I Healed my Husband, the Leader of the Underworld

“Madam.”

 

The way she said it, with a hint of embarrassment, stirred something inside me.

 

Her eyes, no longer haughty, now held the same respect she usually showed toward Roam, which only fueled my anger further.

 

“I’ll tidy up the mattress,” she said before turning her head to address the other maids.

 

The maids nodded respectfully before walking past me towards the bed.

 

“Stop.”

 

At my words, they stopped and turned to look at me in unison, as if they were wax dolls that had been implanted with a command.

 

“What is it?”

 

In response to the head maid’s sharp voice, I turned to stare at her.

 

“Do you not like the way I serve you, Madam?” She asked, taking a step forward, looking straight at me.

 

“If you wish for it, this presumptuous thing will  prove her loyalty to Roam by jumping out of the window.”

 

The head maid’s gaze turned towards the open balcony.

 

“I have disappointed you, Madam. I….”

 

Smack.

 

Before she could finish her sentence, a loud slap echoed.

 

She stood there frozen in place, with her head turned to the side.

 

“Well…”

 

Despite my calm demeanor, my heart was pounding. The stinging sensation in my hand felt strange, as if I had an extra heartbeat in my palm. It hurt, but the feeling of my pulse was even more vivid.

 

The head maid’s eyes, looking into mine, showed a rare hint of surprise.

 

“Don’t forget, it’s up to me to choose a new head maid.”

 

Without hesitation, I delivered a rough strike to her other cheek. Yet, she stayed frozen, showing no resistance.

 

“How much more do you plan to vex me?”

 

When her eyes met mine again, I stared back and said:

 

“I will generously forgive your impudence with just two slaps. That’s quite nice of me, don’t you think?”

 

“…..”

 

“However….”

 

I calmly brushed aside her dismay, defying the maid’s expectation that I wouldn’t be able to do so.

 

“I can’t forgive your stupidity no matter how much I think about it.”

 

Thinking she wouldn’t die from just this, I struck her one more time. The head maid’s head snapped to the side more violently. And the lip of the woman, who I thought looked like a wax doll, burst open and blood flowed out.

 

“I heard that Roam’s servants were renowned for their intelligence. Who would have thought that Fitzclarence’s teaching was so lacking?”

 

With that, I turned, and walked away.

 

I walked past the other maids before stopping beside the rope at my bed, desperately trying not to be overly conscious of the note hidden under the mattress.

 

“If you don’t know the simplest thing, I’II teach you myself.”

 

Concealing my expression, I turned to face them with the bearing expected of Roam’s mistress.

 

 

“Go and wait. Come back when I summon you.”

 

“……”

 

“”When I ring the bell in the maids’ waiting room.”

 

Upon my command, the maids glanced at the disheveled mattress as if they were ready to jump on it at any moment, but I did not hesitate and pulled the rope next to the bed.

 

“When this bell rings–ding, ding, ding–in your room, that’s when you come.”

 

Then, with a triumphant smile, I continued:

 

“It seems you need more practice since you don’t even know the most basic things. Let’s start over from the beginning, shall we?”

 

They remained silent, their gazes fixed on me.

 

“Get out.”

.

.

.

In the end, the note was not discovered.

 

And I felt good.

 

Until I heard about my husband inviting Lancel to the dining room.

***

 

 

Of all the people sitting at the large and splendid table, Siegfried was the only one who seemed to be in a good mood.

 

He sat at the head of the table with ease and naturally spoke to the Marquis:

 

“I guess the famous second son of the Rochester family is too busy to attend this gathering.”

 

The marquis didn’t look very pleased, and it probably wasn’t just because of this remark. His hand was particularly slow and careful as he stuck the fork into the vegetables. Since he was sitting across from me, I could easily see the subtle change in him.

 

“I’m embarrassed to say that my second son, while he meticulously observes the highest etiquette, is too free-spirited… and his temperament so finicky that it is not easy to find him when I need him.”

 

As the conversation turned to Franz Rochester, my gaze shifted to Lancel.

 

He was staring at the elaborate tableware in front of him as if he had committed a mortal sin. When he picked up the wrong knife, the butler promptly stepped forward and explained.

 

“Start with the outermost one.”

 

“…I know,” Lancel answered with a pale face as he picked up the proper knife.

 

The boy looked as if he was questioning why he had been invited to this gathering in the first place; his elbow trembling as he cut his food.

 

Although Lancel was now part of the Roam family, he was the only one not usually invited to the dining table.

 

The late matriarch didn’t like him, and this fact hadn’t changed even up until she drew her last breath.

 

The emotion I was seeing on his face right now was guilt. I guess defying Siegfried, whom he admired and revered so much, must not have been easy for him.

