It Feels Like I’m About to be Divorced, But my Husband is My Favorite

Episode 55

“Hold on a moment.”

Euclid was just as startled as anyone else by the butler’s abrupt entrance into the office and his sudden outcry.

Blinking several times, Euclid tried to make sense of the situation.

“First of all, Delano, are you all right?”

“No! But there is a problem with my nose!”

It seemed that the butler himself wasn’t even aware of his actions, and Delano, who hadn’t received a proper apology, looked visibly upset.

“Ah! More importantly—”

But the butler’s attention quickly shifted away from him.

“Please bring me all the ledgers! Oh, and the inventory of assets too! Not just the newly acquired ones, but the entire original list as well. Collect everything without leaving anything out! Only then can we finally pay off that wretched debt! To think I didn’t know what kind of person she truly was! I’ve been terrified all this time, feeling so ungrateful and indecent—I don’t even have the face to show myself anymore! How could someone like this grace our dukedom… Oh, never mind, just bring them, my lord.”

“Could you calm down and explain everything slowly? Asking for all the ledgers out of the blue… I’m struggling to follow what you’re saying.”

“Struggling to follow? I can’t even understand a word of it!” Delano grumbled, still holding onto his nose in frustration.

However, there was one thing that caught everyone’s attention.

“Wait, did you say the debt will be fully repaid? By whom? And who exactly is this person you keep praising so highly?”

“Who else could it be? It’s none other than the new hope of the Rudion Dukedom—our lady!”

The butler exclaimed passionately, as if the words were bursting out of him.

Delano, utterly baffled, asked again, “Our lady?”

Only then did the butler realize how sudden his shift in attitude had been and looked a bit embarrassed.

Still, he couldn’t contain the emotions welling up inside him.

For generations, the Rudion Dukedom had been burdened by debt, a weight that his grandfather, great-grandfather, and even great-great-grandfather had carried. The thought that the family might one day collapse under the sheer mountain of debt was a constant fear.

Now, someone had appeared, promising to pay it all off. How could he not be overwhelmed?

“Our lady has…”

The butler’s voice trembled as tears welled up in his eyes.

“She’s offered to pay off the entire debt with her dowry.”

“Is that true?”

“It absolutely is!”

“But isn’t the dowry her personal property?”

“Exactly!”

Delano stared blankly at the butler’s firm confirmation.

The wealth transferred as part of the marriage arrangement with the Basilian Dukedom was already significant. However, most of it was tied up in non-liquid assets, and converting it all into cash would involve substantial losses. Even then, it was uncertain whether it would be enough to clear the debt entirely.

Still disoriented, Delano pressed on, fulfilling his role as the advisor.

“Do you know how much her dowry is? Is it truly enough to cover all the debts?”

“How would I know! And doesn’t her request for the ledgers mean she doesn’t know the exact scale of the debt either?”

The butler’s confident response was so brazen that it left Delano speechless.

“Still, blindly trusting her word…”

“Isn’t it enough to be grateful for her offer?”

Moments ago, the butler had been berating himself for being ungrateful, but now he looked at Delano as if he were the most shameless person alive.

Delano looked indignant.

“Even so, there are important details we need to clarify.”

The butler raised his chin proudly and declared, “That’s why, with great embarrassment, I explained everything on behalf of the Dukedom. I told her, in no uncertain terms, that the Rudion Dukedom’s debts are beyond immense—utterly and overwhelmingly massive!”

“Was it really necessary to emphasize it like that?”

Euclid murmured quietly, but no one paid him any mind.

“And how did she respond?”

“She smiled.”

“Excuse me?”

“She lifted the corner of her mouth and smiled. Then she asked, ‘Do you know who I am?’”

“The Basilian daughter…?”

That seemed the most likely answer, given her title as the daughter of the Basilian family, the wealthiest house in the empire.

But the butler shook his head with a smile.

“That’s exactly what I said. But our lady shook her head in response.”

“She shook her head?”

“Yes. That wasn’t the answer she had in mind. She said she was someone destined to attract wealth no matter where she went. A… Maider? Or was it a Mai-something, she said.”

The butler, who had been speaking confidently, paused and muttered to himself, “This is why old people should just die,” blaming himself. Then, as if realizing this wasn’t the main point, he quickly continued.

“Anyway, don’t worry. No matter what happens, all the debts will be paid off without a trace. The Madam said to trust her!”

The butler shut his eyes tightly, overwhelmed by the emotion and thrill that surged through him again upon recalling those words.

However, Delano, too overjoyed to stay calm, began trembling with fear and his lips quivered.

“Th-this is unbelievable. How could something so good… Could it be that the Madam is asking us to repay the money on her behalf in the future? Or what if we end up paying even higher interest than before…?”

“No, that’s not…”

“How dare you utter such nonsense, Mr. Assistant!”

Before the butler could even shout in frustration, a louder voice boomed from behind him.

“When did you arrive, Head Maid?”

Startled, Delano flinched as he noticed the head maid standing at the door, glaring at him with sharp eyes.

The head maid spoke coldly.

“I was bringing tea to the master a little while ago and overheard everything because the door was open. I can’t believe the Madam is so thoughtful about this household…”

The usually stoic head maid, surprisingly emotional, covered her mouth as if to hold back her feelings.

Yet, no one could accuse her reaction of being excessive, for like the butler, she had endured much hardship managing the household and its internal affairs for years.

Above all, the lady’s dowry was her personal asset, untouched even by the head of the family, unless she became widowed or divorced.

But for the Madam, who had only arrived at the Duke’s household a day ago and had no designated heir yet, to willingly offer her wealth—how could one not be moved by such a gesture?

“And yet, you dare treat the Madam like a loan shark!”

The head maid, her earlier moist gaze replaced with a fierce glare, began interrogating Delano.

“But we can’t be completely sure, can we?”

Of course, even as he argued, Delano couldn’t deny that the possibility of his claim was slim.

After all, the Basilian Ducal Family, with its thriving merchant guilds, had no rumors about engaging in usury, even amid Evgenia’s many infamous reputations.

“Ah! There’s no time to waste here. The Madam specifically instructed us to report this to the Duke and bring the ledger immediately!”

Suddenly recalling the mission Evgenia had assigned, the butler jumped up in haste.

It was then that Euclid, who had drawn everyone’s focus and attention, sighed softly and stood up from his chair.

“So. Where is my wife now?”

Cough, cough.

Ugh, the dust…

Is the Duchess’s office practically abandoned?

I let out a small sigh as I looked around the neglected office. The desk was covered with a thick layer of dust, and cobwebs were hanging in various corners.

Somehow, I had noticed earlier that the butler only introduced me to the key parts of the estate while sweating nervously and watching my reactions closely.

It seems he was trying to steer me away from places left in this kind of state.

“I thought it was because he was scared of me.”