Chapter 18.

It Is Only Natural to Hate One’s Wife

 A storm raged in Kallian’s eyes.

Her words, as though they had stabbed straight into the deepest part of him, caused a dull pain to throb in his chest.

And immediately, a wave of denial swept over him.

I have developed an interest in Essika?

Her family, House Brigitte, was nothing more than a vulgar baronial family obsessed with money.

As his mother had said, she was a woman from a family that did not have the proper status to match House Klaus.

“Duke Klaus was practically sold on the marriage market for a large sum of money.”

“It seems even the mighty House Klaus isn’t anything special anymore.”

After his marriage to Essika, people had endlessly whispered such things behind his back.

Yet whether she was simply oblivious or had an innocent mind, she remained consistently cheerful.

She whined about wanting to hold parties and showed off her family’s wealth with the extravagant dresses and jewelry she had brought from her parents’ home.

He had also heard that she bullied the servants who had protected the family for generations.

Everyone supposedly clicked their tongues at her arrogant attitude, as though she had bought the entire Klaus family with money.

So it was only natural for his mother to hate her.

Her vulgar and frivolous behavior made Kallian sick of her altogether.

He even hated seeing her constantly follow him around and cling to him.

So he avoided her.

Deep down, he had even wished that Essika would catch some illness and die.

“That’s ridiculous.”

Kallian’s dry lips moved.

The words Essika had just asked him kept repeating in his mind.

“Could it be… that you’ve developed an interest in me?”

“……”

The corners of Essika’s lips lifted.

At some point, Essika had stopped smiling whenever she looked at him.

Yet after hearing words that meant he had no interest in her, Essika smiled as though she were genuinely delighted.

An unpleasant sensation with no apparent cause covered his mind.

“Then please leave. There is no point in wasting your time…”

Essika’s blue eyes, illuminated by the moonlight coming through the window, were cold.

“…on a woman you’re not interested in.”

“……”

Kallian stood there as though nails had been driven through his feet, staring at Essika.

Her appearance had not changed at all, whether in the past or now.

But those emotionless, indifferent eyes and her tone, which left not even the slightest opening…

They weren’t hers.

She wasn’t the woman he knew.

That can’t be. This woman is Essika.

Kallian pressed a hand against his forehead and frowned for a moment before turning around.

He could not tell whether the dull pain was coming from his head or his chest.

Deep confusion filled his violet eyes.

**

“Um… Madam, I think you will have to move rooms.”

Sella spoke carefully to Essika as she ate breakfast.

Her freckled face was unusually bright.

“You’ve been ordered to move back to the room you used to stay in.”

Essika, who was eating salad, asked without much interest,

“What has the Duchess Dowager suddenly decided?”

“It wasn’t the Duchess Dowager… It was His Grace the Duke’s order.”

Essika’s hand, which had been calmly moving her fork, stopped.

Kallian’s order?

Kallian Klaus was an extremely heartless husband.

She had not known this before recovering her memories as a spirit, but he…

He had been ashamed of Essika.

There had been rumors that he had been forced to take a bride because of money, and Kallian had cared about such rumors.

Since he believed that he had been forced to marry a woman beneath his station, there was no reason for him to respect Essika.

He had simply stood by while the Duchess Dowager abused his wife.

Whenever Essika had conflicts with the servants, he would even take the servants’ side.

So naturally, all the servants had treated her with contempt.

That was why Essika’s married life had been utterly miserable.

“……”

Essika continued eating.

Perhaps this was a gesture of reconciliation after their recent argument.

And if she had never recovered her memories as a spirit—if she were still the innocent Essika who knew nothing but love—she would certainly have been deeply moved.

Essika had loved Kallian so much that she would gladly have eaten even rotten bread if it came from him as a favor.

That feeling of love was clearly preserved in Essika’s memories.

However…

“Madam… your… your fork…”

Essika lowered her gaze.

The fork had been bent in half.

Apparently, she had unconsciously infused it with her internal energy.

Sella’s face had frozen in shock, but Essika calmly straightened the fork again.

Then she resumed eating.

How amusing.

The Essika of today was different from the woman she had been before.

He had sinned against her, so he deserved to be punished.

He had arrogantly looked down from above and trampled on someone powerless.

Then he would be trampled upon in return.

One could not beat someone to the point of exhaustion and then expect to be forgiven simply by buying them a few cookies or candies.

“You still misunderstand, Kallian.”

A spirit was the kind of being who enjoyed the process of revenge more than the result.

