I Accidentally Revived My Deceased Husband

IARMDH 08

 

 

“Ah, I borrowed a bit more money.”

 

Judith swallowed hard. While she had told Henry that the Rainland debts had been paid off, she hadn’t disclosed the full story.

 

“I started a business. Since I lacked funds, I borrowed a little more money.”

 

“From a loan shark? Was it Smith, by any chance?”

 

Henry, who had been quietly listening, interjected. Judith nodded in response.

 

“Even with a debt of 200 million gold, he still lent you money? I’ve heard Smith is an absolute scoundrel.”

 

The rumors must have been exaggerated. Erne and Henry exchanged puzzled glances.

 

“…He didn’t just lend it to me.”

 

Judith licked her lips and darted her anxious eyes around, unable to stay still.

 

“I offered collateral.”

 

“Did you have anything to offer as collateral?”

 

“Yes, well… my title and…”

 

“You can use a title as collateral?”

 

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Judith admitted that she had promised to adopt Smith as her son.

 

Henry shook his head in disbelief, and Erne was left astonished at such a bizarre and creative form of collateral.

 

“You’ve had a son even before the consummation night.”

 

“He’s not my son yet!”

 

Judith grumbled, saying it would all be fine once the debt was paid.

 

“But, madam, what else did you put up besides your title?”

 

Henry sharply pointed out her earlier words, ‘my title and…’

 

Judith hesitated even more this time, then, with a sheepish smile, pointed at herself.

 

“A bodily surrender agreement.”

 

Judith quickly explained that it was only in case she couldn’t pay the debt or offer the title, but her words failed to convince the two men.

 

Erne and Henry simultaneously clicked their tongues and sighed, looking at her as if she were an alien.

 

“Crazy.”

 

Erne muttered, ‘You’re the craziest person I’ve ever met,’ giving Judith the rare recognition of being acknowledged as mad by the Empire’s Mad Dog.

 

“What on earth were you thinking?”

 

Even Henry, who had subtly sided with her so far, couldn’t condone her actions this time.

 

“Everyone.”

 

Judith clapped her hands sharply, gathering their attention.

 

“It’ll be fine if we repay it. There’s no problem. The business is doing exceptionally well.”

 

She alternated her gaze between Henry and Erne as she continued.

 

“When the property value normalizes, we can make 400 million gold. After paying off the debt, we’ll still have 200 million left. Now, if we split that in half, how much is that?”

 

“100 million gold?”

 

Erne answered as if entranced, and Judith clapped her hands in approval.

 

“That’s correct. Sir Erne, imagine earning 100 million gold somewhere else. Can you fathom how much work that would take?”

 

Erne nodded, thinking that yes, it probably would take a lot of effort.

 

“But if we just live in this mansion for a few years, we can earn that money without doing anything! No hard work needed!”

 

Erne was tempted. Though he was indifferent about most things, he did need some money if he wanted to drink. And earning money without effort sounded appealing.

 

Besides, he needed to stick close to Judith to investigate his death and the other strange occurrences around him.

 

Henry had said that Judith hadn’t lied about anything she’d told them, but that didn’t mean Erne could trust her outright. Staying by her side for now wasn’t such a bad idea.

 

“Then what about until the property value rises? We’ll still need money for living expenses.”

 

“I’ve already made enough to cover the interest and living expenses.”

 

Hearing her answer, Erne’s lips curled into a lazy smile.

 

“So, I just have to stay here quietly and not die, huh?”

 

The nuance was ominous enough to make Judith swallow hard.

 

“It sounds like you’re saying you won’t do any work at all, but that’s probably just my imagination, right, Sir Erne?”

 

“No, you heard correctly.”

 

He nodded as he leaned languidly against the headboard of the bed. His posture resembled a lazy lion, as if telling Judith:

 

I’ll just sit here and eat; you go hunt for food.

 

“Living expenses are already covered. Adding my spoon to the pot won’t make much of a difference, will it?”

 

Why is someone who doesn’t earn any money making these decisions? Judith glared at him with her eyes full of silent curses.

 

Erne, with an amused grin, opened his mouth again.

 

“Shall we file for annulment, then? I don’t care either way, but it might be inconvenient for someone.”

 

If Judith returned to being Miss Harrington from Countess Rainland, the loan shark who was about to become her son would likely come running. He’d probably sell her off as a slave to make back his money.

 

Hearing his muttered comments, Judith clenched her fists tightly. Infuriating. He was just too infuriating.

 

Shouldn’t he change the nickname from the Mad Dog of the Empire to the Cunning Fox of the Empire?

 

“What will you do?”

 

Erne raised his hands, signaling that he didn’t care either way. Judith, fists trembling, could only nod in agreement.

 

After all, staying married to Erne was more beneficial to her.

 

“Don’t worry. All I need is alcohol.”

 

At that moment, a drunkard entered Judith’s life.

 

“Oh, and I’ll need clothes too.”

 

Not just any drunkard, but one who wasn’t wearing a single thread of clothing.

 

***

 

“What on earth are you thinking?”

