My Husband Who Abandoned Me Suddenly Became Obsessed With Me - Chapter 5

“I don’t know why you are suddenly like this. You clearly didn’t help me last time. So why are you helping now…… Just like you’ve become someone else……”

“It’s something like that only.”

Sihon readily admitted that he was fickle. However, he did not mean to wait patiently.

“So, what is the conclusion?” asked Sihon.

“The wound I have now was caused by the young lady, Stella Kensington. Members of the Earl of Kensington visited the marquis yesterday. I’m sorry this wasn’t the answer you were expecting, but this wound wasn’t the result of domestic violence or abuse.”

Lydia lowered her eyes and confided in despair.

It was a bit vague to talk about this assault case.

Of course, it is true that she was usually abused at the marquis.

However, the current wounds were not caused by the marquis or the workers, but by an outsider.

You can’t call it ‘domestic violence’ or ‘abuse’, right?

The only thing the Duke of Sihon Blair took issue with was the wounds he saw. So, you can’t bring up previous injuries as grounds for ‘abuse’.

However, Sihon’s response was quite unexpected.

“You are misunderstanding something, Lady Arwen. You don’t have to hit and curse one to call it abuse. Failing to treat an injured child in a timely manner is also called abuse. The same is true for the case when your meals were skipped two months ago, not on your own will, but because of someone else’s oppression.”

As if stating an obvious fact, his tone was plain. So, it seemed more reliable.

It’s just that he’s not taking sides with someone because he’s blinded by emotions, but he’s talking by objective standards.

Marquis of Amaranth were externally renowned nobles. They donate huge amounts of money every month and are used to volunteer at orphanages and temples. Even if it was sincere or pretentious, it meant that he did not neglect his reputation.

It deserved praise for being a role model for others who practice noblesse oblige in the aristocratic society.

No matter how much Lydia shouts that the marquise’s wife abuses her and her father ignores it, the social nobles will not believe it.

Why would such a wonderful marquise couple torment her, their daughter, and everyone will take it as the childish grumbling of an immature girl.

In fact, he himself said that he didn’t want to be bothered with other people’s family affairs.

With such behaviour, Lydia has already ruled out the option of asking for help from indifferent nobles in the first place.

To that extent, it was unusual to ask Sihon for help at that time.

She’s still a fiancée. If it’s not revealed that she is a fake, they’ll get married someday. Wouldn’t she be a little different from everyone else? She was so expectant and mistaken.

After that hope was shattered, she decided not to expect any more… ….

For whatever reason, he was reaching out to me. And if I tell him what happened in the Marquis, will he trust and help me.

She’s anxious because she doesn’t know what she is thinking.

Maybe this will be her first and last chance to depend on someone.

Lydia’s determined lips opened.

“On that day, I didn’t go hungry because I wanted to, mother ordered the workers to give me water only for a week to make the body fit for the dress. But actually, there is another reason, she hates me. I can’t give you all the details, but….”

“And apart from what happened yesterday, I used to be educated and punish a little bit if I didn’t follow well or if she didn’t like something. Like being confined in dark basements, being starved only on water for several days, slapped on the cheek, prick under the fingernails, forced to lie down and have their workers step on and humiliate me…….”

“You mean this is ‘a little bit of corporal punishment’? Even if said that like it’s a crime only. So, when did the harassment start?”

“Since I was twelve.”

As the answer continued, Sihon’s well-groomed brow narrowed. A reaction full of displeasure.

‘Does it sound like you’re whining while you’re not even close?’

Lydia paused for a moment at his slightly hardened expression. But then she spoke hurriedly.

“I don’t want to be here even for a moment. Please help me escape the Marquis of Amaranth! Then, I will make it possible for your Excellency to break up the marriage without leaving the eyes of the imperial family. Your Majesty the Duke does not want to associate with the Marquis of Amaranth. However, there is no choice but to keep the engagement due to the imperial order.”

Under imperial law, marriage can only take place between couples of similar status and different genders.

No matter how much the two families want to unite according to their interests, the marriage cannot proceed without a child of the opposite sex that can mate with the other family.

After Arwen’s death, the Marquis would have wanted to adopt a girl from a distant relative if possible. Because it’s the most natural and honest.

Unfortunately, there were many boys among the relatives, but no girls.

So, Marquis Kyle Amaranth turned Lydia, the illegitimate child, into her dead daughter, Arwen.

But what if it is known by all that the ‘real’ Marquis of Arwen Amaranth, Young Ae, is already dead?

