A Change of Husband - Chapter 98

Esperad thought that Asilie might be in danger. But when he confirmed that she had gone to Shop Sophia and hadn’t returned—and that it had been quite a while since she left there—he felt like he was going to lose his mind.

 

He couldn’t say he was completely blameless in all of this.

 

If he had clearly rejected Asilie she probably wouldn’t have done something so dangerous.

 

She was an incredibly smart person. That’s why she could quickly figure out what he needed and find it for him.

 

But Asilie had one fatal flaw—she was far too careless about her own safety.

 

That hadn’t changed, not in the past or now.

 

“Your Majesty! We found a broken carriage and bodies!”

 

“What?”

 

“They’re not all from one person.”

 

When the knight raised a torch and guided the way, Esperad quickly followed him.

 

‘This place feels familiar.’

 

Though it was getting quite dark, Esperad felt that this place wasn’t completely unfamiliar.

 

It wasn’t familiar enough to recognize at first glance, but it didn’t feel like he was seeing it for the first time either.

 

Also, the sight of the broken carriage and the dead people reminded him strongly of the time long ago when Asilie had been kidnapped.

 

“Where exactly is this?”

 

“If you keep following this road, you’ll reach the Medici Mansion. This way leads to the Grandier Duke’s estate, and the other way is—”

 

“Wait.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

 

“You said the Medici Mansion is down this road?”

 

Esperad frowned.

 

Suddenly, he remembered something Lydia had said when he left the palace.

 

“Today is a very unusual day. Many things will be connected. Because of that, you might experience something familiar. And maybe, if you act based on what you’ve experienced before, you’ll get a better result.”

 

“What are you—”

 

“Go now. You don’t have much time.”

 

Only now did he start to understand what she meant.

 

You might experience something familiar. And if you act based on that experience, you might get a better result.

 

He almost understood, but not quite. While he was lost in thought, another knight reported something to Sir Dante.

 

“There’s nothing on that side—just a cliff. No need to search there.”

 

“Then we can exclude that path—”

 

Suddenly, the memory from decades ago flashed through Esperad’s mind.

 

It was the day Asilie was kidnapped for the first—and only—time. It was also the day he had cut off Joseph’s part.

 

Back then, Lydia had come back alone and told him Asilie had been kidnapped.

 

She had joined the search party, pointed to the cliff, and said Asilie was there.

 

“Do you mean… Asilie is dead?”

 

“No, she’s not dead. She’s alive. But there’s no time.”

 

When they went around the cliff, they found a filthy, gloomy cabin.

 

It was filled with torture devices—some of them even forbidden ones.

 

“I’m going to the cliff.”

 

As soon as he made up his mind, Esperad gave the order without hesitation.

 

And once again, he found that horrible place—as if history were repeating itself.

 

Esperad ordered his knights to take care of the Bonaparte family’s guards standing in front, then went inside.

 

What he saw next was truly shocking. Just like before, he saw a monstrous man choking Asilie.

 

The moment he saw it, Esperad couldn’t think at all.

 

“Ahh!”

 

When he came to his senses, Joseph had been kicked and thrown far away, and Asilie was coughing in pain, tears filling her eyes.

 

Her arms were tied to a pillar, and she couldn’t even cough properly. A wave of relief and rage surged inside him.

 

Esperad quickly cut the rope binding her arms and turned toward Joseph.

 

Joseph seemed to understand what was going on and began to back away, terrified.

 

“Y-You!”

 

“How dare you do something like this?”

 

Even talking to him made Esperad feel disgusted, but he couldn’t hide his contempt.

 

Joseph must have felt his rage too. He stared at him with a pale face and stammered with a trembling voice.

 

“Y-You have no right!”

 

“What?”

 

“Your Majesty, you have no right to do this to me. That woman is my wife! I was just punishing my wife for acting wild like a thoughtless foal—”

 

Esperad couldn’t hold back anymore. He punched Joseph in the face.

 

Joseph fell to the ground again. Though he quickly lifted his face, he looked completely wronged.

 

“Ugh… Why are you doing this to me?!”

 

“As far as I know, Lady Grandier has officially requested a divorce from the Bonaparte family and is currently staying at the Grandier Duke’s mansion. Why are you calling her your ‘wife’?”

 

“T-That’s because…”

 

Joseph hadn’t expected Esperad to know that already, so he had tried to assert his rights as a husband.

 

After all, in conservative Astel, punishing a misbehaving wife was considered justified.

 

But it seemed Esperad already knew the truth.

 

Joseph’s face turned pale as he realized he had no way out.

 

“You lied to me, didn’t you?”

 

“Your Majesty! You’re being unfair! This is a personal matter!”

 

“A personal matter? Were you planning to kill her?”

 

“I just wanted to scare her…”

 

Joseph mumbled in a small voice, but Esperad’s expression only grew colder.

 

“You tried to kill a noblewoman. And Lady Grandier is also one of my subjects.”

 

Even having to explain these things felt like a waste of time to Esperad.

 

He couldn’t hide his disgust. It was shocking how pathetic a human being could be.

 

Esperad glared at him for a long time, then finally took off his glove and threw it at Joseph’s face in challenge—or at least he intended to.

 

“This is a crime, young master. I officially—”

 

If only Joseph hadn’t suddenly jumped up and rushed at him.

 

Esperad noticed the dagger in Joseph’s hand the moment he realized Joseph was charging at him.

 

That brief delay in realizing it was more than enough to put Esperad’s life in danger.

 

 

Asilie finally came to her senses after coughing for a long time. It was when Esperad punched Joseph in the face and knocked him to the ground.

 

Because the cabin was so old and creaky, even a slight movement made noise. So when Joseph fell roughly to the floor, the loud crash was enough to wake Asilie up.

