I Think My Husband is a Murderer

There was a man whom I thought had disappeared right in front of me. However, no one knew that this man was the one who had gone missing.

How could anyone know that he had disappeared when nobody knew who he was? And how do you know him when nobody else does?

If I were explaining this to someone who didn’t know the situation, it would be quite a long explanation, and I would have to ask countless questions, furrowing my brow in confusion.

I was in the same boat. It was surprising to be the only one who recognized him when others couldn’t, so I stared at him intently for a while.

‘The date for the joint funeral ceremony will be announced soon.’

After receiving various help from him at the naval headquarters, that was the last thing he said before we parted ways.

“You can freely wander around like this?”

I asked him a somewhat foolish question. Viscount’s forehead wrinkled slightly.

“There doesn’t seem to be any reason why I can’t.”

“No, but the naval officers would recognize Colonel.”

He didn’t answer. Somehow, he seemed a bit uncomfortable, lowering his head and then stringing together words that didn’t need to be said.

“Ah… I came here to find a job. Luckily, there are still positions available, so I decided to go for an interview a week from now. Lord Russell—”

Before I could continue speaking, he abruptly grabbed my shoulder.

As I stared at him blankly due to his sudden action, I heard a grumbling voice from behind.

“Why are you blocking the entrance?”

It was a voice mixed with annoyance. He lowered his hand that was raised towards the air and clicked his tongue.

“Take better care of your lover there! Next time, be more straightforward!”

After that, he pushed me aside and briskly entered the post office.

I almost got pushed away out of the blue. I stared at a sharp edge nearby and swallowed nervously.

It was the first time I had been treated like this.

Muesen, a city known for its pleasant and peaceful environment. Most people in Muesen were kind and relaxed.

I witnessed with my own eyes how that reputation was slowly distorting.

I suppressed my surprised feelings and said, “Thank you.”

Once at the harbor, once at the naval headquarters, and now at the post office.

For some reason, I always found myself indebted to him. I forced an awkward smile and continued speaking.

“I’ve talked too much about irrelevant things. I’m sure you’re busy, so you should go now—”

“This doesn’t seem like a suitable place for a conversation.”

He interrupted my words with a calm voice.

“…Pardon?”

I looked up at the Duke with my eyes narrowed. Was he suggesting that he wanted to have a conversation with me now?

“Aren’t you here for something at the post office?”

“It’s not something important. So where did you find a job? I think I didn’t hear it properly.”

Duke extended his hand towards me with a gentle smile. I looked at his large hand curiously and then, on impulse, grabbed it. He then led me with an appropriate amount of strength.

What’s going on? Why is he curious about my job?

Even after walking for a while after leaving the post office, I still couldn’t come up with an answer. Then suddenly, his question came to mind, and I quickly replied.

“I haven’t found a job yet, but I decided to go for an interview. It’s in a week. It’s with Viscount Russell.”

I felt his arm, where my hand was raised, stiffen for a moment. He stopped walking.

“If it’s Viscount Russell… you mean… the Viscount of Beulun?”

“Yes, because the salary conditions are good.”

“Well, I don’t recommend it.”

“If it’s because of Lady Russell’s strict disposition…”

Just as I was about to continue speaking…

“It’s an official letter!”

Someone shouted from the square. It was an urgent voice. Our gaze simultaneously turned towards the direction where the sound came from.

“An official letter has arrived from the military, please confirm!”

Our faces instantly clouded.

If it was an official letter from the military, it meant the date for the joint funeral ceremony of the fallen soldiers.

* * *

It was a gloomy Wednesday with snowflakes lightly falling.

The joint funeral ceremony of the fallen soldiers took place.

Together with the surviving soldiers, families of the fallen soldiers, we mourned my father, whom I can no longer see, and the other fallen soldiers.

It was at the moment when I was throwing lilies beside my father’s grave in the deep pit.

Someone approached me from the side. There was only one person who would come to my father’s side here.

Johannes Schultz.

But I had no energy to acknowledge him. I just blankly continued throwing lilies.

After a while of silence, I thought he would just remain silent. But then he opened his mouth.

“Private Prim and I were close.”

“….”

“I feel like I should now pass on the message he left behind.”

I stopped throwing lilies and held my breath. I couldn’t respond. Rough breaths escaped intermittently. My eyelids trembled, and I tightly closed my eyes.

Soon, his composed voice flowed into my ears on the breeze.

“He truly loved you.”

I clenched my fist tightly. My entire arm trembled, and my fingertips turned pale.

“Don’t be too sad and live happily. Someday, you’ll be able to meet again.”

“….”

“He asked me to convey that to you.”

Though I didn’t see it personally, I could imagine what my father’s final moments were like.

I lowered my head, trying to hold back the urge to cry.

What illness exactly took my father away, and how were his final moments?

Such questions rose up in my throat, but tears seemed to burst forth, so I couldn’t utter them in the end.

Pressing my lips firmly to prevent myself from crying was all I could do.

“Meet again…?” 

Such a miraculous thing would never happen. My father had passed away.

I could never meet him again.

“I’m truly sorry.”

His earnest voice weighed heavily on me. It felt like he was telling me that it’s time to let go of my father.

Staring at the lilies piled high above the grave, I gently closed my eyes.

* * *

I thought I had shed all the tears I had, but it seemed there were still plenty left.

In the end, tears burst forth once again. In front of Johannes Schultz.

It wasn’t until my eyes were too swollen to open properly that the sobbing subsided. The military cemetery was suddenly empty.

The sun was setting in the west, creating an evening glow. Beneath the reddened sky, that man stood there.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I only show such disgraceful behavior when Major is around.”

I pushed aside the veil that covered my vision and wiped my eyes with the handkerchief he handed me. Viscount Schultz nodded his head slightly, indicating that it was alright.

“I’ve heard stories of your father living with you alone. I heard you studied pharmacy.”

I looked up at him with a surprised expression.

“My father said that too? Really… It seems like you were close.”

He nodded his head silently.

It was fortunate that my father had someone he got along with on the battlefield. At least he wouldn’t have been lonely.

As I faintly smiled, he spoke up. He still gazed at my father’s grave, fixated on the lilies.

“I may be overstepping my boundaries, but I don’t recommend going to Viscount Russell.”

“If it’s because of Lady Russell’s strict disposition, I appreciate your concern, but the decision has already been made.”

“No, it will be difficult to live in a foreign land. I want to offer you more practical help from my side.”

Help? Do you pity me?

Unconsciously, I furrowed my brows and turned my body towards him. He, too, turned his body to face me.

“If you’re sympathizing with me, I’ve already received enough help, so it’s unnecessary.”

“Sympathy, huh? It sounds plausible, but…”

“Yes?”

Duke Schultz’s eyes still held no emotions.

“I’m sorry, but no. I can’t just leave the daughter of someone who has helped me a lot. Besides, there happens to be a suitable job nearby.”

Nearby? If it was a job offer, it did pique my interest. However, I didn’t want to show my enthusiasm immediately, so I pretended to be uninterested and asked.

“Where?”

Looking back now, I wonder if this wasn’t his first proposal.

With eyes that had become mysterious in the tinted evening, the viscount made a proposal to me.

“How about taking on the duties of the Schultz family, Miss Prim?”

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Translator Note:

 

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