I Healed my Husband, the Leader of the Underworld

It’s useless to try to get attention.

You have already rejected my advice and pushed ahead with your own will. You are no longer Rochester, but Roam.

– Bartholomew Rochester.

 

It was obvious that Bartholomew disliked Milena.

As there were no mentions of him among the supporting characters in the original story, I didn’t know much about Bartholomew, but as far as I knew, he never supported Milena in anything.

The guy was a strict soldier. The only knight in the empire to receive a medal from the Emperor himself. As a result, the Rochester household was known as “Bartholomew’s house.”

To someone like him, this insolent younger sister of his must have looked quite unworthy.

Milena was his complete opposite in every possible way, nevertheless, the stubborn brother became an agent of evil for his younger sister’s sake.

But what he couldn’t bear more than anything else was the fact that his sister was in love with the most desirable man in the empire.

 The man was dangerous, and Roam was beyond Rochester’s control.

While Rochester was a prominent imperial loyalist family, Roam was at the pinnacle of the aristocratic faction.

 So, for the first time, Bartholomew raised his voice against his younger siter, who was begging him to let her have such a man.

And Milena, claiming she didn’t want to hear it, screamed even louder.

Sigh!

There’s no way Bartholomew would offer to help Milena when she was paying for her sins.

I’m lucky  he didn’t openly make fun of me.

Although his father forced him to apologize, he might be secretly mocking Milena’s situation.

But why?

Why are Bartholomew’s eyes red? I thought to myself.

As Siegfried whispered to me to go inside, I finally snapped back to reality, and took a step forward.

Before long, we were facing the Marquis of Rochester and Bartholomew, who had been waiting for Siegfried and when my husband’s arm wrapped around my waist, Bartholomew’s broad shoulders flinched.

A heavy tension immediately engulfed the drawing-room.

“Greetings.”

The first to greet was Marquis Rochester.

Placing a hand on his chest, he politely bowed his head.

“I am my daughter’s father.”

“Oh.”

Siegfried’s lips curved.

“So, you are my beloved wife’s father… I see.”

This, right now, was Siegfried’s civilized appearance, which I believed I would never see again after his mother passed away. Sine with her gone, Siegfried became Roam’s ultimate lord and its tyrant.

Squinting his eyes, my husband smiled, and added, “Pleased to meet you.”

And at his words, the Marquis looked at him in astonishment. Then, He quickly extended his hand for a handshake, and Siegfried, without hesitation, firmly shook it in response.

“Your Excellency.”

Normally, nobles didn’t treat each other so formally like this. However, the Marquis was treating Siegfried with extreme caution.

“Do you have anything to say?” Siegfried responded to the call, quite casually, like a graceful predator.

“I understand the reason you accepted my daughter into Roam… it’s because of the overwhelming dowry we gave you.”

“…….”

“By any chance….” The serious man hesitated, behaving differently from his usually boisterous appearance. “If you wish, I’ll give you more dowry. Any amount… I’ll give it to you as soon as I earn the money.”

“I don’t need money.”

At this answer, Marquis Rochester made a despairing face.

“If you ever need any help from Rochester….”

“Didn’t you hear?”

Siegfried tightened his grip on my waist and pulled me even closer, literally placing me in his embrace.

 Meanwhile, Bartholomew was staring at me, looking severely agitated by Siegfried’s actions. He was making such a bad face; you’d think some of his vital organs were in Siegfried’s hands.

And when I lifted my head to look up at Siegfried, he lowered his and kissed me on the forehead.

“I’m saying that I’m crazy about my wife.”

Looking back and forth between the two of us, the Marquis’s expression was filled with surprise.

“But how….”

“Or perhaps, my wife wants to leave this place…”

Every word that flowed out of his lips was languid and soft.

 “… is that what you are saying?”

“And another thing, I would like it if you didn’t speak of what happened in this mansion.”

The Marquis’s gaze turned to me. And as Siegfried enveloped me even more tightly, I rested my head against his firm and warm chest.

“He cherishes me so much,” I said.

“Is that so?” my husband bowed his head to whisper in my ear in a playful tone.

“Yes. You’re being too careful.”

“You are beautiful,” he murmured, kissing me briefly on the lips. “…I’ve been entrusted with someone as beautiful as you, so it’s only natural to be careful.”

Then, raising his head, Siegfried met Marquis Rochester’s gaze once again.

“I’m deeply sorry If Roam hasn’t proven that it can ward off any threat Milena might face. You have given me such a beautiful bride, after all.”

“…….”

“The dowry will be returned in full to Rochester,” Siegfried suddenly declared.

“Roam!” The Marquis growled before closing his mouth in a stiffed demeanor as if he was holding something back, then he finally said,

“To my lovely daughter….”

If he threatens Siegfried, what should I do then? I panicked.

It seemed like the words were dangling on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t say them.

This was because Siegfried’s gaze had already shifted to Bartholomew.

Suspicious of the scene unfolding before me, I blinked several times.

Bartholomew was on one knee.

And I knew exactly what this meant for a knight.

It was a symbol of infinite loyalty and respect.

To those who valued knighthood, bending the knee was something more precious than life itself.

But why go to such length …? I asked myself, utterly perplexed.

“She is as precious as life to me.”

Bartholomew spoke amidst the silence.

