Don’T Get Caught By Your Husband! [EN]: Chapter 51

#51. The Pope’s Trap

April 20, 2024

“Even though he pretends to be fine, Escalio lost his parents when he was only seven years old. I was with my mother for quite a long time, but Escalio had no family until he met me. Even after he met me, it wasn’t a normal relationship.”

Escalio, who seemed stronger than anyone else, actually had deeper wounds than anyone else.

Even his sometimes glib and very lighthearted attitude must have been a disguise to hide such an inner self.

Thinking of him like that, a corner of my heart seemed to ache.

“Please take good care of Escalio. As long as his wife doesn’t betray him first, Escalio will remain the same.”

Belladonna was about to nod, but stopped at a certain word.

Betrayal……?

I want you to go to his territory after the marriage and last only three months.

After three months, I plan to divorce him, citing his flaws, and receive a generous amount of alimony in addition to the wedding funds.

Generous wedding funds and alimony. And the revival effect due to sympathy for the saintess who was rejected and returned from her husband with a scandalous private life. Let’s aim for these two birds with one stone!

The Pope’s greedy voice and sinister, low laughter rang unpleasantly in my ears.

Belladonna clenched her fists on her lap.

It wasn’t like that at first… But now, she had no intention of betraying him at all.

Now, she couldn’t even imagine leaving Escalio and returning to Astagna.

‘I have to tell him.’

Belladonna repeated in her mind.

What purpose the Pope had in sending her to him, exactly what he had asked for, and what her true feelings were now, how they had changed.

She had to tell him everything.

‘But…….’

If she told him about the Pope’s intentions, how would he react?

Providence Brielle was a figure who had a vast influence on the Elinus Empire.

Everyone respected and loved him, and there were at least millions of believers who would give their lives for him without hesitation.

If Escalio found out the Pope’s true colors, would he stay still?

‘And would he…… believe me?’

That she had been planning a political marriage and divorce to extort wedding funds from him, but now she had come to love him sincerely.

And that she wanted to stay by his side.

In reality, a cunning Pope who only knew money and his daughter who could speak but had been hiding it until now.

It looked like a typical swindler father and daughter to anyone.

‘Besides, I’m not the real Saintess Belladonna…….’

Escalio had shown her his sincerity and acted without lies in every way, but she was only showing him a lot of hidden things and all made-up appearances.

Thinking about it, a feeling of anxiety arose in an instant.

“Madam, are you okay?”

Scarlett, who noticed that Belladonna’s complexion had suddenly worsened, grabbed her arm and asked.

Belladonna snapped out of her thoughts and forced a smile.

“By the way, it seems like you’re really busy since you became the lord. You’re being called away without even having time to spend together.”

Scarlett glanced at the door of the drawing room and mentioned Escalio, who wasn’t coming back.

He couldn’t stay in Cirenia for long and had to return, so he must be suffering from overwork these days. Poor Escalio…….

Scarlett, who had been looking down at her watch for a moment, opened her mouth.

“Ah, I should go back before it gets too late.”

Ah! Belladonna, who had been thinking about Escalio, belatedly turned her head out the window. Come to think of it, it was completely dark outside.

Then I have to call Escalio……!

When Belladonna got up from her seat with the intention of calling Escalio, Scarlett stopped her and made her sit down again.

“Don’t call him, just leave him alone. Anyway, I’m going to come often now…….”

Come often…….

Saying that, Scarlett gave an embarrassed smile.

That appearance somehow looked cute and warm, and Belladonna also gave a soft smile.

She nodded and held Scarlett’s hand.

That’s right, come visit often!

* * *

“I’m leaving, Madam!”

Scarlett stuck her face out of the carriage and waved her hand.

Be careful! Belladonna also raised one hand and waved it from side to side.

She stood there until the carriage carrying Scarlett passed through the castle gate and disappeared, then turned around.

He said it would only take a moment…… How much is Wolf making people work!

Belladonna grumbled at Wolf, who had taken Escalio away, and walked up the stairs towards his office.

Without hesitation, she knocked on the door, and a pleasant voice flowed out from inside.

“Come in.”

Belladonna felt her heart flutter and the corners of her lips rise without her knowing it, and entered the office.

Hmm……?

She was going to happily tell him that Scarlett had returned, but the atmosphere inside the office was unusual.

Belladonna, who was unknowingly embarrassed, slowly stopped in her place.

Escalio, with a different look in his eyes than usual, was staring straight at her.