 

She couldn’t remember how her arms had been freed, but with her now-free arms, she wiped away the tears that had been falling and looked around.

 

Outside the cabin, the sound of fighting still continued—shouts, screams, and the clash of swords echoed without end.

 

“You were trying to commit murder over a personal matter?”

 

Only then did Asilie start to hear the conversation between Esperad and Joseph.

 

Joseph stammered, making pitiful excuses under Esperad’s questioning, looking terrified.

 

Still wary, Asilie watched the two of them closely—and noticed that Joseph was doing something behind his back.

 

Be careful!

 

She tried to speak, but because her throat had just been strangled, she couldn’t get any words out.

 

Even the rasping sounds she managed were drowned out by the loud noise from outside, so it didn’t reach Esperad.

 

In that moment, Joseph rushed toward Esperad, holding something in his hand.

 

Asilie only realized later that what he had been holding was a dagger.

 

Bang!

 

She didn’t even know when she had pulled out a gun.

 

By the time she became aware, she had already drawn it and fired at Joseph.

 

Maybe it had been instinct. She had never received any shooting training, but luckily, it seemed she had hit the target.

 

“Aaaagh!”

 

A scream of pain filled the cabin.

 

Clang—

 

Joseph dropped the dagger he had been holding and collapsed forward.

 

When Asilie saw the blood soaking into his shirt, she finally understood what had happened—she had really shot him, and the bullet had hit.

 

Esperad turned to her with a shocked face.

 

“Asilie?”

 

“I…”

 

Her voice was barely coming out, but she didn’t know what to say to him.

 

Her mind was too tangled to make sense of anything.

 

In the end, feeling pressured not to keep him waiting too long, the only thing she managed to blurt out was a pitiful sentence.

 

“…Even if I’m accused of murdering a noble, it’s okay.”

 

Esperad stared at her in silence.

 

She didn’t know why that silence, that look in his eyes, felt so frightening in that moment.

 

She had nothing more to add, but Asilie opened her mouth again, trying to break the silence somehow.

 

“So…”

 

But she couldn’t finish her sentence.

 

Esperad had already walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a kiss.

 

His lips were rough—it made sense. He probably hadn’t even had a sip of water for hours.

 

Still, he tasted sweet. So sweet, so warm, so soft. She couldn’t pull away.

 

Esperad knew he shouldn’t just take her like this, not without restraint. But he couldn’t wait anymore.

 

He had already waited for far too long. Much, much too long.

 

“This time…”

 

As soon as their lips parted, Esperad spoke again.

 

He didn’t want to miss this moment.

 

“This time, I promised myself I would find you. But in the end, I was still too late. In the end…”

 

His voice was soaked with emotion, and Asilie looked at him with wide eyes.

 

Esperad looked right back at her. He was close—just like before—and as she saw the desperate look in his eyes, Asilie finally understood.

 

This man was her man.

 

“How did you…?”

 

Her question trailed off, but Esperad understood what she meant perfectly.

 

Even though his throat was tightening, he had to answer. No, he wanted to tell her.

 

“I couldn’t let you go.”

 

“Is it really… really you?”

 

“You told me to meet someone else, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t meet anyone else or hold anyone else in my heart. That’s why I came. To where you are.”

 

He didn’t speak like a king talking to a stranger.

 

He spoke like the gentle lover who had always respected her and even hesitated to recommend good things to her in case it pressured her.

 

That’s how she knew. She had already known, but now she was sure.

 

Sob “Why… why…?”

 

Why hadn’t she known? Why?

 

There were so many things she wanted to ask, but she couldn’t speak properly. Her throat was already full of tears.

 

“I’m sorry I was late. I wanted to keep my promise to you. I didn’t want to be someone you’d be ashamed of. That’s why it took so long.”

 

“Our… hic… promise?”

 

“You asked me to build a better country. Even though you weren’t there, I lived thinking you were watching me. I tried to live honorably, proudly. I lived like that for decades, alone. And then… I came here.”

 

“Sobbing Esperad…”

 

She couldn’t say anything. All she could do was cry.

 

She had already come to accept that her lover no longer existed in this world—what had she felt then?

 

It had only been a few months. But those few months had been full of pain.

 

Yet this man had endured decades. Alone in a world without her, holding onto their promise.

 

Now, knowing he had come all this way to find her in this world, her heart ached so badly it felt like it might burst.

 

His deep, overflowing love made her feel so thankful, so touched—but also sorry, and sorrowful for the suffering he had gone through.

 

“Wasn’t it… hard?”

 

“It was hard.”

 

“Sobs Weren’t you… afraid of dying?”

 

“Not at all.”

 

Esperad kissed her forehead as he answered.

 

“I was grateful, because I thought I would see you soon. No, I was actually waiting for that moment.”

 

“Why me? Why… I didn’t even recognize you right away.”

 

Realizing she hadn’t even recognized the man who had searched for her so desperately made her cry all over again.

 

How could a moment like this happen to her? How could such a miracle come to her again?

 

She couldn’t believe it. She was afraid this moment would vanish because it felt unreal.

 

Is this really happening? Is it just a dream? Suddenly anxious, Asilie grabbed his large hand tightly.

 

Thankfully, his warmth was still in her grasp. That made her cry again.

 

“Sobs It’s really you…”

 

“I should have come to you first. I came here to find you. Just like you once came to me, I should have done the same.”

 

“You couldn’t. Because I…”

 

She wanted to talk with him more.

 

She wanted to hear his soft and sweet voice, feel his gentle touch on her skin and her hair.

 

She wanted to spend time with him like before—laughing at little things in their everyday conversations.

 

But right now, something else was more urgent.

 

Esperad couldn’t wait for her to finish. He wrapped his strong arms around her again and kissed the lips he had longed for so desperately.