Wishing My Husband Dead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
She told herself that, yet she couldn’t help but feel something inside her was tearing apart.
Every time she bowed her head to them and endured their insults face to face, it felt as though the ground beneath her feet crumbled away.
Cordelia concealed her crumbling heart and greeted them gently.
“You must have worked hard to come all this way, Lily.”
“Hmph!”
No matter how many times Lily snapped at her, Cordelia only smiled and responded kindly, until Lily finally lost interest and entered the castle with Helena.
Upon arriving in the drawing room, the maids quickly served tea. Three cups were set out, but one gradually grew cold—no one had offered Cordelia a seat.
She was so accustomed to such treatment that she didn’t even find it strange anymore.
“By the way, how’s Craig doing?”
“Ugh, don’t even get me started. He’s recovered enough to walk around, at least.”
“But…?”
“The real issue is his head—his head’s the problem.”
“What do you mean? What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s complicated. On top of that, those vultures are already circling the castle, eyeing the earldom. Ugh, my head.”
Helena pinched her temples as if overwhelmed. Lily’s face instantly filled with worry.
“How bad is it? I thought he’d fully recovered by now…”
“Wouldn’t that be nice.”
“I shouldn’t be sitting here drinking tea—I need to go see Craig right away.”
“What? Wait, Lily! Lily!”
Helena hastily stood up to stop her, but it was useless. Lily had already flung open the door and dashed down the corridor, her skirts vanishing from sight.
“Ugh, that stubborn girl. Hey—you! What are you just standing there for? Go after her already!”
Helena called out sharply to Cordelia, who stood there dazed.
“Me?”
“Who else would I be talking to? Hurry up and go!”
Reluctantly, Cordelia began walking—very slowly—toward Leonard’s bedroom.
When she reached his room, Lily’s voice drifted through the crack in the door.
“…can you?”
As Cordelia opened the door, she found a tragic heroine standing inside.
Lily’s eyes were glistening with tears, ready to spill over like pearls at any moment.
“How could you possibly forget even our childhood together?”
She behaved as if abandoned by her lover, while Leonard grimaced in utter disgust.
The moment he locked eyes with Cordelia entering the room, he jerked his chin toward Lily.
“She’s noisy—get her out of here.”
“Craig! Do you really not remember me? Huh?”
“Lily, Craig just woke up not long ago and he’s tired. Come on, let’s go have tea with Lady Abrams…”
“How dare you touch me?”
Lily shrieked angrily and slapped Cordelia’s hand away, the force strong enough to make Cordelia stagger backward slightly.
Of course, Lily didn’t even look back. Cordelia let out a faint sigh and approached her again.
“Lily.”
“Hey. Just because I left the castle, do you think you’re suddenly the lady of this estate? If not for your so-called noble blood, you wouldn’t even be allowed in here as a maid—got it?”
“…”
“You lowborn thing—stop bothering me and get out. I have something to discuss with Craig.”
She’d heard these words countless times and thought they wouldn’t hurt anymore, but apparently, calluses didn’t make one immune to pain.
A sharp pang struck her chest, yet Cordelia deliberately ignored the feeling.
‘Just think of it as a dog barking.’
“I’m sorry, Lily. Lady Abrams said…”
“Who even are you?”
“Craig? It’s me. Lily. Your little sister Lily.”
“No. You just get out of the way.”
Leonard, who had been lying in bed the whole time, finally sat up. He stared straight into Cordelia’s eyes and said,
“You were so bold earlier, speaking your mind firmly in front of me. Why are you suddenly acting all meek?”
“…Craig.”
“Craig?”
Both women looked at him simultaneously. Leonard stood up completely.
“Just say what you have to say. Holding it in will make you sick.”
“Craig!”
Frustrated by his continued indifference, Lily finally shouted. Leonard openly scowled in irritation.
“You’re the loudest and most vulgar person in this room—get out.”
“What do you mean ‘you’? Craig, what’s that supposed to mean? I’m Lily! Your little sister Lil…”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it—you’re Lily or whatever. Just leave. I don’t want to talk to some lowly nouveau riche’s daughter.”
“What? Nouveau riche?”
“What’s so impressive about being an Abrams, anyway? Your family just bought your nobility with money.”
Of course, compared to the Atirais, the Abrams were practically commoners—but coming from Craig, who carried that very blood, such words were utterly inappropriate.
Lily was too stunned to find a rebuttal; she could only stammer the same words over and over.
Meanwhile, Cordelia standing beside her had to pinch her thigh to keep from laughing.
“Do you even know what the Sacred Eight Houses are? That girl may look a bit dim, but she’s a Vasquez—completely out of your league.”
“…”
“You’re nothing but a disgrace—go back a few generations and you’re practically commoners. Know your place.”
