Marriage with a Suspiciously Demure Husband — Chapter 9

HELLO, GUILDMASTER!

MY NAME IS GINGER PERIAN.

I look forward to working with you~

WAIT, WHY IS THAT PERSON SHOWING UP HERE?!

A CHARACTER WHO STARTS OUT AS A VILLAIN'S SUBORDINATE AND LATER JOINS THE SIDE OF JUSTICE IS A FAIRLY COMMON TROPE.

IT IS ALSO COMMON FOR THAT CHARACTER TO HAVE A RATHER PITIFUL BACKSTORY,

JUST WAIT A LITTLE LONGER... I WILL DEFINITELY SET YOU FREE.

AND FOR THAT KIND OF CHARACTER TO EVENTUALLY MEET THEIR DEATH

IS SUCH A TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT THAT IT WOULD FEEL STRANGE WITHOUT IT.

GINGER PERIAN, WHO IS STANDING IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW, WAS EXACTLY THAT KIND OF CHARACTER.

IN OTHER WORDS, AT THIS POINT IN TIME, GINGER PERIAN

IS A SUBORDINATE OF THE "VILLAIN"... KAILUS.

SHE SHOULD ORIGINALLY BE IN THE CAPITAL'S GLADIATOR ARENA...

DID THE PLOT CHANGE BECAUSE KAILUS ENDED UP STAYING BY MY SIDE

UNLIKE IN THE ORIGINAL STORY?

I CAN DO MOST ODD JOBS,

AND I AM FAIRLY GOOD WITH A SWORD.

I ALSO LEARNED HERBOLOGY IN THE PAST.

...ANYWAY, SINCE SHE IS DEFINITELY A PROTAGONIST-SUPPORTING CHARACTER, SHE REALLY IS QUITE CAPABLE.

Hmm.

THEN... SHOULD I TAKE THIS CHANCE TO ADD ANOTHER CARD TO MY HAND?

SHE IS A CHARACTER WHO BETRAYS KAILUS ANYWAY,

SO I CAN USE THE ORIGINAL STORY TO MAKE HER MY ALLY.

CAN YOU START WORKING TODAY, MS. GINGER PERIAN?

IN RETURN, I WILL HELP YOU AVOID DEATH.

YES, GUILDMASTER! JUST TELL ME TO DO ANYTHING!

VERONICA WILL TEACH YOU THE WORK FOR THE TIME BEING,

SO I WILL CALL YOU LATER WHEN I NEED HELP IN EARNEST.

...OF COURSE, I WILL HAVE TO PUT IT INTO ACTION WHEN THERE IS NO ONE WATCHING.

YOU EVEN BROUGHT DOCUMENTS INTO THE BEDROOM. YOU MUST HAVE A LOT OF WORK?

THERE IS SOMETHING I NEED TO CHECK.

NOW THAT A NEW EMPLOYEE HAS COME IN, ONCE HER TRAINING IS OVER, THIS KIND OF WORK SHOULD DECREASE TOO.

I TRULY LIKE THE SOUND OF THAT.

MM...

I SHOULD NOT GET USED TO THIS FAKE KINDNESS.

HAA, WHATEVER.

I CANNOT RUN AWAY RIGHT NOW ANYWAY, SO I WILL JUST LET HIM DO AS HE LIKES.

NOAH, THAT SPOT IS FINE...

I AM YOUR HUSBAND. WHAT IS THERE TO BE EMBARRASSED ABOUT?

A VILLAIN WHO EVEN GIVES FOOT MASSAGES TO KILL HIS TARGET.

HE IS SO THOROUGH IT IS BEYOND TERRIFYING...

HAZEL, YOUR GAZE IS RATHER INTENSE.

NO, IT IS NOT!

I WAS JUST LOOKING AT YOU CALMLY.

LIAR.

N-NO, I'M NOT.

I LIKE IT WHEN YOU WANT ME, HAZEL.

AT THIS RATE, IT WILL BE HARD TO GET OUT OF THIS PERSON'S SIGHT...

He is too Persistent.

IN THAT CASE,

I HAVE TO SOMEHOW MAKE KAILUS BUSY.

NOAH, I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING LATELY.

I AM THINKING OF EXPANDING MY BUSINESS A LITTLE.

