The Search for the Duchess’s Husband Chapter 97

Count Elysium’s eyes glowed with clear hostility.

 

“I want nothing more to do with the witch who defiled my chaste wife. Give me back my wife and my daughter.”

 

The gleam in his eyes that had always shone so kindly in public was chillingly sinister, but Artia did not back down.

 

“I can’t, because Freesia doesn’t want to see you.”

 

The Count of Elysium’s brow crept up in a vein of blood.

 

“I will report you for kidnapping my wife and daughter!”

 

“I won’t stop you, but it will get you nowhere, because Freesia has filed a report of assault with the court, expressing her intention to stay at Edenberg Manor to protect herself from her husband, and it has been duly acknowledged.”

 

For a moment, Count Elysium’s sanity flew out the window.

 

His hand went up with a curse that was anything but dignified.

 

But before it could reach Artia’s face, his hand was grabbed by Vivi. Vivi grabbed the Count of Elysium’s wrist with an expressionless face.

 

“Aaah!” Count Elysium screamed.

 

He will feel the pain as if his bones will shatter, but there will be no actual damage to his bones. Vivi has been trained to make my prey feel the pain, but not the wounds.

 

“You’re not the only one who can inflict violence without being seen.”

 

Artia looked at Count Elysium with cold eyes.

“You’d better leave now, unless you want someone to report you for breaking into another man’s house to take his wife by force.”

 

Count Elysium shuddered at the mention of a report, but tried in vain to refuse to leave.

 

Eventually, he was politely escorted out of the mansion by Vivi.

 

Once he was gone, Artia opened the door.

 

In the second-floor guest room, Freesia clutched her infant daughter. She was trembling.

 

Artia approached her and whispered in a low voice.

 

“Count Elysium has returned.”

 

“Hah…”

 

Freesia breathed a sigh of relief, then her expression darkened.

 

“I apologize for giving you such a difficult task.”

 

Dealing with the villainous Count Elysium should have been her job, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

 

She’s too afraid.

 

She thought she’d be scolded for calling the police, but Artia showed no signs of that.

 

“It’s the owner’s job to throw out rude guests, don’t worry about it.”

 

As she said this, Artia looked at Elizabeth, who was sitting on Freesia’s lap.

 

The child, who looked just like her mother, had a princess doll in her arms and was stroking it.

 

It must have been hard for her to suddenly be in someone else’s house, but Elizabeth hadn’t asked to go home.

 

Partly because her favorite mom was there, but also for other reasons.

 

“Aren’t you still playing with your prince doll today?”

 

“Yes…”

 

Originally, Elizabeth had always played with the prince and princess dolls together, believing that they were in love and should be together.

 

But when Artia gave her a set of princess and prince dolls, she screamed, “Scary!” and put the prince doll in a box and slammed the lid.

 

She never said a word about her father, who she loved so much.

 

As if it was something she was never supposed to say.

 

Freesia made a pained face.

 

“Liese seems very upset.”

 

“She has every right to be.”

 

Artia understood what Elizabeth felt.

 

She had suffered the same as a child.

 

“My father never hit my sickly mother in bed, but he always looked at her with disdain and accused her of not doing her job.”

 

At that time, Artia’s mother’s main concern was not for herself, but for her little daughter.

 

She looked like she was going to cry and covered Artia’s ears, but it was no use.

 

Benedict’s harsh voice drifted through her bony hands and into her ears.

 

“If you don’t want to do your job and take up space, then just die.”

 

It wasn’t a word, or a fist, or a knife, but it was just as brutal and painful.

 

As much as she loved her mother, Artia feared and hated her father.

 

But there was a difference between Elizabeth and Artia.

 

Unlike Artia’s mother, who could only cry and endure, Elizabeth’s mother, Freesia, was determined not to show her child any more of this hellish landscape.

 

Turning to Freesia, who was overwhelmed with concern for her child, Artia said.

 

“We have to show her, Liese, that even though you’re a family, if you do something wrong, you have to make it right. And that a mother is never a sad, weak creature who gets beaten up by her father.”

 

She says this with such a clear look in her eyes, as if she’d been in a fight before.

 

Freesia stares at Artia with wide eyes, then clenches her fists and nods.

 

 

* * *

 

 

In the Imperial Chamber, reading through a stack of papers, Killian looked up.

 

“Artia von Edenberg has filed a complaint with the court?”

 

Nocturne replied. “To be precise, the complainant is the Countess of Elysium, and Lady Edenberg is said to have assisted her.”

 

Killian thought back to the banquet they had attended not long ago. The concern in Artia’s eyes was palpable.

 

 

“She acted like she didn’t want to help them, but now she does.”

 

‘She is such a sweetheart.’

“I know, because I had the same experience.”

 

The sound of Artia’s voice that day brought back memories of the woman who had come to him a few months earlier asking for help with her divorce.

 

Her white cheeks were red and swollen for the first time in three years. She’d been beaten by Lloyd.

 

He couldn’t take his eyes off the scars she’d obviously worn to win a little sympathy from Killian.

 

He was offended and angry, but it wasn’t an overwhelming feeling. It lingered for a while and then faded.

 

But now he felt something hot and real, like lava.

 

An atypical feeling of regret.

 

He should have killed that Lloyd bastard back then.

 

He should have asked Artia von Edenberg if she was all right.

 

The only emotion stronger than hatred was regret.

 

‘Why are you doing this again?’

 

Nocturne was about to leave the room when Killian’s malevolent aura startled him.

 

Killian asked, his eyes eerie.

 

“And the reaction of the court?”

 

Nocturne replied, watching Killian’s eyes.

 

“They say it has been officially reported and they will investigate and make a decision. But since it’s unheard of for a wife to report her husband for assault, and the case is so minor, they’ll probably keep it as quiet as possible.”

 

In other words, they’ll pay lip service to it.

 

“No way.”

 

Artia of Edenberg stepped forward.

 

Killian spoke with a straight face.

 

“Let a higher judge hear the case.”

 

Nocturne’s eyes widened and he replied. “The judiciary is an independent body that does not take orders from the Imperial Court. If they hear Your Highness is involved, they’ll make a fuss.”

 

“I am not asking you to influence the trial or manipulate the outcome to my liking. I just want a competent presiding judge to conduct a proper investigation and render a proper verdict. What’s wrong with that?”

 

Killian said with an arrogant glint in his eye.

 

 

The power of Killian of Orpheus was indeed great.

 

Without a word, the judiciary had referred the Countess of Elysium’s complaint to a higher judge.

 

There was one thing Killian hadn’t expected.

 

“Calvin is on trial?”

 

Nocturne’s shoulders slumped at Killian’s sharp tone, and he answered.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why him?”