Don't Get Caught By Your Husband! - Chapter 48

“What?”

Escalion asked, separating himself from Belladonna.

He had been pondering what she might like in Sirlenia, so her sudden declaration to leave was unexpected.

He opened his mouth towards Belladonna, who had a resolute expression.

“Griblata is still cold. For someone with a weak constitution like you to stay there…”

“But we can’t leave Griblata every time winter comes.”

Belladonna calmly retorted.

“Moreover, this is the first winter I’ll be spending as your wife. If the lord’s wife leaves the domain entirely for her first winter, it could give a bad impression to the people. So, though it’s troublesome, I think it’s better if we return.”

Escalion crossed his arms and made a displeased expression.

He felt like immediately expelling anyone from Griblata who might think such things about Belladonna.

“And when we return, please summon Scarlet.”

“Scarlet?”

“Yes. She’s your family, isn’t she? I’d like to invite her to the castle and have a meal together.”

At Belladonna’s additional suggestion, Escalion stared at her quietly with an unreadable gaze.

Is he upset? Have I gone too far when he hasn’t opened up to me that much yet…?

As she started to worry that she might have overstepped, Escalion nodded and said:

“Alright. If that will make you happy.”

“Thank you.”

Belladonna responded to him with relief.

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“My lady, it’s such a shame…!”

Cindy, who had been packing, sat down heavily and exclaimed.

Belladonna looked at her, feeling apologetic that so many servants and knights had to make the long journey again just because of her whim.

“But I was starting to miss Griblata a little too.”

Cindy, who had been sitting quietly staring at her luggage bag, suddenly turned her head and said.

“The weather here is incredibly nice, but don’t you think the food tastes a bit off? In Griblata, every dish has a diverse flavor, but here everything is either extremely salty or extremely sweet.”

Is, is that so?

Belladonna hadn’t eaten much to begin with, and even when she did eat, almost everything tasted good to her.

Perhaps it’s because I was so starved in my past life…

“I was just thinking about missing my siblings I left at home, so this works out well! I should hurry back and check if father has been feeding my siblings properly.”

Whether she was being sincere or deliberately trying to lighten Belladonna’s heavy heart, Belladonna was grateful for Cindy’s words.

“I heard the lord will summon a mage for our return journey too?”

When Belladonna nodded, Cindy let out a satisfied sound.

“That’s great! The portal made the journey here so comfortable! But this time, it won’t be that old mage from before, right? The lord seemed quite distrustful of him.”

Belladonna shook her head.

The new mage Escalion had hired this time was much younger and more capable.

‘Come to think of it, Favion…’

Thinking of the old mage who knew her secret gave her an odd feeling.

Will I ever meet him again? She thought about him briefly, but couldn’t tell if meeting him again would be a good thing or if never seeing him again would be better.

Belladonna sat down and let out a small sigh.

As soon as the carriage passed through the portal connecting Sirlenia and Griblata, Belladonna greatly regretted her decision.

An enormous cold that seemed to pierce right through to her bones enveloped her.

‘Wow… This is no joke.’

Belladonna, practically clinging to Escalion as they walked out, watched as Griblata’s servants came running out of the castle carrying thick coats.

She sniffled and already missed the warm Sirlenia.

“My lady! Please put this on quickly.”

“It was bearable until last week, but it suddenly got so cold yesterday!”

Yes, I really picked the wrong time…

Belladonna slipped her arms into the thick wool coat they offered as she entered Griblata Castle.

As she passed through the door with Escalion, the servants lined up in rows bowed their heads and greeted them.

“Welcome back, my lord, my lady!”

“Welcome back!”

She noticed the servants looking at each other with pleased smiles as they confirmed the ring on her finger that matched Escalion’s design.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Belladonna discreetly hid her hand under her coat as she climbed the stairs.

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“My lady, it’s Wolf.”

The next afternoon, Wolf visited Belladonna’s room.

After receiving her permission to sit, he opened his mouth with a determined expression.

“I heard you wanted to invite Miss Scarlet Leyton.”

When Belladonna nodded, he placed the paper he was holding on the table.

“It seems the lord has finally told you about it.”

“…”

“I apologize for not informing you earlier, even though I noticed you were concerned about Miss Scarlet. As for me, I couldn’t open my mouth until the lord spoke first…”

When Belladonna smiled understandingly, Wolf continued speaking.

“The lord always reacts cautiously when it comes to matters related to Miss Scarlet. He hides her existence more than necessary, and sometimes even seems to ignore her completely. Even if it leads to unnecessary misunderstandings among people.”

Yes, it seems that way… I wonder if Escalion knows that others perceive his younger sister as his mistress?

Belladonna let out a small sigh.

“But please understand that this was the lord’s own way of protecting Miss Scarlet.”

