Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband [Novel] Chapter 139

Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband – Chapter 139

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When I woke up again, I was in Lily's room, where I had first been imprisoned.

As I struggled to lift my heavy body, I noticed a letter left by my bedside.

"……"

Naturally assuming Lily had left it, I ignored it at first but eventually reached out for it reluctantly.

However, the moment I saw the very first word, I completely broke down.

"Please let me see His Majesty."

"Duchess. You cannot do this."

"Please call Her Highness the Crown Princess. Please!"

I collapsed right there and burst into tears.

I had promised myself I wouldn't cry no matter what happened.

I couldn't endure this sheer helplessness.

Through my tear-blurred vision, I saw Lily.

"Duchess."

"Please let me see His Majesty."

I pleaded, clutching the hem of her skirt.

"Go back, Hazel. You're going to get yourself into serious trouble if you keep this up."

"Then at least let me see His Highness the Crown Prince."

I couldn't hear anything else.

I kept begging and pleading over and over again.

"His Majesty the Emperor has granted your request."

Finally, the Emperor's order came down.

---

"Please, please, Your Majesty, please…"

The air in the audience chamber hung heavy and stifling.

"……"

"Your Majesty, please grant my request. Please help me go to his side. I beg of you, please allow it, Your Majesty."

"Duchess. What is the meaning of this behavior."

The Emperor, whom I finally faced, looked down at me with an enraged expression.

The Empress looked at me as if I were a madwoman.

At the Empress's signal, the attendants tried to support me and pull me away.

I shoved them away roughly, kneeling and begging over and over again.

Because my body hadn't recovered, my face was pale, and my body trembled violently against my will.

"I beg of you. You cannot, you cannot do this, Your Majesty. Please…!"

"The Duchess does not seem well, take her to her room immediately to receive treatment."

The Emperor let out a sigh.

"Your Majesty…! Please, please let me go. Even if I die, I swear I will never become their sacrifice and betray you. I just, I just need to save him. Please, please Your Majesty, please, I beg of you, please allow it, please…"

Zed, who had approached before I knew it, supported me and pulled me up.

I fumbled and grabbed hold of him.

"Y-Your Highness. Please. Yes? Please help me. I helped you so much…! Please, Your Highness, send me to where he is, let me out of here. Please. You can't do this to me. You said you were my friend, so you shouldn't do this to me. You should have stopped it, hngh, you should have stopped it. Hah, please… ugh, to Cailus… please."

"Duchess. Please, don't do this."

"If my power is the problem, I will disappear. Please, not him. I am begging you like this. I'll do anything. Please, Your Majesty, Your Highness, take pity on my wretched self just this once and grant my request. Please…"

My vision went completely black.

When I woke up again, I was back on the bed.

"Hngh, hup."

I burst into tears.

By the time I woke up again, everything was already over.

"Please let me wake up from this nightmare."

I closed my eyes again.

---

Before my tears could even fully dry, the scenery shifted again.

A very old memory flashed faintly before my eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, I was wearing my knight uniform and being chased by worshippers.

In the dead of night, at that.

"Hah, hah…!"

I had been overwhelmingly exhausted that day, and dropping my guard, I ended up walking right into a restaurant the worshippers had prepared in advance.

The moment I drank the water, I realized they had tampered with it, but I had already swallowed it.

My mana circuits twisted haphazardly, making it impossible to cast illusion magic.

Furthermore, having worked overtime for days at the Crown Prince's request, my stamina was completely depleted.

I had known for months that the worshippers of darkness were after me, but I felt like I would genuinely be captured if I got caught today.

Avoiding the alleys, I ran out onto the main street like a madwoman.

A large carriage caught my eye.

"Please help me!"

I practically snatched the large man as he was boarding the carriage, clinging onto him.

Even though he oozed a dangerous aura just from a glance, I figured he had to be better than the worshippers.

Our eyes met.

"……"

He possessed an enchantingly handsome face that made me gasp even in the darkness, with striking red eyes.

Footsteps echoed from behind.

Growing frantic again, I grabbed the man's coat and pleaded.

"Please, hide me. Just this once. I will definitely repay you. Just for a moment."

"What is the meaning of this?"

A man next to him, who looked like an aide, roughly pulled me away.

I grabbed the man's coat again.

At the same time, the aide tried to chase me away.

Just then.

Suddenly, I was grabbed by the scruff of my neck, and my body lifted into the air.

"Hyaa!"

Pulled into the carriage in an instant with tremendous force, I just blinked my eyes blankly, wondering what was going on.

At the same time, the carriage door closed.

I snapped back to my senses.

"Ah, um, excuse me, well. Thank you…"

"……"

"I'm not running away because I'm a suspicious person. It's just that suspicious people have been chasing me for days now."

"……"

Receiving no response, I glanced out the carriage window before looking back at the man sitting across from me.

"Ah, I, um, I work for the Imperial Knight Order!"

"Mouth."

"Pardon?"

Only after asking did I grasp the meaning.

It seemed he was telling me to keep quiet.

My face burned hot.

"I'm sorry, I'll be quiet."

"……"

The man completely ignored me again.

I clamped my mouth shut as if I were dead, hoping the worshippers would leave.

About thirty minutes must have passed.

It was quiet inside, and quiet outside.

I figured the worshippers might have gotten tired of waiting and left by now.

I fidgeted with my hands.

My twisted mana circuits seemed to be gradually returning to normal.

Thinking it was time to go, I shifted my body.

To reward him, I took out my coin pouch and even the silver coins I had set aside earlier to pay at the restaurant.

Added all together, it was just slightly shy of 10 gold.

I handed the entire pouch to the man.

"Th-Thank you. This is all I have on me right now. If you tell me your name, I will absolutely, definitely pay you back later. Thank you so much."

"……"

The man still didn't respond.

I placed the pouch next to him, bowed deeply, and opened the carriage door.

"I am Hazel Rove, currently serving in the Knight Order! I will never forget your kindness today!"

With that, I practically jumped out of the carriage and closed the door.

Outside, the aide was looking at me with a strange expression.

When I bowed to him as well, he waved his hand dismissively, as if telling me to get lost quickly.

The walk back home.

Relieved that the worshippers were nowhere to be seen, I was walking back when I suddenly heard a presence behind me.

"Excuse me."

Startled by the voice, I spun around.

"Y-Yes?"

It was the aide of the man who had helped me earlier.

"Ah, what brings you…"

"Where is your home?"

"Pardon?"

"I was ordered by my Lord to escort you home safely. Where is your home?"

"Ah, it's fine. You've already helped me, how could I possibly impose again…"

"Where is your home."

Since I couldn't accept more help, I refused, but the man kept repeating the exact same words, as if he absolutely had to carry out the order.

Faced with a voice tinged with slight annoyance, I had no choice but to accept the aide's help all the way home.

"…Thank you! I would really like to reward you properly next time. Could you tell me where I should go to find you?"

"There is no need, so please go inside."

"…But I really want to repay you."

"Please go inside."

"…Alright."

"Farewell."

The aide gave a brief nod and walked back the way we came.

I bowed deeply toward his retreating back.

"Thank you!"

The aide paused in his tracks.

"Seriously. How can she be so relentlessly polite."

I heard his muttered complaint before he moved further away.

Stepping into my house, I thought about that man again.

But I ultimately couldn't remember.