I Think My Husband is a Murderer

When I arrived at Barberin Castle, I couldn’t stop laughing. This is because the reception of guests was extremely poor. I’ve recognized begonias since they were sent as wedding flowers, but I never expected them to look down on me so openly.

There was no one there to meet us, so the guard guarding the gate guided us.

The king’s greeting was even more spectacular.

“Our great Commander Shultz, Duke of Mussen, has come to this squalid place. It’s a great honor.”

He was sitting on the throne in the throne room, looking down at us with a bored look on his face. He only had a formal smile on his lips.

“So, was the way here comfortable? I was very surprised when he said he would visit right away today after putting in the flue yesterday. I had no idea that your loyalty to me would be so extreme.”

Every time he breathed, his nearly half-bald hair fluttered helplessly.

“I really wanted to see our Duchess’s face. It’s so beautiful that rumors even reached the capital.”

There wouldn’t have been such a rumor.

I laughed inadvertently.

Well, usually the things that are inaccurate tend to snowball and increase in power more than the things that are accurate. The King immediately licked his drooping lips and gave me a friendly eye greeting. Then he started grumbling with a somewhat grumpy look on his face.

“Anyway, the royal family sent a heartfelt congratulation. Where did you get the flowers to celebrate your wedding? I need to know if I received it well. I had no idea that you wouldn’t even send a thank you note for the royal favor.”

“You mean begonia? I didn’t know some people appreciated the warning. I’ll keep this in mind next time.”

The King’s face crumpled. The toad-like lips became even more twisted. Soon he returned to his calm expression and spoke.

“Did Edward send you something like that?”

Even passing responsibility to someone else. He was truly a mean and ridiculous person.

“More than that. There is a reason why I called the duchess. I also want my new wife to be a beautiful commoner. What do you think?”

The king’s eyebrows, which were extremely thick and dark compared to his hair, twitched.

“As your Majesty wishes.”

Johannes said indifferently. Then the interest on the king’s face disappeared a little.

This time he turned his attention to me.

“What about your wife?”

“Anyone would be honored.”

Afterwards, he made numerous excuses, but it seems he didn’t get the desired response. The King gave off a rather dull and bored expression.

Tsk, he clicked his tongue and took a deep breath. The large, protruding belly bobbed up and down. As if the reactions so far haven’t been that interesting, he’s starting to get grumpy now.

“So what are you going to do with the war reparations, Duke Schultz?”

“Well. I don’t know the whereabouts of the embezzled money, so I have nothing to say.”

Johannes raised his eyebrows.

To be strictly speaking, with Duke Schultz’s execution, the obligation to return the embezzled money was virtually eliminated. This meant that even if there was real embezzlement money, there was no obligation whatsoever on Johannes. Nevertheless, there was only one reason why the royal family continued to be accused of embezzlement. To tarnish his reputation.

The King now asked me.

“I would like to ask about our beautiful duchess’s intentions. What does she think of the Duchess?”

I answered without delay.

“Of course, I think it is right for the responsible party to pay. It may be presumptuous to say this, but even if the previous duke really did embezzle, my husband does not know the whereabouts of the money.”

“…They said so. First of all, Duke Schultz’s argument is correct. But I just don’t believe it.”

The king shamelessly lied. There was no embezzlement at all from the beginning.

“I don’t know much, but I heard that you have blocked the Schultz family’s ability to access funds. Thanks to this, the financial status of the dukedom is in jeopardy.”

It is right to respond to a lie with a lie. Only the money tied up in the account could not be used, but the numerous assets belonging to the Shultz family could be disposed of at will, so the financial situation was not that precarious. But there is no need for him to say that it is worth living. Even if the royal family knew the Schultz family’s finances.

I continued speaking with a dry expression.

“And if you ask me to repay money whose whereabouts are unknown… I have nothing to say.”

“Oh, my heart is full of respect for my husband. For the sake of the duchess, I must release the right to borrow funds.”

There is no way the King will say empty words… As I stared at him with a surprised expression, the old toad raised his eyebrows with a grin.

“There is a condition instead.”

Then yes.

There was no way it wasn’t there. There’s no way it’s a fair offer.

As I waited silently for a reply, the King pretended to sound stern and continued speaking.

“I have nothing to gain from the Duchess, so I will ask you, Duke Schultz.”

“Please speak.”

Johannes answered calmly. Then came an answer that shocked him.

“To be honest, I really like your wife. So, what are the terms on which you hand over her wife to me?”

I couldn’t believe my ears and frowned. I couldn’t manage my facial expression at all. However, the King continued his suggestion by asking what was the problem.

“Then, I will release the Shultz family’s financial financing rights and also hand over his embezzlement charges.”

The eyes hidden by the thick flesh flashed. The King continued speaking with a shameless look on his face.

“How is it? Is this a bit of a harsh proposition?”

The snide snake sitting inside, wearing a toad skin, laughed.

“It’s a tempting offer.”

Johannes answered without any sign of hesitation.

“Very much.”

Because of that, I felt like I had been struck by lightning.

‘The king must have called you for a reason. I may have heard something from Edward Windsor.’

‘Then what should I do?’

‘I will do my best to accommodate what they want, so all you have to do is follow along.’

I remembered the conversation I had with Johannes on the train. At that time, he just nodded his head…

‘I didn’t know that fitting in would work like this.’

I could feel the King watching my reaction with interest, but that didn’t matter one bit at the moment. The problem was that Johannes Schulz was preparing to hand me over so calmly.

‘I guess you really don’t plan on letting me go.’

I can’t read their facial expressions, so it feels stuffy. Even if it was him, he probably never expected to receive such an offer in the first place. However, not only will they release the right to borrow funds, but they will also clear the charges of embezzlement.

Naturally, they were much more valuable than me. Even if it were me, I would be worried. But I wouldn’t react like that right away. If he had shown more signs of concern, I wouldn’t have been so upset.

“Yes. It must be a very tempting offer. Because everything will come back, not just your honor. Of course, there will be no public opinion criticizing him for divorcing a commoner woman. How is it?”

While I was confused, the King put on a benevolent expression and answered Johannes. With complete faith that I would not be able to refuse. However, the king’s expression immediately hardened at the answer he received.

“Unfortunately, I have to decline.”

“…”

“Such a beautiful and capable wife.”

Johannes turned his head and glanced down at me. Our gaze met with eyes that seemed to be studded with turquoise.

“It’s rare.”

Even at this moment, his face was so handsome that I inadvertently frowned. This is because the gaze felt as if he was really confessing.

The King’s eyes widened, and then he burst into laughter.

“Ahaha! I didn’t expect Duke Schultz to reject this offer. Has the desire for power disappeared?”

“It can’t be. Would you believe me if I told you there isn’t one? Besides, I’m sure His Majesty didn’t really ask.”

“No, of course not. “If you had done that, you would have been held guilty of taunting me.”

The king’s eyes suddenly became harsh. The warm and somewhat dazed look was gone, and in its place was a man with sharp eyes.

He said again.

“Anyway, you had a hard time coming this far. I think it would be nice if the Duke and Duchess could stay at the castle for a few days, but they’ll probably refuse, right?”

“Of course it is.”

Johannes answered without delay. The King also smiled faintly without any sign of regret.

“Okay, well, it’s only a short time, but please rest comfortably.”

 

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