Don't Obsess Over A Married Woman - Chapter 67
“No, no….. Wait a moment.”
It seemed the shock was quite big. But there’s nothing I can do.
Composing one’s emotions is something one must do on their own.
“Since when exactly did this happen?”
“From a very young age, it seems. The eldest Kardiel and the youngest Chersion, being sons, were consistently beaten, and Euphemina was treated like a doll, restricted in what she ate, wore, and even who she met.”
“Their own children, you say? For how long?”
Sergei, who had been moving his lips silently, finally put his hand inside his glasses to press his eyes.
“…Until death.”
He bit his lip.
“I didn’t know for a while either. After I found out, I tried my best to keep the children from encountering their father, but living together, it was impossible to prevent it completely.”
“Did others not know about this?”
“Lord Sergei.”
I calmly explained the reality to him, who seemed somewhat agitated.
“People are less interested in others’ affairs than you might think, Lord Sergei.”
Do you think I wouldn’t have tried to tell others about the children’s abuse? That I wouldn’t have sought punishment for that dead husband of mine who killed two of my children?
But issues like domestic violence or child abuse are often not considered serious problems.
People think that disciplining children is entirely the parents’ responsibility.
Especially in noble families, it’s even more so.
All children are competitors, and every family trains their children harshly so they won’t fall behind in the competition.
In such a place, if I were to ask for punishment because my husband abused the children, I’d only be laughed at.
They would probably say something like this:
‘Aren’t the children fine anyway?’
And so my pleas were forgotten. No one remembered.
Even when my child died, when I miscarried, people’s reactions were merely, ‘Tsk tsk, what a shame.’
The splendid mansion of a noble family was a solid fortress that concealed all sorts of filthy and ugly things happening inside.
“But don’t worry too much. The children have grown up better than you might think. You’ll meet them soon, so it’s best to see for yourself.”
“…I feel ashamed. I don’t know how I should face the children.”
“There’s no need for you to feel guilty about something you didn’t do, Lord Sergei.”
“But they’re my nieces and nephews, aren’t they? If I had seen the children even once…”
“You mean you, who was driven out of home at a young age and couldn’t even come near this place?”
“…”
I tried to lighten his tense expression with a chuckle.
But for some reason, it didn’t seem to have any effect.
As I was reflecting on whether I had said something wrong, seeing him still silent with a dark expression,
“Perhaps.”
Sergei’s green gaze, which had been distorted miserably, once again hesitantly turned towards me.
It seemed like he wanted to say something…
He just opened his mouth and rolled his eyes for a while. Unable to wait any longer, I finally urged him to continue.
“Speak, Lord Sergei.”
“That…”
“…?”
But even so, he couldn’t immediately continue.
Pursing his lips and opening and closing his mouth several times hesitantly, it was only when I was about to get tired that he finally exhaled and spoke.
“…Actually, before coming here, I heard from Sage Jepetto that the situation of the Daiern duchy was quite difficult. That the surroundings won’t leave them alone.”
“Ah.”
Teacher Jepetto had been summoned to the imperial court for several days to prove his thesis.
It seems he met Sergei during that process and had various conversations.
“Once Kardiel inherits the duke title in three years, things will quiet down. Right now, everyone thinks I might be harboring other intentions inside.”
“About that matter.”
Sergei’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Looking quite tense, he met my eyes.
“In my opinion, it might be best for the Duchess to announce her remarriage quickly as the best way to protect the duchy and the children.”
Huh?
I couldn’t react immediately. Sergei continued.
“The reason why people like Wilhelm brother… I mean Wilhelm York Baden with dark intentions keep targeting the duchy is because there are many gaps in the defense of Daiern. Of course, I don’t deny that the Duchess’s firm attitude has been an excellent command tower so far, but while the prey is extremely tempting, the weakness is clear.”
“…”
Weakness, huh.
In fact, I know too. That this defense battle is a very unfavorable game for me and the children.
If we compare it to chess, it’s like having to protect both the king and queen simultaneously.
Namely, Kardiel and me.
If either of us falls or is conquered, this game is lost and Daiern collapses. The children, too, will all be in danger.
The problem is that on this chessboard, there are no powerful rooks or knights to protect the king and queen.
‘Yes, so this game was destined to fail.’
I finally understood clearly the future that Lord Joseph had experienced. And Sergei’s analysis made sense too.
“In my opinion, what’s most needed at a time like this is to announce a remarriage with someone who won’t covet the duke title and can safely protect the children as well.”
That snapped me back to attention.
‘Someone who won’t covet the duke title and can safely protect the children?’
I already know one such person. It’s Lord Joseph.
Of course, there are some uncertain elements, but…
“So how about remarrying me?”
“…?”
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
But in the green eyes shining before me, as straightforward as ever, I could see no trick or joke.
“What did you just…”
“I too am in the direct line of Daiern. With Carlos brother gone and the young duke still a minor, if I were to claim succession rights, I would have the advantage.”
“…”
“But I have no interest or desire for the duke’s position. If you don’t believe me, I’ll write a note renouncing my succession rights right here. I can also meet with His Majesty the Emperor tomorrow and leave an official document.”
No…
“…”
My mind was in a haze.
But amidst it all, there was one thing I could clearly understand.
The real reason why Lord Joseph had forcibly turned back time in the carriage today.
‘If I hadn’t heard that story from Lord Joseph, I would have accepted Sergei’s proposal right here and now.’
Because all of his words were reasonable.
In fact, the strategy of marriage was the best move I had thought of long before Sergei suggested it.
But until now, it was a move that could never be executed. Because it was nothing short of a gamble.
The tactic of using myself as bait to protect the children and Daiern is only effective when I can control the person who bites.
In other words, it’s only possible with someone I can completely trust.
Until now, there was no such person.
Even Lord Joseph, I cannot trust completely. But Sergei is different.
He is the person who lives by the most benevolent beliefs among those I know.
He could never betray others or harm other people.
So…
It was then.
Knock knock.
The knocking sound pulled me out of my thoughts. Soon, a servant’s voice was heard announcing that the children had arrived.
“Ah, it seems the children have come. We should talk later.”
For now, this conversation is on hold.
I welcomed the children’s visit, as I needed time to think anyway.
“Come in.”
However, I could only blink when I encountered Lord Joseph’s smile following the children into the reception room, as if it were natural, when I had expected only the children to enter.
[This is the timeline separator]The moment Kardiel first saw the person who introduced himself as a sage from the Tower of Honor, he could recognize who he was at a glance.
The brilliant younger brother that his father often mentioned with jealousy.
Yes, in fact, the reason why his father never provided proper tutors for his children was due to his inferiority complex towards his brother.
In case, like that brother…
…his children might surpass him.
Kardiel, who had early on realized his father’s sense of defeat, thoroughly hid his knowledge and learning.
It was possible because Teacher Logier respected Kardiel’s thoughts.
But honestly, Kardiel couldn’t understand why his father was so consumed by his inferiority complex.
Now, seeing him, he seemed to understand.
Sergei, his father’s younger brother, resembled him like a twin.
His white face, sculpted like a statue, was like that.
The beauty of his high nose bridge and jawline that anyone would find stunning was like that, and especially his brilliant golden hair.
That’s why Kardiel couldn’t help but shudder with disgust as soon as he saw him.
For a moment, he thought the demon who still sometimes appears in his dreams, wielding a leather belt like a whip, was standing before his eyes.
He thought the dead demon had come back to life.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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