I Healed my Husband, the Leader of the Underworld

Thank You Amy for the kofi.

The first time I experienced muscle pain was when I first tried horseback riding in this world. I was sore the day after my first lesson, and my entire body really felt like it didn’t belong to me.

My abdominal muscles hurt when I tried to smile, my legs muscles cried out every time I tried to take a single step, and I had cramps in my arms every time I lifted my hand to grab a teacup. I knew it was because I used parts of this body that had never been used before.

The original Milena had never learned to ride, even before getting married, and I paid the price for her negligence.

She was probably afraid of falling off and getting even the slightest scratch on her body, which would result in the decrease of her value on the conservative marriage market here.

But since I knew how her story ended, I didn’t have that luxury. You see, I was more afraid of dying.

Wanting to live, I thought it would be better to have two more pairs of legs when the time to run away from here would come. So, I decided to learn.

When you think about it, it was a tremendous tragedy that a woman who was so scared of even riding a horse for fear of getting hurt, ended up brutally killed by the husband she was so obsessed with.

What a pity.

To survive this husband of hers, I rode on an animal I had never ridden before, and I was left with a lot of pain.

And now, I found myself in a situation that wasn’t much different from back then.

The ‘Tao-like afternoon sunlight’ cast shadows of the window on the floor, and I quietly buried half of my face in my pillow, blinking my tired eyes.

I knew my husband wouldn’t be by my side. I did not expect that level of consideration from the cruel man he was.

As I tried to get up from the bed, an agonizing pain struck my body, causing me to grimace.

“Are you awake?”

I flinched at the gentle voice that reached my ears. A chilling sensation ran deep into my core when I saw the shadow of a man’s face in front of me. and his face, gracing my eyes, was perfect in every way.

Siegfried sensually pressed his lips on my tightly closed mouth, forcefully prying it open before taking my tongue with his. Memories from yesterday flooded in as my trembling fingers pushed against his shoulder in resistance.

But his strong arm circled around my waist, pulling me closer, and my already worn-out earlobe from yesterday’s aftermath fell under his teeth again.

I was terrified of my ‘destiny custodian’ husband, whose body was marked with sharp tattoos and possessed hands that could easily break my neck.

I knew that even though his tone sounded affectionate right now, it could turn icy at any moment.

“Milena,” he said, his voice echoing in my ears, imprisoning me.

“I didn’t know your skin was this white and smooth,” Siegfried continued.

“……”

“I should have ripped off that damn dress a long time ago, right?” he joked as he also wrapped his second arm around me; his solid body pressing against my back.

“Before my wife set her eyes on another man.”

“Let’s divorce then,” I offered.

“Divorce?”

His eyebrows furrowed.

He must have felt how my body shivered just now at his growling tone because his voice softened when he whispered, “My dear wife,” in a slightly mocking tone.

“It was all my fault,” he added affectionately, swiftly turning me around to warp my legs around his waist.

“I’ll be nice from now on,” he promised.

But contrary to his words, he pulled me quite roughly and deeper into his embrace, enveloping me completely. Then, something pushed deep inside me, making me bite hard on my lower lip.

“Shhh, just breathe” Siegfried tried to comfort me, gently holding my trembling body as I flinched from the pain.

I exhaled, trying to keep up with his movement, barely able to catch my breath. Yet, I didn’t push him away, even when he bowed to kiss my cheek.

I already suspected it since yesterday, but I was now certain that Milena’s planned future had changed.

Ultimately, my husband didn’t serve me the divorce papers.

Not yet, at least.

***
“Have I been neglecting you too much, my dear wife?” my husband asked.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I observed the scattered marks on my deer-like neck. The face on top of it was small and always looked gorgeous whenever I looked at it, with eyes that slanted upwards and fresh lips.

Where did those ruby-like eyes come from? I thought as I stared at Milena’s pupils reflecting in the mirror.

Her father was a man with dark hair and well-suited red eyes, while her late mother had light platinum blonde hair and beautiful grey eyes. The deep golden hair I’m looking at right now must be from her mother and the scarlet eyes from her father.

Beneath the beautiful face, I suddenly saw a vivid blue sapphire gemstone that perfectly matched my eyes. My husband lowered his upper body, delicately handling a necklace’s clasp before gently placing it down.

