I Healed my Husband, the Leader of the Underworld

Ndilanka, thank you so much for the Kofi.

 

When I got back to the music room, I played the piano to calm myself down.

Normally, I would have pressed the keys with caution, but this time I played according to my emotions.

Jane was sick.

This fragile kid just went out for a while and fell sick.

 I was even more worried about the situation because I knew how much everyone in Roam cared about her.

On top of that, it’s only been one day since Mrs. Roam, Jane’s mother died. So, I was certain the servants wouldn’t look at me with kind eyes.

I tried to comfort myself, saying that even if something were to go wrong, I would be able to fix it.

But my gaze turned once more towards Jane’s bonnet.

If only I had not taken Jane out…

Will that man have the same face as before, I thought to myself. I have no idea. Maybe he will even get angry.

After all, that’s how it was in the original story. One of the reasons Milena received cold treatment from her husband was because of his overprotectiveness towards his sister, Jane.

As I got lost in thought for a long time, watching the black and white keys move up and down, a firm hand lightly pressed my shoulder, and for a quick second, my heart sank.

Then, a man gracefully sat down next to me, looking at me. The playing had already stopped, and my gaze turned to Siegfried’s face.

“Is it Braham?” he asked.

It was a bit of a ‘is it Chopin?’ question. The tune I was playing just now is one of Braham’s, who was quite famous at the time.

 “It’s been a long time since I’ve played the piano….” He mumbled softly, moving his slender fingers to repeat the notes I had just hit.

It must have been a joke, since there was a lot of technique in his performance. I was amazed to see those calloused hands play a song so beautifully.

When his fingers pressed against the keys, I choked as if he were pressing them on my body.

The corner of his mouth curled up while his eyes were still fixed on the piano.

“It’s the first time since my father left.”

“… Is he dead?”

“He’s as good as dead to me.”

He turned his head in my direction, and said, “Jane is fine.”

But I already knew that.

If it wasn’t the case, Siegfried wouldn’t be so carefree right now.

“Take a break,” he added.

Then as he stood up, he grabbed the bonnet I put on top of the piano with one hand, and firmly placed it on my head.

My shoulders shook at his mischievous gesture.

“It’s Jane’s bonnet.” He stated.

And although I expected this, my heart still skipped a beat.

“Yes,” I answered as my entire body stiffened, staring at my hands resting on my lap.

 Siegfried’s tone was nonchalant when he opened his mouth again, “Did Jane ask to exchange with yours?”

“Well, I….” I started, before I abruptly stood up from my seat, and looked at him in the eyes.

Siegfried furrowed his handsome eyebrows, as if he hadn’t expected such a violent reaction from me.

“I was the one who asked.”

“…….”

“Because the jewels are so pretty. They sparkle.”

I took the bonnet off my head, wondering, What will he say now?

My husband took a step closer, as I nervously glanced at him, “What’s the matter?”

He noticed that I was shaking like crazy, so his hand gently brushed against my cheek before he lowered his head, whispering, “You don’t have enough jewels?”

He lifted my chin, making me look into his eyes. Then he pressed his lips against mine, tickling them with his tongue.

My heart raced painfully, overwhelmed with tension.

After the brief kiss, Siegfried brushed my wet bottom lip.

Then, murmured, “Then you should have said so,” in my ear.

Huh?

But before I could process his words, he kissed me on the cheek, and walked away.

Leaving me standing there, staring at Jane’s bonnet for a long time.

* * *

I think I know why the butler has been giving me such a weird look lately.

After the commotion was over, the night at the mansion was cold, and I sat alone on my bed, looking at the night sky beyond.

The moon was particularly big tonight.

And as always, my husband was not in the room. I didn’t think it was a bad thing, Because I always felt like I was suffocating when that man was around.

Then my bare feet, which had inadvertently touched the floor, immediately curled up.

Indeed, the night was cold.

The chilly darkness felt worse in such a large and empty place.

Just because I didn’t love my husband didn’t mean I wasn’t lonely, I was human after all.

I slipped into my bed, and stared at the canopy.

The expensive quilt always swallowed me up, swelling up and then subsiding a little late.

And no matter how many times I blinked, Roam’s gorgeous phoenix emblem still shone in the dark.

Jane.

Even at this moment, I was still worried about Jane. I loved her as much as everyone in Roam did.

It was fine that all the affection Milena should have received went to that sick child.

Her liveliness, which fascinated everyone here, was also precious to me.

I wanted her to be well.

She won’t stay here for long anyway.

.

.

It felt as if the darkness had been swallowed up by the heavy silence, until my ears perked up at the sound of footsteps drawing near.

Recalling the butler’s displeasing eyes, I straightened myself up, hoping to not hear a knock. Because if it’s my husband, he wouldn’t knock.