 

“What?”

 

“Why would you continue living as though you’re dead?”

 

Erne casually threw on the clothes Henry brought him, pulling the hood of the robe low over his head as he wandered around the market.

 

“That way, whoever killed me will let their guard down and show themselves.”

 

He casually pulled a dagger from a weapon shop and swung it lightly.

 

“There must’ve been a reason they killed me and married me off to her. They’ll approach me sooner or later.”

 

This wasn’t a case of murder driven by a grudge. It was clearly a purposeful killing, yet the motive and method were still a mystery.

 

Even for someone indifferent to his own life and wishing for death, the idea of his corpse being preserved without decay was deeply unsettling. Erne felt the same.

 

“If they find out I’m alive, they’ll just go into hiding. That’ll only make things more bothersome for me. Why let that happen?”

 

He was determined to uncover the culprit. While he might not have been conscious when it happened, the thought of someone handling his body without permission was revolting.

 

“Could it be due to a curse?”

 

“A curse?”

 

“While talking to your wife the other day, we discussed the cursed mansion. There’s a rumor that it devours people. I asked her if she wasn’t scared living there alone.”

 

And then she told me something interesting.

 

Henry continued his explanation.

 

“She said, upon reflection, it’s not the mansion but the Rainland family—and specifically someone in this generation—that’s cursed. Thinking about it, it makes sense. Even though you’ve cut ties with the family, a curse wouldn’t care about such details.”

 

If a curse had been placed to wipe out every living Rainland descendant, Erne wouldn’t have been spared either.

 

“That’s unlikely. The condition of the corpses was different.”

 

Although Erne had cut ties with the Rainland family, he had still heard news and rumors about the Count’s household.

 

They said the bodies had been drained of blood in a single day.

 

He knew of one method capable of creating such corpses. While he couldn’t confirm that the Count’s household had been killed using that method, he was sure it wasn’t how he had died.

 

“Well, anyway, everything will come to light once we catch the culprit.”

 

“So, until you catch the culprit, you’ll live with the Countess?”

 

“Of course. The culprit is likely to approach her again.”

 

“And what about after you catch the culprit? Will you really stay with her until the property value rises?”

 

Erne frowned as he picked out a ready-made shirt, pants, and a large hooded robe at a clothing store.

 

“No way.”

 

Judith seemed to think Erne was coveting the title and mansion, but he wasn’t particularly interested in either.

 

When the Rainland family had sent assassins to stop him from claiming the title, he’d briefly considered taking everything from them out of spite.

 

But once the entire Count’s household was wiped out, those feelings vanished.

 

Inheriting the countship would only mean dealing with piles of paperwork and taxes, which sounded exhausting. And there was nothing he particularly wanted to do as a Count.

 

“They’re offering me an allowance and half the profits from selling the mansion. That part does sound tempting.”

 

Of course, he was joking. He had no intention of staying tied to Judith just for a bit of pocket money.

 

Not that he had any other plans. So far, Erne’s life had revolved around his duties in the knighthood. Now that those duties were gone, he wasn’t sure how to live.

 

‘That’s a question for after I’ve finished what I need to do.’

 

Erne dismissed his long chain of thoughts. Deep contemplation and careful action weren’t his style.

 

“Did you see her face when she gave you the allowance?”

 

He had. Judith hadn’t even tried to hide her reluctance. If he’d asked for another silver coin, she looked ready to draw her sword. Her hostility was palpable.

 

“By the way, have you collected your knighthood pension yet?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then why not use that instead of relying on an allowance and feeling awkward about it?”

 

“No.”

 

“No?”

 

Henry looked at Erne with a puzzled expression.

 

“She’s the one who insisted on living with me, so why should I use my pension?”

 

The audacity of someone blatantly declaring they would freeload was remarkable. Henry silently sympathized with Judith, who had to live with this man.

 

“If I ask her to split the mansion sale proceeds evenly, she might even hire an assassin.”

 

Erne found Judith’s blatant greed for money amusing, as he had never met anyone so openly covetous.

 

“She’s completely blinded by money.”

 

“Calling her ‘she’ like that to her face isn’t proper, Erne. If you can’t say ‘wife,’ call her Miss Harrington or at least use her name.”

 

Ignoring Henry’s nagging, Erne turned his attention to Judith, who was diligently making candles.

 

Judith, pale-faced but humming a tune, was so engrossed in her work that she didn’t notice Erne’s presence, his clearing of his throat, or even his knocking on the door.

 

Surely, after experiencing something as extraordinary as a corpse coming back to life, it’d be hard to concentrate on work, wouldn’t it?

 

Yet Judith focused solely on candle-making as if nothing had happened, almost as if she were possessed.

 

“Did something happen to you in that mansion…? Never mind.”

 

“What? If you’ve started saying something, finish it!”

 

“It’s nothing. Go to the guardhouse and borrow a shovel.”

 

“A shovel? Why?”

 

When Henry asked, Erne gave him a look as if to say, Isn’t it obvious?

 

“To dig my grave.”

 

 

 

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