I Became the Obsessed Ex-Husband in a Romance Fantasy Chapter 157 - Read Online

Translated Chapter 157. TS Side Story - Contract (1) There was no longer anyone within the castle who used gentle, affectionate old titles like "My Lady" or "Young Miss." With the previous Duke and Duchess of Schumichel having suddenly perished in a carriage accident, the sole legitimate heir to lead the Schumichel Family was Dayna Schumichel alone. "This way, Young Duke." Inside the inner chambers of the lord's office, where Dayna had entered, the court physician Joel—who had already received word—stood with a stiff expression. Peolrak. As Dayna tossed off her thick cloak and bloodstained outer garment, a red-soaked shirt was revealed beneath. "Heavens!" "Oh, my..." Selma and Bill, who had followed her in, gasped and covered their mouths. "Young Duke, what on earth happened!" "Isn't it obvious." Dayna muttered in a cynical tone, as if spitting out blood. "My uncle sent a gift. Or perhaps it was those other branch family bastards." Joel hurried over and tore away the shirt, soaked in blood and clinging to her skin. A gruesome sword wound running the length of her back was laid bare. "Hic...!" Selma finally burst into tears and covered her face with both hands. "Such a hideous wound on our precious Young Duke's body... What are we going to do." "What, afraid I won't be able to marry because of the scar?" "Who would dare say such a thing!" Dayna shrugged, then gestured toward Joel with her chin. "Finish up quickly." "...This will sting a bit." Joel began treating Dayna's wound quickly but calmly. Sa-ak, sa-ak. He disinfected the wound area where poison might linger, then wiped away the blood from within the torn flesh. It was a painful enough procedure to make even a grown man scream, yet Dayna let out not a single groan. Kkuk. She merely gripped the armrest of the chair as if to crush it, sweating cold beads and clenching her teeth. "......" She could not afford to show anyone a moment of weakness. Because the hyenas eyeing Schumichel could be lurking anywhere. "I apologize, Young Duke. If only I had moved a little faster..." Matthias, standing beside her, bowed his head repeatedly. His voice trembled thinly, weighed down by guilt. "If not for you, I would have had my throat slashed." Dayna quietly shook her head, her face pale. "I merely did my duty as the Knight Commander..." "You did well, Matthias." Matthias stepped back with a flushed face. 'Next time, I will protect the Young Duke with my life!' He vowed again and again. "These are medicinal herbs with hemostatic properties." Having wiped away all the blood caked to her body, Joel began applying a thick layer of the herbs. Dayna, who had been silently enduring the pain, spoke in a low voice. "They were waiting on the road to the Kalmar mine." "How large was their force?" "Over ten. They were precisely trained assassins." Dayna closed her eyes and recalled the moment. "I had wanted to capture them alive if possible, but they came at me laced with poison, making that difficult. In the end, killing them all was the best option to minimize casualties." Beneath her dry, impassive tone, a killing intent she had yet to fully rein in churned viciously. "I feel like taking the knight order right now, storming my uncle's estate, and cutting off his head." "Young Duke..." "Though even if I did, he'd just deny it and claim there's no evidence." Dayna struggled to suppress her surging killing intent, lowering her gaze. "A mere twenty-year-old girl holding Schumichel—it must be unbearable for them." "Those bastards who couldn't even breathe when His Grace the previous Duke was alive...!" Bill draped a fresh shirt over Dayna as he erupted with indignation. "Do not worry, Young Duke. Selma and I will weed out every last one of those harboring ill intentions." "Fabri will always test the food before serving it. Not a single drop of poison will touch the Young Duke's lips." Selma spoke in a firm tone as she assisted. "Thank you, all of you." Dayna nodded toward her attendants. For a brief moment, a faint weariness flitted across her face, but— "To the office." Dayna resolutely wiped away her emotions and turned her back. Sigh... Sob. Bill and Selma wiped the tears from the corners of their eyes. Since she had taken a leave of absence from the Academy and returned, they had not seen a single smile on their young lady's face. She had always been a woman of few words, but now she had become entirely expressionless, as if she had lost all positive and gentle emotions. That fact pained them deeply. Dayna sat in the office chair and began scanning the documents piled on the desk. "I heard my aunt came by earlier?" "Yes. She brought a list, saying you might need a guardian." "Throw it out. What else?" "A letter has arrived from the royal palace." Bill cut open the envelope bearing the royal crest with a paper knife and handed it to Dayna. Pallak. As Dayna read through the letter, her brow began to crease. [To my dear friend, Dayna. I worry that bearing this burden alone may be too much for you. If you need any help, just say the word. Whether it be the Royal Knight Order or financial support, anything you need...] "...I'll need to write a reply." Sabak. As if accustomed to such situations, Bill placed premium gold-leaf stationery that he had prepared in advance neatly before Dayna. Dayna dipped her quill pen in ink—generously, very generously—then drove the nib down onto the page. [Keep your unnecessary meddling to yourself. I will handle my own territory's affairs. If you truly want to help, try reforming the kingdom's succession laws instead. What kind of absurd rule prevents a woman from immediately undergoing the succession ceremony?] Having dashed off her reply to Alix in one go, Dayna turned her gaze to the side. "What's this pile of papers?" "Um, well..." Bill placed the papers before Dayna with a deeply apologetic expression. "...Marriage proposals?" Upon confirming the contents, Dayna's eyebrows shot