The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 75
It sounded like a groan, or maybe a small whisper.
“Mmm, nnh…”
After all that fuss about being cold, she now tosses and turns, mumbling as if she’s frustrated.
Even though she’s never been camping before, it’s not so cold that she should be acting like this. Ash had expected it from the moment she started pulling the blankets up so forcefully.
…Still, it was a bit surprising.
The person who used to complain about every little thing had quietly followed along, enduring this forced march without a word of complaint.
He was beginning to understand why Melanie and Jeffrey said she seemed different somehow.
‘…I should probably cover her with the blanket.’
He rose quietly and approached her.
It would be troublesome if her condition worsened and delayed the journey tomorrow.
“Mmm, must… again…”
But as he saw his wife’s face murmuring to an unknown someone in her sleep, he stopped, forgetting what he was about to do.
And he couldn’t help but stay frozen in place.
***
Come morning, she truly felt like death.
She thought a hot bath had soothed her body, which had been tortured by the carriage ride, but…
Her whole body ached as if she’d been trampled, and her eyelids were swollen like a frog’s.
As if she’d been crying all night.
While Nina finished washing her face and applied a cold towel to reduce the swelling around her eyes, Marsha spoke in a serious voice.
“Madam, by any chance…”
“Yes?”
“About last night…”
“What about it?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Marsha bit her lip with a strangely serious expression.
With her brown eyes wavering and her face tense, it was clearly not ‘nothing’ at all.
Nina stopped her compress and frowned.
“Nothing? What do you mean nothing? Don’t leave me hanging, just say it.”
There was no way she’d look so serious if it were truly nothing.
When Nina urged her to speak, Marsha’s eyes filled with tears.
“Did His Grace… by any chance…”
“Yes.”
“…Did he lay a hand on you…?”
Him? On me?
“…What kind of ridiculous question is that?”
Her eyes widened in shock, but only for a moment.
When she followed Marsha’s gaze, she realized what had happened.
Blood-stained nightgown and handkerchiefs were shoved into the corner.
“Marsha, honestly, what kind of misunderstanding is that…!”
If she were asking if they had consummated the marriage, that’d be one thing!
Of course, this wasn’t their wedding night, nor was it a private room—it was a tent in the middle of the mountains, so such a thing was out of the question.
But still, to make such an assumption…
The question was so intense it made her realize just how terrible their marriage must look to others.
“Then, was it perhaps… a wedding night?”
“No, it was a nosebleed! I accidentally tripped last night and got a nosebleed.”
Honestly, the serious expression made sense now.
“So nothing really happened…?”
“Marsha, even if His Grace dislikes me, he’s not the type to strike a woman.”
…Though he has no problem destroying my family instead.
“Well, that’s a relief…”
Still looking doubtful, Marsha eventually picked up the pajamas and handkerchiefs and lifted the tent flap.
“…Anyway, I’ll take care of these. We wouldn’t want anyone else to misunderstand… Oh my goodness!”
“Marsha?”
What’s gotten her so startled?
Turning around in confusion, Nina gasped in surprise herself.
Her husband, with slightly damp hair and dressed casually, was standing there, balancing a large tray with baked potatoes and stew on one arm.
‘Could he have overheard what we were saying just now…?’
Even if she’d said it out of concern, her words could easily be grounds for slandering a noble, so Nina anxiously studied Ash’s expression.
“You’re awake?”
“Ah, yes…”
Seeing him pass by Marsha, who was clutching the laundry with a frightened look, she was relieved to think he hadn’t overheard anything.
If he had, he surely would have made a sarcastic comment.
Clack.
Ash set the tray down on a small table.
If her eyes weren’t mistaken, this was enough for two…
Nina looked back and forth between the table and his face, feeling foolish.
“…Why are you looking at me like that? You’re the one who said you wanted to spend the remaining time as friends.”
“Oh…”
She hadn’t expected much when she’d said it, but he’d actually taken her words to heart.
She’d been worried that the tent mishap might raise his suspicions unnecessarily, but perhaps this was a blessing in disguise.
It felt like a flicker of hope had come to life right before her eyes.
With an excited expression, Nina sat down and began to eat enthusiastically, her earlier gloom from the morning forgotten.
Unaware of the lingering gaze that rested on her still-puffy eyes.