Since the Marquis of Amaranth does not have a noble maiden worthy of the Duke of Blair, the imperial order couldn’t be followed.

The secret was Lydia’s only card.

“I know how to stop the two families from getting married. If you keep your promise first, I will tell you the secret.”

***

A relationship that never gets better.

Sihon defined his relationship with his wife, Arwen.

From the moment Sihon was born to the Duke of Blair and Arwen to the Marquis of Amaranth, their life was decided.

How long have their ancestors invaded each other’s territory, looted wealth, and killed relatives? The goal of the conflict that had been going on for hundreds of years could never be resolved.

Naturally, they both did not care what kind of person other was. Only the family they belonged to was enough for both to avoid each other.

Objectively, the young marquess of Arwen Amaranth, was a decent bridesmaid in the social society.

First of all, Arwen was quite pretty, although not one of the most beautiful women in the Empire.

The waist length pale gold hair was of good quality, and the large and round emerald green eyes under her long eyelashes were beautiful.

The pale white skin looks cold, but the small, thick cherry-coloured lips and round nose gave it a gentle feeling.

Her voice was gentle and graceful, her level of education was above average, and her dowry was, of course, enormous, as she was from a marquis.

The problem is that Sihon is not even interested in Arwen and her personality.

Perhaps he didn’t care about how Arwen was born and what she ate. Whether she has blonde or black hair. Whether the skin is white or tanned.

Whether she is healthy or weak. Whether she is good at embroidering or not good at it or is the handwriting is pretty, or it’s not.

All of it didn’t matter.

After all, he had no intention of marrying Amaranth’s wife, nor of seeing an heir in her womb.

They just wanted to keep their distance from each other throughout their marriage and pass without annoying quarrels.

I thought that my wife, who came from the marquis of Amaranth, would also have same thoughts as him and would not be so different from this feeling.

In that sense, it was surprising for him that she smiled brightly during the wedding ceremony. To be honest, it quite surprised Sihon to see the bride looking happy even for a moment.

How can you smile when you are married to your enemy’s family?

There’s nothing to laugh about at all, so what’s happy and joyful about it?

It was strange. But again, it was not strangely unpleasant.

Sihon felt strange for a moment at her incomprehensible reaction, but he quickly ignored it.

Maybe it was just acting as a lady in front of the audience.

After the wedding, when the two of them were left alone in the new room, Sihon’s guess was solidified with certainty.

According to the original imperial law, the marriage of a nobleman was to be completed only after two men and women had a wedding ceremony and held the first night. In other words, no matter how many hundreds of witnesses the marriage was declared, the marriage was considered ‘incomplete’ if it did not go through the night.

Taking advantage of the loophole, there were cases where a man and a woman who were not on good terms withdrew without going through the night and later declared the annulment of the marriage.

Whether to spend the night with a bride you don’t love.

Even then, Sihon could not readily make up his mind. He just stared at Arwen, who was sitting on the bed for a long time.

‘What is this woman thinking now?’

But Arwen didn’t show any emotion right away. Just like a doll, she just kept her eyes lowered and remained silent.

In the end, the other person had no choice but to check it out for himself.

Sihon tilted his head as if to kiss her and touched the corset strap tied behind her back. If the bride felt even a little uncomfortable, he was planned to stop immediately.

Actually, it was right to think about it as it was purely a formal procedure.

As expected, Arwen curled up in horror. Apparent rejection.

The moment he confirmed the bride’s will, Sihon neatly retreated.

Yeah, it wouldn’t be very pleasant for you to mix flesh with the spouse of the enemy’s family.

Sihon passed her and left the room. Arwen pursed her lips as if she was about to say something, but he didn’t wait.

Because it must have been an obvious excuse to say, ‘I was just surprised for a moment’. Thinking this, she guessed it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

The important thing is that neither he nor she wants each other.

It was only later that Sihon learned that his wife wore long sleeves, even in the sweltering summer.

No matter how indifferent he is to Arwen, living in a mansion, there were times when somethings will catch his eye even if he tried not to be conscious.

Wearing clothes that don’t fit the season was one of those things.

Wondering about this, Sihon asked his wife’s Lady in waiting, Viscount Charlotte Payla, if she knew the reason of her insistence on long sleeves.

Then the maid carefully said, ‘The Duchess seems to be reluctant to expose it because of the scars on her body.’

His wife’s maid, who was usually shy and looked down on him coldly at times, had a naive and complicated look at that time.