My Husband Has Changed (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
Greta let out a despairing groan.
‘It’s already figured it out. It recognized this as its own….’
Where had it started listening? How much did it know? Was their entire plan exposed?
If the being before her had been the ‘Shadow’ or the ‘Dragon,’ then surely this couldn’t have happened. During its recovery, the ‘sleep’ it experienced was fundamentally different from the slumber known to humans—completely detached from its surroundings, leaving no chance to perceive anything.
…but still. Just once in a million chances—if that ‘sleep’ had been a trap from the very beginning.
“Hhh… heh…”
Crack, crunch. Beneath their movements, sounds that shouldn’t have been audible reached her ears. Her neck should have been broken—death would have been fitting. Yet the suffocating agony persisted. An inexplicable twisting occurred several times. What had become of her bones?
If only she could die. If that was impossible, then at least let her go mad.
Strength gradually drained from her limbs, which had thrashed in resistance. Her airway, tightly constricted, ached terribly. As her breath faltered, her thoughts soon grew dull and sluggish.
Before long, her consciousness sank into deep darkness.
[This is the timeline separator]“His Grace is recovering remarkably well.”
The healer, who had been examining Valentin with such fervor he nearly flipped his eyelids inside out, finally straightened his posture and spoke. Adelheid, who had been clutching her hands together anxiously against her chest, then exhaled the breath she’d been holding deep within.
“That’s truly a relief.”
“Of course, even before, he fell well within normal parameters—but now, it’s somehow….”
The healer stroked his chin a few times, searching for the right words.
“He could spar with well-trained knights and hold his own. At this point, you needn’t impose any further restrictions on his movements starting today.”
“Then… I no longer need to stay by his side day and night?”
“Earlier, I advised you not to leave him alone even for a moment, as his health might deteriorate again at any time… But yes, you likely won’t need to do so anymore.”
Adel exhaled another sigh of relief. Ever since the Grand Duke had awakened, she had kept vigil by his bedside each night. Initially, she’d taken turns with Hermann, but since His Grace disliked servants so intensely, somehow it had fallen solely upon her.
After all, she couldn’t possibly leave alone through the night someone who might “freeze over” again at any moment.
Fearful that his condition might worsen, she had spent several sleepless nights wide awake, and fatigue had accumulated rapidly. Occasionally, she’d doze off in her chair as if fainting. Each time she opened her eyes, she’d find herself atop the Grand Duke’s bed.
Every such instance sent Adel into a panic as she scrambled out of the bed. It would have been problematic if she’d climbed in herself—and just as problematic if her husband had placed her there.
She never wanted to face such embarrassment again. Especially not with Valentin, who…
Cutting short her spiraling thoughts, Adel carefully asked,
“Then… when might His Highness regain his memories?”
“Memories?”
At that moment, Valentin, who had been seated in a chair, abruptly stood and wrapped his arms around Adel’s waist from behind. The intimate contact flushed Adel’s face crimson like a tomato.
He’d been doting on her like this frequently lately—but she never expected him to act so boldly right in front of the healer!
She glanced furtively at the healer and stammered an excuse.
“L-lately… he’s been doing things he’d never, ever have done before. Surely, once his memories return, he’ll regret it deeply….”
However, the healer showed no sign of concern whatsoever. Rubbing his chin without even twitching an eyebrow, he replied,
“Well… no one can say for certain when His Highness’s memories will return.”
“But….”
“You’ve been watching over him—surely Your Grace understands His condition better than I do.”
Adel bit back her reply, lips pressed tight.
Valentin, who had rested his chin atop her head, slowly shifted and began gently nipping at the nape of her neck. It was as if protesting her attention to someone else—as though challenging her: “Will you really keep talking to another person while ignoring me?”
When Adel’s face flushed beyond all capacity, he chuckled softly and finally released her.
“All this time, he hasn’t recognized even his lifelong butler, and his speech, his etiquette… as you can see, he seems to have forgotten everything completely.”
