I Healed my Husband, the Leader of the Underworld

What Siegfried took out of his pocket was a magnificent tiara.

 

The tiara, which looked like a laurel wreath, had colorful wings where the leaves should have been, and its top was adorned with numerous pieces of red diamonds.

 

Too numerous to count.

 

The two wings that should have been tree branches were covered with long, sturdy curves of platinum.

 

While everyone held their breath and looked our way, I anxiously fiddled with the hem of my skirt.

 

I threw it away; I  said inwardly.

 

“It’s looking for its owner… ” Siegfried stated.

 

I definitely threw it away… .

 

“I was going to cut it into pieces and dispose of it,” he continued as he bowed his head and kissed the dazzlingly luxurious crown.

 

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he placed it on my head.

 

“However.”

 

His eyes turned to my face.

 

“As soon as I saw the broken jewel, I thought of you.”

 

“…….”

 

“I thought about how  pretty it’d look, sparkling on your golden hair.”

 

He pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead.

 

“I heard you liked jewelries”

 

When I lifted my head to look at him, he asked:

 

“Don’t you like this one?”

 

I wondered what expression the empress was making.

 

After all, the gems adorning this crown was the ‘Raw Heart’ she had so desperately desired.

 

The gemstone,  which once boasted an unrivaled size and color in the empire, was broken into dozens of pieces to decorate my crown.

 

Just the fact that she couldn’t buy It then infuriated her.

 

Now, that diamond, along with the last shred of possibility for her  to possess it, was shattered, sparkling above my head.

 

 

“I was going to give it to you on the balcony,” he said, looking at me as if there was no one else here but the two of us. “Someone hurt you, didn’t they?”

 

“……”

 

“Your yes are still swollen.”

 

As his thumb moved towards my eyes, I reflexively closed them.

 

Then, seemingly fascinated by the fact that my eyelids were slightly puffy, he gently presses them with his thumb.

 

As he applied more pressure, a moan involuntarily escaped from my lips, and realizing he might have applied too much force, Siegfried quickly withdrew his hand.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

He pulled me into his arms and gently stroked my back.

 

“You’re so amazing,”  he murmured in my ear in a voice only I could hear. “That you can’t hide it, no matter how hard you try.”

 

Then, Siegfried smiled before asking me to dance, and everything about it was perfect; from his backward steps to the way he held out his hand to me.

 

His arms wrapped around my waist as if it belonged there, and the voluminous skirt of my dress flaunted its rich lace for all to see, almost as if it had been waiting for this moment.

 

The red dress, fitting for Milena, was adorned with numerous ribbons. It was a splendid sight to behold.

 

When the music started, no one danced; instead, everyone watched us.

 

I could see their faces beyond Siegfried’s sturdy shoulders, and they all looked like they was watching the luckiest woman in this ballroom.

 

However….

 

Did those people know?

 

[…It will always come back to you.]

 

The fact that the stone I thought would never come back has returned and was placed on top of my head.

 

[There’s an interesting story about that blue diamond.]

 

The fact that the ‘Eternal Abyss’ hanging around my neck has a funny story behind it.

 

And here I was, wearing a crown of thorns as I smiled brightly, pretending to be the happiest woman in the world.

 

“Diamonds can be discarded,” my husband suddenly said.

 

“……”

 

“ But I can never let go of you , Milena,” he spoke in a tone that was both extremely light and nonchalant, as if he was merely about my well-being.

 

“Just like the rock on your head….I will eventually come crawling back to you.”

 

He lowered his head to whisper in my ear, yet my eyes were still drawn over his shoulder.

 

Drawn to Bartholomew, who was looking at me with a desolate expression.

 

As I danced with Siegfried  for the second  time now, Bartholomew stared at me with an indescribable expression on his face.

 

His gaze never lost sight of his younger sister’s smile, even for a moment. So, when the first dance ended, I thought he would ask to be my partner for the second one, but he didn’t.

 

Why?

 

He took a step forward, hesitated for a moment, then stepped right back when he saw Siegfried asking me to dance again.

 

Jane tried to speak to him intermittently, but Bartholomew responded with a short answer, his eyes flicking to the quivering corners of my lips.

 

Ultimately, he didn’t ask me to dance.

 

His gaze made me extremely uncomfortable.

 

The last time I saw Bartholomew, he was kneeling in front of Siegfried.

 

[She is a child I cherish more than life… .]

 

That’s what he said.

 

What kind of relationship did Milena and Bartholomew have? All I know is that he Is Milena’s eldest brother, and the only person from Rochester who had ever written to me.

 

Milena had no interaction with her father after their last argument. Bartholomew somewhat filled that void, but calling his letters “communication” would be a stretch.

 

That man was not kind.

 

[Don’t even think about coming back. Take responsibility for your choices. You are no longer Rochester.]

 

When I read those words, I thought he must really hate Milena.

 

Which made me wondered; why put so much effort into hating her? It’s not like he was idle enough to waste so much time hating her.

