HGOS – Chapter 60

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The next day, Cassia summoned Clara then lay stretched out on the bed, hurling every curse she knew. Only in her head, of course.

The target was Bertol.

After recklessly trampling on Zester’s self-esteem which she had been trying to build, Bertol behaved like a dignified nobleman, acting as if nothing had happened.

However, Bertol was already marked in her head thanks to her previous life and with the addition of this ridiculous bombshell he decided to drop, he couldn’t escape Cassia’s fury.

The reason she was even summoning Clara, who should be working this morning, was to calm her anger by venting about Bertol’s behavior.

Knock, knock.

At the sound of a knock, Cassia, who had been lying on the bed, sprang up.

“Right, Clara? Come in!”

However, despite her welcoming voice, it wasn’t Clara who opened the door and entered, but one of the maids hired along with her.

“Madam, shall I help you dress?”

“Oh, no, that’s not why I called for Clara.”

“Oh, is that so? But, Madam, Clara isn’t in the castle right now. Perhaps the butler hasn’t informed you yet? She’s taken two weeks of leave…”

“What? Leave? Why all of a sudden?”

“I’m not sure either. I heard she stopped by the messenger’s post after work yesterday to leave word. The butler seemed a bit upset that she barely explained before running off….”

Hearing the maid’s puzzled words, Cassia’s heart dropped.

Cassia had spent a long time with Clara in her past life. It wouldn’t be wrong to say they had spent nearly every day together once Clara escaped Matthew Holton’s clutches  and became a live-in maid at the castle.

In other words, Cassia knew Clara’s personality better than anyone. Was she the type to act carelessly without any reason?

To suddenly announce a two-week absence without showing her face? That made no sense. There had to be a reason.

An ominous event from her past life, where she had coincidentally learned of Clara’s circumstances, came to mind.

Cassia bit the tip of her trembling thumb.

***

Bertol was puzzled to see Zester look completely unfazed by his remark yesterday. He had thought Zester would be staggering in misery for at least a day after being hit by such an attack.

Unaware of how childish he was being, Bertol stared at Zester’s bright expression as he introduced the training grounds.

“Lord Count?”

“Ah, yes. It’s surprising. It hasn’t been that long, but you’ve managed to establish such a well-organized army.”

It was true. Between the mercenaries from Jackal and the barbarian soldiers brought back from Viche, Greze now had a formidable force that could not be ignored.

Raising such a large force must have cost a considerable amount of money, and he likely received assistance from Cassia’s family.

Bertol snorted.

‘Truly an excessive reward. Damn it.’

A beautiful, clever wife. And her family was one of the wealthiest in the South.

Bertol realized once again why Emperor Simone XII had tried to attach Cassia to him, someone the emperor cherished and doted on.

Had Greze not been such a pitiful little estate, it might even have become a rival worth fearing. That was how excessive this army was for such a meager territory. Beasts easily worth ten well-trained soldiers, and mercenaries from the Jackal group, all with outstanding skills.

“Raising soldiers must have been quite a burden on your finances but you’ve managed. Did you receive help from Ruberno?”

“Yes, though I’m ashamed to say, I received help from Count Ruberno.”

“Hm, I see. I suppose the greatest luck in your life, Baron, was taking the daughter of Count Ruberno as your wife.”

Bertol couldn’t help but frown as the words slipped out of his mouth. Yesterday, you could say that he said such things on purpose since Cassia was in front of him but now, he wasn’t sure. Saying that just because he wanted to crush Zester felt childish. Knowing his own personality better than anyone, he found it baffling and unpleasant.

It was clearly spite. That Cassia, who should have been originally his, had fallen into Zester’s hands.

“That’s true.”

Instead of looking embarrassed or offended as intended, Zester answered calmly. His expression showed he had no disagreement with Bertol’s words.

“You must feel uneasy then. Isn’t that so?”

Zester, who had been watching the soldiers training, slowly turned his head to Bertol standing next to him. He kept silent for a moment before speaking.

“I’d be lying to say it doesn’t. But I’m not worried.”

The firmness in his answer was interesting. Bertol raised a brow and the corner of his mouth twitched.

“It may be more than I deserve, my wife tells me every day how much she likes this place and me. So worrying and being anxious would be foolish. It would be like not trusting my wife…”

“Hah… The baroness is even kind, I see. You should treat her well.”

“Yes, I intend to.”

Bertol let out a short laugh at Zester’s reliable answer. But unlike his light smile, the hand hanging at his side clenched and unclenched restlessly.

“Right, Lord Count.”

As if remembering something, Zester let out a sudden exclamation.

“Have you been invited to Her Highness the Princess’s birthday celebration?”

“Yes, I have.”

 

Bertol answered, recalling the invitation that had arrived from the imperial palace not long ago.

“I…I beg your pardon, but I have one favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Could I also, possibly congratulate Her Highness on her birthday?”

It was obvious that Zester would not have received an invitation from the imperial family. Only high-ranking nobles with the title of count or above were ever sent such invitations.