The cool metal felt electrifying on my skin, and his fingers brushed against the back of my neck, giving me goosebumps.

Then, I watched my husband in the mirror as he pushed his face next to mine.

“If it wasn’t for my lack of attention, would you have been looking for another man to warm your bed?” His deep voice whispered in my ears, kissing my cheek again, the only part of me he left with its immaculate shine.

One of his hands wrapped around my fingers that were fiddling with the necklace, while his other one grabbed the whole arm.

“Don’t take it off,” he demanded, forcefully putting my arm down.

“If you are going to take something off, I have a better idea of what it should be.”

His eyes were cold as he said those words, but so seductive.

How should I deal with this person? I knew he enjoyed controlling everything.

After quickly deciding, instead of giving him an answer, I lifted my head and kissed him on the lips. I did it with the intention of giving him what he desired from me and showing him that he was in control.

For some reason, Siegfried seemed to want me by his side. I didn’t care about what had transpired or why he suddenly needed me. All I knew was that I needed the duchess’ title only he could give me.

So, in the end, it was a good deal for me.

I’ll heal him and be a good public wife while I get what I need from him.

If he wanted our relationship to go back to what it was before we slept together, I wouldn’t regret it. But, if he wanted us to stay intimate, I was also willing to match his desire.

So, this kiss was more like a way to seal the silent deal between us than me, submitting to my husband’s acts of affection.

He hesitated for a moment, then parted his lips and skillfully took my clumsy tongue with his as if he wanted to swallow me whole.
When our lips finally parted, he looked satisfied, his eyes gleaming with contentment.

He then let go of my hand and whispered something in my ear before leaving the room.

Dazed, I stared at the reflection of my ruby eyes.

“To think all of this could have been taken away by some insignificant son of a bitch,”

His words still echoed in my head after his departure.

“I was such a fool,” he added before walking away with a smile on his face.

I had no idea what he meant by that, but I could see that he was pleased with the way things went.

And that was the only thing that mattered.

***
“Here is the information you requested about Diana Kaiser.”

Andrew Harrison, the duchy’s aide, extended a black leather folder to the new Duke of Roam.

Sitting in a slouched posture, Siegfried glanced at the aide and the file in his hands with an uninterested gaze.

“You instructed me to prepare this before the wedding,” the aide added.

People ran their mouth, saying that the late Duchess’s will regarding her son’s marriage would never be overturned, but Siegfried knew his mother’s death was imminent.

The file being handed to him now served as evidence.

He married Milena solely because it was his mother’s wish, and because he knew it would also benefit him in many ways.

But Siegfried had his own plans.

Diana Kaiser.

The Kaiser family had faithfully served Roam for a long time, and Diana, their daughter, was the perfect pawn to hold onto. With her innocence, loveliness, and belief in happily ever after, marrying her would ensure Siegfried the Kaiser family’s leash as his loyal guard dog.

Of course, his mother remained unaware about his business plan.

So, Siegfried married the woman his mother wanted, to keep her satisfied while she was still alive, knowing his temporary wife could still be helpful to the family.

And he intended to marry Diana Kaiser, the one he initially thought of, once his mother passed away.

Well, after having disposed of the first bride somehow, obviously.

That’s why Siegfried asked for Diana’s information before his wedding with Melina, to ensure a smooth transition when the time came.

Today was the day he was supposed to receive the secret file, and Andrew Harrison delivered it as promised. Truly, the aide never let his master down.

“Dispose of it,” Siegfried commended, shifting his gaze to the document on the desk. It was his responsibility, as the Duke, to personally manage such matters.

Although Harrison didn’t understand the purpose behind Siegfried’s order, he faithfully followed it without question. With a respectful nod, he got rid of the papers that were easily worth a small kingdom.

As Harrison watched them burn, he recalled what the Duke had ordered him to do, at 5 am, this morning. The task was to acquire the ‘Eternal Abyss,’ a highly coveted diamond from the deep sea, that already had an owner.

It belonged to the Marquis of Edinburgh.

At first, Harrison thought it was a calculated act to manipulate the ones who had been watching with anticipation.

A greedy wife who loved jewels would have had a perfect motive to go after Edinburgh; the blame would have been put on the Duke’s current wife and in-laws, and he could have neatly disposed of them.

