I Healed my Husband, the Leader of the Underworld

Thank you Lav for the Kofi. Love uou❤️

 

“You want to die.”

When I made this statement, the late Mrs. Roam’s eyes widened.

 

Her transparent pupils, as if they contained the sky, had portrayed pure astonishment.

 

She had opened her thin lips to say something but dejectedly closed them again. Then, she gently squeezed her eyes shut.

 

Everything was still so fresh in my mind.

 

From her hair, meticulously pulled up so that not even a single strand was out of space, shimmering in a silvery hue. To her blue dress, not quite vibrant but not entirely dull either, accentuating her grace as the lace on her chest concealed her bony appearance.

 

“You say you want to live, but every moment….”

 

My voice trembled.

 

“You want to die… Silently.”

 

“Child.”

 

“Silently, you are shouting in agony. So how could I….”

 

“Heal me,” She slowly opened her eyes, and spoke “For Roam, and for you.”

 

“…….”

 

“Don’t you need me?”

 

Saying that Roam needed her, represented her obsession with life–while for me, it was an implicit threat towards me.

 

In that moment, Margaret Roam’s piercing gaze had swept over me.

 

There was an indescribable dignity in the eyes of the woman who had supported her family for decades without a husband while holding her child’s hand.

 

I treated her without saying a word.

 

Then, as I politely greeted her and took a step to leave, a firm voice stopped me.

 

“This is the first time.”

 

At the end of my gaze, the woman was quenching her thirst, gracefully lifting a teacup to her lips.

 

“The first time someone had said such presumptuous words to me.”

 

“…….”

 

“It’s truly has been a long time since I’ve heard such impertinent remarks.”

 

Lost in thoughts, she then placed the teacup back on the tea table.

 

I nervously clutched the hem of my dress, wondering if I had messed things up, and just as I was about to apologize, she spoke again.

 

“… It’s not bad.”

 

Margaret Roam did not suddenly change after that incident.

 

No.

The changes came gradually, starting with the little things.

 

One day, she mentioned that the weather was nice in addition to the necessary greetings.

 

Another day, she asked to go outside for a walk together.

 

On another one, she praised me to my husband saying that I was a good kid.

 

In addition to that, she severely punished the presumptuous servants who dared to disrespect me.

 

And the last time I saw her, she asked me how spring was in Rochester.

 

I remembered describing Rochester like what I believed paradise on earth would look like, and she had smiled faintly, saying that she wanted to go to such a place in her next life.

 

For some reason, her dreamy eyes looked strangely young then.

 

Anyway, that was the last time I saw her.

 

She never got up again.

 

The woman who had been at the forefront of a quiet battlefield all her life had left the sick body behind.

 

On that day, as I cried holding her hand, trying to use my healing magic to save her, then she very slightly moved her lips.

 

“Child.”

I nodded, looking at her with watery eyes.

“I’d like to ask you a different favor this time.”

 

Cold sweat trickled down on her forehead, and over her silver-gray hair as she whispered something to me.

 

“Please, promise me, as long as my son lives … keep my secret.”

 

“I promise.”

 

The strong, old woman had her own weakness that she could not reveal to others.

 

She wanted to let the pain consume only her.

 

The struggle had been painful and long.

 

Yet even at the end of her life, she wanted to lay down in her heavy coffin not as a human, but as the Roam’s phoenix.

 

She wanted to be a living, breathing being that would forever protect Roam. But since a guardian had to be flawless, she had to make sure her weakness stayed hidden even after her death.

 

“I hope you become a good Duchess.”

 

The beginning of our final greeting went smoothly…

 

“You have something that no one else has.”

 

“…….”

 

“Even if I die, Roam will….”

 

Never die.

 

But her last breath barely left her lips.

 

I gently closed her eyes and stood up from my seat after saying a short prayer for her.

 

If my husband were to blame for not saving his mother, well.

 

[Let me die.] Her voice echoed in my head.

 

I would only be giving him one more reason to ask for a divorce.

 

I wasn’t competent enough to bring someone back from the brink of death; That’s what I was going to say to my husband.

 

That was a price I was willing to pay for the kindness I had received from Mrs. Roam for the past two years.

As for the actual reason for the divorce…..

“The old lady has passed away,” I announced.

 

I’m not coldhearted enough to keep an old woman who wants to die alive, just because she’s my only ally.

 

It was a pity, but I was not cruel enough to turn a blind eye to her suffering.

 

And judging from the fact that I couldn’t quickly erase the peaceful face she made–as she laid in her death bed–from my memory, it seemed that I still had a sense of humanity left in me.

 

“Send someone to inform my husband.”

My tears had already been concealed long before I walked out of the curtain-like canopy.

 

They were too valuable to be seen by Roam’s servants who disrespected me.

* * *

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

As my husband suddenly  voice dragged me back the reality, I quickly gathered myself.

