The Search for the Duchess’s Husband Chapter 100

“……!”

 

The women’s eyes widened at once at the shocking words. In the silence, Artia’s low voice continued.

 

“So I couldn’t let it happen, because I know how painful it is to have that happen to your family.”

 

Artia smiled bitterly and looked at the women.

 

They all looked equally surprised, but some of their eyes were shaking particularly hard.

 

As if she knew their pain.

 

“This shouldn’t be about Freesia alone.”

 

We need to mobilize and enrage the many women who have suffered the same thing, so that she has the strength to confront her husband.

 

“My ex-husband used to say after he laid a hand on me, “You got hit because you weren’t good enough as a wife, it’s all your fault.” …What do you think?”

 

Artia spoke calmly, but inwardly she prayed fervently.

 

May someone come along who will make the fire I set burn bigger, so that it will be a flame big enough to turn this world upside down.

 

A heavy silence hung in the room, out of place among the bright women.

 

Some were unsure of how to react, while others looked wistfully at Artia.

 

And then someone else said…

 

“I want to ask, too, if I deserved my husband for not giving me a son.”

 

The words came out as if she were throwing up.

 

Artia’s pink eyes shone.

 

A spark, a flame.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Marigold and Dahlia’s influence was indeed great. The noblewomen could no longer openly criticize Freesia.

 

In this atmosphere, several women spoke out in shock.

 

“I was beaten by my husband once.”

 

The number of women who spoke out was small because it was such a sensitive issue, but the impact was enormous.

 

Women who had been beaten by their husbands, women who had seen their mothers beaten, women who had daughters who had been beaten.

 

Many were tearful and angry.

 

For them, the affairs of Freesia were no longer anyone else’s business.

 

“If it’s true that Count Elysium attacked his wife for no reason, then he should be punished as he deserves, so that he will recognize what he did as a sin and be careful. Not only him, but all other husbands”.

 

The voices of those on the other end of the spectrum naturally grew louder as well, with some actively shouting in Freesia’s defense.

 

“It is a woman’s virtue to obey her husband and keep their home quiet. Instead, she makes her husband a sinner and destroys their home. If anyone deserves to be punished, it is Countess Elysium.”

 

The conflict spread like wildfire, affecting the men of the nobility as well.

 

“How dare you undermine the authority of the house!”

 

The men were the ones who held the power in the Empire, and they were enormously outraged that something as simple as a wife beating had escalated to this point.

 

Not to mention Count Elysium himself.

 

“It is ridiculous that such a report was even filed, and I demand that it be withdrawn immediately!”

 

Count Elysium stormed into the courtroom, shouting.

 

The judges were all male, so they understood Count Elysium’s feelings. But…

 

“It is the rule of the court to thoroughly investigate a complaint as soon as it is received, and to render an appropriate verdict.”

 

The strict rules of the court could not be overturned just because a few nobles complained.

 

Were it not for the mask of the dignified and kind Count Elysium, he would have screamed and slapped every man in sight.

 

Back at the mansion, Count Elysium, trying to control his rising emotions, threw everything he could get his hands on.

 

Boom!

 

Amidst the explosion of shattering objects, Count Elysium shouted with an eerie expression on his face.

 

“You’ll see. I won’t let you off the hook for bringing me to this point…!”

 

Freesia was right, not to mention Artia of Edenberg, who had lured the unsuspecting girl into his arms.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Artia shivered violently.

 

‘I suddenly have chills. Someone must have cursed me.’

 

She shouldn’t have been surprised.

 

As Freesia’s case escalated, Artia, who had been actively helping her, took the brunt of the arrogance.

 

When Freesia realizes this, she feels sorry for her, but Artia brushes it off.

 

“My reputation hit rock bottom when I got divorced anyway.”

 

There was no time to worry about that now.

 

Until the day of the trial, Artia was focused on making the fire grow.

 

Today was one of those days.

 

A tea party in the morning, a meeting in the afternoon, and dinner in the evening.

 

She traveled to three different places to tell how miserable and terrifying it was to be beaten by her husband.

 

Some of the women who had assimilated to Artia confessed that they had suffered the same fate, while others said they didn’t want to hear it.

 

A man who had forced his way into the group of women glared and threatened.

 

“You must really think men are funny. It’s bad enough that you threw your husband out and divorced him, but now you’re trying to slander another man for beating his wife.”

 

Artia replied in a calm voice to the man who looked like he was about to throw a punch.

 

“I respect all people, male or female, I just think that those who are guilty of laying their hands on others because they can’t control their emotions need to be restrained from doing so anymore, and you don’t really think that a gentleman as dignified as your lordship would condone such ugly behavior, do you?”

 

“What?!”

 

The man’s face contorted into a grimace. Had they not stopped him, he would have struck Artia.

 

Lying on the bed, Artia muttered.

 

“They should have just let him hit me…”

 

It would have escalated the situation, and public opinion would have been more in Freesia’s favor.

 

But then Artia shook her head.

 

“She still feels sorry for herself, and if I show up with a scar on my face, she’ll cry like a baby.”

 

She didn’t want to, and she didn’t have to.

 

The tide was turning much faster and more favorably than Artia had expected.

 

And it wasn’t just because of the influence of the Flower Ladies, or the suppressed aversion of the noblewomen to violence.

 

“The media is in our favor.”

 

If the media had been negative about Freesia, it would not have been so easy to create the current atmosphere.

 

But instead of sensationalizing the incident, the media only reported the facts as they were confirmed. Some of the media also sided with Freesia by focusing on the violence.

 

“Because she’s a princess of a country? But her home country is not a country with the power to be feared by the Imperial press. It would make more sense to focus on Count Elysium, who has far more power.”

 

Artia drew one conclusion.

 

“Perhaps someone is helping us?”

 

A rustling sound made her reflexively turn her head to see a black cat sitting by the window.

 

“Butterfly!”

 

Artia jumped out of bed to greet Butterfly.

 

Butterfly’s visits every few days could have gotten old, but she was always as happy as the first time it came to visit.

 

‘Butterfly don’t like to be touched, so I can’t pet him or hold him by the front feet and shake him, but…’

 

Instead, Artia looked at Buttefly with affection in her eyes.

 

The black cat looked at her with such affection that the thumping heartbeat seemed to be her own. Artia, who hadn’t noticed the cat’s condition, rolled her eyes.

 

“You have such beautiful eyes.”

 

The golden pupils were beautiful and mysterious, like pure gold melted right into them.

 

As she stared into them, she remembered a man.

 

Killian, with his pure golden eyes that resembled Butterfly.

 

The image of Killian she hadn’t seen in months flashed through her mind.

 

He walked up to the divorcee alone and danced with her, raged as if it were his job to tell her she’d been beaten by her husband, and occasionally smiled so weakly that she didn’t recognize herself when their eyes met.

 

Artia muttered to herself.

 

“Why is Lord Killian so nice to me?”