“…”

“Before being granted Griblata, the lord was a mercenary who wandered the entire continent without settling in one place. Aside from the issue of low pay, there were many people targeting him. After all, taking someone’s side means becoming someone else’s enemy.”

Mercenaries are hired by lords or wealthy nobles to become their swords.

The role of mercenaries is to start fights where their employers want and kill the people they want killed.

‘Naturally, there must have been forces trying to keep Escalion in check, as he was a mercenary more skilled than others. They could have used Scarlet as a weakness to threaten Escalion.’

“At that time, the lord thought he had neither the power nor the right to protect his family. Even for Scarlet’s sake. As he deliberately kept his distance, he naturally couldn’t play the role of an affectionate brother, and over time, the two of them became almost like strangers. Miss Scarlet only contacts the lord when he needs her.”

It was obvious how awkwardly Escalion, who had never really had a proper family, must have treated his sister whom he wanted to protect but paradoxically had to keep at a distance.

There might be an even thicker wall between them than I thought…

“Watching from the side, you can see that the two of them actually care for each other more than anyone else, but ironically, they’re the only ones who don’t realize it…”

Wolf, who had let out a sigh with his words, immediately startled and quickly waved his hands.

“Ah, goodness! Please forget that last part, my lady. I added unnecessary words.”

Belladonna shook her head.

Just from listening to Escalion speak, she could tell that he cherished his younger sister more than anyone else in his heart.

“Ah, anyway… Miss Scarlet is currently living in a house that the lord has provided for her in Griblata. Shall we send a message there, my lady?”

Belladonna nodded.

76 Euphrang Street. It was time to send a letter there.

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Belladonna, who had written the invitation with Wolf’s help, quietly looked down at the letter envelope beautifully sealed with wax.

‘Is this good enough?’

She felt both expectation and worry about how Scarlet would react upon receiving the letter.

She hoped that through this opportunity, Escalion and Scarlet would become closer and have a more normal sibling relationship…

She wanted to give a true family to Escalion, who had never had a real family in the meaningful sense.

‘And I also…’

Belladonna’s heart began to beat slightly faster.

‘I want to become his true family too. I want to stay by his side instead of returning to Astanya like this, and continue to play the role of his wife from now on…’

Belladonna, who had been sitting quietly looking down at the letter envelope she had written, turned her gaze to the side.

There was a collection of letter envelopes stamped with the seal of the Papal State.

They were all letters sent to her by Pope Pronens.

Looking at them, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

When she had first arrived in Griblata, she used to diligently reply to the Pope’s letters, which kept reminding her of the divorce a few months later, saying that she understood.

At that time, she had a stronger feeling that she should return to Astanya, which was somewhat familiar, rather than adapting to and staying with her unfamiliar husband and the unfamiliar Griblata.

Also, she thought that as a saint, she should follow the Pope’s orders no matter what.

But recently…

“…”

These days, as her desire to stay by Escalion’s side instead of returning to Astanya had grown stronger, Belladonna wasn’t giving any response to the Pope’s letters.

And the Pope, perhaps feeling anxious about her lack of reply, had been sending even more letters lately.

Belladonna raised one hand to push away the letter envelopes that she hadn’t even opened anymore.

‘But I can’t keep ignoring the Pope like this.’

The Pope would demand a divorce after the promised three months, citing Escalion’s defects as the reason.

‘Before that, I need to find out what Escalion’s defect is…’

Belladonna’s blue eyes, which had been frowning in concern, turned to the letter envelope she was holding.

From what she had observed so far, Escalion didn’t seem to have anything that the Pope could take issue with.

He had no hidden vast wealth, no military organization or justification to stand against the Emperor or Pope, not even any physical defects, nothing at all.

But if there was one thing, Scarlet might be…

Belladonna frowned and bit her lower lip as she recalled the Pope’s sinister voice.

If it was related to private life, the Pope must also believe that Scarlet was Escalion’s cherished mistress.

He likely intended to make a big issue out of Escalion not being faithful to his marriage by keeping a mistress after taking the saint, who was respected and loved by the people of the empire, as his wife, and use this to make her return to Astanya.

‘How should I prevent this?’

At this point, when it hadn’t been officially announced that Scarlet was Escalion’s younger sister, Belladonna couldn’t reveal it arbitrarily.

And if it was revealed that Scarlet was Escalion’s half-sister, then…

‘As Escalion worried, Scarlet might get hurt, and furthermore, she might become someone’s target.’

There was no certainty that it wouldn’t be the Pope either…

For now, there was still about a month left until the promised three months.

Belladonna turned her head to look at the Pope’s neglected letters.

‘First, I need to find out exactly what the Pope is thinking.’

Belladonna opened a drawer and took out blank paper and a pen.

For now, she needed to pretend to still be on Pope Pronens’ side and read the cards he was holding.