Chapter 12
Husband is the Protagonist of a Possessed Novel Chapter 12
“The nobles are useless. How could they just stand by and watch such an Emperor! It’s like they only care about their own safety, no matter what happens to the country.”
Of course, until recently, we were also such nobles.
Nobles who knew that the tyrant was oppressing the people but did nothing, and could do nothing.
I carefully opened my mouth, as if agreeing with my mother-in-law.
“……I think more people will be watching His Majesty’s every move from now on. After all, he’s the kind of person who can bring even a perfectly fine duchy to this state……”
“……”
Tremble, tremble.
My mother-in-law’s fist trembled.
Our family was used by the tyrant as an example to other nobles.
In any case, there was no force in this country that could stand up to the tyrant.
Even the parliament was powerless before the tyrant.
The tyrant’s army was becoming more and more powerful, with the addition of troops seized from the nobles.
“How long do we have to live under such a tyrant……”
I unknowingly let out a sigh of resignation.
The tyrant would no longer bother me or my family.
We had lost so much that we couldn’t be broken down any further.
But the fact that such an insensible human being existed under the same sky was utterly depressing.
He must be wielding tyranny over someone even now.
I felt like this house, isolated in a remote place, was a precious hideout, but I couldn’t help but worry about the people who were being tormented by the tyrant.
“Still, don’t worry too much, Mother. I’ve never seen a tyrant end well. History books say that a hero always appears at times like these.”
“A hero……? You’re still talking about novels even at a time like this.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be so refreshing if someone appeared and got rid of the tyrant? I would be so happy.”
“You might as well buy a lottery ticket. Where is this hero? They must all be on vacation, I haven't seen one yet.”
My mother-in-law clicked her tongue and went back to eating potatoes.
But she quickly put down her spoon, as if they weren’t very tasty, and gulped down honey water.
As I silently watched her, I inadvertently turned my gaze to my husband.
“……”
My husband was also staring at me silently.
‘How long has he been watching me?’
With that question in mind, I stared back at him.
He didn’t seem to have anything to say to me in particular.
‘Ah, did I say too much without thinking……’
Even if I wanted a hero, he wouldn’t be able to imitate one, let alone be one.
I regretted it, thinking that I might have given someone who had already sold off all their confidence a sense of self-loathing.
After choosing my words for a moment, I opened my mouth with a faint smile.
“A hero is on vacation, Mother. Come to think of it, our hero has appeared right here.”
“Huh?”
At my words, my mother-in-law looked at me and followed my gaze.
I smiled at my husband with a warm look.
“Now Alex is our hero.”
I smiled even more brightly.
He just stared at me, frozen, as if he didn’t know what to do.
‘He’s flustered.’
Well, that’s like him.
I wanted to boost his confidence.
It wasn’t that I didn’t think he was pathetic, but from now on, I wanted to give him more comfort and support than resentment.
So that he wouldn’t have any more foolish thoughts.
Just as he had provided a home and protected me, I wanted to protect him too.
“Y-yes…… As expected of my son……”
My mother-in-law gave a lukewarm response, with an expression that said, even so, he’s not exactly a hero.
My husband exchanged glances with me for a long time before finally averting his gaze.
At that moment, my mother-in-law’s voice was heard again.
“Alex? Tell me honestly.”
“Yes?”
“Is the knowledge you saw in the book some kind of unfair slave contract with your house as collateral?”
“……?”
My eyes widened at the possibility I hadn’t even considered.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t expected him to have paid a price for something.
But what if that was really the case?
My husband was by no means a great man who would do such a dangerous thing, but he didn’t seem like someone who would try to take his own life either, right?
“Ah……”
Alex seemed to be in trouble for a moment, then he put down his fork slightly.
Surely he didn’t get this house in exchange for doing something terrible and unreasonable……?
But the words that came out of his mouth were not what I expected.
“It’s not like that. The information broker gave me a more generous price than I thought.”
“An information broker……?”
“An information broker……?”
My mother-in-law was as puzzled as I was.
“What information did you sell?”
