My Mistress Became My Wife (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4

The House of Viscount Benjamin. It was a family name he’d never heard before.

Though Harold hadn’t shown his face in society for quite some time, he was the second son of the Duke Maximilian’s house—the so-called “Sword of the Empire.” He knew most notable families, so if he didn’t recognize this one, it clearly meant the Benjamin family was insignificant and not worth his attention.

Yet Darius was digging into the House of Viscount Benjamin. That was certainly strange.

“Have you looked into the House of Viscount Benjamin at all?”

“Of course I have.”

Austin leaned back lazily on the sofa, resting one hand on the armrest and lifting the other to shoulder height.

“I investigated both the current Viscount Benjamin and even the late one, but found absolutely nothing. No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t figure out why Darius is so intent on digging into that family.”

Harold, seated opposite Austin, asked, “Could it be that you just couldn’t find anything?”

“Well, that’s possible too. I’m no expert in that sort of thing.”

Austin replied nonchalantly, then leaned his upper body toward Harold.

“That’s exactly why—I was hoping you could look into it for me.”

“Why me?”

“Because there’s simply no one else more suited for this than you.”

Instead of answering, Harold opened a cigar case and pulled out a cigar.

Just as he was about to light it, Austin—who had quietly moved to sit beside him—lit the match for him and added, “If you can uncover what Darius is really after, I’ll persuade Duke Maximilian to let you live as freely as you do now.”

“…….”

Harold remained silent again, but his gaze toward Austin had changed. Seeing the unmistakable flicker of hesitation in Harold’s eyes, Austin smiled with quiet satisfaction.

“Don’t forget—it was entirely thanks to me that you got to go to Cardin four years ago. I convinced His Grace Duke Maximilian, and that’s how you were sent to Cardin, earned your merits, and returned like this.”

Harold continued smoking his cigar in silence, drawing a deep puff.

“You did get tied down again because of that merit, but… I can help you out this time too.”

Austin continued, “So help me out as well. Just use your talents to find out what Darius is scheming. I’ll handle everything else afterward.”

A long plume of smoke dissipated into the air. Harold stubbed out the barely half-smoked cigar in the ashtray and gave a slight nod.

“Keep your promise.”

[This is the timeline separator]

It was past noon when Lily finally ventured cautiously out of her room, having locked herself in her bedroom out of fear of running into Brian again.

Fortunately, Lily managed to leave the mansion safely without encountering Brian. Her destination was a fairly large bookstore in the square.

Perhaps due to her father’s influence—he’d once worked as a royal scribe—Lily had been fascinated by languages since childhood. She’d mastered not only the Imperial tongue but also various foreign languages, allowing her to speak many fluently.

She was using this skill to work as a translator of original foreign texts.

“Thank you for your hard work, Madam.”

People who could read and translate foreign texts fluently enough to handle originals were rare, so the work paid reasonably well. Still, it was far from enough to cover her mother’s medical expenses.

Of course, since Frederick had promised to cover her mother’s hospital bills in exchange for her accepting the title of Viscountess Benjamin, she no longer needed to earn the money herself.

Yet she didn’t want to remain indefinitely indebted to Frederick. She’d initially taken up translation work hoping to ease her conscience a little, but the more she did it, the more self-loathing she felt.

So this was how hard it was to earn money.

Lily silently sighed inwardly as she tucked her wallet into her inner pocket. Though insufficient for medical costs, the money was enough to buy her mother’s favorite fruit—which gave her a small measure of comfort.

“Is there anything else for me to translate?”

“Nothing more today.”

“Then I’ll come back tomorrow. If anything comes up that needs translating, please don’t give it to anyone else—save it for me.”

As she turned away after earnestly reminding the bookstore owner, her eyes fell upon the stacks of newspapers neatly piled nearby.

[Duke Maximilian’s Second Son, Harold Maximilian, Returns to the Capital After Annihilating the Troublesome Salaman Tribe!] [Harold’s Glorious Homecoming: The Emperor Lavishes Praise Upon His Merits!] [Harold Maximilian—Will He Replace His Elder Brother, Hamilton Maximilian, as Heir?] [Harold Maximilian, the Rising Star—Now the Most Coveted Bachelor in High Society.]

The newspapers were plastered entirely with stories about Harold Maximilian, the second son of House Maximilian.

Now she understood why the streets seemed unusually bustling today—it was all because of this.

And understandably so. The Salaman tribe had been a vicious band of barbarians who not only terrorized frontier villagers but also plundered trade goods.

Yet the Empire had failed to deal with them for so long because the Salaman moved like rats—extremely swift—and hid only in steep, rugged mountain terrain that gave them a natural advantage in battle.

But to have annihilated them entirely… Lily didn’t know who Harold Maximilian was, but she thought he must be truly remarkable.