The timing was perfect.

The gem did end up on the Duchess’ neck, but….

The aide’s attention momentarily moved to the burning papers before going back to the diamond’s original owner.

From the moment he received the Duke’s orders, the Edinburgh family and all their related factions were wiped out clean. Their names did not even exist in any records anymore.

But in the end, there were no words about the Duchess taking responsibility for anything. Strange!

Siegfried only acted according to his needs. So, if the intention wasn’t to trick the Duchess, what was his motive then?

Could it be……

Did His Highness just want to gift the jewel to his wife? Harrison wondered.

He soon confirmed his doubts by himself.

If the Edinburgh family had been a real threat to the duchy, they wouldn’t have survived until now. There was only one reason for the Duke, who left them untouched no matter how annoying they were, to take them all out overnight.

Harrison’s eyes flicked upon finishing his assessment of the situation, but he quickly regained his composure and moved on.
.
.
“it’s a pity, but I prefer Rochester’s face,” Siegfried said while gazing at a portrait of his wife, made before their wedding.

“Milena,” he whispered as he recalled the woman’s porcelain face.

***
The ladies in waiting who came in, after my husband left, were happily chattering and cheering me on.

I comfortably listened to their anecdotes, I even smiled, but I didn’t trust their friendly act.

They were human statues meticulously adorned like the ones nobles put in their gardens. They were decorations on display in my room, meant to report everything I did to my husband without missing a single detail.

The contrast between their gloomy attitude from yesterday and their sunny smiles today looked natural since I knew that fact.

As we chatted, they corrected a fact that I had misunderstood.

My new necklace wasn’t a sapphire, but a blue diamond. They said it was a treasure worth a whooping six billion Franc (approximately 60 billion Won).

No matter how much I immersed myself in high society and cultivated their aesthetics, I never knew a deep shade of blue diamond like this existed.

Moreover, it’s only natural for a common civilian like me to conclude that every blue gem was a sapphire. It was quite exciting that a treasure I had only seen on famous and too expensive websites in my past life was now hanging around my neck.

The situation felt quite strange, too.

It’s too quiet.

According to what I knew, Siegfried should be sitting in front of his desk right about now, receiving the information he requested about the female lead, Diana Kaiser. And since his wound was already healed, he must have concluded that it was more profitable for him to conduct his original plan.

The papers will remind him that last night’s affair was a mistake and that the alliance with Diana’s he had been planning for a long time now was worth more.

In the original story, Milena, who was enamored with Siegfried, meets her end a week from when my husband read the file. Diane steps into this mansion, with a clueless expression on her face. It was also more plausible for things to go the destined way.

Yes, because Diana was a genius pharmacist.

She was said to possess a genius intellect that couldn’t be compared to the crude healing skills I learned. She was a kind woman who looked like she was a walking painting, very fitting for a bad boy.

A bright woman.

A woman loved by everyone.

While I’m still unable to solve my heartache problem, I thought bitterly.

Just like there are thousands of singing techniques, there are also various techniques to perform healing magic. And just like there are singers with good voices–talented singers who ends up with damaged and swollen vocal cords because they employed mediocre techniques–there are people with immense potential for magic who ends up dying because they do it the wrong way.

Like people who hold chopsticks in an X shape when eating.

I was one of those people, I belonged with those who took the wrong path.
Even if there was no problem right now, it wouldn’t be good to use my current method in the long run.

But giving me expensive jewelry instead of divorce papers, what was Siegfried thinking?

It was probably because he didn’t know my power was faulty. If it’s the case, I need to quickly find a way to not put pressure on my heart when I use magic.

While I possessed a powerful ability that could deal with the most fatal injuries, it would eventually wear out if I don’t use it well. And even though I escaped the divorce for now, it was clear that my husband would get rid of me the second I became useless.

Then, he would just go to find Diana, like he initially planned.

Engrossed in contemplation, I heard a cheering knock on the door. Soon, the door opened, and an unexpected figure entered the room through the crack.

“Milena,” the person called.

“Jane!!!” I exclaimed in return.

Jane was my husband’s younger sister.

Why was she here? was it already time?

It seemed that I got lost in thoughts and completely forgot about my date with sweet Jane.

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