I Wish My Husband Were Dead - Chapter 85



Only Krnovel

What do you think of me?
2024.01.24.

Candias, who had been sulking for a while, seemed to have let out all his anger, and this time he came close to Cordelia. He asked with a sinister laugh.

“That’s right. Did you show me that bracelet? What did he say? He cut off your wrist? He killed you?”

“No. The Master just told me to use it.”

“Really? That’s a big deal. Well, what can he do? It’s a bracelet that you can never take off once you put it on. Hehe. I really like you. It smells good.”

“Smell? Sniff. Do you smell that?”

Cordelia was a little embarrassed, buried her nose in her arm, and sniffed. Candias then said a little pathetic.

“Do you think I smell because I have a nose? It just feels good. What is it? A devilish smell? The scent of home?”

“Me, me?”

What did he mean by a devilish smell?

I’ll be visiting this lab a lot from now on, and I’m close to Candias, so there’s nothing bad, but the kindness shown by a demon who’s not a human being is a little awkward.

“If you ever need to make a contract with a demon, tell me. I’ll introduce you to a good guy.”

“Don’t say weird things to the kid and get out of the way.”

“What weird things! What a special opportunity this is.”

“What’s good about making a contract with a demon?”

“Don’t you know what a contract is?”

“You don’t have to know. That kind of stuff.”

Leonard pushed Candias away with his hand and furrowed one eyebrow. Candias glared and tried to go to Cordelia’s place.

“Why don’t you know? Of course a wizard should know! Even though you made a contract with me.”

“The thing I regret the most is making a contract with you. You’re a gatekeeper who talks a lot and is noisy.”

“I didn’t come to the human world to be a gatekeeper in the first place! You keep forgetting, but I’m the one hundred and thirty-second demon! Do you know how much the other demons will laugh at you if they find out you’re rotting away here like a janitor?”

Candias must have been very angry about that, because she was yelling at him. Of course, Leonard didn’t even bat an eyelid.

“Is that my fault? That’s why you should have made a good contract. Why are you blaming me for being a janitor because you’re stupid?”

“Aaaah! I’ll kill you!”

Candias must have been angry, because she yelled at him and hurled all sorts of curses. Regardless, Leonard ignored Candias and showed Cordelia the lab.

“This is the study and where most of my research materials are. If I ask you to come find something, you can come here.”

When I first came, I was just sitting on the sofa, so I didn’t notice, but the further I went in, the more bookshelves there were. Other than that, there was a small room with a bed to close my eyes on and a small stove to make tea.

It was smaller than Maximilian’s lab, but it was just the right size for two people.

“I used it all by myself and tore down all the walls in the lab, but I’ll call someone tomorrow and put up some walls to make some space for you.”

“But is this all there is to the kitchen? I saw that Maximilian’s lab used to grill steaks.”

“Who do you think would grill that steak?”

“Well, the cooking… .”

Now that I think about it, there aren’t any servants in the Magic Covenant, so it’s unlikely there would be a cook. Caron himself cooked the lamb steak and ate it… .

Cordelia’s face darkened as she remembered Caron’s terrible end that she had forgotten. Leonard keenly noticed the change.

“Why?”

“No, nothing. Now that I think about it, it’s better if there’s no kitchen. At least you won’t have to grill steaks.”

“Oh. You can eat at the common dining hall on the first floor. You can eat for free if you mention your school name there.”

“Who cooks?”

“The apprentice magicians take turns cooking, but since they pay daily wages, most of them are commoners who need money.”

“Aha.”

Even though magic is equal for everyone, it’s impossible for nobles who can devote themselves to magic without worrying about their livelihood to compete on equal terms with commoners who barely make a living.

Cordelia asked, running her hand down Leonard’s desk.

“What do you usually do here?”

“What else would you do besides researching magic in the lab? You have to publish at least two papers a year and attend academic conferences once a month. You also have to participate in irregular events.”

“Wow, there’s more to do than I thought. Then what do I do?”

“Don’t think about what you’re going to do and don’t cause trouble.”

“Tch. I’m not a seven-year-old.”

Cordelia pouted and grumbled. It was clear that her teacher still thought of her as a wild child.

“You really don’t have anything to do? Everyone seems really busy outside. They gather in groups and do research… .”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you cry and beg for less work once you get used to it.”

“No, I don’t want you to be that busy.”

She closed her mouth in embarrassment. Leonard showed her to a small side room at the back of the study.