Then the door opened, and Siegfried’s eyes met mine.

He was dressed in a perfect outfit for a night out when he entered the bedroom. His shirt, sparkling in the dim light, was accompanied by a leather vest.

And my gaze, which had been dangerously going down, hurriedly turned back to his face.

For some reason I felt like my eyes had landed somewhere they shouldn’t have, so I desperately started into his eyes, not wanting to give off unnecessary signals.

But his deep blue orbs triggered an instinctive fear instead.

“You are not sleeping,” Siegfried said, squinting his eyes and smiling affectionately.

With a clatter, he came closer to me, and his hand gently stroked my hair as if my head was something incredibly lovely and precious.

He caressed my cheek, pressing his lips on them as he pleased.

His lips fell off with a squishy sound, and since I remained silent, he used his fingers to play with my wavy hair.

“You look prettier with your hair down.”

Siegfried lifted strands of my hair, lowered his head, and kissed it. Then he gazed at my hair with a slightly regretful look before letting it slip out of his grip, savoring the touch of my honey blonde locks.

“… Why do you always play with it?”

At that moment, I remembered that ‘look’ the butler gave, and hesitated about whether I should tell my husband about it or not.

“You are still wearing this,” Siegfried stated, as his fingers grazed the blue diamond necklace.

“I’m afraid someone will steal it.”

The answer came quickly, and the hand that had been slowly fiddling with the necklace abruptly stopped. Sensing the strange stillness, I lifted my head to look at him, only to find him staring at me intensely.

So, I hurriedly said, “I think the butler has a bad hand habit.”

Though I said that, it was up to Siegfried to decide whether or not to believe this outright lie.

“I feel like he want to steal it.”

“…….”

“Because he kept looking at my neck with a vicious look.”

The people of Roam were trustworthy; they knew they should never disappoint Siegfried.

If they were to steal anything within this mansion, Roam’s grandiose residence would turn into a sandcastle, and crumble beneath their feet.

Such dire consequence awaited those who would dare to touch anything other than the magic lamp. (TL’s note: Did you guys get the Aladdin reference 😉)

However, Siegfried had every right to trust Roam’s staff over me.

He knew them longer than he knew me, and as far as he’s concerned, they were faithful to him.

Of course, the butler, who was more interested in something other than my necklace, would also deny my words.

But still, this should serve as a warning to him.

A warning that I don’t like his suspicious behavior.

“Is that what happened?” Siegfried looked me in the eye and asked me again.

 I nodded to him with confidence.

Hoping that he would at least believe in my accusation against the butler, or somehow find the message hiding within my words.

“His name?”

“… Alberto.”

“I see,” He replied as if he already knew.

And when he straightened himself up again, he smelled of male pheromones.

The memories of ‘that’ night instantly came back to me, making me bite my lower lip nervously.

Thinking that I needed to come back to my senses while in front of this beast, I glanced at him, only to find his gaze lingering on the edge of my lips, like honey droplets dripping down slowly.

“Aren’t you going to ask where I’m going?” Siegfried questioned me.

I didn’t want to lie, so I grabbed his vest instead. He glanced at my hands, then my eyes that were not very eager for such a subject, and sneered.

“Why,” He spoke knowingly. “Do you want me to stay here?”

His fingers caressed my lips.

Forced to speak up, I opened my mouth to answer, and Siegfried didn’t miss the opportunity to crash his lips on mine. His firm hands supported my waist as I almost collapsed in surprise.

It must have been the skin that once warmly covered an animal, but the leather vest felt cold under my fingertips.

So cold, the hand that held it trembled.

Our lips parted after a moment, and his hands warped around mine holding the vest.

“Not this.”

He looked at me with the same cold eyes he did back when I lied about having an unrequited love for another man.

Yes, it was just like this.

His hand pulled mine away from the vest.

“If you had grabbed something else… I would have stayed.”

The man said those words, and walked away. Soon, the sound of a door slamming shut echoed, and only then did I manage to calm my startled heart.

I absentmindedly stared at the pattern on my white pajamas for a long time.

.

.

When I opened the small bookcase in my room on the next day, I stared in amazement at the white sheet that had spread out, and rolled over my feet.

I remained frozen for a long moment, staring at the red blood stains on the sheet, then I shoved it away with my foot.

This was the bed sheet from my first time with my husband.

I don’t know who put that in there, but this time, their joke went too far. When I turned my head, I saw a golden string hanging from the side of the bed, and I thought,

If my husband sides with the servants, this will be a losing battle.

After a moment of contemplation about whether I should call the staff here, and hold them accountable, I strode over to Siegfried’s office, and opened its door.

 Only to be frozen in place.

Because my husband was pointing a pistol at the butler, Alberto, with an expressionless face.