“Hmm.”
The healer pondered for a moment, then spoke.
“Then perhaps we should start with words?”
“Starting with words?”
“Memory is intimately tied to language—once he regains his speech, his memories may gradually return as well.”
She carefully considered the healer’s words. They made sense. If there were no physical issues, then the problem was likely psychological. After all, war inevitably leaves invisible wounds upon the soul…
Suddenly, Adel noticed that the healer still wore his robe and carried his staff—exactly as he had when first led into the castle by the guards.
“Oh, now that I think of it—you said you’d be leaving today? I’ve been so absentminded….”
“Yes. I’ve stayed in Bitzleben long enough; I plan to pass through Bavaria and Vello and return to Falkenheim.”
Adel nodded. Though she felt regretful, they had originally asked him to stay only two days—it had already stretched beyond a week, so there was nothing to be done.
The healer scratched the back of his head and added,
“Truthfully, I’d like to stay longer, but I only have a year left in my pilgrimage.”
Healers from Falkenheim’s Dawnspire undertook a ‘pilgrimage’ upon reaching a certain level of mastery, traveling across the continent. Typically, they would then return to the Spire to devote themselves to scholarship.
Unless specially hired by a lord paying an immense sum annually, they couldn’t even leave Falkenheim again—so lingering too long in one place was simply out of the question.
“Then I suppose I can’t keep you here. You’ve been an enormous help.”
“The experience was beneficial for me as well.”
Adel hesitated for a moment. Clenching her trembling fingertips from nervousness, she spoke.
“Ah, come to think of it—I promised to give you your payment, didn’t I? I was so scattered today… I completely forgot and left it in my room.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I gained valuable experience thanks to you—payment isn’t necessary.”
“N-no! That won’t do!”
Adel blurted out urgently, then added hastily like an afterthought upon seeing the healer’s widened eyes.
“Y-you can’t break a promise! And… it’s not far from here—it’s right along your way out of the castle… Just a quick moment.”
“If you insist so strongly… then very well.”
The healer readily agreed without suspicion. Valentin narrowed his golden eyes slightly, seemingly displeased, yet didn’t stop Adel—unlike before, when he’d resorted to self-harm the moment she left his sight.
Was his memory slowly returning? If so, that would be a good sign. Yet despite his astonishingly smooth recovery, Adel sometimes felt inexplicable unease when facing Valentin.
She carefully avoided his persistently following gaze.
“Then, Your Highness… please rest. I’ll be right back.”
[This is the timeline separator]“This way.”
The Grand Duchess hurried across the dim corridor. At first, she maintained a pretense of composure, but soon quickened her pace until she was nearly running. The healer, bewildered, scrambled after Adel.
“Your Highness?”
“There’s someone I absolutely must show you before you depart. It’s urgent.”
Without even glancing his way, the Grand Duchess lowered her voice to a whisper. Her lips had lost all color. He scratched his head vigorously.
“…I don’t know what this is about, but as long as I’m properly compensated, I’m willing.”
They crossed through the banquet hall and kitchen, descending all the way to the ground floor where the servants stayed.
Maids passing through the corridor bowed respectfully upon seeing the Grand Duchess—as if it were perfectly natural for the lady of the house herself to visit the lower quarters.
‘Well, it was such a talked-about marriage in the North, after all.’
At last, the Grand Duchess halted before a worn door. She glanced around carefully before unlocking it, ensuring no one was passing by.
The door opened with a creaking groan.
Inside lay a pitch-black room. The healer flinched in surprise. A strange sound came from within—like air hissing out, or fingernails scraping metal.
Just as he hesitated at the threshold, the Grand Duchess turned back toward him from beyond the door.
“Come in.”
The healer gathered his wits with difficulty and stepped over the threshold. A bed stood in one corner, upon which a shivering figure lay buried under blankets. The Grand Duchess pulled back the curtain covering the window, flooding the room with light.
