Don’T Get Caught By Your Husband! [EN]: Chapter 3

Don’t get caught by your husband! 3. Daring to Form a Marital Bond (3/130)

#3. Daring to Form a Marital Bond

2024.03.03.

“Saintess?”

A maid, emerging after hearing Belladonna gasping for breath outside the dining hall, looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Belladonna quickly composed herself, offering the maid a graceful smile.

“Ah, Saintess… The Pope is waiting for you.”

The maid, looking enraptured, personally pushed open the dining hall doors.

Belladonna slowly walked inside and saw her stepfather sitting at the table.

“Belladonna, you’ve arrived.”

He asked in a low voice, holding a glass of water.

Belladonna bowed to the Pope with a practiced gesture and took a seat across the long table from him.

As she reached for a cup, assessing the Pope’s mood, his dignified voice spoke again.

“Ah, would you mind waiting a bit for the meal? I have company joining us today.”

Company?

Belladonna blinked her blue eyes and nodded.

It wasn’t unusual for someone to accompany the Pope during meals. Belladonna would simply listen to their conversation with half an ear while she ate.

‘I’m hungry…’

Belladonna smacked her lips as she looked at the appetizing food on the table.

*Whoever it is, please hurry up.*

Knock, knock.

Just then, a knock echoed from behind.

*Ah, it seems they’ve arrived on time.*

Belladonna stood to greet the Pope’s guest. She plastered on her signature bright smile and watched the door slowly open.

It was likely another high-ranking noble visiting the Pope for political reasons…

“……!”

Uh…?

Belladonna’s eyes widened as she stared at the large figure entering through the door, which the maid, now blushing furiously, held open.

“Sir Diete. Welcome.”

The Pope stepped forward and offered his hand.

The large man who entered the dining hall and shook hands with the Pope was…

The man who had been nonchalantly sleeping under the tree a little while ago. The intruder!

‘Oh, no…’

Belladonna, feeling dizzy, couldn’t tear her eyes away as she slowly scanned him.

Taller than ordinary people by a head, with a powerfully built frame. Black hair fell naturally over his forehead, and golden eyes shone dangerously beneath it.

He had been wearing simple, form-fitting clothes under the tree, but now he was dressed in a formal uniform, seemingly out of respect for the Pope.

Though the buttons weren’t properly fastened.

“I greet the Pope.”

When he spoke, a pleasant baritone voice filled the room.

“Bella?”

The Pope turned his head, looking at Belladonna, who was standing frozen.

Only then did Belladonna snap out of her daze, quickly forcing a smile.

She bowed slightly to him.

*Ah… I think I’m screwed…*

“Hahaha, this is my only daughter, Belladonna. It seems my daughter was momentarily captivated by your handsome appearance.”

“It seems I am the one who should be captivated, not the Saintess.”

The man replied, looking directly at Belladonna with his shining golden eyes.

Belladonna felt breathless, as if she were being drawn into his deep gaze, and she swallowed hard.

W-What kind of look is that…?

Belladonna focused on maintaining her smile, cold sweat trickling down her back.

Ha, hahaha…

“Hahaha, you flatter me. Please, sit down. The food we’ve prepared with such care will get cold.”

The Pope, letting out a hearty laugh, turned and gestured toward the table.

He guided the man to a seat and then went to his own seat across from him.

Belladonna also sat down, acutely aware of the man sitting slightly apart from her.

*Surely… he didn’t hear my voice earlier.*

*It can’t be.*

*It can’t be… right?*

“As you already know, my daughter cannot speak.”

*No, did you have to bring that up right away?*

Belladonna abruptly raised her head and looked at the Pope, surprised by his sudden remark.

Feeling inexplicably guilty about their earlier encounter, Belladonna quickly glanced at the man beside her. He was bringing a wine glass to his lips, seemingly unfazed.

“……”

Sensing her gaze, he suddenly met her eyes.

Belladonna, making eye contact with his shining golden eyes, was startled and quickly looked away.

“She is a daughter who is lacking in many ways… but I hope you will think of her favorably.”

*What? What are you talking about? What are you discussing with the person right in front of you?*

Feeling frustrated and anxious, Belladonna fidgeted with her hands under the table.

Perhaps it was because she thought he might have heard her inner thoughts, but she felt more uneasy than usual.

She slowly reached for a glass of water.

*I’m thirsty, so thirsty…*

“Actually, I had already made up my mind on the way here.”

A low voice came from the man next to her. The eyes of both the Pope and Belladonna were fixed on him.

He set down the wine glass with a relaxed gesture and continued.

“I couldn’t possibly marry someone I didn’t even know the face of.”

“Pfft!”

Belladonna spat out the water she was drinking.

The clear water soaked not only her tableware but also her dress.

“Saintess! Are you alright?”