 

Maybe it’s not that his younger sister wasn’t important.

 

… But that the family’s name just mattered more.

 

And since Rochester was very important to him, Milena became a target of his scrutiny.

 

But isn’t  it too lenient to say that, considering how cruelly he treated his younger sister?

 

Later on, every time I smiled, my lips trembled because I was so conscious of Bartholomew’s presence; and the more it happened, the more persistently his gaze hung on the corner of my lips.

 

Even as I stood by Siegfried’s side and engaged in conversations with others, I felt a burning sensation at the back of my head.

 

And when I turned my head, Bartholomew was at the end of my gaze.

 

As the frequency with which I caught his eyes on me increased, my heart grew heavier.

 

Did he find out? The fact that I wasn’t Milena.

 

No way.

 

The more escape route from the male lead i had, the better.

 

But…..

 

…I might have been able to fool the husband, whom Milena met for the first time when they said their wedding vows, but her family could have realized that I wasn’t her.

 

Realizing that deceiving family members while possessing a character from a novel wasn’t as easy as I thought, I drew in a sharp breath.

 

“what’s the matter?” Siegfried asked, and I shook my head.

 

Even during this time, my husband noticed even the slightest changes in me.

 

“It’s nothing,” I tried to smile as I thought to myself.

 

Items like the crown or blue diamond I was wearing right now were too noticeable to sell, so  I was going to need to collect small jewels. If I am to run away from this luxurious place, I must have the means to keep myself warm and well-fed.

 

And if Rochester was no longer an option, I might need to prepare to stand on my own.

 

Seeing the lingering question in Siegfried’s eyes, I added naturally, as if this was the reason for me looking around:

 

“…I feel like people keep staring at the tiara.”

 

“So, that’s what it was?”

 

As my husband replied, Roam’s valet who was standing next to my husband, had a shocked expression on his face when he heard his gentle tone.

 

And although he tried hard to hide his expression when our eyes met, I didn’t miss the strong emotions that flashed by.

 

“It must be strange to see me wear a crown when I am not a member of the royal family.”

 

I fixed my gaze back into Siegfried’s blue eyes and smiled awkwardly. Not wanting to make too many enemies, I reached up to remove my tiara, but his hand caught mine.

 

“You are the queen of Roam,” he said as if it was no big deal, simultaniously calling himself a king.

 

“Not even the Empress can take off your crown, he added, resuming the conversation.

 

The Queen of Roam.

 

I mulled over that title for a long while.

 

The Queen of Roam.

 

As I lowered my head, I noticed the ring on my fourth finger. It was truly a mystery how things came to be like this.

 

The last time I had closely looked at this ring, raindrops had been on this diamond. Before that day, I had been less than a stranger to this man.

 

Over the course of two years, it was undeniable that I had proven my loyalty to him and that my talent was valuable to my husband. I could have easily demonstrated such things even more.

 

The fact that I am useful to him.

 

But if I were asked to prove that I am ‘most’ useful to him…

 

Could I always, unchangingly do so?

 

“… long time no see. Oh, and this is… .”

 

My shaking gaze swept over the man standing in front of me.

 

“My wife,” Siegfried answered.

 

“It is an honor to finally meet you, Mrs. Roam.”

 

“…….”

 

“I am Eugene Kaiser.”

 

I blankly stared at Diana’s father’s outstretched hand.

 

The conversation was brief and more amicable than I expected. Diana’s father continually complimented me, and he seemed like a much better guy than I thought.

 

However, my instinct was telling  me that he, too, was cut from the same cloth as Siegfried. After all, the most dangerous predators don’t need to bare their claws to assert their dominance.

 

What does Marquis Kaiser want from me?

 

He wasn’t even a prominent figure in the aristocratic circle.

 

Plus, he’s always busy with business…

 

Those informations were the result of my diligent study of the nobility here. I particularly researched the heroine’s family, but the intel I could find about the Marquis was very limited.

 

What does he want?

 

I became even more curious since he was trying so hard to make a good impression on me without revealing his desires.

 

“Ah.”

 

Realizing that I had been lost in thought for too long, I picked up one of the many wine glasses. I told my husband I’d get the wine myself, and that would be the timeout he’d granted me.

 

With trembling hands, I picked up another filled up glass of wine, and took a deep breath.

 

I turned around, oblivious to the looming shadows falling over me, and put on a bright smile for everyone to see.

 

But then….

 

“Milena.”

 

A man whose body was so large that it obscured my genuine confused face, was standing right in front of me.

 

It was Bartholomew.

 

“I knew it,” he muttered.

 

I honestly didn’t want to hear the words that would follow. My head was in too much of a mess to deal with his doubts right now.

 

But then….

 

“You are not okay.”

 

I abruptly lifted my head, taken aback by his choked up voice.

 

“You lied….”

 

I muddled over what he said for a long time.

 

So much emotions stirred in those words.

 

Half of them were mine and the other half were his.