What, what is it? What happened……?

“…….”

The air in the office was heavy. An inexplicably stuffy air was pressing down on Belladonna, making her feel suffocated.

Belladonna stood still and swallowed hard.

Escalio’s eyes, sitting in his chair and staring at her, were very different from usual.

She forcibly moved her shaking gaze and quickly scanned his desk.

‘……Ah.’

A letter envelope with the Pope’s seal was placed there.

Belladonna’s heart began to beat loudly as she confirmed it.

So the letter with the confidential seal…… It seemed that the letter Wolf had mentioned earlier was from the Vatican.

Wolf had been watching her, wondering if something had happened to the Vatican.

Belladonna silently looked down at the letter envelope.

The Pope had often sent her letters under the pretext of asking how she was doing, but he had never sent a letter directly to Escalio.

What’s the content? Could it be…….

She tried to maintain her composure as much as possible and approached him.

“……Scarlett has returned.”

“Yes. I heard the sound of the carriage leaving.”

Escalio answered without taking his eyes off Belladonna.

At the cold reaction that felt almost indifferent, Belladonna stopped walking, not knowing what to do.

Her head was dizzy with confusion.

She didn’t know why she was standing here, whether she should turn around and leave now, or what to do at all.

“I…… You must have had a lot of work. You couldn’t even see her off in person.”

Belladonna swallowed hard and barely squeezed out a voice.

Escalio, who had been watching her, turned the envelope on the desk over and said.

“A letter came from the Pope.”

“…….”

“One for you, one for me. A total of two came.”

“……Is that so?”

Belladonna forcibly raised the corners of her lips.

It was still difficult to judge why the Pope had sent the letter or what was written in it.

“I had no intention of reading the letter that went to you. I just opened the envelope with my name on it.”

Escalio picked up the paper that was spread out nearby.

“I read the letter that came to me, and the content was strange. It seems that he was confused about the letter to me and the letter to you.”

He held out the letter he was holding to her.

Belladonna received the paper he was holding out with trembling hands. An anxious and chilly feeling ran down her spine.

Belladonna stood still and looked down at the letter.

Now that her married life with him had entered its third month, she had expected the Pope to react in some way, but not like this.

‘Could it be…….’

She read the letters with trembling eyes.

[My dear daughter.

Before I knew it, your married life has entered its third month. There is less than a month left until our plan. It must be very difficult for you mentally, but please endure that terrible married life a little longer.]

Belladonna took a small breath.

It was the letter sent by the Pope, but it was a completely different tone and style.

He usually didn’t write such direct content about marriage in his letters.

The Pope, who only used indirect and metaphorical words so that others wouldn’t notice, would never write a letter like this.

She raised her eyes and met Escalio’s gaze, who was still looking at her, then lowered her head back to the letter.

[I still feel really sorry for sending you to Lord Diete because of financial problems. If you hadn’t directly made a plan to divorce him after three months, the Vatican would have only become more and more difficult. The people of the Vatican will remember your sacrifice for a long time.]

W-What is this……? I directly made a plan to divorce him after three months?

Belladonna’s fingertips began to tremble little by little.

[I feel sorry for Lord Escalio Diete. But I think he will eventually understand God’s deep will. I hope you will finish your married life with him without any problems. Ah, I am enclosing the letter you sent me right before, so please burn it all at once there? I think this will be our last letter. Then, see you soon in Astagna.

Your loving father.]

Belladonna raised her head sharply.

My letter that I sent?

“Looking for this?”

Escalio shook another piece of paper he was holding.

Belladonna trembled finely as she realized what it was.

“It’s the letter you sent to the Pope a few days ago. Perhaps because there are many eyes watching in the Vatican, there was no other way to handle this?”

He threw the letter he was holding towards Belladonna.

Belladonna looked down at the paper that fell weakly at her feet.

[Father, don’t worry. Everything will go according to your and my wishes. However, before that, I want to know what the flaws of my husband that you mentioned before are. I need to know what his weaknesses are so that I can handle things wisely on my side when I divorce him later, citing his flaws.]

Belladonna’s face turned white as she confirmed a phrase from the letter she had written.

They were just sentences written to find out the Pope’s plan.

It was to reassure the Pope and understand his intentions by making it seem like she was still on his side and preparing for a divorce, and to prepare to stay by Escalio’s side in the end.

But if someone saw it, it was also a sentence that looked like the wife was only thinking about ending her married life with Escalio, just like the Pope’s letter.