I Raised My Husband Wrong

It was the evening of the day the knights had been driven out of the Valtale Duchy.

“The Valtale Duchy is doomed! It’s going to fall to complete ruin!”

Egan and the Crimson Moon knights had muttered these words throughout the whole day.

They complained so much that the story had spread not only among the Crimson Moon knights, but to the other knight orders.

“What are you going to do now?”

Barton asked as they sat in the tavern they usually frequented.

After downing a large cup full of beer in one gulp, Libertisha wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“I’m not too sure.”

“It’s His Majesty’s command, so I suppose it must be done. I just didn’t expect things to turn out this way though…”

“I’m sure he knew what was going to happen when he did that. That guy, he laughs himself to death whenever he sees me in trouble.”

With the alcohol taking effect in her system, Libertisha’s mouth began to run like a loose horse.

Pretending to not hear her blasphemous words, the tavern owner wiped the cups. The main patrons of this tavern were the knights, and it was a place for their public gossip.

“Hehe.”

Libertisha chuckled softly, her cheeks slightly turning flushed.

“But he was quite the cute little kid. I wanted to pinch him.”

“With how strong you are, he’ll die if you pinch him, commander.”

“Who knows. I think he’ll bite my finger off before I do. Or he might even claw at me.”

“Claw at you?”

“You don’t get it? He’s a cat, so wouldn’t he claw?”

“…”

What in the world was she talking about?

Barton ran his fingers through his hair and tilted his head.

Strangely, her drinking speed had been quite fast since earlier, so she must’ve been drunk.

He quietly snatched the glass of beer from Libertisha who was loudly shouting, ‘One more!’ to the tavern owner, and placed his empty glass in front of her.

Unaware, Libertisha continued to gulp down the empty glass.

“Commander, it seems like you’re really drunk, so let’s get going.”

Jingle.

Just as Barton was about to help her to her feet, the bell hanging on the tavern door rang.

Soon, noisy chatter began to sound.

“So, I gave him a good hit right there. The kid couldn’t even speak and just kept on stammering–”

“Hahahaha!”

Seeing the noisy group enter, Barton furrowed his brow. They were people from Crimson Moon.

He didn’t realize how often they would be running into each other today.

As they entered, they were puzzled and paused momentarily when they saw the two.

They weren’t being openly sarcastic as they usually would be and that might’ve been because they heard of the news that Libertisha had been promoted to commander.

Perhaps even more so because they were in a tavern.

‘I guess they don’t want to break the mood for no reason too.’

It was clear they had dealt with a drunken Libertisha a few times before that they were being cautious. It was a relief, really.

Barton quickly scooped Libertisha up and prepared to head out the door.

But as it turns out, life isn’t so easy.

“Looks like I’ve come across some filth.”

With that single phrase, the atmosphere in the tavern grew heavier.

Among the group from Crimson Moon, a man with unruffled jet-black hair muttered as he looked at Libertisha.

It was an extremely impassive expression, but the disgust that flickered in his eyes could not be erased.

“…Ensodi.”

Ensodi Everett.

The eldest son of the esteemed Duke Everett and Commander of the Crimson Moon Knights.

Before Libertisha had ascended to the position of Commander of the White Silver Knights, he had been known as the youngest knight commander.

“Don’t you dare utter my name so carelessly, filthy mongrel.”

A stillness swept their surroundings.

The atmosphere was completely different from when Egan had mocked Libertisha earlier in the day. All the guys who had been making a ruckus until just now snapped their mouths shut and swallowed hard due to the intimidation that was radiating from him.

Barton also swallowed hard and hid Libertisha behind him.

Though the skills of the Crimson Moon knights were lacking, their commander, Ensodi, was different.

The inside of his clenched fist was slippery with sweat. It was a tense moment.

“I don’t want to though.”

It was Libertisha’s slightly cheerful voice that broke the tense atmosphere.

Oh. Right, she’s drunk.

Barton tried to stop Libertisha, but it was already too late.

“Pff, why do you give such a shit about what I’m saying with my own mouth? You stupid pessimistic bastard.”

“…Does she have a rag in her mouth?”

Well, she has alcohol in her mouth.

Barton had now given up the thought of trying to stop her.

Normally, he would get angry and argue instead, but Libertisha was indeed a mad dog when drunk.

A fighting chicken, to be more precise.

I should’ve just carried her on my back earlier while she was still happy and drunk.

“The White Silver are really beyond hopeless now that this idiotic thing has become the commander.”

“Did you know? The Crimson Moon knights actually curse you out several times more than I do.”

At her words, the Crimson Moon knights behind him flinched. Seeing that, Libertisha’s smile grew even wider.

