?”

“Why? Are you worried I’ll use magic and knock down the chandelier?”

“Would you?”

Edgar asked with a surprised expression, and Lydia laughed playfully.

“Of course not. I’m not crazy. Though, I think Kyung probably thinks I am crazy.”

Edgar didn’t deny that. Instead, he slyly asked again.

“Then why are you looking?”

“Well… maybe because I feel sorry for the situations that are going in different directions?”

It was a vague answer, but Edgar didn’t press her further.

It had already been over two weeks since the mage’s role of monitoring and protecting had begun.

He had expected the mage to be a terrifying and vicious being, but the fact that she was a slender woman surprised him. What was even

more surprising was her personality.

Mage Lydia had a very playful and cheerful character. But at times, she spoke in strange ways, as if she had experienced all the hardships

of the world.

At first, it was confusing, but now, he thought he was getting used to it.

“…Don’t you want to go to the banquet?”

“I could go, I suppose.”

“How?”

“If I say I want to go, His Majesty will gladly invite me.”

“But Mage Lydia, you are a sinner.”

“I told you not to call me ‘Mage Lydia’ or ‘Dark Mage Lydia.’ Just call me Lydia.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Anyway… then, how about a bet?”

Edgar looked at her with a puzzled expression at her suggestion.

“A bet? What kind of bet?”

“I’ll tell His Majesty that I want to go to the banquet. If he agrees and allows me to attend the banquet tomorrow, I win. If he says no, then

you win.”

“What’s at stake?”

“I’ll give you eternal life.”

At those words, Edgar’s eyes widened.

He couldn’t believe that he could gain eternal life through such a bet.

He stared at her for a moment, then, looking suspicious, asked,

“Do I have to sell my soul or become a demon’s slave or something in exchange for that eternal life?”

“Well, sadly, demons wouldn’t want a slave like you.”

“What do you mean?”

“…Anyway, will you do it or not?”

“I’ll do it… But will you really give me eternal life?”

Seeing him ask again for confirmation, Lydia shook her head as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Do you really believe that, even though I’m a mage?”

No matter how hard she tried not to remember or not to care, things didn’t go as planned.

Why was it that, even though he was not her lover, and even though she knew that, his gaze stayed with her heart so much?

Before fully accepting her separation from the man she loved, she had to face a man who was similar but not the same. It made her heart

feel very strange. Furthermore…

‘The former queen surely has some improper intentions. She might put him in danger again.’

The dagger of Cordelier was aimed at Asilie’s belly, but what she truly wanted at that time was Esperad’s death.

Knowing this, Lydia could not just brush off Cordelier’s approach as “unpleasant.”

Even if the person were a complete stranger, she would have been worried, but since it was Esperad, she was even more on edge.

‘That man and my lover are different people. I know that. But does that mean I should ignore it?’

However, with no trust between her and him, and with Cordelier having suspicious motives, claiming that she should be cautious might

make her seem like a crazy woman.

Moreover, was she even in a position to care for anyone right now?

Asilie had to stand alone and live alone. She was not in a position to help others.

‘But…’

Even though she knew, pretending not to know was making her feel even more guilty, especially since the person in question was

Esperad.

Esperad was not the same Esperad she knew, but he was still Esperad.

It was difficult for Asilie to define the Esperad she met in this world, and that confusion and pain made her even more lost.

‘What if I send him a letter? Would it be too risky? Or maybe…’

As she thought about many things, Asilie realized that she couldn’t completely pretend to be unaware of the situation.

She decided to think coldly about the situation, excluding the fact that Esperad was like her lover in this world.

Esperad was the king of this country, and the conservative noble faction, led by Count Mirk, was still strong.

For the new king to rule more comfortably, the conservative noble faction had to be somewhat reduced.

And Asilie was determined to take revenge on the Bonaparte family, who had pushed her into a pit.

If so…

“I’d rather team up with him and attack from this side. I know a lot about the conservative nobles.”

She knew that the Countess of Bellucci had provided the ‘phenom’ that killed Esperad’s fiancées.

She also knew that, for a long time, the Bonaparte family had been helping Count Mirk and had even participated in playing with Hort’s

life.

If Asilie could find proof that the Bonaparte family supported Count Mirk she could deal a significant blow to the family and might even

get the help she needed to escape and live on her own.

“Alright.”

Once she thought it through calmly, the direction in which she should act became clear.

First, instead of immediately alerting Cordelier to her suspicions, it seemed wiser to act in a way that could make her trust her, and then

expose Cordelier’s suspicious behavior later.

“The best evidence would be something found only in this household, like a ledger.”

Bang!

Lost in thought, Asilie was startled by the loud sound of the door opening and hitting the wall.

