I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 59
Hello, Readers! I am celebrating my birthday with extra chapter updates, so please enjoy this special chapter release of four bonus chapters! 🥳
(Lurelia’s Birthday Bonus – Update 2/4 🎉)
“Duchess, are you alright? That’s my house over there.”
It took a bit longer because I asked Jenin to avoid dirt roads that leave traces and straight paths, just in case. But it seemed we had completely shaken off our pursuers, and soon a small house built at the very edge of a peaceful little village appeared.
“The stable is quite large compared to the house.”
“I’ll help you down, please be careful, Duchess.”
Jenin, who lightly ignored Lorang’s comment, got off Leonina first and extended her hand like a knight to escort me. Without refusing her gesture, I got down, leaving Lorang alone on the large horse, starting to fidget.
“If, if you leave me alone on such a big horse…!”
“Then get down.”
Jenin, who spoke indifferently, didn’t seem to have any intention of helping Lorang down. Rather, under her cold gaze that seemed to say ‘What are you doing, not getting down quickly?’, Lorang groaned as he got down, and before both his feet touched the ground, Leonina shook her body with a snort. How similar, her expression is exactly like Jenin’s.
“Jenin. Is there anywhere else we can keep Leonina besides the stable?”
“Pardon?”
“Just in case we’re tracked, so we can pretend to be just village residents. They might not have seen your face, but a fine horse like Leonina is hard to forget, so if they come down, we might be discovered.”
“Ah. I see your point.”
Of course, having a large stable next to a small wooden house, and it being empty, might be suspicious in another way.
At a glance, I saw two more young horses in the stable. Are they Leonina’s foals? Or is she raising more horses separately? I felt a bit curious as a patron but now wasn’t the time.
“Then… Leonina! Go to the village inn. The place you often go to. You know it, right?”
Jenin, who had been thinking for a moment while touching her chin, suddenly called Leonina with a whistle, stroked her a couple of times, then took off the saddle and spoke to her as if to a person. Surprisingly, Leonina also neighed in response to those words and started walking away alone.
“Is it okay to send her off alone like that?”
“Leonina is smart, so it’s fine. Everyone in our village knows that she’s my family.”
As Lorang asked curiously, Jenin, who had been cold all along, quickly answered with pride.
“Don’t worry. She’s probably smarter than you.”
But there was a sting in her words. Probably because he had been making a fuss all the way here, saying it was too fast or that someone seemed to be coming from behind.
She gave him one more cold glance before completely changing her expression to a worried look and opened the door to let me into the house.
Lorang, who hadn’t heard that he could come in, hesitated for a while before cautiously following, and fortunately, she didn’t chase him to the stable or anything like that.
I was worried because she seemed to dislike him so much, but I’m glad.
“Please sit here. I’ll close all the curtains first.”
“I’m sorry. My clothes are dirty.”
“It’s okay. Just sit down! I’ll bring some tea soon. It’s not great tea, but it will help calm your nerves.”
Jenin, who had hidden the saddle in a corner of the house, moved busily. After locking the windows and checking outside one more time, she closed the curtains and then rummaged through the kitchen making clattering noises. Instead of stopping her, I sat on the sunken sofa, trying to suppress my startled heart by clasping my hands that I didn’t realize were trembling.
Is Cassion alright? If he escaped that chaos, would he have gone straight to the capital? Is he looking for me?
…Surely he wasn’t badly hurt, right?
“Here, Duchess. Your face is so pale.”
“I, I too…”
“There’s a water jug over there, drink it or not as you please. Don’t drink directly from it!”
I gritted my teeth seeing Lorang’s pitiful expression. Although he’s a nuisance, it’s right that protecting Lorang and escaping is the priority. He’s our purpose and means, after all. But… is Lorang’s testimony more important than Cassion’s life?
“Duchess… What on earth happened? Please, just take a sip first.”
Jenin, who quickly took Lorang’s place as he went to the kitchen to find the water jug, put a cup in my trembling hands and covered them with hers.