“… Please take care of her.”

Siegfried stared at him without saying a word, and my heart raced at his intense gaze.

And then, breaking the tense atmosphere, this man burst out laughing, making my whole body froze at his arrogant and predatory-like nonchalance in this situation.

“It seems I’ve caused unnecessary misunderstandings.”

The gazes of both men were glued on Siegfried.

“… The three of you, including the one who is not here right now, were able to monopolize 19 years of her life, and it makes me envious to the point of going insane.”

His hand gently caressed my waist.

“I’m madly in love with Milena.”

His lowered eyes turned towards me, scanning mine for a moment, before moving back to Milena’s family.

“If it weren’t for that….”

Hi chilly tone was overwhelming the space.

“I would not have treated my lovely wife’s guests so generously.”

“…….”

“Since I don’t particularly enjoy changes happening in my house.”

He was smiling, but there was no warmth in it.

* * *

“Are you crazy?”

Lancel, with his hair still damp from swordsmanship practice, sat down next to me, grumbling.

“Lord Roam doesn’t really…. Like it when people coming to the mansion.”  

As I watched Lancel mumble while avoiding making eye contact with me, I thought he looked like a cat refusing to meet my gaze and curling up its body.

“Your family… you must have missed them very much,” He continued with a somewhat lonely expression.

 “But still, why foolishly come to Roam……?” he added as he turned his head towards me but fell silent upon seeing my face.

Then, after a moment of contemplation, he spoke again,

“I know a way.”

A way?

Curious, I stared at Lancel, whose eyes were glued to the ground as he confessed:

“I can sneak at least two people out. … If anything happens.”

Roam’s servants, who had gone out to remove corpses and swords in the ground training ground, left the mansion unsupervised. And Lancel aware of that, spoke without hesitation.

“So why are you doing stupid things, really…. Without knowing anything.”

As if I wouldn’t know; I thought.

I was Roam’s ‘temporary’ mistress who was supposed to be replaced by Diana Caeser. And while I managed to stay alive so far and avoid Mila’s original fate, I didn’t know how long my luck would last.

After all, among those living and breathing on this land, there was no one stronger than Siegfried Roam.

“Enough.” I finally said, taking his hand to do what I was good at.

Felling like intricate threads connected to my heart were seeping into him through my hand, a bright light came out and enveloped Lancel.

 My expression was slightly distorted, but I acted as I always did so far, and tried not to show it.

And when I let go of Lancel, his baby beast’s eyes carefully studied me.

Having done my job, I turned to leave, but Lancel started to speak in a louder voice than usual.

“Did you do this just to take advantage of me?”

“…….”

“To do such a stupid thing….”

He stooped there, closing his mouth.

 Now it was my turn to speak.

“I didn’t call for you, Lancel.”

“…….”

“I don’t need your help either.”

As I resumed my halted steps, Lancel, who followed along, came to stand before me, asked again,

“Why are people like this?”

As I silently stared at him, he became even more spirited.

“It’s not to get His Excellency’s attention, and it’s not because you need help. So why needlessly get close knowing you’ll be discarded for another…”

Why make me expect more?

I could sense that emotion.

I thought of Lancel’s age when he first came here.

He was eight.

While I received Roam’s name at the age of nineteen.

That child adopted it at the age of eight.

So, what should I say?

Maybe he wanted warmth. Even if it’s from someone who was eventually going to be replaced…

Just as I was about to speak, the servants, appearing out of nowhere, suddenly grabbed Lancel’s arms.

The little beast, held tightly in their grasps, looked at them alternately with shaking eyes.

“Madam,” one of them said with a cold gaze. “Did the young master said anything offensive to you?”

Lancel was looking at me with a bewildered expression.

Yes.

Somewhere along the line, many things started to change.

Siegfried prioritized me over Jane, and even over Lancel.

I became a figure of higher importance.

And there was no way the servants were unaware of this.

“No,” I replied, looking straight at them. “That could never happen.”

“…….”

“But right now.”

The servants cautiously observed my reaction.

“Did you just lay your hands on my child?”

Lancel’s eyes wavered at my words.

“We deeply apologize.” They replied, instantly releasing his wrists, and bowing their heads.

 With a look of incomprehension, the little boy stared at the servant kneeling before me.

“We will accept any punishment you deem fitting,” they added as I carefully scanned Lancel’s reddened wrist.

How tight did they grip him?

I could have let it slide at this point.

I could do nothing, and just dismissing it as a minor disturbance.

But I didn’t want to.

[Your family… you must have missed them terribly.] the young voice echoed in my mind.

Roam’s servants were cruel.

When I was their prey, no one stood up for me.

Empowered by Siegfried’s authority, the strongest of all, they treated people according to their whim, according to the hierarchy they believed in.

“Raise your heads.”

The two men obediently lifted their heads to look at me.

 My gaze swept over the crimson droplets splattered on their neat suits.

“Just a moment ago, you were taking care of the knights’ corpses that Lancel defeated, weren’t you?”

“Yes, madam.”

“And even if I were to increase the workload by two……”

“…….”

“My husband wouldn’t mind, would he?”

At those words, their faces immediately turned pale.

So, with a flamboyant smile, I added,

“After all, He told me I could act a bit more like a villainess.”