The maid, who was standing a step behind, rushed over and wiped her wet clothes with a dry cloth.

Belladonna nodded, her face flushed red.

“Bella, are you alright? You must have been very surprised.”

The Pope looked at his daughter with a worried expression.

However, she could easily detect the hint of reproach hidden within it.

Belladonna bit her lower lip and quickly smiled to indicate that she was okay. She also gave a grateful smile to the maid who was diligently cleaning around her.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a heads up in advance.”

*You’re telling me so quickly, Pope…*

The Pope quickly averted his indifferent gaze from her and looked at the large man in front of him.

“Should I take that as a refusal?”

Belladonna, who had roughly guessed the purpose of today’s lunch, thought to herself: *Whether it was a sudden marriage or whatever, it was fortunate that he was refusing.*

She didn’t want to get involved with this strangely scary and incomprehensible man.

“Ah, that’s what I was thinking until I got here.”

The man said in a still-relaxed voice.

His voice seemed to carry a hint of amusement.

Belladonna, noticing that subtle emotion, closed her eyes tightly. *Surely, no way, right?*

“So that means…?”

“Now that I’ve seen the Saintess in person, I want to slap my past self who came here with the intention of refusing.”

The Pope’s face slowly began to brighten at the man’s answer.

The man turned his head and gave Belladonna a handsome smile.

The maids standing in the dining hall all gasped and blushed at his striking appearance, but Belladonna couldn’t.

His burning gaze was like that of a predator locking onto its prey.

The man, who had been quietly staring at Belladonna, slowly spoke.

“If you allow me, I would like to accept the marriage proposal.”

“……”

“It means I dare to form a deep marital bond with the Saintess.”

Belladonna tightened her trembling lips.

She didn’t know if her usual beautiful smile was being properly formed.

*Ah, this intruder bastard. I don’t think he was sleeping earlier…*

* * *

“Belladonna.”

The Pope, who had been sitting silently for a long time in the dining hall, now empty except for the two of them after the man, who had maintained a relaxed and carefree attitude throughout, had left, finally spoke.

Belladonna nodded slightly.

“Escalion Diete. A war hero of commoner origin who received the title of Duke, territory, and enormous wealth from His Majesty two years ago.”

“……”

“Marry that man.”

*Yes, I heard you earlier…*

Belladonna lowered her head, a troubled expression on her face. Marriage to a man she had never met before was too sudden.

The Pope clicked his tongue while holding a wine glass and continued to speak.

“The Holy See’s finances have been a mess lately. The number of believers who used to give large sums of money has decreased, and people’s interest is not what it once was.”

*Isn’t that just because the Pope is indulging in extravagance…?*

Belladonna, who had thought that to herself, looked up at the Pope with the most worried face she could muster.

“The temple needs change.”

*And that’s my marriage?* Belladonna, who momentarily failed to mask her expression, frowned.

“Escalion Diete. Do you know why I specifically chose that rude and lowly man as your husband, my beautiful and wise daughter?”

The Pope asked, bringing the wine glass to his lips. He began to chuckle with a sinister smile.

Belladonna looked at him with a calm gaze.

*Would people believe that the actual appearance of the Pope, who is revered by the people of the Elinus Empire, is like that?*

“I’m planning to extract a generous dowry [money, property, or goods that a bride’s family gives to the groom and his family upon marriage] from that rich and clueless bumpkin. After the marriage, you will follow him to his territory and endure it for only three months.”

Dowry…?

The amount of money that the man who will become the husband gives to the family of the woman he will marry, and the amount varies greatly depending on the woman’s family background.

If it’s the Pope’s only daughter… the amount would definitely be one of the highest in the Elinus Empire.

“After three months, I plan to divorce him by pointing out his flaws and receive not only the dowry but also a hefty alimony [financial support a person provides to their spouse after separation or divorce].”

Belladonna frowned again at the Pope’s words.

Divorce after three months…? What on earth is he talking about?

“Belladonna. Don’t you think it’s too wasteful to send Astanya’s only Saintess to be a mere man’s woman? The nobles want you. And I need to use you more.”

The Pope, who spoke slowly, took another gulp of wine with a twisted smile.

The red liquid that leaked from the side of his lips looked shabby and dirty.

“I have information received through an aide, so don’t worry about the divorce. Well, it would be even better if you provoked him during the marriage and got hit. It would be another reason.”

“……”

“A generous dowry and alimony. And the revival effect due to the sympathy for the Saintess who was rejected by her husband who had a promiscuous private life. Let’s aim for these two birds with one stone!”

The Pope, having finished speaking, chuckled at his brilliant plan and shook his body back and forth.

*If this isn’t being sold off, then what is…?*

Belladonna clenched her fists tightly on her knees. How could the Saintess have endured such a life…?