I Healed my Husband, the Leader of the Underworld

Jane, whom I haven’t seen in a long time, didn’t change at all from the way she looked in the painting.

She was also different from her brother in every aspect. If Siegfried resembled his father, Jane was a spitting image of the late lady Roam. She was a gorgeous girl with flowing reddish-brown curls that perfectly matched her vivid emerald eyes.

“I’ve never seen a more beautiful shade of crimson than my hair until now.”

Those were Jane words when she looked into my eyes for the first time.

She had a bright character, but her delicate health made everyone in the duchy fear to see her even step foot outside of the mansion.

Jane also fell ill very often, which caused worry among the Roam family and the household staff whenever she would embark on long-distance travels.

However, her health did improve occasionally, and when that happened, she would come to the Roam manor, and partake in social activities before going back to her own domain when the season was over.

And this was one of her rare visits.

The passing of her mother must have been quite a shock for Jane, I thought.

“I came to see Milena even before seeing my brother’s face,” she said happily.

In the original story, Milena disliked and was jealous of Jane because Siegfried was affectionate and kind only to his sister.

However, I had no reason to hate her. When we first met, Jane was a kind and sweet seventeen-year-old, and I instantly liked her.

Her genuine laughter was a rare phenomenon in the Duke mansion, and I greatly cherished her for it.

Of course, the fact that I needed to be nice to Jane to survive contributed to my friendly attitude towards her.

“Thank you, Jane.”

In response to my words, Jane stuck out her lower lip and asked, “Did you forget about our promise already?”

“Dolores,” I quickly said, correcting myself.

Jane allowed people she wanted to keep close to use her nickname, and I was one of those people.

“Oh my, you are wearing the Deep Sea!” she suddenly exclaimed, scanning my neck admiringly.

Then, upon discovering the marks Siegfried left on my skin, she blushed and backed away. She playfully snuggled against my lap, saying, “I had always hoped that the two of you would grow closer….” with a mischievous smile on her cute face.

“I’m so relieved,” she added.

Lost in thoughts for a moment, I snapped back to reality at her excited voice, and a confused sound escaped my lips.

“Ahh,” I said as I looked into her sparkling eyes.

“Of course,” I softly added with a smile.

.

.

Today, the sun was particularly scorching, so I wore a wide-brimmed bonnet for my walk outside with Jane. She had always pestered me to switch bonnets were, saying she found mine prettier. And after refusing her request for a long time, I finally gave in today and let her wear it.

I didn’t give in only because I felt unnecessarily sorry for her. I did it because I didn’t like being pitied.

Jane always insisted on decorating her bonnets with flashy jewels, but stubbornly asked to exchange them for the simple ones I possessed. it wasn’t too difficult to realize that Jane wanted to subtilty gift those jewels to me. She knew that her brother didn’t love me, so she probably wanted me to have some money in case I ever get kicked out of the mansion.

Jane Dolores Roam only sees her brother as a sweet, affectionate person. And it seemed she believed that her kindness towards me would somehow make him want to get closer to me or something.

But how could Jane accomplish what his own mother could not?

Moreover, every time I saw her bonnets, my hands trembled, activating a defense mechanism within my body.

It also reminded me why the real Milena grew to despise Jane so much in the book.

~~~

‘Brother, no! I’m the one who liked Milena’s bonnet, I….’ Jane said, grabbing Siegfried strong arm.

‘It was my decision to exchange, mine!’ she added.

Ahh, what happened after that again?

“Leave us.”

With a cold and stern face, Siegfried spoke, his gaze fixed on Milena, who was trembling with jane’s bonnet in her hand.

‘I have something to say to my wife.’

~~~

After Jane tearfully left the room, Siegfried poured a furious tirade of blame on his wife until….

Thud!

The bonnet, freed from Melina’s weakened grip, fell pitifully on the floor. And she, who had briefly opened her heart to the warm affection she received for the first time, turned into a despicable villainess.

That day, Siegfried didn’t turn around or apologized even once, and a single tear rolled down Milena’s cheek as she watched him walk away.

I don’t want to upset my husband by giving in to Jane’s demand, I thought as I took out the expensive ribbon out of Jane’s bonnet as I watched her run around in her flowing dress. But just for today I was willing to risk it.

She was a fragile woman who looked as if she would vanish if I let her out of my sight even for a moment, just like that ribbon sawing in the wind.

Even though she’s smiling like that, she must be sad…

I couldn’t imagine how painful losing her mother was for her, and just seeing the melancholic light in her eyes reminded me of my own family.

The family I had in my past life.

It reminded me of the faces I would never see again in this lifetime.

I wished I had even a single picture, but…

I tried to draw them, but time and time again, I weakly lowered the charcoal unable to bring myself to continue. Tears kept coming, and it felt like I was becoming weaker every time they flowed down.

So, for sweet and grieving Jane’s sake, I was more than willing to switch bonnets.

“Hurry, Milena!” Jane exclaimed before grabbing my hand and I obediently let myself be led by her.

***

Jane didn’t go out very often. Even while in the mansion, she mostly stayed in her room. This was because she had a weak constitution, and her health would deteriorate if she overworked her body just a little bit.

As I mentioned previously, she was quite fragile.

Thanks to that I knew that there weren’t many places for her to drag me too. So, I followed her and nonchalantly glanced at the sun, betting that we were heading to the training ground.