EXPANDING?

THINGS ARE GOOD AS THEY ARE, BUT I THINK FERRARIUM HAS ITS LIMITS WHEN IT COMES TO RECEIVING REQUESTS.

I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO OPEN BRANCHES IN OTHER REGIONS.

WE HIRED A NEW EMPLOYEE TOO, SO I THINK THE TIMING IS PERFECT.

OTHER REGIONS, HUH.

THAT IS A BIT UNEXPECTED.

SORRY. IT IS UNEXPECTED FOR ME TOO.

I JUST MADE UP THIS EXCUSE ON THE SPOT.

SO I WOULD LIKE YOU TO HELP ME. WILL YOU?

NOW, AFTER EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE SO FAR, YOU CANNOT REFUSE, CAN YOU? YOU BASTARD.

HURRY UP AND ACCEPT. HURRY.

WOULD THAT NOT BE DIFFICULT? YOU ARE ALREADY BUSY WITHOUT A MOMENT TO REST.

IT IS FINE. I HAVE YOU, NOAH.

IF YOU WANT TO DO IT,

I WILL LOOK INTO IT.

THANK YOU, NOAH!

GO ON AND BUSY YOURSELF WITH THAT. I WILL PREPARE TO RUN AWAY IN THE MEANTIME.

NOW I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THAT VILLAIN FLUSTERED FOR ONCE.

GO ON, FEEL THE EXACT SAME BETRAYAL AND DESPAIR I FELT!

HAZEL, THEN I WILL LOOK INTO IT DILIGENTLY.

...HM?

WILL YOU GIVE ME YOUR PRECIOUS TIME NOW, HAZEL?

I LET MY GUARD DOWN...!

IN THE END, THE DAY I HOPED WOULD NEVER COME HAD ARRIVED.

OUR FIRST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

AND OUR LAST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY.

STILL, I HAVE TO GET UP AND MOVE.

I NEED TO GIVE NOAH HIS GIFT.

I HEARD THAT IF YOU LOVE WITHOUT REGRETS, NO LINGERING ATTACHMENT WILL REMAIN.

I HAVE TO GIVE NOAH EVERYTHING I MEANT TO GIVE AND END THINGS BEAUTIFULLY,

SO THAT EVEN IF I LIVE ALONE LATER, I WILL NOT CRY MISERABLY BECAUSE I MISS HIM.

I HAVE SO MANY YEARS LEFT TO LIVE. I CANNOT DO SOMETHING THAT PATHETIC.

NOAH, DID YOU FINISH TAKING CARE OF YOUR URGENT WORK?

YES, I FINISHED EVERYTHING.

I VAGUELY REMEMBER SEEING HIM LEAVE IN A HURRY WHILE I WAS HALF-ASLEEP EARLIER.

IS HE GETTING BUSIER AND BUSIER PREPARING TO KILL ME...?

THIS IS...?

NOAH, IT IS REALLY PRETTY.

YES. IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR EYES, SO IT SUITS YOU VERY WELL, HAZEL.

BUT IF I WALK AROUND WEARING SOMETHING LIKE THIS,

RUMORS MIGHT SPREAD THAT THE BARON AND BARONESS OF FERRARIUM ARE SQUANDERING THEIR FORTUNE.

THAT LITTLE BIT OF MONEY...

HM? NOAH, WHAT DID YOU SAY?

NOTHING.

I ONLY ADMIRED IT IN PASSING WITHOUT THINKING MUCH,

AND YET HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO GIVE IT TO ME AS A GIFT...

THANK YOU FOR MARRYING ME.

HAZEL, I LOVE YOU.

HOW SHAMELESS, CONFESSING HIS LOVE LIKE THAT.

IF HE HAD CONFESSED WITH NO EXPRESSION AT ALL, I WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED IT FOR WHAT IT WAS.

...ME TOO, NOAH.

MARRYING YOU

WAS THE BEST THING I EVER...

HAZEL?

NO.

I SHOULD NOT LET HIM REALIZE

THAT I AM SHAKEN.

...WAS THE BEST THING I EVER DID!

I AM TRULY LUCKY.

WHY... ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT?

BECAUSE YOU ARE LOVELY.

I AM A TRULY FORTUNATE MAN.