I Married a Sick Husband – Vol. 4 Chapter 102

Author: Ann

Meredith looked at Theodore with a puzzled face.

“… Are you serious?”

“Then you think I’m joking?”

“Well… I don’t mind.”

Meredith replied with a voice as puzzled as her expression.

“I think it’s a shame for Your Majesty.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe you’ll find your fateful love there.”

“Fateful love? It seems you still haven’t given up on useless hope.”

“I’ve heard that there are quite a few cases where people meet there and get married.”

“I don’t think I’ll find that kind of thing in a place where people hide their faces behind masks.”

“Because if you don’t know their faces and identities, you can be more honest with them.”

“… I don’t know. Anyway, I don’t need it.”

Theodore said firmly.

“Rather than looking for a new love, I’d rather keep my current spouse.”

“Even if you don’t plan on doing anything foolish as you said, it could still happen.”

“Anyway, you’re fine with it, right?”

Theodore quickly brought the conversation back to its original point.

“Then you know that. You can’t rescind later.”

***

Meredith eventually decided to spend time at the masquerade ball with Theodore.

‘I originally just wanted to enjoy the atmosphere, so it doesn’t matter, but His Majesty might find true love in a place like that…’

That thought left her with regret, but she couldn’t keep forcing herself on someone who said no.

“I guess His Majesty the Emperor really cares about Your Majesty the Empress.”

While Meredith was changing her dress back at the Empress’s Palace, Diane suddenly said that.

Meredith looked at Diane with a puzzled look.

“What do you mean, by staying with me at the masked ball?”

“… while I’m in the palace, I’m supposed to maintain my dignity as an empress?”

“No, no!”

Diane pounded her chest in frustration.

“His Majesty the Emperor must be in love with you. Otherwise, why would he bother to do that?”

“….”

“His Majesty the Emperor is jealous of other men being around.”

“That’s too much of a leap, Diane.”

“Leap? If it’s a woman you don’t like, you wouldn’t care what she does.”

“…..”

Meredith’s expression hardened at Diane’s words.

‘… If that’s the case, it’s a big deal.’

However, just like with Fabian, it was something that couldn’t be decided hastily.

‘Of course, Diane has a point.’

However, rather than making a hasty judgment, it was something that needed to be watched and pondered over.

‘Even if that’s the case, I just need to handle it well. Let’s not worry too much in advance.’

In the end, this relationship depended on how wisely they handled it.

Meredith responded as if it was nothing.

“Stop talking nonsense and get ready for the political affairs that will follow soon. It seems like things will get busy.”

The task of testing the bloodstains collected at the masquerade ball with Theodore’s blood was something that only she, Felix, and Jerome could do. And it was done in the utmost secrecy.

It was because she couldn’t ask for help from anyone else who didn’t know Theodore’s secret.

‘We definitely need to get results this time…’

If that were the case, not only would Theodore’s curse be lifted, but the fact that Blair had plotted treason could also be revealed all at once.

***

And time passed, and the day of the masquerade ball finally arrived.

Meredith’s outfit today was like that of a gorgeous black swan.

The dark purple dress with ample black lace shaped like roses was very gorgeous by itself.

The choker necklace around her neck had a ruby in the cut of a rose in the center and black lace as the chain, making it luxurious.

With red diamond earrings, Meredith looked very alluring.

“Now, the main accessory of the masquerade ball.”

Yulia carefully placed the mask over Meredith’s face.

It was a black swan mask.

“It’s done. You’re really beautiful.”

At Yulia’s delighted voice, Meredith went to the mirror and looked at herself.

Not only was she beautiful, but the mask was so functional that few people would recognize her identity.

‘Of course, anyone who knew my voice well would notice…’

There weren’t many people who were that close to her, so her worries were unfounded.

“Your Majesty the Empress, His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”

Just then, news of Theodore’s arrival was announced.

Meredith prepared to greet Theodore while donning her mask.

After a while, Theodore entered where Meredith was.

“Greetings to the Master of Valtejain, the Sun of the Empire.”

Meredith straightened her back after her usual elegant greeting.

The sight that came into view soon brought a complicated smile to Meredith’s lips.

‘… Why are you handsome even with a mask, Your Majesty?’

(t/n: smitten much?)

Unlike Meredith, whose mask covered only half of her face, revealing her lips, Theodore’s mask completely covered his face.

Nevertheless, his height, appearance, costume, and aura that exuded him were exuberant.

This man is really cool and handsome-looking.

‘… So it would be stranger to not feel my heart race after seeing him.’

Meredith thought that, trying to rationalize her heartbeat as she swallowed hard.

She approached Theodore.

“If it weren’t for the maid’s words, I wouldn’t have even recognized you as Your Majesty.”

“That’s a relief. I just wanted to make sure that my identity wasn’t revealed today.”

“I don’t think so. There are very few people who know Your Majesty’s voice well.”

The face was that of a stranger she had never seen before, but his soft voice and scent gave Meredith an inexplicable sense of security.

At that moment, Theodore grabbed Meredith’s gloved hand without warning.

Meredith looked at him with a surprised face at the sudden soft sensation.

With a face that made it hard to tell what expression he was making because of his mask, Theodore said to Meredith.

“I think today would be the first time I won’t have to take a carriage.”

“…..”

“Shall we go now?”

“… Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, before that.”

Theodore stopped Meredith as if he had almost forgotten.

“I need to sort out our titles.”

“Title?”

“Right. You won’t be calling me ‘Your Majesty’ at the ballroom either, will you?”

“Ah… That’s right. Then how….”

“Theo.”

At Theodore’s words, Meredith’s lips hardened involuntarily.

“Let’s call me that. It’s not a very rare name, so it’ll be fine.”

“……”

Of course it would be. But that wasn’t why Meredith’s expression hardened.

‘… It’s too intimate.’

Saying his nickname was an act that required too much intimacy.

You might think that simply calling him by a nickname was her being sensitive.

But for Meredith, who was trying to extinguish her feelings for Theodore as much as possible, being cautious was everything.

“How is it, isn’t it okay, Meredith?”

“…..”

Calling him a nickname… would be okay, right?

‘The situation is inevitable. There is no other solution here.’

Meredith eventually nodded, and Theodore led Meredith with an unknown face still hidden behind his mask.

“Then let’s go. We’ll be late.”

But listening to his voice, Meredith couldn’t help but think that he would be smiling the whole time.

***

The masked ball was held at the Palace of Fayde from 6 in the evening to 1, the next morning.

However, many of the attendees did not go home after the ball.

They occupied the empty rooms at the Palace of Fayde and spent the night with someone they liked.

It was quite surprising, but it was a tradition to encourage the youth to marry the unmarried nobles.

‘… I can’t let the Empress walk around alone in such an unpleasant place.’

Looking at the couples who were sticking together like one body even though the ball had only just started, Theodore was satisfied that his judgment was very correct.

“It’s definitely a different atmosphere from other parties.”

The smile on Theodore’s face grew even deeper as he looked around the hall with Meredith who was curious.

“If you were curious about this atmosphere and wanted to enjoy it, don’t worry, I’ll be with you for hours today.”

“I don’t plan on staying for hours. There’s something else that’s really important.”

“Let’s put that thought aside for today. It won’t be too late to focus on it starting tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Then let’s go over there too…”

However, Theodore couldn’t finish his words properly.

It was because someone grabbed Meredith’s wrist from behind.

Theodore looked at the man whose face he didn’t even know with a very unpleasant gaze.

Meredith also looked back at the man who had caught her with a very embarrassed face.

“… … What’s going on?”