“……”
He closed his mouth for a moment. He seemed to be thinking about something.
Is it difficult to tell us?
Soon, he spoke as if he was having trouble getting the words out.
“……Do you know that there is a missing prince in the Imperial Palace?”
“A missing prince? Are you talking about Prince Liddet?”
Of course, I had heard of him.
Prince Liddet was the late Emperor’s youngest son, and the first in line to the throne when the late Emperor died four years ago.
But at that time, Liddet was only three years old.
The current Emperor Axen, who was the late Emperor’s nephew, suppressed Liddet by force and ascended to the throne.
The reason given was that Liddet was too young, so he would only act as Emperor until Liddet turned thirteen.
After that, Prince Liddet, who had been confined in the Imperial Palace, disappeared one day.
No one knew what happened to him, but everyone thought he had been killed by the tyrant.
My mother-in-law clicked her tongue softly.
“There’s no way that child is still alive.”
“Most people thought he was dead. But in fact, he was hiding somewhere.”
“……Is that true? Prince Liddet is alive?”
At my mother-in-law’s incredulous reaction, Alex continued seriously.
“I heard that recently, people have been trying to find the prince. It seems they’re planning to start a rebellion using Prince Liddet.”
“Is that so?”
It was a surprising statement.
As expected, there were people who couldn’t stand this chaotic country and were trying to rise up.
“……First of all, I did give them the location of Prince Liddet.”
“You……? How do you know?”
“That’s right, Alex, how did you……”
His eyes wavered slightly.
“That’s……”
My mother-in-law stared at Alex’s eyes for a long time. I also stared at Alex.
He hesitated for a moment, then finally opened his mouth.
“You may not believe it, but I actually saw it in a book I read a long time ago.”
“A book?”
At my question, he nodded once.
“Yes. It’s a book that can’t be found now, so I can’t see it again, but I remember reading about Prince Liddet in it.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s amazing. I wonder what kind of book it was. Was it like a diary of someone in the Imperial Family?”
“Well, I don’t know who wrote it, but……”
He trailed off, looking genuinely clueless.
Could it be a book with an unknown author?
My mother-in-law was also amazed.
“I see. I’m relieved that you, who only read books all day, said that. Your way of speaking suddenly got better, and it was such a lie that I was wondering.”
“……Anyway, I hope Prince Liddet is safe. He’s the only heir to the throne now, right?”
It was my mother-in-law who answered my question.
“Yes, Luise. But don’t expect too much. Do you think that crazy Emperor would step down just because of a child?”
“……”
I guess so.
Still, I wanted to believe in a hopeful direction.
My mother-in-law’s voice continued.
“Anyway, tomorrow we should have a party to celebrate Alex’s recovery. He used to stutter so badly, even after all our efforts.”
“That’s a great idea, Mother. Right, Alex?”
I smiled brightly at Alex.
I would be very busy tomorrow cleaning and grilling lamb.
At that moment, a cheerful and cautious voice was heard from somewhere.
“……Is it good?”
My sister-in-law peeked her head out from beyond the wall towards the dining room.
Yes, it’s almost time for her to be hungry.
I pulled out the empty chair next to me and said.
“Come and sit down. If you say you don’t want to eat next time, I won’t leave any for you.”
My sister-in-law’s lips pouted. The tear stains seemed to have increased more than before.
She must have gotten very hungry, as she slowly approached and looked around the table.
“You’ve already eaten so much……?”
“You eat too.”
Hesitantly.
My sister-in-law sat down in the chair, looking around cautiously. She seemed to sense that the atmosphere was strange.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. Then eat, Eloy. I should go in first.”
It was my mother-in-law who got up first.
As my mother-in-law returned to her room, my husband also dabbed the corners of his lips with a napkin.
“I enjoyed the meal.”
Whether she cared or not, my sister-in-law peeled a potato. Originally, she didn’t care much about what Alex did.
“Yes, dear. Go in first. I’m just going to clean up and rest.”
“……”
I bent my eyes at him like the happiest woman in the world.
Alex silently bowed his head in greeting.
