Don’T Get Caught By Your Husband! [EN]: Chapter 83

#83 Reunion (3)

May 22, 2024

Belladonna frowned, gasping for breath.

She felt strangely disconnected, her body and soul adrift. Dizzy…

“Saintess? What’s wrong?” Timothy, noticing her distress, tilted his head, concerned.

I… I don’t know either…

Her breathing grew more labored, each inhale a struggle.

Belladonna clutched her chest, a painful constriction seizing her, and she coughed.

Startled, Timothy shot up from his seat.

He hesitated, then reached out to support her.

“Saintess, please wait! I’ll get the physician right away!” Timothy’s face was pale with worry as he gripped her shoulders.

Ugh…

Belladonna felt an uncontrollable pain in her chest and leaned heavily on him.

She tried to step forward, but her knees buckled. She lost her balance and started to fall.

“Ah, no…”

Timothy quickly lifted her up.

“Forgive my boldness, Saintess!” He squeezed his eyes shut as if in prayer, then carefully placed his hands under her back and knees, lifting her into his arms.

It was painful.

What’s going on…? Is this the tonic’s effect? It wasn’t the right medicine for a fake saintess like me, after all…

“Help! Someone, help! The Saintess is in trouble!” Timothy shouted, his voice frantic.

He must be shouting right next to me, but his voice seems to be fading away.

My stomach hurts…

With Timothy’s tearful face the last thing she registered, she lost consciousness.

* * *

“…Where am I?”

Belladonna, muttering without thinking, gasped and clutched her throat.

My voice is working? Since when?

“Ah, ah…! Oh! It’s really working?” Belladonna shouted, a happy sound. It was the first time in ages she’d heard her own voice.

{Were you very frustrated?}

An unknown voice echoed in her mind.

Startled, Belladonna spun around, searching for the source.

“What is this…? And where is this place?”

A completely empty blue space, devoid of anything. She couldn’t pinpoint the voice’s origin, but she could hear the intermittent sound of water.

It was definitely a place she’d never been, yet it felt strangely familiar.

Belladonna gazed into the distance, a puzzled expression on her face. Is there nothing beyond that point?

{Not there, but here. Your sense of direction is still as bad as ever.}

At the voice, Belladonna whirled around again.

In the space that had been empty moments before, she saw a large bear with someone riding on its back.

“Wh-Who are you?”

{Hmm, I’m getting tired of explaining this every time.}

Belladonna’s eyes widened in surprise at the woman’s blunt tone.

Silver hair cascading down her back and piercing blue eyes. That appearance…

{I’m tired of being surprised every time. Should I have just left the memories here?}

What on earth are you talking about?

Belladonna frowned and took a step back.

The Saintess looked at her with a sulky expression, then suddenly smiled brightly, as if it were all a joke.

{You’ve been doing some interesting things lately, haven’t you?}

Something interesting…?

Tense, Belladonna remained silent, and the Saintess hopped off the bear, landing gracefully on the floor.

She approached Belladonna, who still regarded her warily, and said,

{Weren’t you looking for my old friend Favion and clues about my past?}

W-Well, that’s true…

“H-Have I offended you?”

{What? Ahahaha!}

The Saintess burst into laughter, as if Belladonna’s words were the funniest thing she’d ever heard.

She bent over, chuckling for a while, then straightened up and wiped tears from her eyes.

{Ah, how cute. You were worried about my feelings?}

“……”

{I’m not offended at all, so don’t worry. I think you’re doing great. I’ve been cheering you on. It hurt a little when you were hit by Pronan, though.}

Come to think of it…!

Belladonna spoke quickly.

“Did the Saintess also suffer abuse from the Pope? That bad guy dared to…!”

{Don’t get so worked up. He’ll be punished eventually. God won’t let someone like him get away with that.}

“Still! How could he…?”

{Anyway, maybe you shouldn’t trust other people’s words so easily?}

“Yes?”

Belladonna looked puzzled, and the Saintess lowered her head, resting her cheek on her palm.

{Hmm. That thing you swallowed, it’s poison. What were you thinking…?}

“P-Poison…?”

Not a tonic, but poison?

That can’t be. Timothy clearly…

{Ah, don’t suspect good Timothy. He must have thought it was a tonic. I put it in the same bottle as the tonic I usually drink.}

“Then why the poison…? I found it in the Saintess’s drawer in the confessional.”

