Chapter 006
Chapter 6: The Husband’s Awakening (5)
“I won’t ask you to teach me magic.”
“Then?”
“Just keep me by your side while you’re here. Because when I talk to you, I still feel like a human being.”
She didn’t say this specifically to gain sympathy. Cordelia shrugged and said it casually.
This was the first time she had a conversation with an equal in this house.
Her mother-in-law treated her like a disgusting insect, and to her husband, Cordelia was nothing but a dull and harsh woman.
Leonard suddenly cursed under his breath. Cordelia flinched at the sound.
He rubbed the back of his head nervously and raised his index finger.
“Come here.”
“Why?”
“Give me your hand.”
His tone was like that of a thug trying to extort money. She blinked her large green eyes and cautiously extended her hands.
Leonard gently tapped the back of Cordelia’s burned hand.
A bright aura of light enveloped her hand. When the light faded, the back of her hand, which had been red as if it were a lie, returned to its original state.
“Oh? Amazing. It doesn’t hurt at all anymore.”
“Now get out.”
“The meal… Fine. I’ll go. I’m going, so relax your eyes.”
Leonard frowned and rolled his eyes. Cordelia had no choice but to stand up.
She looked back while holding the door handle.
“Excuse me…”
“I told you to go.”
“Thank you for healing my hand.”
She waved her hand and left the room.
Leonard couldn’t take his eyes off the door Cordelia had left through for a long time.
“Is she foolish or what? Is she pretending not to know who injured her hand?”
“Does anyone else know the truth?”
A stranger’s voice was heard in the empty room.
Leonard wasn’t surprised. Instead, he threw the glass of water beside him onto the floor.
Then something surprising happened.
The water droplets that fell onto the carpet floated up and formed a small shape, then the wrinkled face of an old man appeared.
“Did you do everything I asked?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Good. I’m feeling dizzy now. Two days ago, you were holding onto me, crying.”
“The older I get, the more I tend to shed tears, my lord.”
The old man said somewhat shamelessly. Leonard snorted.
“Did you check the coffin?”
“Yes. The lord’s body wasn’t found anywhere. That’s why opinions are still divided within the Atily family. You can’t hold a funeral without a body.”
“Of course. No one would believe I’m truly dead.”
“But Ramos has completely changed. And Demirosil has been in frequent contact with Maximilian lately.”
“Nothing surprising there. I expected that from Ramos in the first place, but that scoundrel Demirosil turned his back on me so quickly?”
“Indeed.”
“Those ungrateful bastards. When I return, I’ll wipe them from existence.”
Leonard gritted his teeth and etched the names of the traitors into his mind.
His vengeful eyes were filled with fiery anger.
“Lord Bellucci and Jasil are still holding firm, saying they can never acknowledge Maximilian as the head of the family.”
“Good. They said they’d give their lives for me.”
Though he said it as if it were unimportant, a look of relief appeared on Leonard’s face. If all his subordinates had turned their backs on him, the situation would have been extremely difficult.
It left a bitter taste in his mouth, but it was better this way. This would be an opportunity to find out who truly cared for him.
“Hmm. Besides, don’t I have you? Baron Langsha, the symbol of loyalty and integrity. You’re always ready to sacrifice your life for me, my lord.”
“Yes. You’re very reliable.”
The baron clutched his chest, his eyes shining. On the other hand, Leonard remained indifferent.
“When do you plan to inform Bellucci and the others of your existence, my lord?”
“Not yet. Maximilian isn’t a soft man, so it’s likely he’s got you and those under my command under surveillance.”
“You’re right. There are already a few rats lurking around us.”
“So, be careful about coming here and find what I told you about quickly. The place where Maximilian attacked me was in the Valley of Joy, so the body must be there somewhere.”
“We’re still organizing search teams and looking with all available people.”
“You should join them too.”
“Yes. Tonight, I’ll head to the Valley of Joy.”
The key to everything was finding Leonard’s body quickly.
If his body fell into Maximilian’s hands, Leonard might never be able to return to it. The mere thought sent shivers down his spine.
“By the way, what about the Abrams family?”
“Ha. The way things are going in this house is truly chaotic.”
Despite his polite tone, his voice was somewhat rough. Leonard’s mouth twitched as he looked at the report the baron had prepared.
“If I ignore it, it’ll reveal itself on its own, won’t it?”
“Yes. Helena Abrams and her younger brother have been siphoning off funds since the former lord’s death. They’ve even taken bribes from merchants and sold tax collection rights. Moreover, if you look at the next part…”
“That woman is summoning servants behind her back and doing filthy things with them, isn’t she?”
