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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: The Worn-Out Male Lead Picked the Wrong Opponent
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Rubbing his throbbing head, Hans realized the woman was Cynthia, whom he'd seen on the ship before. He gritted his teeth.
"Hey, you white bitch. I've been waiting for a chance to pay you back, and now you show up in front of me without a care? I won't go easy on you just because you're nobility!"
Hans lunged at Cynthia with a ferocious glare.
But once again, he took a hit from the candy, his face twisting in bewilderment and pain.
Fast! I can't even see her hand!
Confirming the candy had shattered, Cynthia smiled brightly and turned to the merchant beside her.
"Mister, got any decent weapons?"
"I have just the thing—wide striking range, durable, and efficient for burying the evidence afterward."
Hans saw the hardware merchant recommending a shovel handle and began slinking backward, thinking of escape.
Then he felt a cold gun barrel press against the back of his head and froze.
"Not content with assaulting my wife, you thought you'd lay hands on her too?"
At Masera's chilling, sharpened voice, Hans raised both hands in surrender.
Crack!
Soon after, he was struck on the back of the head with the pistol grip and collapsed in a heap.
Cynthia came running up, gripping the shovel handle and huffing indignantly.
"What? He's already out? I was going to spank his ass!"
"Calm down and take care of the pregnant woman first."
At Masera's words, Cynthia snapped out of her anger and hurried to Anita.
Anita looked at Cynthia, pulling her hood over her head with trembling hands.
"Miss, what brings you here... I'm so sorry to trouble you..."
"What happened?"
"Well..."
Anita hesitated before explaining her situation.
After being exiled from Media, they'd been living here. Anita did odd jobs to earn money, but Hans squandered it all on booze and gambling.
"I wasn't feeling well today and said I'd rest, but he came home drunk and tried to hit me. I ran away but got caught... and that's when I ran into you, miss."
Cynthia bit her lip, seeing Anita's pale face.
She knew Anita hadn't asked for help despite the address she'd given her because she didn't fully trust her.
"Come with me. I know you don't trust me completely, but I can't leave you like this. At least until the baby is born, stay at the barracks."
"But..."
"It's a military facility—no one will find out."
Anita stroked her belly and bowed her head.
"Thank you."
Meanwhile, someone who recognized Anita from afar was watching.
Anita?
The woman standing at the alley corner widened her eyes.
She was Anna, the Queensguard maid whom Helen had spared to use as leverage against Cynthia.
She's alive.
Anita and Anna had been colleagues working together at the count's estate for life.
Anna had thought she died in that purge, but here she was, alive and well.
If they find out they're both alive, they might both end up dead. Better pretend I didn't see her.
Anna pulled her muffler deep over her face and headed to the address the duke had given her. She had just slipped out of the duke's residence on his orders.
The place she arrived at was a modest house tucked in a dim alley corner.
The duke, sitting inside the cramped but tidy home, placed a pouch of money on the table.
"Hide out here for a while. Don't worry about the funds."
"Pardon? What's this all of a sudden..."
"My wife plans to deal with you—the one who handed over the fake documents."
Anna's face paled with shock and fear as she timidly asked,
"Then why... are you sparing me?"
The duke looked into Anna's large, teary eyes and curved his lips.
"Just because."
He was a man of power who could save lives with a fleeting whim turned away the next moment.
But to the recipient, it was a lifelong debt of gratitude.
Anna bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much. I'll never forget this kindness."
The duke quite liked this structure where he could so easily become someone's savior.
And separately from that, he wanted to see Cynthia's touched face, thanking him sincerely with praise.
The reason he'd brought Anna here was to steal an important card Helen planned to use against Cynthia.
Suddenly, Cynthia's large ruby-like eyes and her uniquely pure, poignant beauty came to mind.
"If only she'd married a kind duke like you instead of that gruff brigadier..."
As if shaking off the needless thought that popped up, the duke clamped his mouth shut and waved his hand hurriedly.
"Your Grace, will you visit here sometimes?"
At Anna's question, the duke pondered briefly before nodding.
He planned to keep participating in the volunteer activities Cynthia organized.
Seeing the suddenly silent duke, Anna's eyes sparkled.
Does His Grace... think of me specially?
His casual kindness sparked an unexpected delusion she hadn't anticipated.
For the time being, Cynthia took Anita to Captain Carlton. He had come along for the children's health checkups.
"It's only after birth in my domain..."
Captain Carlton, the pediatric specialist, sighed as he examined Anita.
"The spotting could be a sign of miscarriage, so hospitalization seems necessary."
"Hospitalization?"
The surprised Cynthia immediately sought Masera's help.
Because Hans had stolen and fled with the Everett baron's money, the baron's family was also searching for the pair. After explaining Anita's need to hide, Masera sent her to a military hospital where she could be protected.
He also agreed without prying to Cynthia's request to shelter her at the barracks after discharge.
"Brigadier, thanks for granting my request."
Cynthia poked Masera repeatedly, her face beaming with gratitude.
Masera, watching his men and the children build snowmen in the front yard, looked down at her.
"No need to thank me."
"Why not?"
"Following my wife's orders is only natural, isn't it?"
"Oh, what a cool thing to say."
He hadn't said it to sound cool. Soldiers were instilled with the creed that they must obey their wife's commands.
After expressing her thanks, Cynthia returned to her duties.
Her role was to oversee all the volunteers who had come for the service activities.
The volunteers each demonstrated their skills, and those who passed became the children's teachers.
Otherwise, they were mercilessly aproned and put to housework.
"What do you think?"
The Lecanosa Duke showed her a word-matching puzzle he'd made at the children's eye level.
"Wow, how are you so good at this? I couldn't do it myself—it was too hard. Language teacher, passed."
At Cynthia's praise, the duke's shoulders puffed up like a child's as he walked off.
"Lady Cynthia, I made picture cards for word education. I learned drawing as a kid."
Next, Major Rodriguez showed off cards with his astonishing drawing skills.
It was a dynamic rabbit illustration that seemed ready to leap to life.
"Whoa, so cute! Passed!"
She wanted to give a long critique, but that's all she managed.
Soon Valeria came running up, face flushed with excitement.
"Princess, I play the piano very well!"
"That's amazing! Reserve sister-in-law, piano teacher passed!"
Valeria hummed happily as she sauntered away with her pass.
Then Karos approached and launched a paper airplane folded with incredible origami skill out the window.
"I won first place in a paper airplane distance contest."
"Open an origami class."
As Cynthia watched the paper plane vanish from sight, Masera whispered from behind.
"I can see where that trash lands."
"Clairvoyance passed."
Somehow, it had turned into a world's greatest talent show.
These recognition-hungry maniacs...
Masera added lowly to Cynthia, who was giving him a side-eye.
"Don't praise men carelessly."
"Why?"
It was then that Cynthia posed her question.
"Waaah!"
Edford, passing by with plates, tripped over something and crashed down.
"...Because bad things happen."
I never praised him? I only mocked him while he did dishes, saying 'You could switch to underwater ceramics technician.'
Suspiciously, Masera quickly repositioned his leg and stated calmly,
"So it's best if you only praise me."
He was astonishingly petty.
