My Contract Husband Resembles the Male Protagonist - Chapter 34
“…I came because you told me to, father! What is this mess?!”
Then, somewhere, a voice of undutiful offspring was heard.
It was Adelaine’s voice.
I followed the faint voice and found myself at a closed underground staircase.
‘An image sphere? Who is she secretly communicating with there?’
Adelaine was holding a shimmering orb.
“There’s a strange woman who came in. She’s the one who cured Sophia’s grandfather.”
-Is that true?
“Have you ever seen me lie, Father?”
I perked up my ears. The strange woman was me, and the conversation partner had to be the Count of Kiedland.
“Anyway, I no longer want to see Dale or anything else. I haven’t gotten what I want, so why should I stay here?”
-Adelaine, just bear with it a little longer.
“No! I’m scared. What if I get caught? Then I’ll die, won’t I? Will you take responsibility, Father?”
-Why would you die? Have you found what I told you to look for?
“That piece of paper? I don’t know. It’s not visible. This place is like a library or a storeroom, full of cobwebs and bugs crawling all over the floor. I hate it here! Send a servant or someone else instead. I’m going home!”
My eyes gleamed quietly. It seemed like there was something Kiedland was looking for here.
“Anyway, I can’t stay here anymore. I have no reason to! So, you do as you please.”
-Wait, Adelaine.
“Hmph!”
Crash!
Angry, Adelaine dropped the image sphere, shattering it to pieces. She stormed off and disappeared.
‘Image sphere…’
I looked at the broken glass shards.
And among them, I found a small red stone shining. I knew what it was.
The same stone as in Rozanna’s necklace.
‘A magic stone.’
Precisely, an automatic recording device for communication images.
* * *
“What is that, Miss Enya?”
Dale came behind me after returning late from work and leaned over.
“Oh, you’re back?”
“It seems you’re not interested in my return.”
Dale looked at me with slightly disappointed eyes. I put away the notepad I was scribbling on and smiled warmly.
“Sorry, I was busy looking at something.”
“Whose video was it?”
Dale asked in a low voice, seemingly upset.
“I heard a man’s voice. Outside the house.”
“Ah…! That.”
“Really, you were listening to some man’s voice.”
“It was just an image sphere.”
I took out the red stone I had inserted into the image sphere.
“It recorded the conversation between Adelaine and the Count of Kiedland.”
“Ah.”
Dale’s expression brightened immediately.
“It’s the automatic recording device of the image sphere.”
As expected, Dale was quick to understand. I tapped the sofa and sat him down beside me.
As we watched the video from beginning to end, Dale’s expression grew colder.
Not only the conversation I had heard but also about ten other calls were recorded.
“That’s why image spheres should be properly disposed of. Cheap ones don’t have it, but expensive ones always contain a magic stone that automatically records.”
I pocketed the magic stone.
“Are you planning to report the Count of Kiedland to the Imperial court this time?”
“Yes, to make the Emperor a revered ruler.”
“…The Emperor will really appreciate it.”
Dale’s expression looked troubled, but he quickly returned to his usual faint smile.
“The Count of Kiedland indeed is a suspicious character.”
“True. Kiedland has grown this much since his father’s generation.”
“I’ll look into it.”
Dale changed into his home clothes, donned an apron, and started chopping ingredients.
“You’re cooking yourself?”
“…If there’s anything I can do.”
Chop chop chop.
The sound of Dale chopping scallions resonated crisply. His culinary skills were impressive, as always.
He chopped the scallions with even intervals, and his hand movements were so fluid that I didn’t need to worry about him accidentally cutting his fingers.
Perhaps his skills with a sword as a mercenary translated into kitchen knife proficiency?
‘He seems a bit tired.’
I observed Dale’s forearm.
It was muscular with prominent veins, but it seemed slightly leaner than before.
Usually, when he rolled up his shirt, it would take two folds to reach halfway up his wrist, but now it required three folds to fit just right.
‘Aide Yurta mentioned he had been sent on distant assignments.’
Dale was busier than I thought. He seemed to be dispatched frequently.
I think it’s suspicious.
Upon reflection, it seemed odd that in this tranquil domain, during a quiet time, there would be serious matters requiring him to travel outside.
Now, as Dale started to peel potatoes, I intently watched him.
‘Dale, what are you doing when you go outside?’