If they act like that, it makes it even more obvious that it’s the truth. Tsk tsk.

“…Give me a reason why I shouldn’t grab you by the throat and twist it right now, you mad dog.”

“First, because you’re weaker than me. Second, because you’re weaker than me. Third, because you’re weaker than me.”

Bang.

As soon as Libertisha’s taunt was over, Ensodi picked up a dish knife that was beside him and hurled it at her.

However, Libertisha easily deflected the flying knife and the knife ended up embedded in the wall behind Ensodi.

It happened in an instant.

In the eyes of the other knights, it was simply a situation of, ‘There’s a loud bang all of a sudden and next thing you know, there’s a knife in the wall’.

The tips of Ensodi’s fingers and the back of Libertisha’s hand had tiny cuts and were dripping with blood.

Libertisha smiled.

“You’re quite good. But can you afford to spend your time so carefreely when you haven’t even completed your mission yet?”

“You speak as if you have no mission to complete, mad dog.”

“For the sake of the Crimson Moon who’s always getting their ass kicked by the White Silver, I’m taking it easy on you guys this time.”

“Enough with your bull…”

The expressionless Ensodi’s retort came to a halt.

For the first time since he’d been there, an odd smile crossed his face.

“Let’s make a bet, mad dog.”

“You think I’m going to listen to your suggestions when you call people names, you idiot?”

“The mission the emperor had given us is related to the new Duke of Valtale, and it’s asked that he wear the previous duke’s keepsake to the upcoming imperial banquet.”

Ensodi ignored her as he spat out his words.

“I will hand this mission entirely over to White Silver. If White Silver succeeds, Crimson Moon will send deep praise to the White Silver knights for their loyalty and excellence and transfer a month’s worth of the Crimson Moon knight’s salaries to you.”

“Gasp.”

The words that came out of his mouth were shocking.

Even if the Crimson Moon knights were generally high-ranking nobles with plenty of wealth, they would be giving away a month’s salary.

This was more than a matter of pride.

On the other hand though, it was quite an enticing proposition for White Silver. It was because there were many knights aside from Libertisha who were strapped on money.

While the Crimson Moon knights exchanged glances and whispered why the hell their commander was acting the way he was, Ensodi opened his mouth.

“If you fail, you’ll step down from your position as commander and get lost.”

“Is that what you want me to do?”

“Yeah? Well, how about this then? If you guys fail…”

As Ensodi continued, it was not Libertisha’s expression that crumpled, but Barton’s. Barton urgently grabbed onto Libertisha’s shoulder.

“You absolutely can’t!”

“You underlings stay out of this.”

“Miss Libertisha!”

But Libertisha’s expression did not waver. Rather, she looked intrigued.

“Alright. I’ll take three months’ worth of salaries instead. You guys already have plenty of money.”

“Those words would be expected of a money-blind mad dog. Well, that’s fine.”

Ensodi twisted his lips up into a smile and spoke.

“Since the dog has come to know its place and is kneeling down, it’s not like I can’t do at least this much for it.”

***

‘So that happened just yesterday.’

Libertisha thought as her head throbbed from having a hangover.

While Barton called it a reckless bet, Libertisha thought about it differently.

‘I’m the kind of person who will go out and slit people’s throats if I’m getting paid for it. They even said they’re going to give three months’ worth of salaries.’

The cost of failure was just her own pride. For someone who had already cast aside such things, it was a profitable deal to her.

‘What’s so hard about completing a mission that we’ve always done?’

And after having said that so confidently to Barton in the morning, she wanted to kick herself.

Yeah. It’s incredibly hard.

“Can you look my way for just a moment?”

“…”

“Um, Mister Duke?”

Libertisha said, tapping her finger on the glass.

She was currently on the balcony outside the library on the 2nd floor.

Having been deprived of his treetop spot, the boy sat on the railing of this balcony and was reading a book as if protesting.

Not surprisingly, the maids that passed by below screamed at the top of their lungs when seeing such a sight.

And so, in the end, Libertisha had managed to grab hold of him and bring him down… but that was all a trick made by this little devil.

Kaius had left her on the balcony and locked the door from inside.

And now, he was leisurely reading a book and sat with his back facing her as she was trapped behind the glass.

Ignoring her, he was acting as if he couldn’t hear her even though her voice could easily travel through the glass.

‘Look at that mean kid.’

Libertisha let out a sigh, but the corners of her mouth tugged upward. Even when she was locked up in the dungeons of an enemy base, she had escaped.

Compared to that, playing hide-and-seek with an eight-year-old was a piece of cake.

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