Still, that was all. She held no particular interest in Harold.

She had no time to spare for curiosity about a stranger whose face she’d never seen and whom she might never meet in her lifetime. Her sole concern right now was her ailing mother.

Please, let Mother recover quickly. Let her recognize who I am today.

With heartfelt longing, Lily stepped out of the bookstore.

“Huh?”

But the carriage that should have been waiting for her in front of the bookstore was nowhere to be seen. She looked around, wondering if the driver had moved it elsewhere to avoid blocking traffic—but there was no carriage in sight.

Could it be… they’d left without her?

“Excuse me—do you happen to know where the navy-blue carriage that was parked in front of that bookstore went?”

Lily asked a nearby street vendor, just in case. Fortunately, the vendor nodded, indicating he’d seen it.

“That carriage left a little while ago.”

“Left?”

“Yes. They seemed to be in a hurry and left right away.”

Before getting out of the carriage, Lily had specifically told the coachman to wait just a moment.

Yet they’d left without a word. Recognizing this as clearly intentional mischief, Lily gave a bitter laugh. She didn’t believe the coachman had acted on his own; surely either Samantha or Brian had ordered him to do it.

Samantha, though sharp-tongued to her face, wouldn’t stoop to such childish tricks—so Brian was the more likely culprit.

“Really so immature.”

Not only was his mental age young, but his behavior was childish too. Unsure what to do, Lily soon let out a series of deep sighs and began walking toward the opposite side of the square.

[This is the timeline separator]

The moment Austin left, Harold immediately ordered the Information Guild to investigate the House of Viscount Benjamin. Though he’d received documents from Austin, he wanted a separate inquiry in case anything had been overlooked.

Normally, complex requests cost more and took longer—but information about the House of Viscount Benjamin cost only one gold coin and was ready in just two hours.

That alone showed how worthless the information was… So why was Darius so intent on digging into this family?

Growing even more curious, Harold took a seat at a nearby café and carefully reviewed the documents the guild had provided.

His aide, Dillon—who’d insisted on accompanying him despite Harold saying he’d go alone—asked worriedly, “But won’t the Second Prince’s faction notice if we use the Information Guild? Are you sure this is okay?”

Harold smiled and replied, “Then that’s perfect for me.”

“Huh? Perfect? Why?”

“If they find out I’m investigating, the Second Prince will panic and rush whatever plan he’s made. That’ll lead to mistakes, making it easier for me to catch him.”

“Ah.”

Dillon nodded in understanding.

Harold returned his focus to the documents, but no matter how closely he examined them, everything seemed utterly ordinary. If he had to point out anything noteworthy, it would be the fire incident from two years ago.

Two years prior, a massive fire broke out at Earl Benjamin’s Mansion, killing Viscount Benjamin and most of his household. Moreover, the only survivor present at the scene—Viscountess Benjamin—suffered severe burns and developed a mental illness, and was still undergoing treatment.

‘Could the Second Prince have been the one who set that fire?’

Impossible. The Second Prince had no reason to kill Viscount Benjamin—and if he truly were the culprit, he would have arranged a quiet assassination instead of something as conspicuous as arson.

Moreover, the fire had officially been ruled an accident, so if the Second Prince were truly responsible, there would be even less reason for him to dig into it now.

Could he have suddenly remembered leaving behind some clue?

Even if so, any evidence would have long burned to ashes. The only survivor, Viscountess Benjamin, had gone mentally unstable and couldn’t give coherent testimony.

When the investigator handling the case had asked her if she’d seen anything, she reportedly only babbled incoherently.

‘The fire incident doesn’t seem related.’

Then what was it? Why was Darius digging into such an insignificant family?

As Harold pored over the documents once more, his eyes fell upon a portrait of Liliana Benjamin—the daughter of the late Viscount Benjamin who’d perished in the fire two years ago, and the current Viscountess Benjamin.

“This is the current Viscountess Benjamin? Wow, she’s stunning.”

“Is she?”

Unlike Dillon, who was openly admiring, Harold was indifferent. Objectively speaking, she was certainly pretty—but having seen countless women more beautiful than her, he felt little reaction.

What actually caught his interest was the string of derogatory epithets society had pinned on Lily.

“Leech clinging to a swallow,” “Worse than a mistress,” “Wife of a kept man”—all because of Viscount Benjamin’s notorious reputation as a gigolo, she’d been burdened with every kind of slander.

Well, given that she’d married Frederick Benjamin purely for money, those remarks weren’t entirely wrong.

Though her tragic reason—her mother’s medical bills—was understandable, Harold felt no sympathy for her. Nor did he condemn her actions.

He simply felt nothing at all. If not for Austin’s request, he wouldn’t have even known this family existed—and their circumstances were utterly irrelevant to him.