I Wish My Husband Were Dead - Chapter 55
Only Krnovel
Forecast Delim
2023.12.25.
“I can’t take my eyes off you.”
“What?”
“From Cordelia.”
He didn’t even realize he was looking at Cordelia until Lydia pointed it out. Leonard turned his head nonchalantly and looked at Lydia.
“She’s a troublemaker, so if you look away for even a moment, you’ll get involved in something strange.”
“Who? Cordelia? No way. She’s so gentle and kind.”
“How gentle. At Abrams, they serve wine… … . No.”
“Why? What happened?”
He chuckled to himself and shook his head at Lydia’s question.
“Anyway, she’s the weirdest and most incomprehensible woman I’ve ever seen. When I first saw her, she seemed suspicious, but how did she end up here… … .”
“How did you end up meeting Cordelia? Why do you have to go to Abrams’ estate?”
She didn’t get an answer right away because they had to separate for a while and dance with another partner.
“I had some business in the North. I happened to stop by the estate and met Cordelia.”
“Did you recognize her right away? That she had magical talent?”
“Well, it’s similar.”
“It’s fate, definitely.”
Lydia forced a smile. The corners of her mouth trembled. The word fate lingered on the tip of her tongue.
Fate. Why couldn’t she be his fate?
“That yellow dress, doesn’t it look a little childish?”
“Why? It suits Cordelia well.”
“She looks a little more green than that.”
“Like Cordelia’s eyes?”
Leonard nodded absentmindedly.
Lydia felt a strong sense of anxiety as they talked. It had been almost twenty years since she had known Leonard. She had never seen him show such interest in anyone.
Except for magic.
Leonard was surprisingly indifferent to anything else. Lydia was an Elfenbaum, so she was much better than the others. And she didn’t think the gap was bad.
He didn’t take disciples or take wives. That’s why she thought she could stay by his side for the rest of her life.
“Leo.”
“Why?”
“I understand.”
“What are you talking about out of the blue?”
“The fact that you only spend five days a year in the capital and the rest of the time in Wilarth. The fact that your only interest is magic.”
Lydia squeezed his hand with all her might. Then she looked straight into Leonard’s eyes.
“So propose to me.”
“… … Lydia.”
“I’m the only one in the world who understands you perfectly. I’m the only one who knows what you like and dislike, what’s comfortable and uncomfortable.”
“Isn’t this already over?”
Leonard’s voice was tired. It was a story he’d repeated countless times. He thought he’d put an end to it, but it seemed he was mistaken.
“To me, you’re just Blay’s sister. Rosenblu Elfenbaum’s sister. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“You can think of it that way. Even if that’s all you feel for me, it doesn’t matter. If only I could be your wife.”
“Come to your senses. Lydia Elfenbaum. You’re Elfenbaum’s daughter. What’s so regrettable about marrying a man who doesn’t even love you?”
“Because I love you.”
The music ended. Everyone laughed and bowed. Leonard and Lydia didn’t laugh, speak, or bow. They just looked at each other.
Leonard turned his head first.
“I don’t want to marry. Not you, but anyone else.”
“Leo!”
The moment Lydia called him with earnestness, a slow minuet began to flow. The people tilted their heads at the unexpected song choice, but soon their attention was stolen by Rosenblu and Cordelia, who came out first.
And Leonard was no exception.
* * *
“You’re good at it?”
“If you can’t even do this, I’ll never be able to dance at a ballroom.”
The slow tempo and simple repetition of steps allowed Cordelia to dance while talking.
Rosenblu laughed lightly.
“It’s because it’s my first time. I even got confused by the minuet at first and broke out in a cold sweat.”
“Mr. Rosenblu? I can’t believe it.”
“I’ve been naive and foolish, too.”
Cordelia tried to imagine a younger, more immature, and foolish Rosenblu than she was now, but it wasn’t easy to imagine.
“Come to think of it, if it’s your first time at a ball, it’s probably your first time dancing like this, right?”
“Yes. It’s all a first. Coming to the ball in such a pretty dress, dancing with a man.”
“It’s an honor. To be Cordelia’s first partner.”