And Kallian’s ridiculous favor, as though he were throwing food to a dog, only gave her will even more strength.

“I have somewhere to go for a while, so move my belongings.”

After finishing her meal, Essika spoke to Sella.

When Sella saw Essika immediately change into maid’s clothes, she promptly answered,

“Understood, Madam.”

**

“Th-That’s ridiculous!”

Yuri pressed the maid with a pale expression.

The young maid continued speaking with a frightened look.

“His Grace the Duke ordered you to move back to the room you originally used… He said that having a room unsuitable for your status could lower the dignity of House Klaus…”

The largest bedroom in House Klaus belonged to Kallian.

The next largest and best-positioned bedroom belonged to the Duchess Dowager.

And the third-largest bedroom…

That had originally belonged to Essika.

Yuri remembered the first time she had come to House Klaus after receiving Essika’s summons.

She had been mesmerized as she entered, admiring the beautiful scenery of the old and prestigious estate.

Then she had seen the enormous, luxurious room Essika occupied.

Seeing Essika smiling in a magnificent dress inside such a beautiful room had made Yuri come to a decision.

I will take everything from that girl.

When Essika fell out of favor with the Duchess Dowager and was forced to move into a small room, Yuri had secretly laughed.

Serving Essika had become inconvenient for her as well, but the fact that the Duchess’s room had become vacant allowed Yuri to dream about a future in which she would one day occupy it herself.

“That’s impossible! Why would His Grace the Duke do that?!”

Yuri opened her eyes wide and shook the young maid by the shoulders.

“Head Maid… You’re frightening me. I already told you.”

“There must be another reason. His Grace the Duke would never care about Essika! Do you know how much he hates her?!”

“Ah.”

Only then did the young maid seem to remember something.

“Come to think of it, His Grace went to the Madam’s bedroom last night.”

“To that little room?”

Yuri’s eyebrows stiffened.

Before Essika had moved into the small room, and even afterward, Kallian had never once visited her bedroom.

Kallian had been completely indifferent toward Essika.

He had hated even the thought of touching anything Essika had touched.

“No way…”

But Kallian had gone to Essika’s room of his own accord?

Yuri nervously bit her fingernails, her face pale.

The maid, watching her reaction, bowed her head and turned away.

“Essika, what on earth are you doing?”

Yuri’s eyes flashed with jealousy and anger.

If the relationship between the two of them improved, the future she had dreamed of would disappear.

After everything she had done to drag Essika’s reputation down to the bottom and rise to the position of Head Maid…

“……”

Yuri clenched her fists and stood up.

The injury on her head still burned painfully.

She could not simply sit still and do nothing.

**

“Make the length about this much, and make the blade slightly blunter.”

“Young lady, you’re quite picky. Well, I suppose it’s better to be precise when placing an order.”

Today, Essika visited a weapon shop while wearing maid’s clothes.

She had come to purchase a sword for herself.

She had memorized the route when she went to Marshall’s tea party last time, so she was able to find the shop immediately.

The same size and shape as Black Rain, the sword I used when I was the Heavenly Spirit…

I’m looking forward to it.

Of course, the owner of the weapon shop could not imagine that the delicate-looking maid standing before him would personally use the dagger.

When Essika silently nodded, the weaponsmith finished writing down the specifications and spoke.

“Come back and pick it up in three days.”

She paid for the sword with the money she had earned from selling the pearl.

As she recalled the feeling of holding a sword in her hand again after such a long time, a smile unconsciously appeared on Essika’s lips.

She walked out of the shop with that smile still on her face.

Then an unexpected voice came from in front of her.

“……A weapon shop.”

“……!”

“I imagine Klaus has several blacksmiths employed by the family. How interesting.”

Essika’s blue eyes trembled.

The person standing before her was none other than Crown Prince Lesvan.

He was wearing clothing different from his usual black formal uniform—the kind worn by ordinary knights.

He had probably come out to handle some business while concealing his identity.

There were not even any knights accompanying him, despite the fact that they were normally required to follow the Crown Prince whenever he went outside.

And of all moments, I had to meet him now.

What a damn coincidence.

“……You’re the knight I met last time. Greetings.”

Essika suppressed her embarrassment and bowed her head, pretending to be an ordinary maid.

When she slowly raised her eyes, she met Lesvan’s gaze fixed directly upon her.

“I stopped by the shopping district for a moment to choose a dagger to give to my lover.”

And she lied without hesitation.

Lesvan’s eyebrow twitched.