Episode 8
“You’re not mistaking yourself to be Amoide’s real wife, are you?”
“Have I?”
“What?”
“You have always put me in my place since I moved into this house. About my situation.”
While I was staying in the house, Camilla did not treat me well.
Because the mistress did this, the staff also didn’t think much of the new duchess.
Even though they were polite and did what they were told, they made fun of me behind my back.
It was a normal result, since my husband didn’t love or recognize me as his wife.
“But I also need to be able to care for my husband. Even though… we have a contract that ties us together as a couple.”
I had to do that to keep him from dying and keep from being wrongly accused. Raymond will still be the doctor in charge.
“Even if I take care of Amoide’s health, I will keep you updated on a daily basis. I just want to share some of your responsibilities, Mother.”
From where I was sitting, it felt like thorns were growing.
Camilla had to say yes to my idea for me to move on to the next step. If she turned me down now…
“You seem to have changed a little, as if the soul of someone else moved into you.”
When Camilla said that, I gripped my hands tight.
“Everyone changes
.”
Because there is no other way to live.
Camilla looked at me with squinted eyes. She really didn’t seem to understand what the phrase meant.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
It was easy to figure out.
To survive.
So, I chose to use what I had to the fullest.
Even though we had a written agreement, I am still Amoide’s wife. The person closest to him who can take care of him and guard him.
“It can’t mean anything else. I just want to do more to help us reach our goal.”
To be exact, a peaceful breakup.
A beautiful goodbye in which neither side can be blamed.
After reading the contract between Camilla and me over and over again for two weeks, there was only one way to get out of it without breaking the rules.
Camilla had to end the deal herself because she had no other choice.
Camilla wouldn’t want me to pay her anything if she broke the deal on her own. Amoide needs to get better for that to happen, though.
Once there are many women who want to marry him, he can choose to marry a daughter from a well-known family.
Then you won’t need me any more.
I looked into the eyes of Camilla. We didn’t talk for a while, neither Camilla nor I.
“We’ll see.”
I quietly let out a sigh of relief when I was just barely given leave.
“Great!”
“But if Amoide’s condition gets even a little worse or if it turns out to be a waste of time, I won’t let it go.”
With a sharp, tense voice, Camilla added.
I didn’t think it would be easy for Camilla to let me take care of her son’s health.
Camilla has given me the chance to save him, so I must do it.
This was a risk, for sure. It was a very risky bet that I was putting my life on. If I succeed, I’ll save my life and my money, but if I don’t, I’ll…
‘Stop thinking about it.’
It was a bad habit to think about bad things before getting started.
I took a big breath and said what I had to say.
“…Understood.”
I got out of the chair with a push.
“Then I guess that’s the end of our talk… I’m going to Amoide.”
As I stood up, I looked down at Camilla.
Oh, this is different.
When I looked down from up high, I felt different.
It was just a difference in height, but I had never seen such a thing before because I always kept my head down in front of Camilla, even when I stood up.
“What are you staring at that way?”
“Nothing, nothing at all.”
I didn’t bow my head; instead, I looked Camilla in the eye. From now on, I won’t bow my head because it hurts my neck.
Even if I live carefully with a heavy heart, I’ll die with my neck hanging in the end, right? Doing what I want to do is better. Even if I did that, it wouldn’t really be a big deal. Camilla’s cruelty toward me started, at least, after Amoide died. Before that, she may not pay attention to me, but she won’t hurt me. With this idea in mind, I chose to take a few more risks. I was in charge of Amoide’s health because she gave me permission to do so. It was time to move on to the next step.
“What did she say? Did she give you permission?”
As soon as I shut the door, Rona started asking questions as if she couldn’t wait to find out what was going on. I didn’t answer, so I began to walk lightly.
“Where do you want to go?”
Rona came after me and asked quickly as she walked.
“Where else? I need to see my well-known husband.”
“The Master?”
“Yes.”
In the passage, the sound of footsteps was repeated.
“For what?”
Rona looked at me like she didn’t know what to say. It was easy to understand. During normal times, I didn’t spend much time with Amoide, except for the day I had to go to the ready bedroom to spread good genes far and wide.