up sharply. "As you can see... they are marriage proposals from the branch family members and central nobles." "When did I ever announce that I was going to marry anyone?" "You didn't, but..." Seeing Dayna's face grow even colder with extreme fury, Bill answered in a shrinking voice. "Their excuse is that... since the Young Duke is fighting a lonely and difficult battle, she will need the support of a strong partner's family." Pallak, pallak. Dayna's hands grew increasingly rough as she flipped through the papers piled on the desk. "These bastards..." A curse finally ground through Dayna's teeth. Bill quietly stared into empty space. He knew the Young Duke's speech and behavior were growing increasingly coarse, but knowing the reason behind it, he could not dare say a word. "They think I can't see right through their scheme to swallow up Schumichel." Dayna's lips twisted as she irritably flipped through the papers. "What's this one? Count Marcus's second son? The one who got knocked out in ten seconds during a sparring match and cried as he forfeited?" Peolrak. Another page turned sharply, as if the paper might tear. "And this one, what the... Isn't this an old baron whose three wives all died of illness? They must have all lost their minds collectively." Dayna tossed the papers aside and leaned deep into the backrest. "Damn it." Dayna's chest heaved and fell sharply. She squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to calm her seething rage. Dalgeurak. Beside her, Bill silently brewed tea that would help calm the mind and body. "...Fine. Let's see them try." At last, Dayna snapped her eyes open. Her blue eyes flashed fierce as a blade. "Tell them to come." "Pardon? Are you serious?" Bill, startled enough to nearly spill the tea, quickly tightened his grip on the cup. "Do you mean you're accepting the proposals?" "No. I'll meet them first and then decide. They're supposed to be my future husband, after all." Dayna grabbed the stack of proposals again and flipped through them rapidly. "They should come in person and pitch themselves on how great they are." A chilling smile spread across Dayna's lips as she scanned the contents at a quick pace. "Perfect timing. I was getting annoyed as it was." Only then did Bill realize what his young lady was plotting. 'You plan to humiliate them to their faces.' But so what? She was a Schumichel. If any of them intended to lord over Dayna as her husband, they were rotten from the roots. 'A worthy husband would naturally obey the young lady.' Bill nodded and offered the warmed teacup to Dayna. "Here, chamomile tea." But Dayna did not take the teacup immediately. "......" She had suddenly stiffened her shoulders and was staring intently at one of the papers. 'What is it?' Sensing the shift, Bill glanced at the paper Dayna was looking at. 'Rojian Vikander?' He remembered because he had already reviewed all the proposals before handing them to Dayna. He was one of the ones Bill had skimmed over—an insignificant family with a plain self-introduction. He was from the Magic Studies Department, if he recalled correctly, but that was the only thing of note. 'Do they know each other personally?' Bill politely concealed his surging curiosity and spoke. "Young Duke?" "...What did you say?" "Chamomile tea. You should drink it before it cools." "Ah, right." Dayna finally reached out and took the teacup. But the stack of proposals in her other hand had stopped moving to the next page. Horok. Even as she sipped the tea, Dayna continued to stare at Rojian Vikander's proposal. "Hem, hem." Bill gave a small cough and said what he had originally intended. "Then, assuming one hour per person... I'll schedule two to three per day." "No. Tell them all to come at once." "Pardon?" "One week from now, at this time. Anyone who can't make it is disqualified from the preliminary round." Dayna savored the aroma of the tea in her cup and muttered coolly. "Trash should be gathered and disposed of all at once." But over the rim of the teacup, the corners of her mouth were turned upward in a slant. "This should be interesting." ** Normally, a venue for receiving marriage proposals from noble families would bring to mind a grand reception room set with plush velvet sofas and the finest tea. An elegant battle of wits, subtly showcasing each other's family prestige and wealth—that was the unspoken rule of the capital's social circles. However, the suitors gathered today were led to the First Training Ground within Schumichel Castle. "I heard the reception room of the Schumichel ducal residence was as magnificent as the royal palace, but what on earth is this?" "Mud on my expensive leather shoes! What could the Young Duke possibly be thinking, inviting precious guests to a dust pit like this?" "Do you know who I am? If my father hears of this, he will have strong words about Schumichel's insolence! Bring the Young Duke here at once!" Nobles dressed in the finest ceremonial attire and drenched in perfume grumbled with dissatisfied faces. Standing on a floor thick with the faint smell of sweat, the stench of blood, and clouds of dust left them disoriented. "...Hm." Just one person. Only Rojian looked around, seemingly fascinated by the Schumichel Castle he was seeing for the first time. "How dare they treat the Marcus Family like this!" "Where is the Young Duke!" The other suitors acted as brazenly as if a meeting with Dayna were already promised to them. Kkuk. The soldiers surrounding the training ground tightened their grips on their weapons. 'If it weren't for the order to stand by...' 'They look like they'd crumble after one punch.' 'Those things become the Young Duke's husband? Ugh. Just the thought is horrifying.' While they were exercising restraint and patience— Jeobeok, jeobeok. With the heavy clank of metal, Dayna Schumichel made her appearance. Behind her followed Matthias and the knights under his command.

I Became the Obsessed Ex-Husband in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 157