 

When our eyes met, I forced a smile at him.

 

He froze for a moment at my strained smile before quickly straightened his posture. Whether it was out of stubbornness to not show a defeated appearance in front of me or for some other reason, I didn’t know.

 

On the other hand, sitting next to Lancel, Jane seemed more interested in the conversation between the Marquis of Rochester and Siegfried than in her partner from yesterday, Bartholomew.

 

She seemed to be enthusiastically joining in on their conversation, and as a result, she didn’t touch her food much, leaving the high-quality fork and knife with ivory handles untouched on her plate.

 

She was particularly fond of what the Marquis had to say; the topic mainly revolved around how much his beloved daughter (me) was adored.

 

Encouraged by Jane’s enthusiastic response, the Marquis to continued to speak without pause. Eventually, the conversation narrowed down to only the two of them. However, although Siegfried seemed to be concentrating on his food, he would occasionally react to their words with a faint smile, or paused with his utensils in hand at crucial moments.

 

It was intriguing that someone like him would pay attention to my life story. Or that it could make him laugh, even if only a little bit.

 

“Speaking of that….”

 

The Marquis’s determined expression broke the momentary peace.

 

As he revealed to Siegfried the ultimate reason for choosing that topic, Bartholomew looked at him as if he’d been waiting for the words to come out.

 

“I thought, if possible, even if only for a short time, it would be nice to bring my lovely daughter back to Rochester Manor… what do you think?”

 

I looked at Bartholomew as if to ask what was going on, and Bartholomew lowered his head, revealing his guilt.

 

However, contrary to the Marquis’s concerns, Siegfried responded to his worries like a perfect gentleman.

 

“I understand very well that Milena has grown up, cherished and nurtured, like a rare plant in a greenhouse.”

 

His tone was composed but I could still feel the cynicism contained within it.

 

“This is something we already discussed yesterday while playing billiards together as men.”

 

It turned out that they had brought it up yesterday. So, that’s why Siegfried asked me that question in bed.

 

“But your daughter, who had never been near a horse, now goes straight to the stable whenever she wants to get some fresh air…” He continued, his cold blue eyes sweeping over me.

 

The memory of what happened at the stable was not pleasant, so I couldn’t bring myself to look at his face and instead stared down at my food.

 

I could feel Jane’s gaze as Siegfried’s calm voice added:

 

“…She also became good at horse riding. Isn’t that what life is about? It’s the process of taking on challenges and getting toughened up, becoming stronger. Overprotection is not good.”

 

Siegfried had a way of making his words sound right.

 

On the other hand, the marquis was looking for something to say and seemed embarrassed. It seemed there was no way to overturn this situation. With a single word from Siegfried, they went from powerless heroes trying to save me to overprotective, meddling family members.

 

But right then…….

 

“Brother does it too.”

 

Jane’s unexpected voice caused everyone’s attention to turn to her.

 

“…Overprotecting,” she continued.

 

Siegfried, unsatisfied it seemed, rested his chin on his hand and stared at her intently. Jane kept her gaze fixed on her knees, but with determination, she articulated her opinion.

 

“We all love our family; you said it that day. Brother, on that day, you said that family should take care of each other. The rest is…”

 

Her downcast eyes were a deeper shade of green than usual. With a contemplative expression, she gathered her thoughts and then met Siegfried’s gaze.

 

“Wouldn’t a week be okay? I wish Milena could get some rest in Rochester….”

 

“A week?”

 

There was a sharp edge to Siegfried’s voice.

 

After smoothly deflecting the Marquis’s suggestion, he was skillfully maneuvering Jane.

 

“I didn’t realize you were so desperate to send Milena off to Rochester for a week.”

 

“That’s not what I meant…”

 

As Jane weakly protested, a firm voice cut through the silence.

 

“I want my daughter back instead of the dowry.”

 

The Marquis’s words hung heavily in the suddenly chilled atmosphere. It was the first time I’d ever felt a shiver run down my spine as the room’s temperature plummeted to the floor. I clasped my hands under the table. No one spoke. Such was the commanding presence of Siegfried’s cold demeanor.

 

Yet, the Marquis stubbornly persisted. It would have been better if he had quietly gone along with the prevailing mood, but even so, he showed no hesitation in speaking in this tense atmosphere.

 

“I knew my daughter would not be welcome here, but I pushed through the marriage anyway.”

 

Yes, that’s right. The guilt Bartholomew express at the ballroom probably stemmed from this. They loved Milena so much that they gave in to her wishes even though they knew her destruction would come.

 

And now, they wished they could reverse their choice, even if it meant risking everything.