“What do you mean for what? I should do my duty as his wife.”
“Yes?”
“From now on, I’m going to act like I’m close to my husband. No, I’m going to try to be a loving wife.”
“Oh my god.”
Rona smiled.
“You’ve made a good decision!”
Rona’s smile and laughter went away.
“How then?”
Rona asked, looking confused.
“It’s a nice day.”
I stopped what I was doing and looked out the window. The bright light caught my attention.
“Amoide and I are going for a walk right now.”
—
“What is it?”
In front of his room, I was stared at by a maid with sharp eyes.
I just came to see my husband, but I had the strange thought that I was going into a cave to fight a boss monster.
“I came here to see my husband.”
Is she a guard or something?
“His Grace is currently sleeping.”
She said it without blinking. She didn’t look like she was going to move out of the way.
“Really? Can’t I see him?”
“His Grace hates it when people bother him when he’s trying to sleep.”
Even though her voice was as sharp as a needle, I wasn’t going to give up.
Once I got into the room, an even scarier monster would be waiting for me, so I had to get past this point quickly.
“Emma, you know I came here to see my husband, right? Does his wife count as one of the “other people” you mentioned?”
“…”
Emma’s eyebrows wrinkled as if she didn’t like what I said, but she couldn’t answer.
“I came here because I was afraid for my husband. I wanted to check on him and see if he was still in pain.”
Emma rolled her eyes and looked like she was thinking for a while. I finally couldn’t take it any longer and added more.
“If you stand in my way, I’ll tell Mother for sure.”
“T-the Madame?”
When she heard what I said, the woman, who had been standing with her arms crossed in a proud way, looked at me with doubt.
When she heard what I said, the woman, who had been standing with her arms crossed in a proud way, looked at me with doubt.
‘She isn’t afraid of me, but she is afraid of Camilla.’
It was close, but I didn’t have a choice. I needed that strength.
“Mother told me to take care of Amoide’s health.”
“Really…?”
“If you don’t believe me, you should go ask her.”
Emma just bit her lip and didn’t say a word.
“If you get it, then step back.”
I pushed Emma out of the way and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
When I heard the short answer, I opened the door and went inside right away. Then I quickly put my hand in front of my face to block the sudden burst of light.
Sparkle.
A huge amount of light came through. I didn’t know that the sun was this bright.
When I looked ahead with my eyes only half open, I saw where the light was coming from.
“….”
Amoide was sitting in front of the window, on a built-in seat that stuck out from the wall. He did nothing but that.
But why did it look like a famous picture I could only see in a museum?
His way of sitting looked very comfortable.
One leg was propped up on the window, and one hand was resting on top of it.
The other leg was long and spread out below him.
It took me a long time to look down his long, long legs, from his hip to his toes.
He looked both strong and beautiful because his legs had just the right amount of muscle and stretched lines.
Even though he was a little bit thin overall, he had a great body.
Even though he looks this good, because he faints easily, it’s no wonder why his self-esteem would not be in very good shape.
“What’s wrong with you?”
He looked at me with wrinkled eyes, which helped me quickly come back to myself.
“…”
“What’s happening?”
He looked upset or, better put, confused when I came to see him.
I didn’t usually talk to him unless there was a good reason.
When I was only a few meters away, he would often make a face.
Or if our skin touched even a little, he would glare at me as if I would pass on some sickness.
What did I do so wrong?
I felt sad all of a sudden, and my nose hurt a little.
Why was my life so miserable?
We got married for money, but I had my own life to deal with. Did I do something to make him hate me so much?
Due to how badly I was treated, I was accused of killing my husband. Truly a sad life.
I gathered my confidence and took a step closer, opening my mouth to speak.
“Amoide.”
“…” He looked at me as if he had misunderstood what I had said. So, I gave him another call.
“What did you do, Amoide?”
His whole body turned toward me.
“What did you say?”
“I wanted to know what you were up to.”
“Apart from that.”
“Amoide. The Duke, Amoide Ifrit. Yes, that’s your name.”
One, two. I counted my steps as I walked toward him.