“For now, sleep here. I’ll let you know soon where I’ll be staying in the Magic Covenant.”

“Am I going to stay here forever?”

Cordelia asked, looking around the small room that could barely fit a single bed.

“Why? Are you suddenly scared when I say forever?”

She was going to say that if the Magic Covenant was stuffy, she could go out to the capital or somewhere to get some fresh air. Cordelia sat down on the bed and looked up at Leonard.

“No. My heart is pounding so hard. It feels like I’ve become a real wizard. It feels like I’m staying up all night in the lab and then taking a nap here.”

“Oh my.”

Leonard let out a sigh. It seemed like he was still full of the fantasy he had about wizards from books. It was clear that she would soon cry that she would die, but he decided to keep that romance for now.

The room was small, so the only thing lighting up the room was a small oil lamp. The swaying shadow illuminated half of Cordelia’s face.

“Master.”

“… … Why?”

Leonard asked in a low voice. He only lost consciousness for a moment, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her face, or rather, her dark green eyes.

“What do you think of me, Master?”

“What?”

He was greatly embarrassed, not having expected Cordelia to ask him this question.

What should he say? Should he say, “You are my only disciple?” No. That would sound too insincere.

Then, my most cherished and beloved disciple, isn’t it a bit too early to say that I love you now?

Instead, shouldn’t he first say that he sees you as a lover, not a disciple?

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Wait. I’m thinking about it.”

Wouldn’t she be a little embarrassed if I confessed all of a sudden? It would be better to create some kind of plausible atmosphere. What should I do in this situation? Should I give her a bouquet of flowers? It seems a bit odd to propose first.

“What? Why are you thinking so long? Do you think of me as your disciple?”

“Be quiet. I’m thinking about it right now.”

“What are you thinking about, haaam?”

Cordelia yawned loudly as if she was sleepy. Regardless, Leonard continued to think fiercely in his head.

What kind of flowers should I give her? Now that I think about it, I don’t even know what kind of flowers Cordelia likes. Should I just give her a safe rose?

But Cordelia looks better with white flowers than roses. When I was conscious earlier, I thought she would like white flowers. What kind of white flowers are there?

In his twenty-six years of life, this was the first time he had felt this way about someone and the first time he had expressed his feelings in an organized manner, so Leonard was at a loss.

His imagination gradually expanded and spread endlessly. Leonard finally finished his long contemplation and was ready to answer her question.

He wanted to add some fancy rhetoric, but since he had never done this before, he couldn’t think of anything suitable no matter how hard he racked his brain.

Leonard took a deep breath and spoke slowly. It was only a few sentences, but he couldn’t understand why he was shaking so much.

“What do you think of me? Cordelia, I want you to be… … .”

“… … .”

“Not just a disciple, but much more… … a precious, no, important, someone I want to be with for the rest of my life, um… … That’s what I mean. Oh, I’m going crazy.”

“… … .”

“I’ll do it again. I’ll start from the beginning again, so wait. Are you sleeping?”

Surprisingly, Cordelia’s head shook slightly up and down, and anyone could tell that it was the movement of someone who was sleeping. Leonard, who had been very tense, suddenly felt empty.

“I’m calling this a disciple. The teacher is talking about something important, and you’re dozing off?”

“… … Yes? No? I’m not asleep?”

Cordelia raised her head belatedly at Leonard’s irritated voice.

“What do you mean, what did I just say?”

“I’m talking about something important?”

“… … Ha. That’s enough. Go to sleep.”

He roughly stroked the back of my head and then closed the door and left. Cordelia waited until the door was completely closed and there was no sound outside.

Then, when she was sure that her son-in-law was quiet, she buried her face in the bed and screamed silently.

‘What the hell is he talking about?’

It was right in front of her, so she couldn’t have missed it.

She had been absentminded for the first few seconds, but the overly serious words coming out of Leonard’s mouth made her stiffen. She was glad she had her head down.

‘What does it mean to be precious? Does it mean that you think of me as family? Or… . . . ‘

The meaning was ambiguous, so she had no idea what he meant exactly.

She rolled over on the bed, clutching her head.

‘Important? Together for life? What on earth does that mean?’

It was significant for something said as a courtesy to her only disciple. But since he didn’t say anything directly, she was confused whether this was just Leonard’s occasional affection or if there was another meaning behind it.

“I’m done sleeping… ”

Cordelia muttered as she lay on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. And just as the prophecy had predicted, Cordelia greeted the next day without sleeping a wink.