Leonard surveyed Lily with that familiar, well-practiced gaze brimming with contempt and loathing.
Lily’s face twisted in utter misery. Cordelia lowered her head deeply to hide her smile.
“You’re… too much. Hic… I just… sob…”
“Go cry somewhere else—it’s noisy in here.”
Those last words were the final blow.
The moment Lily heard Leonard’s biting remark, she burst into tears and fled the room.
After Lily had fully left, Cordelia’s shoulders shook for a while.
“Why are you pandering to someone like that?”
“Lily—snort—I’ve never seen Lily make that face before.”
“No wonder—you’ve been keeping your distance this whole time.”
Leonard retorted curtly. After laughing for a long while, Cordelia finally straightened up.
She’d laughed so hard tears had formed. Wiping her slightly damp eyes, she said,
“Ah, that felt so good. I haven’t laughed like this in ages.”
“If you’re planning to divorce anyway, why bow your head to that woman?”
“Are you asking because you genuinely don’t know… or just to tease me?”
“What?”
“We can’t divorce right away, and I don’t have any savings either. What makes you think I can hold my head high in front of this family?”
Cordelia spoke with a self-mocking smile.
“They brought me here for exactly this purpose, after all.”
“This purpose?”
“I’m not a person in this castle—just a vessel to pass on Vasquez blood. There’s no reason to treat something like that as human.”
That was it.
Her words were far too cold and detached to be a true expression of herself.
Though she pretended to be unaffected, Cordelia’s eyes were stained with hurt.
She quickly wiped it away and added cheerfully,
“And no matter how much I dislike it, I can’t just walk out of this house empty-handed. If I want even a single extra coin in alimony, the one in need must bow first.”
Leonard roughly scratched the back of his head and asked in his usual blunt tone,
“How much money do you actually need?”
“What?”
“How much do you need that you’re groveling like this?”
It was such an ordinary question, yet her breath caught sharply in her throat.
“Money? Well… uh…”
She could’ve just brushed it off lightly, but she was afraid he’d sneer if she named the amount.
To him, it was just a meaningless number—but to her, it was a sum that meant life or death, and that made her feel wretched.
Why did her pride, which she thought she’d already discarded, rear its head precisely here?
She should just smile as usual and state the amount—that’s all she needed to do…
Her heart churned, her stomach twisting. Cordelia bit her lip and couldn’t speak for a while. Noticing the heavy atmosphere, Leonard spoke.
“Hey, I…”
“I should go now.”
She forced the corners of her mouth upward and took a few steps back.
“I thought I’d thrown away all my pride, but I guess I still have some left. I won’t come by for a while.”
“Wait.”
“Rest well.”
With an expressionless face, Cordelia left the room.
It was the first time—Cordelia had left the room before Leonard told her to go.
Leonard stared at the spot where she’d stood for a long time, then turned around.
“Did I say something wrong? I just asked how much she needed.”
“Oh dear, Master. You basically asked her what her own worth was—of course her pride would be hurt.”
Baron, whose face had been peeking out from the water cup, shook his head.
“You really are too harsh. Miss Cordelia has been helping you so devotedly all this time…”
“Help? What help? All she did was chatter annoyingly and leave.”
“Good heavens! She came every single day without fail to attend to you and keep you company—do you have any idea how rare that is?”
“Did I ask her to? She came on her own because she wanted something from me. Like I’ve never seen people like that before.”
Leonard snorted dismissively. Baron pretended to sob more dramatically.
“Poor Miss Cordelia… stuck with a heartless, tearless master who only speaks cruel words…”
“When did you two become so close that you call her ‘Miss Cordelia’?”
“She welcomed the stranger who took over her husband’s body with utmost kindness—and this is the insult she gets in return?”
“Do you even listen to what I say?”
“Even after realizing your true identity, she never tried contacting the outside world and treated you gently instead. Where else in this world can you find someone like her? In Atirai, filled only with wolves and jackals, such kindness is unimaginable.”
“Oh fine, fine—so I misspoke once…”
Faced with Baron’s relentless assault, Leonard finally threw up his hands in surrender. Baron pressed his wrinkled forehead and implored earnestly,
“Remember, fallen or not, she is a Vasquez. Your great-great-grandfather Delon Atirai’s second son was tied to the Vasquez family.”
“I know, I know.”
“The next time Miss Cordelia comes, please welcome her warmly.”
Half frustrated and half resigned, Leonard agreed. Sadly, however, he never got the chance to keep that promise.
Because Cordelia kept her word.
Just as if her daily visits to his room had all been a lie, she completely stopped coming.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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Fun chapter. The relationship between all of them is heartwarming.
They are so cute together I can’t take it anymore <3 love the dynamic
he’s already a jealous husband, the slowburn is slowburning hehe