 

“Nothing,” I replied.

 

Everyone has a hidden side.

 

“Finally, the hosts are here,” someone exclaimed.

 

“Is the debutante about to begin now?” another person said.

 

“… Oh my, Lord Siegfried! He… He really showed up!”

 

“This time, it seems he’s not entering with the young Lady Roam.”

 

“That person, could this be….”

 

“Isn’t she Milena Roam, the wife?”

 

Even those who look perfect has flaws.

 

“She became Roam’s new mistress.”

 

“I heard that Duke Roam canceled the imperial ball only for the sake of his wife….”

 

“Is that all? He even welcomed the Rochesters into Roam. Outsiders!”

 

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a gathering like this.”

 

“She must be so happy, really.”

 

Even the happiest woman had her own worries.

 

“Why.” My husband suddenly said, leaning his head toward me as his arm circled my waist. Then after glancing at my pale face, he whispered softly in my ear.

 

“Why are those people making so much noise?”

 

“… So what?” I replied, keeping my head upright, and facing ahead under the watchful gaze of the dozens of people present.

 

“… Should I quiet them down just like the way you like it?”

“It’s Jane’s debutante ball, you know.”

 

In the original story, Siegfried always partnered with Jane. He only graced the ball with his presence to ensure his younger sister’s happiness. At least, that’s what the real Milena recalled from their brief marriage.

 

“I’ve already claimed her dance partner, and that alone satisfies me.”

 

So, wouldn’t it be excessively cruel to disrupt the tranquility of her debutante ball?

“Oh, was I taken away?” Siegfried teased, gracefully lifting the corners of his lips. “I would have accompanied you either way.”

 

“……”

 

“I am your man, after all.”

 

His lips affectionately brushed against my head.

 

“So, if you ask me….”

 

I watched Jane walk through the crowd into the ballroom as Siegfried’s sharp gaze scanned Bartholomew, Milena’s brother, standing beside her.

 

“You are the one who got your  brother stolen away.”

 

And then Jane’s sumptuous ball began.

 

As soon as my husband, with a witty laugh, displayed his sociability and implicitly allowed approaches, the space around him filled with people.

 

Jane, today’s protagonist, was already surrounded by noble youngsters who praised her.

 

This wasn’t surprising. With a wonderful older brother by her side, she had always been showered with affection as if it was her destiny.

 

And although their intentions were different, both gentlemen and ladies surrounded her.

 

She, who had been presented with a debutante surrounded by kindness, privilege and the most glamorous things, was smiling brightly at the center of the crowd.

 

It was a unique and gentle smile, familiar to those from affluent families.

 

She was laughing brightly among the people. Like when she received various presents on her birthday and laughed happily.

 

Her lively mischief, highlighted by crimson curls and vibrant green eyes, set her apart from the other aristocrats, but she exuded an inherent nobility that couldn’t be hidden.

 

As my husband exchanged pleasantries with those around him in a composed manner, I silently surveyed the surroundings.

 

The protagonist of this novel might also be present in this gathering, for all I knew.

 

According to my husband, the Kaiser family was like an unpredictable stray dog; an enemy and ally that he wanted to keep close.

 

Indigo hair glistening under the light, and sky-blue eyes resembling the late Duchess Roam’s.

 

Diana Kaiser.

 

When I spotted long blue hair in the distance, my focus was immediately captured there.

 

And as I scanned the crowd around us that could be called a gathering of spirits, I realized people had put a big distance between Siegfried and I .

 

I didn’t show any reaction.

 

After all, weren’t butterflies inherently drawn to the most vibrant light?

 

But just as I was about to take move away, someone grabbed my arm.

 

“…….”

 

Curious about who had committed such rudeness, I turned around without hiding my irritated expression.

 

However,  it was my husband’s blue eyes that my fiery red gaze ultimately met.

 

And the crowd that had parted like the Red Sea to make way for Siegfried was staring at his back in unison.

 

Then, amidst the heavy silence, he opened his mouth.

 

“My wife.”

 

“……”

 

“Why aren’t you doing anything?”

 

I narrowed my eyes, thinking he was referring to my role as the hostess, which I had perfectly fulfilled by hosting this ball. But then he opened his handsome lips, and said,

“Me.”

 

He took a deliberate step closer, like an alpha male entering his territory. Then, looking down at me, he added,

 

“Aren’t I yours?”( meaning why did you just gave me up to those hyenas loll)

 

And with that one word, he threw the party venue into a pit of tremendous shock.

 

“My wife,” he said again as his blazing eyes brushed over my lips.

 

“You have been very busy lately.”

 

The back of his hand brushed down my cheek

And as he did so, his sharp voice echoed in my head.

[Not under my roof.]

 

“But even so, must you be this impatient,” Siegfried continued.

 

His gaze, as if ready to tear apart my ‘unrequited love’ at any moment, flashed threateningly.