I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 60
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 3/4 🎉)
“Duchess, please get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”
“It’s okay. I just can’t sleep.”
“Then at least lie down on the bed. You’ll wear yourself out. You’ve already lost more weight since I last saw you…”
The sound of snoring interrupted Jenin’s voice as she worried about me. Her expression was ominous as she glared at Lorang, who was sleeping crumpled up on the small sofa.
“I may not know the details, but I can tell that person is the cause of this situation. Yet he’s sleeping so soundly.”
“Cause… well, I did bring him into this. Despite his state, he’s someone who can be of help to us, so we must take him with us.”
Even as I tried to justify it, Lorang’s snoring grew louder, making me feel embarrassed. At the same time, I began to doubt the Empress’s taste.
Was she really only interested in his face? Or did his personality change while living in poverty, and was he different when he was younger?
“Jenin, you should get some sleep too. And if at any time you feel uncomfortable or find it difficult to help, just say so. Even if you ask me to leave right now, I won’t cut off your sponsorship.”
“Even if you stop sponsoring me, Duchess, I’d still help you regardless. And I can sleep well after tomorrow, but you seem to have a lot to do, so you must sleep.”
Jenin led me to the bed, scolding me without backing down an inch. Her loving nagging reminds me a bit of Cassion. That’s probably why the two of them became lovers in the original story. If not for the ending, they would have been a kind and happy couple.
Clap-
“Stop thinking! Go to sleep!”
“… Is it that obvious?”
Just as I was about to sink back into worrying about Cassion, Jenin clapped her hands in front of my face, diverting my attention. As I rolled my eyes at her while she quickly tried to lay me down and cover me with a blanket, she snorted.
“Your shining amethyst eyes are getting cloudy.”
What’s with this female protagonist line?
“Hey, Jenin. Are you trying to seduce me now? Saving me, comforting me, complimenting me?”
“You finally noticed? I’m sending a message to the Duke with my heart. If he doesn’t come quickly, I’ll take the Duchess away myself!”
I laughed at Jenin’s actions as she put her hands on her hips and snorted. I appreciate her efforts to ease my tension somehow.
“Thank you so much, Jenin. Given the situation, it might sound like empty words, but… I wanted to be friends with you from the moment I first saw you. I’m glad we’ve grown closer.”
“Are you talking about fate? It seems like you’re the one seducing me, Duchess. Don’t go making a village girl’s heart flutter for no reason and go to sleep…”
Bang bang bang.
“…!”
Jenin, who was about to blow out the candle as if to say the joking was over, and I, who was about to close my eyes, unable to resist her, both jumped up at the same time.
The knocking on the door was too rude for a villager. The voices of people outside suggested it wasn’t just one person.
“…”
“…”
We exchanged glances silently and then moved. I covered Lorang’s mouth and shook him awake, while Jenin looked under the bed and, seemingly deciding it wouldn’t do, emptied the wardrobe to make space and gestured.
I thought the wardrobe might be too typical a hiding place, but there was nowhere else to hide two people, and with another loud knock on the door, the situation was urgent.
I dragged Lorang, who had woken up half-asleep at the sound of the door, into the wardrobe and pushed him in with my back. As we entered, clothes covered us from above and the wardrobe door closed.
Because it was a cheap wooden wardrobe, we could see a tiny bit of the room through the gaps.
“Who is it?”
“Imperial knights. We’ve come to inspect because we heard a criminal has fled to this village. Open the door.”
A criminal? Really now. If you’re so righteous, why not move real imperial knights instead of private soldiers and distribute wanted posters?
“Why are you opening the door so late?”
“Well, the sun has set, so of course I was sleeping!”
Because the other party mentioned imperial knights, there was no choice but to open the door to avoid looking suspicious.
Three knights who had almost torn the door open by inserting their hands through the slightly opened crack barged in and pressured Jenin.
“The stable is quite large, do you only raise those two young horses?”
“Yes. When I bought them, they said they would grow big, and I consider them family, so I built it large because I wanted to treat them well.”
“Other family members? Has anyone suspicious visited?”
“I live alone. I only saw the villagers I met while shopping at the village market today.”
“Hmm. Let’s look at the kitchen.”
“Hey! Even if you’re imperial knights, barging in like this…”
“Be grateful we’re treating you this well because you look like someone who might cooperate.”
“What did you say?”
One of the knights who had entered with muddy feet, dirtying the floor and rummaging through the kitchen, blatantly appraised Jenin. She seemed genuinely upset, beyond acting, and huffed.
