I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 16.1
I ended up receiving a thorough examination.
Of course, they checked for physical injuries, but also for signs of a cold, whether my body was weak, and after examining every nook and cranny… surprisingly, my body was trash.
During my growth period, I hadn’t eaten well, and right after marriage, I had been preparing for the assault. Before the invitation meeting, I had been staying up all night practicing dancing and etiquette.
“From today, drink this every morning and evening. I’ll be checking, Asilia.”
“…Yes…”
Cassion had cornered the doctor like catching a mouse, received a report on the state of my body, and obtained a diagnosis of a large bruise on my bottom along with a weakened condition due to overwork.
He watched with sharp eyes as I swallowed the medicine said to be full of nutrients.
“There’s a little left.”
“Oh, really.”
Are you my mother-in-law? You’re almost making me lick the bowl clean. I swallowed the last bit of medicine and held up the medicine bowl above my head.
“Is this enough?! Is it?!”
“Don’t work today. Lie down.”
“It’s the middle of the day! There’s so much to think about!”
“Don’t think! Just rest!”
“Why is this person like this?!”
I tried not to be pushed down by him as he forcibly tried to make me lie down, but there was no way I could win. So instead, I pulled him down with me as I lay down.
“?!”
“Then you lie down here too! I have something to say!”
If it’s been discovered anyway, it’s better to discuss it together. He almost fell on top of me because I pulled his collar, but he rolled to the side and looked at me with a surprised expression.
“First, take off your shoes.”
But no matter how important the information we’re about to share, I can’t tolerate getting on the bed with shoes on.
“This is ridiculous. Are you asking me to sing you a lullaby?”
He didn’t allow me to get up, but he didn’t refuse to lie down together. He obediently took off his shoes as instructed and hesitantly lay down next to me.
“What did you want to say? If there’s anywhere you’re hurting, don’t hide it and tell me.”
“We just confirmed that I’m not hurt anywhere.”
“We confirmed that you’re overworked.”
“Ah, overwork is nothing… More importantly, about what was written on that paper… about the imperial family-”
As I leaned in seriously to speak to him, the blanket was suddenly pulled up. He had pulled the thick cotton blanket up to the tip of my nose, furrowing his brow.
“Oh, what now!”
“I told you not to overwork. Stop spinning that little head of yours.”
“Are you saying I can’t even talk while lying down?”
If getting angry doesn’t work, then it’s time for the ultimate facial attack. I grabbed the edge of the blanket and spoke, pretending to be pitiful, and Cassion began to hesitate.
“…Don’t talk for too long. I’m just keeping you company until you fall asleep.”
“Okay!”
Cassion finally couldn’t resist me. If you keep acting this naive, I might end up taking advantage of you to the bone.
“What you saw is all the information I know. The rumors about His Highness the Prince’s bloodline will grow, and while attention is focused there, forces trying to assassinate His Majesty will make their move.”
“Are they trying to frame the cornered Second Prince faction for the assassination attempt? Or is the First Prince’s faction trying to assassinate His Majesty and smoothly inherit the crown while their power is consolidated?”
“…Both, probably?”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You seem smarter than I thought.”
I was caught staring at Cassion with fresh eyes as he made these deductions without any additional explanation from me. But I’m not at fault. Every time I used a trick, Cassion fell for it, so I thought he was just a naive person obsessed with swords.
“So you thought I was stupid until now?”
Cassion glared at me, irritated, but I pretended not to notice.
“Anyway, in my opinion, unfortunately, it seems more urgent to prevent the assassination attempt than to deal with the rumors about His Highness the Second Prince. The rumors… there’s essentially no way to prove them, right?”
It’s not like this world has DNA testing, and the Second Prince’s mother, who could have made some excuse, has long been dead.
That’s why in the original story, this incident was left unresolved, leaving a bitter taste.
“The only way to prove that the First Prince is not of royal blood is to make them confess using their own words. Though it would be difficult to draw out such a confession.”
“Leave that to me.”
“…You know you can’t hit royalty, right?”
Cassion glared at me again. Oh, my image of you in my mind is… I’m sorry, okay? Even though you’re the male lead of the original story, I went too far.
“Trying to solve everything at once might ruin it all, so I think it’s best to focus on the Emperor’s assassination for now… but the problem is we don’t know when or how it will happen.”
“Hmm… I’ll relay this to the Second Prince first.”
“…What?”
To be honest, even as I was discussing this, I thought Cassion wouldn’t be able to do much either.
Is it because the Marquis, who was a big pillar of the First Prince’s faction and my ex-husband, is dead? Or is it because Cassion, who will become the new pillar for the Second Prince, has become more established as a Duke? The movements of the First Prince’s faction have become faster and more aggressive than in the original story, so I really couldn’t guess.
But Cassion came up with an answer that was so obvious yet something I hadn’t thought of.
