I Think My Husband is a Murderer

The hope that my father is still alive was shattered, leaving only a sense of disappointment.

 

As I spoke absentmindedly, Johannes slowly opened his mouth.

 

“The one who impersonated Captain Prim was a young man, they say. He paid a considerable amount of money to the hotel.”

 

Johannes continued to talk about what he had found out. Fortunately, there were no dangerous items in the room, only a letter.

 

It seemed like someone wanted to confirm something or was suspicious of me.

 

Of course, I had assumed that someone might be imitating my father. However, perhaps because I hoped it wasn’t true, the sadness that came with this incident didn’t diminish.

 

I looked around the empty room and replied, “I apologize for deceiving you and coming this far, but no matter how I think about it, it seems like my father is alive.”

 

“You didn’t say. Captain Prim’s body—”

 

“I know. I am aware… But the decay was too severe, and in such a situation, it’s impossible to be sure if the person who sent the letter is really my father.”

 

“I can help you find the person who sent the letter if you want. However—”

 

“Can’t you just trust me a little?”

 

Johannes raised an eyebrow.

 

He probably intended to warn me not to expect too much. However, from the beginning, I didn’t want to think negatively like that.

 

When I nodded silently, Johannes nodded in a somewhat helpless expression. He then gently wrapped his hand around my shoulder.

 

“It’s better to leave here for now. The investigation is over, and there’s nothing suspicious, but it’s better to be cautious. Let’s think it over carefully.”

 

In the end, without any clear conclusion, I boarded the train back to Muhsen with Johannes.

 

* * *

 

It was an unusually foggy day.

 

Not a good day for battles or navigation.

 

On such days, the implicit rule was not to launch a preemptive attack, as the sacrifices on both sides could increase due to the unfavorable conditions.

 

Johannes was smoking on the deck of a ship floating in the middle of the sea. It was truly a rare moment of rest.

 

There was no one to disturb him until a middle-aged naval officer approached.

 

“Commander, would you like to smoke as well?”

 

Johannes, with his eyes closed while smoking, did not respond.

 

The naval officer, whose face was quite damaged due to the passage of time, seemed to have been handsome in his youth, judging by his lively smile and well-shaped nose.

 

The first impression was nothing remarkable.

 

“Can I smoke here too?”

 

Johannes still didn’t answer.

 

The man seemed to interpret Johannes’ silence positively and occasionally approached him, sharing cigarettes and starting to talk about unnecessary stories.

 

“My daughter says, do you know how beautiful she is? She received dozens of marriage proposals this time. But her father, the author, is out in the war, so…”

 

The man alternated between boasting about his daughter and expressing his worries. Occasionally, the sound of a sigh could be heard, signaling a tough day.

 

After this happened several times, Johannes couldn’t stand it anymore and checked his name on the military uniform tag, warning him, “Isaac… Captain Prim. I’m not here to listen to your complaints.”

 

“Oh, I apologize. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my daughter. If I were to die on the battlefield, how would my daughter survive alone…”

 

However, Captain Prim, despite Johannes’ sharp words, didn’t lose his smile and behaved as usual.

 

Eventually, Johannes had to step back. He threw some appropriate words of comfort to Captain Prim.

 

“Don’t worry. We will all return alive.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

There was little hope in Captain Prim’s voice as he asked that.

 

Perhaps Johannes had been convinced, perhaps since the moment he spoke kindly to me, that he wouldn’t return alive.

 

But without revealing his thoughts, he responded, “Of course.”

 

Everyone knew that the military situation in Dochilia was not favorable. It was likely that they would soon suffer defeat.

 

However, it was not something they could express openly, as it would undermine the morale of the soldiers.

 

“Right? Yes. For the sake of my daughter, I should try my best to survive, even if it’s difficult.”

 

Around the time when Johannes was concluding his day by listening to Captain Prim’s trivial stories, a sudden change occurred.

 

When the vibrant green eyes gradually lost their luster, Isaac Prim fell ill.

 

* * *

 

The train heading to Muhsen was silent.

 

I gazed at Johannes’ profile quietly. He was staring out of the window with a face that revealed nothing about his thoughts.

 

Suddenly, I noticed a bruise on his right cheek.

 

“Are you hurt?”

 

Without thinking, I asked, and Johannes turned to me. He furrowed his forehead, not understanding, as if he couldn’t comprehend the question.

 

“On the cheek… there’s a wound.”

 

I said, pointing to the area near his cheekbone.

 

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just a scratch.”

 

He replied, touching the edge of his cheek.

 

The conversation ended there.

 

How much farther did the train travel? Around the time it was approaching Muhsen, there was a sudden jolt, and the train shook violently.

 

With my center unsteady while sitting, Johannes, who was sitting across from me, grabbed my arm. Thanks to him, I could avoid an embarrassing situation.

 

“Thanks…”

 

I couldn’t even muster the strength to express gratitude properly at that moment. The outside became incredibly noisy.

 

When the train didn’t start moving again, people began to step out of the compartments.

 

Johannes also stood up from his seat. After checking outside with a sharp gaze, he opened the compartment door.

 

“I think I need to check something briefly. Is that okay?”

 

“Yes, of course. Go ahead.”

 

Is there something wrong?

 

After bidding Johannes farewell with an indifferent expression, it wasn’t long before screams erupted from various places.

 

Checking the corridor, I noticed acrid smoke seeping into the train. People, coughing in the thick smoke, hurriedly started to get off the train.

 

Where is Johannes? Where is Ahin?

 

Ahin was in a different compartment from us, and given the different sections of the train, he might not have been aware of the situation.

 

I covered my nose and mouth with my sleeve, quickly left the compartment, and headed to where Ahin was staying.

 

Fortunately, he was not there when I reached. People were still pushing each other to get out of the train.

 

I also needed to quickly get off the train. If the fire was confirmed, it wouldn’t be surprising if an explosion occurred at any moment.

 

Just as I managed to secure a view by pushing through the crowd, a mysterious man grabbed my wrist.

 

I was led by his hand, quickly exiting the train.

 

“Thank you…”

 

I was about to thank the man when I looked at his face and fell silent.

 

The man, wearing a suspicious hood flipped backward, was staring at me intensely.

 

“Duchess Schultz?”

 

His lips beneath the hood drew a sly smile. It was around the time I felt something strange and was about to run away.

 

Thunk, a sharp pain struck the back of my head, accompanied by a dull sound that pierced my ears.

 

That was the last memory before losing consciousness.

 

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Translator Note:

 

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