The person who entered with this noise was the Countess of Bonaparte, looking very angry.

“What on earth are you doing?! Are you out of your mind?”

Her voice was so filled with rage that it even had a metallic edge to it.

Just hearing her voice made Asilie’s head feel like it was ringing, but she managed to keep her expression steady and stood up.

“No message, and you just show up. What’s the matter, Mother?”

“How dare you ask what’s going on? Can’t you think for yourself about what you’ve done? Are you that stupid?!”

The Countess of Bonaparte had already come close and was shouting so loudly that it felt like the mansion itself might collapse.

Hearing her roar from so close, Asilie couldn’t help but scowl. When the Countess of Bonaparte saw her, she laughed in disbelief.

“Ha, you’re actually showing me this expression while I’m talking? What a rude… You won’t find anyone as arrogant and disrespectful as

you in all of Astel, not even among the highest aristocrats!”

Sadly, Asilie couldn’t agree with her.

Most of the aristocratic women she had met up until now were quite different from what the Countess of Bonaparte described.

However, Asilie decided not to waste time arguing about who was the same or different and just got to the point.

“So, what brings you here, Mother?”

“Did you just cut me off?”

“Of course not. I just wanted to know the purpose of your visit clearly. That way, I can prepare refreshments or adjust my behavior

accordingly.”

“My goodness…”

The Countess of Bonaparte couldn’t believe that Asilie was speaking to her like this.

Just a couple of months ago, if she had shouted once, Asilie would have been on her knees, begging for forgiveness.

But now, Asilie was acting as if nothing had happened, speaking so arrogantly.

The Countess of Bonaparte truly wondered if Asilie had lost her mind or if something was wrong with her head.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“I don’t drink alcohol during the day, so I’m perfectly sane.”

“…So, you’re telling me that after what you did at the palace banquet, you don’t feel the least bit guilty?”

“What did I do at the palace banquet?”

The Countess of Bonaparte was stunned by Asilie’s nonchalant expression.

Although the atmosphere at the banquet had been strange, no one had told her what had happened, so she had passed the night unaware.

But the next day, Monica came to her in tears, revealing what Asilie had said.

“Mother, we were so embarrassed! My sister said that in front of everyone, in front of the Countess of Bourbon!”

It was an unbelievable situation.

How could Asilie openly talk about her husband’s affair in front of everyone?

In fact, it could be said that the affair was also partly Asilie’s fault for not managing her husband properly.

And now, saying something like that could ruin the relationship between the Bonaparte and Bourbon families!

The Countess of Bonaparte couldn’t simply brush it off, even though she tried to understand it as a lack of education.

That’s why she had come to find Asilie without any notice.

“I heard you were terribly rude to the Countess of Bourbon!”

“Oh, that? I didn’t think it was rude…”

“What?”

“I just told the truth, and when the Countess of Bourbon denied it, I asked if she was okay with that. It was over after that, so I don’t

understand what the problem is.”

“Now! You’ve humiliated Joseph in front of everyone! Don’t you realize that?!”

The Countess of Bonaparte shouted at her again, her face red with fury.

But Asilie looking completely unaffected, calmly asked,

“So, what exactly do you want to say, Mother?”

“What?”

“Mother, if Lord Joseph hadn’t been unfaithful, I wouldn’t have said anything in public.”

“You’re blaming Joseph now?!”

“I just wanted to explain the events in order, but hearing you talk, I guess it makes sense too.”

The Countess of Bonaparte was stunned by how Asilie wasn’t backing down, not even once.

How dare she humiliate her own husband and bring disgrace to the family like this? It was unforgivable.

“You don’t even realize your own mistakes!”

“My mistakes?”

“You’ve let your husband slip away, haven’t you? With your low birth and lack of education, how could you have meaningful conversations

with him? You don’t even realize how far beneath you are… A man will always stray because of a woman!”

“What do you mean by that, Mother?”

Asilie stared at the Countess of Bonaparte with wide eyes.

Then, without even flinching, she stared directly into her eyes and finished,

“No matter how well you try, a person who will cheat will always cheat. This isn’t something that can be fixed with effort.”

“It’s a matter of effort! There’s nothing that can’t be fixed with effort!”

In response to the Countess of Bonaparte’s words, Asilie answered in a very calm voice, without a hint of a smile,

“But no matter how much you ‘offer the tea’ to Father, it seems the problem didn’t really improve. Was that a lack of effort too?”

A couple of months ago, Asilie had personally made a special tea for Count Bonaparte to help with his vitality.

However, despite the Countess of Bonaparte changing the herbs and searching for someone who could brew the tea properly, the ledgers

of results were still empty.

Asilie’s mention of ‘that tea’ made the Countess of Bonaparte’s face turn bright red.

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