Cordelia turned her head absentmindedly and met his eyes, almost holding her breath. It was bad for her heart to see his handsome face so close.
Then Rosenblair saw something and snorted.
“He’s staring at us so fiercely.”
“Who is it, Master?”
Cordelia briefly distanced herself from Rosenblair because it was a lap. Then she found Leonard, arms crossed and frowning, among the crowd. When she saw him, Cordelia couldn’t help but laugh.
“Really. When this dance is over, I’ll go back to Master… …”
And a little way away from Leonard, stood a person she never imagined seeing here. Cordelia froze in place and took a deep breath.
“Cordelia?”
“… I’m sorry. “I was thinking about something else for a moment.”
Fortunately, the performance was not long. Cordelia’s hair turned white the moment she saw the figure in the crowd. She didn’t hear anything Rosenblu’s worried expression said to her.
As soon as the dance was over, she bowed lightly to him and ran away.
Rosenblu called her name from behind, but she didn’t have the energy to look back. She just had a strong feeling that she had to get out of here.
“You!”
“Ugh.”
“Come here right now.”
At that moment, a strong, firm hand grabbed her wrist. Cordelia swung her arm with all her might, but it was no use.
“Let go of this, father!”
“Shut up.”
How on earth could her father, Pablo Vasquez, come to this banquet? Cordelia was dragged halfway into the dark garden, led by her father.
“Ouch!”
She should have walked carefully because she was already wearing high heels, but as she was dragged, the heels naturally buckled and her ankles sprained.
But her father paid no attention to his daughter’s screams.
He found a corner of the garden where there were few people and roughly put her arm down.
“What on earth is this? A disciple of Attila? You’re a wizard?”
“… … Yes.”
“Why! Do you know how shocked I was when I heard this story from the Saracen Elector?”
Cordelia recalled what Diana had said at the beginning of the banquet. Diana, not knowing the circumstances, must have thought that Cordelia’s father would be a welcome guest.
“You kept that from your father without even saying a word. You’re just like
your mother in terms of insidiousness!” “Why should I tell you about that? Wasn’t it enough that you sold me to Abrams and made a fortune? Are you going to sell your wizard daughter again?”
“Can’t you shut your mouth?”
Her body swayed with a “crack” sound. Cordelia clenched her teeth. She had forgotten for a while. How bad her father’s hands were.
Cordelia covered her cheeks that were starting to swell in an instant.
“And what about your husband? You flirt and dance with other men? You don’t know shame. Even if Count Abrams kicks you out right now, I have nothing to say.”
“Don’t worry. Even if my husband kicks you out like my father said, or even if I die, I won’t go back to Vasquez.”
“Don’t test my patience.”
He said through gritted teeth. If it were home, he would have swung his belt, but he didn’t go that far inside Saracen’s townhouse.
“Get down to Abrams right now. Don’t make me look bad anymore.”
“Smear me? I’m a sorcerer’s apprentice! The only apprentice of Attila! Everyone talks about how great I am, so how can you, father, do this to me?”
Cordelia screamed in the middle of the garden, where no one could come.
Deep inside, it was true that her father had hoped that she would be a little proud if he found out that she was a magician.
However, her father appeared in reality and trampled all of those hopes underfoot.
“Lower your voice. How is it that as time goes by, there is no such thing as refinement no matter how hard you look for it. Even though you have a daughter, she only brings shame to the family. Tsk tsk.”
“I’m sorry, father. I was not well-bred, so I have no refinement.”
Cordelia’s cheek hurt, but she never meekly obeyed her father’s words. Vasquez’s face turned red and blue after hearing her sarcasm.
“Yes. It seems that I was very poorly brought up. You don’t even reply to the letters that Abby sends you.”
“Letter? Oh, are you talking about money again? Where did you spend all the money you made selling me? Do you have any idea how much I was embarrassed and ignored at Abrams because of the letters that you sent me?”
“How bad must you be to do that? That’s why you can’t even get a husband’s heart, and you still can’t have a child.”
Every word her father said felt like a sharp knife to her heart. Her breathing suddenly became shallow. It felt like someone was putting a hand in her stomach and stirring it.
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