As the healer’s dazzled eyes blinked slowly, the Grand Duchess picked up a dropped rug from the floor and shook it out. She wrapped it gently around the trembling old woman’s shoulders and asked worriedly,
“Greta. How are you feeling?”
“Hhh… hik…”
“Oh no… Your throat is even more swollen than this morning. Please hurry.”
Spurred by the Grand Duchess’s urgent plea, the healer finally snapped to attention and approached the bed.
“Let me examine you.”
The maid shrank back into the corner of the bed, her eyes wide with suspicion even toward the healer. Bloodshot eyes, scabbed lips, disheveled hair, and groans escaping in various tones—and her neck…
The moment he saw her neck, he involuntarily gasped.
“Merciful heavens.”
Her entire neck had turned not just blue—but deep violet, as if crushed by immense force. To the healer, the mark wasn’t unfamiliar—it was the very sign seen on those who’d hanged themselves.
“What in the world… happened here?”
“I don’t know. When I came this morning, she was already like this. Please investigate thoroughly. I’ll give you anything I can—every last thing I have…”
The healer pulled out his medical tools from his bag, pressed down Greta’s tongue, and examined the inside of her throat. After a moment, he shook his head slowly and straightened his bent back.
“This is beyond my ability to resolve.”
“Beyond your ability? If even a healer can’t fix it, then what on earth…”
“It’s not physical damage—she’s been cursed.”
“Cursed?”
“Her voice has been taken.”
Adel blinked mutely, her face stunned. There was only one possible meaning: a demon powerful enough to steal voices had openly roamed Ansgar Castle.
But that made no sense whatsoever. Ansgar’s main keep was protected above all by Morrig’s formidable veil.
Those expensive stained-glass windows in the audience chamber alone…
‘Merciful heavens.’
Now that she thought of it, all the audience chamber’s stained-glass windows had shattered recently. Her mind had been so consumed by the Grand Duke’s revival that she’d completely forgotten. Adel barely swallowed down her shock.
‘So it really is connected to a demon.’
Suddenly, Greta’s desperate face from a few days ago flashed in her mind—her uncharacteristic urgency and pleas. So that was it, unmistakably.
‘The Dragon of Bitzleben.’
A flicker of fear clouded Adel’s emerald eyes. Could it truly be…?
“I’ve never seen a curse this potent before, but demon attacks aren’t rare in the North. Every season, two or three victims appear.”
“……”
“All of them carry curses—sometimes a mere scratch from a fingernail makes them bleed, or triggers seizures. Well, each year, one or two inevitably surface. Normally… with injuries this severe, death wouldn’t be surprising.”
Adel’s head snapped up.
“How do you know so much about Northern affairs?”
“Oh. Lintzingen is my hometown. My family has farmed there for generations.”
“Lintzingen… that’s not far from Ansgar territory.”
If his family had lived in Bitzleben for generations, he might know about ‘that.’ At least more than she did herself… Adel hesitated slightly before speaking.
Mentioning that legend might get her branded a madwoman. Even in the North, where demons attacked constantly, no one took ‘that’ seriously—a god worshipped by soulless demons?
But still.
“Then… have you perhaps heard of the ‘Shadow’?”
“…The Shadow?”
“I was just wondering if this incident might be connected to that demon in some way….”
The longer she spoke, the more inscrutable the healer’s expression became. Adel, flustered in advance, hastily waved her hands.
“F-forget it! With so many strange things happening one after another, even baseless rumors have me worried…”
“Could it be, Your Highness… that you’re speaking of the Dragon of Bitzleben?”
The moment the healer uttered those words, a reaction came from nearby. Greta, curled up on the bed, began trembling violently and clapped her hands over her ears. The hissing sound—like escaping air—grew unbearably loud.
Startled, Adel quickly stroked Greta’s back. Watching the scene, the healer slowly opened his mouth.
“…In truth, I haven’t experienced it myself.”
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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