And I was right.

After walking for a while, we stopped at Lancel’s private training arena.

Siegfried Roam had a son.

Naturally, I didn’t give birth to that son. If that were the case, he wouldn’t have been able to walk around and use a sword as freely as the boy in front of me. No, he would have been crawling.

Moreover, we’ve been married for only two years, while the child was already ten years old.

He wasn’t Siegfried’s biological son either.

No.

One day, Siegfried suddenly brought a lion cub to the Duke house, and officially referred to the child as his adopted son.

Lancel Roam.

Of course, even a baby lion was still a lion, and Lancel consistently snarled at me to clearly express his dislike. His fierce gaze was always filled with mockery and contempt towards me.

Is that really a behavior coming from a human.

Of course, his arrogance was supported by the abilities that allowed him to be here in the first place.

First and foremost, the boy was very agile. Just a moment ago, he swiftly evaded the sudden strike of an adult man’s sword, skillfully drawing lines on the ground to support his body and maintain his balance.

While doing so, he swung his blade with precision, and turned around, striking forward to elegantly counterattack, directly clashing swords with his opponent.

The speed of his reactions was so fast that my eyes couldn’t keep up with his sword. His jet-black hair, resembling Siegfried’s, fluttered. His green irises sparkled, never missing a single movement from the opponent’s sword before him, and anticipating the counterattack coming from behind.

“No!”

Jane’s short exclamation was overshadowed as Lancel swiftly slashed the knight’s who was about to ambush him from behind, slicing through his abdomen.

Upon seeing the man’s blood, the boy’s mood seemed to have improved as a wicked smile formed on his lips. And despite everyone trying to restrain the raging cub, he proved difficult to contain.

For practice, I muttered.

Did I mention all of this was merely for practice? Those people’s lives were insignificant in his eyes.

This scene gave me an idea about the reason why my husband brought that baby beast home. It probably had something to do with his bloody business outside, which I couldn’t get involved in.

Although I didn’t care about it today like I usually did, Lancel’s actions were too cruel even if I didn’t apply the ethics of modern society from my past life.

He mercilessly struck down those who rushed at him. The swords of the knight Lancel defeated drew beautiful arches in the air before landing on the ground.

Meanwhile, the boy calmly observed me, as if to say, “Look at what I’m capable of,” proudly showcasing his skills.

Very skilled indeed.

Then, my husband’s polite voice resonated in my mind.

“There is no need for you to bear a successor,” he once said.

Since I had no intention of bearing Siegfried a child anyway, I thought it was for the best. My goal was to survive, not build a family with some strange man.

After all, I would be driven away eventually.

For a long time, I selfishly wished for Lancel to get hurt while sparing so I would have to treat him, but the strong and quick-witted boy never yielded.

He threw the sword in front of the bleeding knight with an expressionless face, and as the attendants handed him a towel, he wiped his forehead and looked at me with his usual chilly eyes.

Usually, I would have approached him and tried to start a conversation, but I didn’t make the effort today. My previous efforts were for the sake of assuring myself a safe divorce, and since divorcing was no longer an option, I wanted to avoid annoying him as much as possible, as he himself desired.

From today on, dealing with Siegfried will only require my own abilities as a woman so I no longer need to try being a good adoptive mother to someone who despised me.

It was a good thing for both me and Lancel.

“Oh, my. Your forehead is bleeding,” I heard jane exclaimed.

She bit her lower lip while glancing at me. Lancel’s gaze also scanned me as if to ask, “What are you going to do now.”

Well, if this happened a week ago, I would have insisted on healing him despite his resistance, prepared to endure terrible pain and risking half a day of suffering.

But now, I wasn’t so sure about what to do anymore. He knew at least that I would never hurt him.

So, I only said “Can you lend me a handkerchief, Dolores?”, and turned my back to the training ground.

I didn’t want the boy to see the marks Siegfried had left on me or the necklace he gave me or even the jewels dangling from the ribbon I took off Jane’s bonnet.

‘You are just an annoying disposable puppet anyway,” Lancel always made sure I never forgot that I could be replaced at any time, so these marks would only serve as mockery against me. He was a child who seemed much more mature than he was and would know what the redness etched into my fair skin represented.

The sky was so full of life, but my mood felt desolate. They say marriage brings happiness, but….oh well.

As I tried to take a step, someone tightly grabbed onto my skirt.

“Jane?” With eyes filled with confusion, I turned my head to see the young cub standing there with his head lowered, hiding his claws.

“It’s me,” Lancel said curtly. “My forehead is bleeding.”

“…..”

“can’t you hear me?”

When my response never came, he lifted his head and looked at me, and fresh red blood flowed down the angelic face of the boy.

It somewhat disgusted me that, like my husband, he only sought me out when they thought I could be of use. So, I grabbed his hand and pulled it away from my dress. In response, he stared intently at me with furrowed brows. And I couldn’t help but feel that the boy who had been showing off his swordsmanship just minutes earlier now appeared dejected.

My hand trembled as I released his fingers from my grip.

It wasn’t because I feared Lancel or because I feared the consequences for this action I might face later.

“Are you… are you scared of me?” he hesitantly asked.

It’s because only when I mustered the courage to turn away from him did I see a hint of longing in the boy’s eyes.