I sipped the warm chamomile tea by her movement, and with the warmth spreading through my body, I regained a bit of my senses. Closing my eyes tightly and opening them again, I took another big gulp, and as my esophagus warmed up, my mind cleared. It’s as effective as iced tea.
“I can’t tell you the details. It’s related to the imperial family.”
“Don’t make that face. I wasn’t going to press you to tell me.”
“Thank you for everything, Jenin. I’ll leave soon so as not to cause you trouble.”
“What are you saying! Do you know where those guys are to leave now? Besides, it’s about to get dark! Is that person the only one with you? Didn’t the Duke come with you?”
“…We got separated in the middle.”
No, I left him and ran away. The expression ‘got separated’ might not be right. As Jenin said, it’s getting dark soon, what if he’s still in the forest?
“Duchess… don’t worry too much. It’s that Duke, after all. He’s a war hero, he’ll be fine wherever he is.”
“…You think so? I guess you’re right?”
“Of course. He might even be looking for you. No, he’s definitely looking for you.”
“But we were on our way back to the Duke’s mansion in the capital. Our goal was to arrive before tonight…”
“No, there’s no way the Duke would have gone alone. He’s surely looking for you. So don’t think too hastily, stay here tonight, and let’s go out early tomorrow morning together to look for him.”
“I can’t trouble you like that, Jenin.”
“Trouble? I absolutely can’t let you go alone.”
“Well, I’m not exactly alone.”
“The Duchess is clever, so it would be better if you were alone, rather than with such baggage.”
Lorang, who had spilled water on the floor while trying to bring a cup he had filled, looks at Jenin with a sheepish expression. But soon after, he raises his voice to assert a bit of self-esteem.
“You look much younger than me, aren’t you being too harsh?”
“What did you say?”
“…Am I wrong?”
Jenin turned her head away with a huff as if she didn’t want to answer, and her high ponytail swayed with the brusque movement. As I watched them, I emptied the last bit of tea and put down the cup, and Lorang huffed as if asking me to take his side.
“Who exactly is this woman, Duchess? I’m grateful that she helped us! But isn’t her attitude too rude?”
“What’s wrong with Jenin’s attitude? We should be thanking her. She’s my protege.”
As I was making a mental note to properly thank her if we return safely, Lorang looked at me and Jenin alternately with round blue eyes.
Come to think of it, I thought Jenin might have been a bit weak to handsome faces because of her original love story with Cassion, but seeing how she’s not fazed at all by Lorang, I guess that’s not the case. Is she weak to injured people?
“Protégé…? Were there really people sponsored by the Duke’s family? I thought it was just a lie to lure me to the capital.”
“…”
…He’s not completely without perception, is he?
“What I said about your drawing skills being good is true. Now that I think about it, we lost our luggage in the chaos. The picture you drew of us was in there too.”
“If you really sponsor me, I can draw even better for you!”
“Yes, I’ll really sponsor you, so please stop making a fuss until we get to the capital, and don’t cry or shout when it’s dangerous. Just follow quietly, and I’ll take care of you properly.”
“I, I didn’t…”
“It seems you’re being more disrespectful to the Duchess than I am.”
Lorang, who had shrunk at my slightly irritated words, sinks further at Jenin’s words.
Thankfully, even as Jenin glared at him, she didn’t ask questions like why we were taking such a person with us.
Because it would be troublesome if she got more involved by giving unnecessary information. Wasn’t it in the original story that she died because she found out information about Lorang?
“It looks like the sun will set completely soon. It’s not much, but I’ll bring out some dinner. You need to eat to have strength for tomorrow.”
“You don’t need to cook. Just some dry bread would be enough.”
“It would be strange if only my house didn’t have smoke coming out, wouldn’t it? I can make soup quickly, so please rest more.”
Watching Jenin hurry back to the kitchen before I could even say thank you, I felt a rush of gratitude, guilt, and worry all at once.
My heart won’t stop pounding because I keep thinking about her and Cassion’s ending in the original story. I thought such things wouldn’t happen if I told the information she would have gathered… I was too complacent.
“Cassion…”
I just hope that we can return to the Duke’s mansion without anyone getting hurt.