{It was in preparation for a possible situation. I didn’t tell you to drink it.}

“Ah, I’m sorry…”

{You don’t have to be sorry. Thanks to that, I got to meet you a little earlier than expected, so I could save you?}

The Saintess smiled brightly.

A little earlier…?

{Have you been frustrated? I’ll stop joking now.}

“Joking?”

{Belladonna, I trust you. That’s why I chose you.}

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Belladonna asked, looking at the Saintess, who kept speaking in riddles.

But the Saintess didn’t seem inclined to explain.

{Don’t be too surprised when you go back. Trust the person you want to trust.}

“Saintess, please, explain it so I can understand…”

{Our meeting is always both welcome and sad. How many more times will we be able to meet in the future?}

Saintess, you’re being too cryptic…! I don’t understand a word you’re saying!

Belladonna looked at her, feeling like she was facing an insurmountable wall.

The Saintess stepped closer and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

{Be happy. For my sake, too.}

At that moment, the blue space began to distort. Belladonna stared at the crumbling space, her eyes wide with surprise.

Soon, darkness swallowed them both before she could even scream.

* * *

“I received your notice of non-attendance to the birthday celebration, so I assumed you were busy managing your new territory. I didn’t expect such a surprise visit.”

“I have some free time now.” Pronan stared at Escalión, who answered with a dismissive tone, and forced a smile.

That arrogant bastard…

“That’s a relief.”

Instead of replying, Escalión glanced around the office.

Unlike his castle in Griblatta, this was a lavish and extravagant space. Would Bella prefer this place?

“So, how long do you plan to stay before returning?”

The Pope asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“I plan to return as soon as my wife is ready.”

“Oh dear, in that case, it seems it will take longer than expected… Is it wise to leave your territory unattended for so long?”

Escalión looked at Pronan, who wore a concerned expression, and asked,

“Does my wife have a lot of work to do here?”

“Well, she’s my only daughter and the only Saintess, so… She’s been busy catching up on the work she missed while living in Griblatta.”

“That’s strange.”

Escalión stared at him, his voice sharp.

“What’s strange?”

“From the moment my wife married me and moved to my territory, she dedicated herself to her role as my wife, even more than her role as a Saintess. The only reason she returned to Astagna was to attend the birthday celebration. Don’t you think it’s odd that she’s being given so much extra work?”

Pronan’s forced smile faltered.

“The role of a wife… Our Belladonna is the Saintess of Astagna. That was true before the marriage, and it remains true after the marriage. Even if she marries and leaves for Lord Diete’s territory, Belladonna is still the Saintess here.”

“How long do you intend to use my wife?”

“What is that supposed to mean…?”

At the sudden, rude question, Pronan’s smile vanished.

Escalión leaned forward.

“How much longer do you plan to exploit my wife? Thanks to you, she hasn’t been able to return to Griblatta for two months. I had to come and fetch her myself.”

Pronan’s lips tightened.

He stared at Escalión, whose expression had turned cold, and slowly spoke.

“The reason I kept Belladonna here and didn’t send her back to Griblatta was to protect her.”

“From what?”

“From you.”

Pronan leaned forward, meeting his gaze.

“My child was preparing for a divorce. She has wanted to escape you and Griblatta for a long time.”

“……”

Escalión’s jaw clenched.

It was the word he dreaded most, the word he desperately wanted to ignore.

“I have been exchanging letters with Belladonna since she left for Griblatta. I know how unhappy she was in that unfamiliar place, and how much she longed to escape. As a father, how could I send my beloved child back to such a place?”

“……”

“And yet you accuse me of using her… I object to that accusation. It’s an insult to Belladonna, not to me.”

Escalión clenched his fist.

The faint glimmer of hope he’d felt when facing Belladonna seemed to melt away, replaced by Pronan’s words.

Can I trust her? Did she truly hate me and Griblatta so much? Was she simply afraid of me, lying to my face, and running away?

“……”

“Since you’ve come all this way, I hope you enjoy your visit. But let me be clear: Belladonna has no intention of returning to Griblatta for the time being. No matter what she says, don’t take her words at face value. She’s kind and soft-hearted, and she’ll likely say whatever you want to hear.”

Pronan leaned back in his chair, resuming his relaxed posture.

Saying what I want to hear…

Just as his mood plummeted, a desperate shout echoed from outside the office door.

“Help! Someone, help! The Saintess is in trouble!”

Hazel and Graham, guarding the Papal Office a few meters away, turned and burst through the door.

Escalión also jumped to his feet. [벌컥 is an onomatopoeia for bursting open a door.]