Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband

Chapter 3 — My Husband Is Getting More Suspicious Each Day

“Hey, Hazel. It’s been ages, isn’t it?”

Annie finally showed up after a whole week.

As soon as I laid my eyes on my old friend Annie, she was seen on the verge of tears, and then she embraced me tightly. Her voice was soft and warm, so it made me question, have Annie and I always been this close?

“Good to have you here. Was the journey from the city exhausting?”

As I asked, trying to keep it casual, she flashed a sly smile and replied.

“Oh, it was quite a trip. I never realized Ferrarium was so far away. But the air here is absolutely invigorating.”

When I last saw Annie, she had long blonde hair that reached her shoulders. But now, she had cut it short enough to fully expose her ears. It made her look even more refreshing. Perhaps that was why she appeared taller, and her blue eyes seemed even brighter.

And to top it off, she mentioned that decorating nails was becoming a trend in the city. True to her words, her long, well-manicured nails were adorned with tiny gems.

“Come on in. This is the guild I run.”

I spoke, inviting her inside.

“…You didn’t mention it was this big. I thought it was a small one.”

Annie exclaimed, her eyes widening as she carefully examined the corridor.

“Well, it’s been over a year since I started this mercenary guild. How’s Dylan doing?”

“Him? He’s doing well. Seems busy over there.”

As we continued our conversation, audible enough for passing employees to hear, we headed straight to the meeting room.

“Busy?”

I asked, opening the door to the meeting room.

Annie gestured for me to enter first, and after that, she followed me in with her slender figure. After briefly scanning the meeting room, she took a seat on the sofa and ran her fingers along the leather upholstery.

“It must be expensive.”

“So you noticed.”

As soon as the employee brought in the tea and left, Annie’s expression changed noticeably.

“It’s been a long journey, so I’m a bit tired. So, what kind of request are you planning to make this time?”

She asked, getting straight to the point.

I sat down in front of her, but before discussing about Kairos, there was something I wanted to make sure of. I took off the necklace I was wearing and extended it toward Annie. It was the necklace I received as an anniversary gift.

“First, I want to check if there’s any tracking spell on this. How long would it take? I want it confirmed as soon as possible.”

I started, eager for a quick confirmation.

Annie raised an eyebrow as she accepted the necklace.

“Hmm? Checking something like this can be done immediately. It’s better to confirm right away for faster transactions. Hold on, I have my equipment…”

She then trailed off as she carefully placed the necklace down and opened her bag. Several magic tools were seen from inside the bag.

“Oh, here it is.”

Annie exclaimed, pulling out an elongated object from her bag and then taking the necklace again. She inserted what looked like a small gemstone, similar to her polished fingernail, into the tip of the elongated object, and a red light emanated from it.

She carefully examined the necklace under the emitted light, much like appraising a gemstone.

“It’s not a tracking spell, but there’s a protective spell on this gemstone.”

“A protective spell?”

“Yes, it’s a gemstone that activates a protective barrier in case of emergency. Want to see? You can see a circle inside the gemstone, right? Now, put it back around your neck.”

I obediently put the necklace back on as Annie suggested.

“If it doesn’t activate properly, it might sting a bit. But don’t worry, if your necklace manages to repel the attack, this gemstone I had will absorb it again. You’ve had plenty of training like this, haven’t you?”

Annie reassured me.

I nodded my head, feeling a surge of tension. Just because I trained doesn’t mean I’m not afraid of attacks!

As soon as I nodded, she grasped the gemstone in her hand and swiftly flicked her finger against it. Sparks flew in an instant. The necklace made a transparent barrier, expanding like a balloon in an instant.

Simultaneously, the sparks that were directed toward me bounced back in the opposite direction.

“Whoa!”

With her cry, the sparks were absorbed back into the gemstone. Annie, who lacked magic abilities, utilized the gemstone to harness and direct the attack. With her eyes widened and her mouth slightly agape, she stared at me with astonishment.

“Now, hand it over again.”

I handed her the necklace, and Annie examined it with even more care than before.

“Wait, it’s not even a one-time use? It’s an unlimited-use stone. Do you know precious and rare it is? Where did you get it?”

“It was a gift from my husband for our wedding anniversary.”

Annie’s eyes seemed as if they were about to pop out of her sockets.

“Wow, he went to great lengths to find such an expensive and rare item for you! It seems like your husband really loves you. Money aside, this is incredibly hard to come by. Or did something dangerous happen recently?”

“No, nothing like that… but well, there was an incident where a monster appeared nearby, and I took care of it.”

“Ah, I see. So that’s why. Your husband is quite romantic.”

She remarked, a hint of admiration in her voice.

Annie handed me the necklace while still unable to take her eyes off it and savoring its feeling. An eternal stone, as the name suggests, was a gemstone containing a protective barrier. Its value was determined by the number of uses or the potency of the magic.

Disposable versions of these stones were relatively easy to obtain among the nobility, which was why it used to be a trend to exchange them as gifts among lovers or family members. Perhaps he didn’t attach a tracking spell to it to avoid suspicion.

Truly, it was a characteristic of a cunning and shrewd person.

