How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending - Chapter 14.2
The problem was that even my adoptive father, Viscount Elsworth, and in fact I myself would still be counted as part of Everett’s faction. No matter that I had swallowed the antidote in a bid to sacrifice myself, trust would not be earned in an instant.
A deep silence fell as I closed my mouth. I could hear the soft patter of rain outside the window. After a moment, it was Tristan who unexpectedly broke the quiet.
“The castle is not safe.”
His resonant voice was calm. The tone sounded less like an accusation and more like a request for consultation, which made me look up in surprise. When our clear eyes met, I suddenly understood what he was getting at.
The castle was not safe. In this uneasy place, soon little Constantine would be left alone.
I rubbed my throbbing forehead and murmured like a sigh.
“I see. You will be setting out soon, so time is short.”
The backer is Everett. But the more important question is who inside the castle is acting as Everett’s hand. The Grand Duke’s retainers have long been known for their loyalty. A traitor must have slipped in among them.
It would not be easy to find the culprit. This was not something that could be solved quickly.
Still, even this barren, desolate Hezekia was moving toward spring.
“Do you intend to leave as planned?”
“There is no other way. I cannot abandon the territory.”
“……”
Spring is coming. That meant Tristan’s departure to sea would be soon.
For generations, the House of Hezekia had kept its impoverished domain afloat through mercenary activity. But in recent years, Tristan had stayed to care for young Constantine and had not left the territory. He had been covering costs with my dowry, but now even that money was beginning to run out.
So starting this spring, Tristan planned to leave the ducal castle for campaigns again. And yet now, he could not even trust people inside his own house.
I had an idea about how to handle this. How Tristan would take it was uncertain, but I decided to speak up after hesitating a moment.
“There is absolutely no way.”
“What do you mean?”
Tristan asked evenly. His expression revealed nothing of his thoughts.
I would still be a suspicious suspect. I did not know how much my suggestion would be accepted. However, after this incident Tristan seemed oddly softened, and, above all…
we had already had a bodily conversation.
At that, the memory of that night’s fleshly spectacle flared vividly in front of my eyes. Of all places, it had happened right here, in this bed.
“Grand Consort?”
“Yes? Ah, yes.”
Tristan called my name in puzzlement when I trailed off mid-sentence. I blushed and averted his gaze, pretending not to notice.
Why am I thinking about that now?
Both Tristan and I were acting as if that night had never happened, as if by mutual agreement. I cleared my throat and continued casually.
“When you go on campaign, take His Highness Constantine with you. There will be a shortage of hands to care for him, so I will go along as well.”
I slipped that in as a casual add-on.
While I lay in bed, I had been devising a plan for a peaceful divorce and a quiet life away from the ducal house. It was a long-term scheme with uncertain fruit, but I could not just sit idle.
Tristan’s face hardened. His voice turned icy at once.
“You clearly do not understand what mercenary work is.”
“No, I know—”
“Do not speak carelessly about things you do not understand.”
His tone was edged. His dark, sinking gaze cut into me like a blade.
“I am not leaving for a leisurely tour. I answer commissions from kings and dukes and lords to root out pirates that plague their territories. We fight hand-to-hand against creatures worse than beasts at sea, risking our lives in combat. And you expect me to bring the child there?”
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