Sickly? Husband's Contractual Wife

Chapter 100

Aunt Elinda received my greeting with a lackluster response.

“Sister!”

Melia and Tina ran out of the open door and hugged me, followed closely by Ririn.

“Sis!”

Austin was holding Ririn’s hand.

I hugged each of my siblings in turn.

“I brought some snacks. And gifts, too.”

“Wow!”

The twins were the first to jump up and down, and Austin joined in with them, hopping around excitedly. However, Ririn’s face darkened slightly. The younger siblings ran to the carriage, eager to see the gifts.

Watching this, Aunt Elinda clicked her tongue and spoke.

“I don’t know where you’re working, but you send money regularly, so it’s not bad for taking care of these bothersome kids.”

“…”

I bit the inside of my mouth gently.

‘I must endure, I must endure.’

I repeated this to myself so many times that it became ingrained.

For now, there was no one else I could entrust my siblings to. Besides Edgar, who was 18 and living in the academy dormitory, the rest were still at an age where they needed adult supervision. Even if I wanted to set them up on their own, my siblings were too young for that now. There weren’t any reliable adults around either.

Aunt Elinda was the only one who agreed to take care of my siblings. Of course, she didn’t do it for free; she demanded a reasonable amount for their care, which was money approved by Camilla.

“Thank you so much for taking care of my siblings, Aunt Elinda.”

“Yes, don’t forget that favor. By the way, the house is getting old, and there are more and more places that need repairs.”

“…So?”

“I mean, it’s not just me living in this house, is it? Your siblings run around so much that the floorboards are about to come loose.”

Blatantly hinting at needing more money, I sighed softly.

“I’ll talk to my workplace.”

“Yes, do that.”

Aunt Elinda hummed softly.

“Ririn.”

I gestured for Ririn to come closer.

“Yes, sister?”

“If Aunt Elinda ever mistreats you, like not feeding you or hitting you, you have to tell me, okay?”

“Okay, I will.”

Ririn nodded quickly. Her eyes, wavering with unease, showed that life here wasn’t entirely comfortable.

“Sister… will we see you again next month?”

“Yes, and I’ll bring even more delicious things next time.”

“If it’s too hard for you, we can just go to an orphanage.”

“Don’t say that.”

I grabbed Ririn’s hand and shook my head.

“But I don’t like that you can’t stand up to Aunt Elinda because of us.”

“Just wait until Edgar graduates. Then I’ll find a big house for all of us to live together.”

“…Really? With what money?”

“I’m earning money. That’s why I’m sending you to Aunt Elinda’s.”

“But…”

Ririn bit her lip. Despite being young, she was more mature than others her age because of her love for reading.

“Can’t I earn money, too?”

“No.”

I answered firmly.

“Why not?”

“You’re still too young. Just think about it later.”

“But…”

“If Aunt Elinda tries to make you work, just tell her you’ll tell me. Then we won’t give her any allowance or living expenses. Understand?”

“Okay.”

“I’m sorry, okay? Please just hang in there a bit longer.”

“You don’t need to be sorry.”

Ririn lowered her head.

There’s nothing more disheartening than feeling completely powerless. Remembering the times when my younger siblings went hungry, and I had to drink cold water to fill my stomach, I could understand how Ririn felt.

As Ririn and I whispered closely together, Aunt Elinda seemed to grow uneasy and approached us.

“You there, Selene. I’ve had my suspicions, but I haven’t said anything until now.”

Not again. What’s she going to say this time?

I glanced back at my younger siblings, worried she might say something inappropriate.

“Yes, Aunt.”

Aunt Elinda looked me up and down for a long moment before speaking again.

“You’re not selling your body somewhere, are you?”

“What…?”

I stared at her, dumbfounded by her sudden question.

“Well, the carriage looks much better than before, and your clothes and…”

I had chosen the simplest outfit from the ones Paula had tailored for me, but it still seemed extravagant to her. The Ludden Baron family, despite being nobility, was so poor they couldn’t even visit the Imperial Palace. My family, the Viscount family, had been in dire straits before our fall.

“Your words are too harsh, Aunt.”

I clenched my hands tightly and spoke.

“You can’t fool my eyes. Your high-quality clothes, and your skin and hair are glowing with health. You must be the mistress of some nobleman…”

She trailed off.

“You have a low opinion of others.”

The sudden voice of a man cut her off.

For a moment, I thought I was hearing things.

“…”

I turned around and was shocked.

Here, in this shabby place, stood someone who seemed out of place.

“Amoide?”

No matter how many times I blinked, it was indeed Amoide standing there.

“Wh-who are you?”

Aunt Elinda was taken aback, her expression dumbfounded at the unexpected visitor. Despite the intrusion, she instinctively recognized that the man was of high status, refraining from yelling or scolding and only moving her mouth silently.

“Wh-who are you?”

She glanced out the window of the drawing room. The small yard, too small to be called a garden, had a carriage parked that looked of the highest quality at first glance. Moreover, the large sun emblem on the carriage door was something that anyone in the Empire would recognize.

“The door was open, so I came in. I’m ‘family,’ so you won’t have me prosecuted for trespassing, right?”

The words were exceedingly polite, but his tone was haughty. It was an odd combination.

“Family?”

Aunt Elinda clutched her chest as if she might collapse any moment.

‘No.’

I rose quickly to prevent the disaster his words might bring.

But I was too late.

“Lady Ludden, I am her husband.”

His words dropped like a bomb, and I froze, staring at him in shock.

“Amoide?”

At my call, he glanced at me before looking back at Aunt Elinda.

“H-husband? Since when?”

“Selene and I are married.”

He spoke in an incredibly calm tone, and Aunt Elinda’s face turned pale.

“N-no, Amoide.”

I rushed over to stop him from speaking.

Amoide reached out to me as I ran toward him.

“…”

Soon, his strong hand gripped my shoulder and pulled me close to him. On the hand holding my shoulder, he wore the ring he had been forced to wear. He made sure to wiggle his fourth finger, drawing attention to the brilliant light glinting off it.

“When you act like you’re single outside, things like this happen.”

“Well, that’s…”

Your mother told me not to make it obvious, remember? I wanted to snap back, but I swallowed my words.

“I apologize for the late introduction. I am Selene’s husband, Amoide Ifrit.”

“Ifrit…?”

Aunt Elinda’s face immediately stiffened.

“Duke’s… household?”

“I believe you recognize my family’s crest, Baroness.”

“…”

Aunt Elinda clapped her hands over her mouth, unable to speak. Then she finally managed to say something, and it was absurd.

“Y-you, are you the duke’s mistress…?”

“No.”

I cut her off sharply.

No matter how much I was driven by money to sign the contract, I was still legally his wife. Ririn was nearby, as were Melia and Tina, who were wide-eyed, staring at the stranger who had suddenly appeared. I couldn’t let my siblings hear that I was some nobleman’s mistress.

“I am…”