“Yes. And it’s not just the women but other servants as well. Honestly, it’s astonishing how bold this family is.”
In addition, there were dozens of reports tainted with various corruption issues. Leonard read them all at once and then shrugged.
“That’s fine. Maximilian can’t even imagine I’m alive like this, so I suppose I’ll have to pretend to be a count and make use of this family.”
“I think that would be good.”
The baron opened his mouth, casting a quick glance at his lord’s mood.
“So, what about her, my lord? The countess who just left.”
“Who? Oh, Cordelia Vasquez?”
“Yes.”
“What about her?”
“Why not pull her to our side? She seems very clever.”
“What? That’s nonsense.”
“I can’t stay by your side all the time. And since you’re not in good health, I’m worried something might happen when I’m not here…”
As soon as his old servant’s concerns ended, Leonard drew a line.
“What nonsense. Though I’ve lost my strength, I can still take care of my body. And how can you trust a woman whose identity you’re not even sure of?”
“No matter how I look into it, she doesn’t seem like that. Even if I investigate her past, I can’t find any connection to Maximilian.”
“Maybe you haven’t found it yet.”
“Of course, that could be the case.”
The baron agreed reluctantly. There were times when Leonard’s intuition was wrong, but there were also times when it was right.
Leonard said, staring at the door she had exited through.
“She says she can see magic.”
“Yes? Who?”
“That woman. I mean Cordelia Vasquez.”
As soon as he finished his sentence, the baron’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. He was so excited that he raised his voice.
“Is that true? Even the sorceress Rachel could sense magic, but she couldn’t see it. My goodness, if this is true, the Rubal Sorcerers’ Association, or even the entire Willas Islands where the Devil’s Cooperative is located, would be shaken.”
“Yes. That’s right. That’s how powerful it is. But is all this really just a coincidence? What happened is that I entered Craig Abrams’ body and found that a woman with such an incredible talent is my wife, and she even wants to become my apprentice.”
Only then did the baron understand Leonard’s deep suspicions. Even if you met Cordelia while walking down the street, you’d doubt her authenticity, but meeting her in a situation like this?
But the baron had different thoughts.
“Do you think someone created this situation deliberately?”
“Yes.”
“I’m embarrassed to say, but how? Is it really possible that Maximilian arranged for a woman with the talent to see magical power to marry a year before you entered this body?”
“…”
Leonard couldn’t find the words to answer the baron’s question. Nor could he refute his words.
“There’s no such thing as coincidence with sorcerers. Just…”
“There’s only the fate that cannot be resisted.”
Leonard naturally finished his sentence. It was an old saying passed down among sorcerers.
“Even if all this is fate, I can’t accept a woman I don’t trust as my apprentice.”
The baron wanted to add something to Leonard’s firm resolve but stopped. His lord waved his hand in annoyance.
“Stop talking nonsense and get me some food. The food in this place is so disgusting I can’t even taste it.”
“My lord, you haven’t eaten a single meal? Just hold your nose and eat it. It seems I raised my lord with too much pampering. You’re not usually this picky.”
“Who raised me? Stop grumbling and prepare the food.”
“Ugh. I’m so old my bones ache; I can’t serve my lord.”
The water image of the baron grew increasingly opaque and transformed completely into a human form.
He cleaned the tray Cordelia had left behind and carefully set out the food he had brought.
Normally, he would’ve complained that the soup was cold or too salty, but Leonard seemed hungry, so he stayed silent and focused on his meal.
The baron looked at Leonard with a complex and subtle expression, finding it both amusing and sad.
“My lord.”
“What.”
“When I first heard the news of your death, I thought the sky would fall, though that’s a cliché.”
“I couldn’t breathe because of the pain stabbing my heart.”
“The reason I didn’t go after Maximilian immediately was because I hadn’t found your body yet. I planned to die in front of Maximilian after driving him out with my own hands.”
“But one day, as if it were a miracle, a letter bearing Atily’s emblem arrived from you.”
“I don’t know how much I cried while holding it.”
“Why does my dear lord lose his appetite while others eat?”
“Well, I’m just so glad you’re alive. Truly…”
Unable to overcome his overwhelming emotions, the baron fell before him, shedding tears.
Leonard set the dishes aside and stood in front of the old man crying like a child.
“Baron. Keep that in mind.”
“Yes.”
“You’ll take your place by my side when I reclaim my position. Until then, just stay quiet. That day will come soon.”
“…Yes, my lord. I’ll trust you and wait.”
The baron wiped his tears and smiled, his wrinkled eyes widening.