I touched the gemstone once and wore the necklace around my neck again.

Annie, being her usual meticulous self, usually wouldn’t accept any requests without upfront payment.

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I debated whether to offer a deferred payment instead, as I wanted to ensure the utmost satisfaction in terms of compensation. I had told her that I would be willing to do it on later occasion if necessary, to show my satisfaction from our first transaction.

Having resolved one problem, I gave her a gold coin as payment. Upon seeing it, Annie shook her head.

“Consider it a service for my valued customer who has returned. After all, I already received more than enough compensation from the previous request. You’ve always been generous.”

“I also have a little thing called conscience, you know?”

“I’m well aware. Anyway, I’ve been doing this line of work for a year or two. So, what’s the problem? How can I help you?”

Annie replied and comfortably settled on the couch.

“Divorce and escape. Or perhaps to abscond.”

A question mark appeared above Annie’s head.

“Hmm… am I hearing it wrong?”

“Divorce and escape, or abscond. You heard it correctly.”

“Why? You have a nice building and seem to be doing well. This neighborhood may not be the best, but it’s not bad either, right? Aren’t you on good terms with your husband? You just mentioned that the necklace was a wedding anniversary gift…”

I let out a deep sigh and uttered.

“Annie, don’t be too surprised by what I’m about to say.”

“Hey, why are you acting like this? Don’t scare me with your words. I won’t take on anything too difficult. Don’t tell me he’s someone who would only treat you well if he wants something? If it’s someone like you, violence won’t work… Please tell me you didn’t endure it just because of the words ‘I love you’.”

“No, it’s not like that. First, listen to my story and decide whether you want to proceed with the deal or not. As for the compensation…”

I handed Annie a piece of paper that I had prepared since morning.

“This is an available property that I can bring with me. If we succeed, I’ll give you half of it.”

Annie took the paper and looked at it for a moment before putting it down on the table.

“We’re in this together, even if it means risking our lives. So, what is it that you want to tell me? Go ahead, tell me.”

I cleared my throat and began telling her my current situation, organizing my thoughts, and sharing everything with her.

After a while…

“….”

As she sat there, gripping her head with both hands, Annie was frozen in place. Meanwhile, I calmly sipped my tea.

“You’re blowing my mind. Kairos Hadid… is your husband? The one who gave you this necklace? Am I hearing and understanding this correctly?”

She wiped her forehead with both hands and asked.

“…That’s right.”

“Hazel, are you a traitor in your past life? What country did you sell*…? What on earth did you do?”
[ T/N: I’m not sure if it’s only a thing in Korea or not, so I’m including this note just in case. In Korea, when someone achieves something great or is unusually lucky, they would say, ‘Did you save a country in your past life?’ it’s like saying they must have done something incredibly great in their past life to have such good karma. In this context, Annie was using a similar expression. Selling a country is seen as an act of betrayal, so she was essentially saying, ‘Did you do something really terrible in your past life to have such bad karma in this one?’ ]

“….”

“No, how could you marry such a terrifying person… Ah, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t insult your husband though this is…”

Annie said blatantly as if she couldn’t stand it.

“If I had known in advance, I wouldn’t have gotten married… Now you understand my situation, right? That’s why I’m asking you to hurry as much as possible. Annie, can you help me with my request?”

She remained silent for a while.

This request would likely be difficult. It was Kairos Hadid after all, not just anyone. I could understand Annie’s feelings well enough.

“No matter how you look at it… it’s strange. Could it be that Kairos Hadid actually loves you…?”

Annie and I gazed at each other before I shook my head frantically.

“No, that’s impossible. I can’t believe that man loves me. I’d rather believe the sun rises in the west instead.”

“….”

“Even if you consider absconding, where can you go?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Anyway, my ultimate goal would be absconding again…”

“Well, I do recommend it. If you’re planning to do it, it’s better to go somewhere beyond his reach, considering that at least one-fifth of the Empire belongs to that man. Haven’t you heard? There’s a rumor that says when someone betrays him, they’ll be pursued and eliminated until the end. Do you know about it?”

“I’ve heard something like that. Actually, I feel like I’m in that situation myself.”

Annie bit her tongue.

“…Did you do something like that before?”

“Well, it’s something similar.”

“You must be crazy. Still, you’re still alive, so it seems that he doesn’t know about that yet. What’s the fake name of that man?”

“Noah Edith.”

“He managed to come up with a name like that. He truly lives up to his reputation, not sparing any means.”

Her sharp words startled me.

I used to think it was the most wonderful name in the world. However, I decided to refrain from saying such things in front of Annie as much as possible.

“Well… It feels like I have to put my life on the line for this. I came here thinking it would be something like searching for someone or money laundering, like a picnic.”

Annie rubbed her sore neck and massaged it for a while.

“Still, you didn’t have any idea at all? You didn’t sense any danger?”

“I didn’t know. I didn’t even know he was suspicious. He was just so affectionate towards me.”

“Affectionate?”

I smiled, stretching both corners of my lips. No matter what I said, I’m sure it was hard to believe for her.

“Well then, try to be more specific. What is it that you want to do?”

“First…”

I handed her another document.