Meanwhile, moisture touched my palm as I covered Lorang’s mouth. Are you crying again? Seriously?
“Hey, over here!”
“…!”
“Ha. What’s this? You only have small horses that even young children would have trouble riding, so why are the saddle and equipment so big?”
In the meantime, one of the knights who had been rummaging through the dishes haphazardly discovered Leonina’s saddle and stirrups that Jenin had hidden. As I bit my lip, she skillfully made an excuse.
“There used to be a big horse. But it got old and sick, so I sold it and added some money to bring in these young horses.”
“Then why did you hide it so deep?”
“I didn’t hide it, I just put it away deep because I won’t need it for a while! As you can see, it’s a small house, so there’s not much space to store things.”
Jenin was answering well, pretending to be just adequately flustered for someone being pressured by knights who suddenly barged in.
I thought that if they just didn’t open this wardrobe door, maybe the knights would just leave. But at that moment, the knight who seemed to be the leader tilted his head, staring intently at her.
“…What?”
After looking at Jenin, then at the saddle, and then quickly scanning the house once more, an inexplicable sense of unease rose in me. And more often than not, such bad premonitions don’t miss the mark.
“…Something feels off. Just kill her.”
“What?! Wh-what are you saying, that’s scary!”
“Sorry, but it’s better if fewer people have seen us. And you smell suspicious somehow. Kill her and burn down the house. Make it look like the candle spread the fire.”
Jenin, her face turning pale, took a step back.
But the nightmare wasn’t over. One of the knights who had been blatantly appraising and staring at Jenin from earlier circled around her, snickering.
The knight standing with his back to the wardrobe blocked my view of Jenin.
“It’s too much of a waste to kill her right away.”
“…!!”
“Damn it, what’s wrong with you? We don’t have time! If they find out we’ve lost them, the Empress won’t let us off easy.”
“We can finish quickly.”
“G-get away from me!”
Judging by the movement of the man’s shoulders, it seemed he had grabbed Jenin. Although she was quicker and stronger than most women, being a rider, she wasn’t strong enough to shake off a trained knight.
“Filthy bastard. I’m going to set fire outside, so come out quickly if you don’t want to burn to death.”
I sensed an opportunity as the other two knights clicked their tongues and turned away. I slowly removed my hand from Lorang and warned him, then frantically searched the wardrobe with my eyes.
Meanwhile, with creaking sounds, the two knights went out and the door was locked.
Then I heard the only one left grinning at Jenin. Disgusting bastard.
Clunk.
There was no suitable weapon. I don’t know why I keep forgetting to buy a dagger. If I survive and return this time, I’ll buy a real sword first thing.
Instead of a weapon, I detached the rod used to hang clothes from the wardrobe. It made a small sound, but the knight, blinded by other things, didn’t seem to hear it.
‘…! …!!’
Lorang shook his head silently and grabbed my clothes, but I coldly shook him off and gripped the clothes hanger rod tightly.
I’m experienced in this, after all. The experience of hitting someone when I was kidnapped by my family is coming in handy again.
“Let go! Let go, you filthy bastard!”
“Quite feisty, aren’t you? But the more you resist, the shorter your life will be.”
Jenin fell under the knight’s force, and his shadow gradually fell over her. I opened the wardrobe door and slowly approached, but neither of them seemed to notice me.
“Before you die… Ugh!”
Thwack—
Experience is power in everything, and I landed a more direct hit than when I swung it before. I felt vibrations in my hand as the wooden rod broke in two, but that’s even better.
I quickly picked up a sofa cushion from nearby, pressed it against the knight’s face, and repeatedly struck him with the sharply broken half of the rod.
“Mmph! Mmm! …Damn it, what’s this now!”
The knight made choking sounds and struggled, but it didn’t last long. Despite pressing down and striking with all my might, as soon as his surprise wore off, he quickly slipped out from under me.
“Who are you? Where did you come from… No, no. That pink hair.”
“…”
“You’re the Duchess, aren’t you?”
Even though I had gained some time and was sending Jenin, who had come towards me after straightening her clothes, behind me, the man who was frowning recognized me.
The knight approached with a grin, disregarding the blood flowing from his head. As I faced off against the man, looking for a chance to run to the kitchen and grab a knife.
Clunk-
“Hey, I told you to finish quickly-.”
Damn it. The knights who had left have returned too.
