The Search for the Duchess’s Husband Chapter 95

“I sneaked out of the mansion with Liese in my arms as soon as my husband fell asleep.”

 

All she could think of was to get away, away from his touch.

 

But there was nowhere she could go where her reputation as the most beloved woman in society would not be recognized.

 

Who could she talk to in this state?

 

Marigold? Dahlia? But she didn’t want to show them her miserable condition.

 

There was one person who came to her mind in the midst of her despair.

 

Artia.

 

“She said she had the same scars as me, and she said she could help me.”

 

And so she came to Artia.

 

“We don’t know each other,” she said, her face flushed.

 

“I’m sorry I came to you without knowing you.”

 

“…….”

 

“Still, I wondered if you could help me. I could stand to be beaten, but I can’t stand to see Liese like that, and if you help me, I’ll make a case.”

 

Artia had heard many stories about Freesia from Marigold.

 

Despite her slender appearance, she was never one to rely on others.

 

“I think she’s ashamed to accept help from others, which is a shame. I wish I could be stupid.”

 

But when she clasped her hands and asked for help, she put aside her stubborn pride. If only for the sake of her little daughter.

 

Artia placed her hand on the back of Freesia’s flailing hand.

 

Looking at her wide-eyed, Artia said, “I told you before, if you’re nervous about the backcountry, you should help someone who’s nervous about the backcountry. This is what I want to do, so you don’t have to make a case and there’s no pressure.”

 

“…….”

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

“……!”

 

The words brought tears to Freesia’s eyes again.

 

Artia waited silently for the woman to stop sobbing.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After Freesia had calmed down, Artia spoke up.

 

“You have no intention of breaking up with Count Elysium?”

 

Freesia shook her head in disbelief.

 

It wasn’t just the doctrine of her homeland that a couple’s bond could never be broken.

 

“When Lady Edenberg wanted a divorce, many nobles supported her, including the Emperor himself.”

 

It was more out of greed for the Duchess of Edenberg and antipathy for Lloyd, who had become a rare scumbag, than pure support for Artia, but public opinion was still overwhelmingly on her side.

 

That was enough to secure the divorce.

 

Freesia’s situation was different.

 

“I’m a princess in name only, from a country much smaller and poorer than the Empire, with nothing to show for it, and the only reason I’m recognized in Imperial society is because I’m the Countess of Elysium. If I wanted a divorce, no one would support it, not even in my own country.”

 

People would side with the powerful Count of Elysium and condemn the weak Freesia.

 

Artia spoke up, her voice clear.

 

“Public opinion is what you make of it, and I will help you create a climate of support for your divorce.”

 

But again Freesia shook her head.

 

“If I get a divorce, I will no longer be Countess Elysium, and I will have to return to the palace at home, where there is a strict rule that a woman in the Kingdom of Palenta must be protected by a man.”

 

Before marriage it’s her father, after marriage it’s her husband, and after widowhood it’s her husband’s brother or son…

 

A woman in the Kingdom of Palenta must live her entire life in the shadow of a man.

 

“In my country, we don’t even have a word for divorce, but often women who run away from their husbands are branded as sinners and taken back to their in-laws and punished very severely.”

 

“And the punishment is?”

 

“They lock her in a room, deny her food, and beat her… sometimes to death.”

 

Artia’s face hardened.

 

“I thought the Empire was a place where women’s rights were weak, but I didn’t realize it was worse.”

 

For Freesia, divorce was the worst of all possible worlds. If Count Elysium wanted to divorce her, she’d have to do something to stop him.

 

Artia muttered to herself.

 

“Maybe we should focus less on the divorce and more on making sure that Count Elysium is no longer capable of violence.”

 

It would not be easy, of course.

 

You couldn’t ask a man vicious enough to beat his wife in front of his young daughter to stop.

 

But there are many ways to move people.

 

“What if we made it so he couldn’t hit you even if he wanted to?”

 

Freesia blinked, her eyes still watering.

 

“Like, say, crippling his body so he couldn’t blow a dandelion in the field by himself…”

 

“What?!”

 

Artia exclaimed, her eyes widening.

 

“It’s certainly possible if you fake it as an accident, though the margin of error is so large that it could cost you your life beyond the destruction of the desired body part…”

 

Freesia looked at Artia incredulously.

 

Artia was white and slim, almost a blur. Her pink eyes looked so fragile they could barely kill an ant, let alone fight.

 

“What did you just say? Is this some kind of joke?”

 

Artia lowered her eyebrows at Freesia’s stern expression.

 

“No matter what he’s done, he’s your husband, so you wouldn’t want him to do that to you, would you?”

 

Only then did Freesia realize that Artia’s words were not imagined or bluffing, but sincere.

 

“I thought you were popular with the ladies of society because you were a good listener, but I was wrong.”

 

Artia hid her sharp claws like a cat. Ready to swing at any enemy.

 

She didn’t even know she was a woman, and she didn’t hesitate to challenge her.

 

The thought of what would have happened if Artia had seen her as an enemy sent shivers down her spine.

 

Meanwhile, Artia saw Freesia’s pale face and misunderstood.

 

“I must have said something too terrible.”

 

Artia spoke softly, as if soothing a frightened child.

 

“If you don’t want to hurt Count Elysium, there are more moderate ways.”

 

“Like what?”

 

She would have accepted anything, as long as it didn’t involve destroying her husband’s body.

 

She swallowed hard, and Artia’s words came as a shock.

 

“I will report Count Elysium to the court.”

 

Freesia was so stunned that it took her a moment to react.

 

“Report him?”

 

Artia nodded.

 

“The Imperial High Court handles cases of nobles, and while their main job is to mediate conflicts between families, they can also report things that happen within families.”

 

Those were usually things like succession to titles and inheritances. Violence was rarely reported.

 

Wives rarely reported husbands.

 

Seeing the pallor on Freesia’s face, Artia spoke as if she understood.

 

“I know it’s not easy,” she said, “but Count Elysium is not the kind of man who will stop his violence by telling him to stop. He needs a strong sanction, and if the court orders him never to assault his wife again, he won’t be so quick to do so.”

 

The court is an institution with its own power, separate from the imperial family. Even the most arrogant nobleman would find it difficult to ignore the court’s verdict, since he could be thrown into prison if he disobeyed the court’s order and beat Freesia again.

 

But Freesia couldn’t bring herself to nod.

 

After a while, she spoke.

 

“If you go to court, the whole world will know that I’m being beaten by my husband, right?”

 

“…….”

 

Freesia bit her lip.

 

“How many people would laugh at me if they knew that this beautiful, noble woman was actually a woman being beaten by her husband.”

 

Add to that the accusation that she was a woman who betrayed her husband, and the reputation she’s built up over the past five years would crumble like a sandcastle.

 

She might never be seen in public again.

 

“Most of all, my husband will feel so betrayed by me.”

 

Her breath caught in her throat as she pictured her husband with a whip in his hand, his face like a painted gentleman. A wave of imprinted fear washed over her.

 

‘Oh my God, what was I thinking, reporting my husband to the police is ridiculous…’ she thought. She thought.

 

Elizabeth, who had fallen asleep on Freesia’s knee, stirred and mumbled something that was still not quite right.

 

“Mommy, don’t hurt…”

 

“……!”