But if Bertol, who enjoyed the emperor’s full favor, pulled some strings, it would not be difficult at all. It was a request he could easily grant. Since Zester knew this fact well, refusing would look even stranger.

Bertol nodded nonchalantly.

“That’s not difficult. But what made you suddenly want to attend something like that? I thought you had no interest in noble gatherings… Has your territory grown enough that you’re thinking of showing your face in noble society?”

When Bertol asked with a laugh, Zester blushed and shook his head.

“No. It’s just that my wife seems to really want to visit the Imperial Palace. With my lacking ability, it would be difficult, so I thought I should swallow my shame and ask for your help, Lord Count.”

“Ah.”

Bertol let out a dull exclamation for a moment, then released a deflated laugh.

‘So this is how he prepares a gift his wife would like.’

He felt as if he had taken a blow. Bertol clenched his teeth tightly beneath his smiling lips, which trembled faintly.

***

Her resolve to stay in her room and avoid running into Berton as much as possible didn’t last very long.

Unable to sit still for even a moment due to worry about Clara, Cassia eventually left her room, intending to ask Paul to check on Clara’s situation. Just the fact that she was personally moving to find Paul, who would be busy hosting guests and managing the castle, showed the extent of Cassia’s worry.

What reason could a newly hired maid, who had barely worked at the castle for a week, possibly have to request nearly two weeks of sudden leave?

Something exactly like this had happened in her past life too.

It was when Clara had been beaten by Matthew after he had come home drunk and ended up bedridden. When Cassia received the sudden message that Clara wouldn’t be able to come to the castle, she felt uneasy and dug into what was going on. Only then had she learned the truth, and the shock had been great.

Cassia had immediately urged Clara to divorce Matthew, but it hadn’t been easy.

Since the people of the territory were citizens of the Empire before being people of Greze, in certain matters, they had to obey imperial law. One of those matters was marriage and divorce. A divorce without mutual consent was not recognized.

Naturally, Matthew rejected Clara’s request for a divorce, and in that situation, there was nothing Cassia could do. If Zester, the lord who had the authority to forcefully expel residents, had stepped in, it might have been resolved but he…

‘A man who barely paid attention to his one and only wife would never bother with the personal affairs of individual residents.’

Yes… he had been that kind of man, and he hardly ever stayed at the castle for more than a week anyway. He might have held the title of lord, but he still lived the life of a common mercenary, endlessly moving from one battlefield to another.

Relying on Zester had been out of the question. In the end, Cassia made a separate deal with Matthew. In exchange for agreeing to the divorce without fuss, she put a considerable amount of wealth in his hands.

The one good thing about returning ten years to the past was knowing Clara’s circumstances in advance, but the fact that she had to face that damn Matthew Holton again made her inwardly furious.

『Hehe… Having a good wife sure brings such good luck. Even the Madam of Greze Castle shows such sincerity personally.』

She could still feel the sensation of Matthew’s hand slyly touching her fingers as he received the bundle filled with heavy jewelry and silver ingots.

Walking quickly down the corridor, Cassia paused mid-step at the memory, frowning before she forced herself forward again.

‘This time, I should be able to teach him a proper lesson. Things are different now.’

Strictly speaking, what Matthew committed was a crime. Beating and raping his wife. It was just buried because there were only two villages and no notable crimes had surfaced, but if she went through formal procedures and demanded execution from the lord, Zester, punishing Matthew wouldn’t be difficult.

‘The only problem is my clueless husband, seriously.’

What reaction would he have if she pointed at Matthew and told him he must punish a criminal? The last time she had hinted at it, his reaction had been lukewarm so she could already predict his response without even imagining it.

{Huh? Well… that sounds serious… What should I do?!}

Ugh. Just thinking about it felt like something heavy was sitting on her chest. Cassia let out a sigh as she imagined Zester’s slack-jawed face.

Still, she should at least bring it up…

“Ah.”

Cassia, who was walking with her head down while lost in complicated thoughts, noticed an unfamiliar pair of shoes in her field of vision. The moment she reflexively lifted her head, she saw the most unwelcome face: Bertol.

‘What the. If you have nothing to do, just stay in your room. Why wander around?’

She almost frowned immediately, but Cassia composed herself, bowed politely, and stepped aside.

Halt.

Her step aside stopped again. It was because their movements clashed as he stepped to the side to the side at the same time.

Cassia looked up with an awkward smile and moved left this time. As if waiting for it, Bertol shifted as well, blocking her again.

Once could be a coincidence, but not twice. Seeing Bertol deliberately blocking her path, Cassia tilted her head slightly and looked up at him.

The faint smirk on his face confirmed it was definitely intentional.

“Do you have something to say?”

Her expression looked pure and polite, just like her question, but naturally, inside this noble lady whose exterior and interior were different, curses were pouring out in spades.

‘I knew it. Whether it’s ten years or ten lifetimes, this sneaky bastard never changes.’

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