MLHBMH 21

Chapter 21

 The Husband’s Lover

Lily’s head tilted in confusion as she unintentionally overheard their conversation.

Who mustn’t find out about what? And what absolutely must be stopped? Who is that woman?

“So… Eek!”

“…!”

When the aide, who had made eye contact with her, let out a short scream in surprise, Lily also jumped back in shock.

“Why all of a sudden… Madam.”

Frederick, who had just noticed Lily, halted mid-sentence and asked with a stiff expression.

“How long have you been here?”

“I just arrived.”

Upon hearing Lily’s reply, Frederick glanced at the maid standing behind her. When the maid nodded to confirm it was true, his expression finally softened, as if relieved.

“You appeared so suddenly without a sound; it startled me.”

“It seemed you and the aide were having an important conversation, so I didn’t want to interrupt… I didn’t know it would startle you so much. I’m sorry.”

“It’s quite alright.”

Frederick smiled as if it were truly no problem and offered his arm. Placing her hand on it, Lily walked alongside her husband, mulling over the fragment of conversation she had heard.

Considering Frederick and the aide’s reactions, it seemed the ‘woman’ they mentioned was likely her.

Just what were they hiding that they felt the need to so emphatically warn the aide must never be discovered?

Lily was genuinely curious about what Frederick Benjamin, who so openly flaunted his affairs with other women, could possibly be hiding from her.

After Austin left, Harald tried to catch up on his lost sleep, but he couldn’t because his mother summoned him to have breakfast together.

After picking at his breakfast, Harald returned to his bedroom, only to receive a report from Dillon. Since Harald was still the captain of the guard protecting Cardin, he had to receive regular reports even while in the capital.

By the time the report finished, it was lunchtime. Too sleepy to eat anything, Harald skipped lunch and lay down on the bed, but he had to get up again due to another unwelcome visitor.

“Young Master.”

It was Olivia Maximilian, the wife of Hamilton Maximilian and Harald’s sister-in-law.

Hamilton and Olivia had a rare love marriage among the nobility. Hamilton, just 13 years old at the time, fell head over heels for Olivia, who was two years his senior, and immediately proposed courtship. That connection eventually led to marriage.

“There’s something I’d like to ask of you. Could we talk for a moment?”

“Just a moment.”

Harald put back on the shirt he had taken off and stepped out of his bedroom. Seeing his clearly just-woken-up state, Olivia was startled and apologized.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. You always wake up early, so I thought you would be awake today too…”

“Not at all. I had just woken up, so it’s fine.”

Harald hid the truth, not wanting his kind-hearted sister-in-law to worry. Unaware, Olivia smiled innocently and said, “Well, that’s a relief then.”

“What is the matter?”

“Ah, I’m planning to go to a jeweler. I was wondering if you might accompany me.”

“If you wish to buy jewelry, it would be better to summon a designer to the mansion.”

“I would have done that if it weren’t a gift for him.”

‘Him’ likely referred to his brother, Hamilton. Harald was about to ask why the sudden gift, but then he remembered Hamilton’s birthday was in two weeks and swallowed his words.

“If we call a designer to the mansion, no matter how discreet we are, word will reach his ears, and then the surprise of the gift will be ruined. That’s why I want to go out and buy it myself.”

Ah, for heaven’s sake…
“What a thoughtful idea.”
You’re going out of your way to create work for yourself.

Harald gave a response completely opposite to his thoughts and swept back his disheveled hair.

Olivia had discerning and挑剔tastes, recognized even by the Duchess Maximilian. It was obvious that finding something to her liking would require a long outing, making him reluctant to accompany her. His fatigue from lack of sleep also played a part.

“You’ll come with me, won’t you?”
“…Very well.”

So, while he wanted to refuse, Olivia was looking at him with bright, expectant eyes, so Harald found himself nodding reluctantly.

The place Frederick took Lily was a famous boutique in the capital. Its prices were equally high; Lily had only worn a dress from here once, for her coming-of-age ceremony. Even that had been a significant stretch for her parents.

So, being brought here, Lily looked at Frederick with some surprise. Sensing her gaze, Frederick turned to look at her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Lily almost asked if she really needed to wear such an expensive dress just to visit Count Stacy, not even a member of the royal family, but she held her tongue.

“Shall we go in?”

Lily entered the boutique on Frederick’s arm. A waiting employee greeted them with a cheerful smile.

“Welcome, Viscount. It’s been a while since your last visit.”

So he’s been here often. Lily glanced sideways at Frederick. Frederick smiled amiably.

“I’ve been busy. Today, I’m here with my wife.”
“Oh my, so this is your wife.”

Only then did the employee look at Lily, her eyes holding an indescribable mix of resentment and contempt. It wasn’t a look one should receive from someone they’d just met, but absurdly, Lily was accustomed to such gazes.

That didn’t make it okay. It was extremely awkward and unpleasant, but she didn’t bother to speak up. She didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble, and no matter what she said, if the employee denied it, Lily would only end up looking foolish.

“Then, let me show you to the VIP room. This way, please.”
“Shall we, my dear?”
“……”

Lily stared at Frederick’s face for a moment—he had been acting out of character since yesterday—then lightly placed her hand on his offered arm.

Frederick’s strange behavior continued even after they arrived in the VIP room. He pulled out a chair for Lily to sit, poured tea for her himself, and even personally selected the dress and accessories for her to wear.

“Madam, you have such fair skin that everything suits you, but green undoubtedly suits you best. Perhaps it’s because your eyes are green.”

It was clearly a compliment, but it was so strange it gave her goosebumps. Lily rubbed her exposed arms. Noticing this, Frederick draped a displayed cashmere shawl over her arms.

“The weather has gotten much warmer, but it’s still chilly in the mornings and evenings. It would be good to have a shawl, my dear.”

Goosebumps rose where Frederick’s hand touched. Her small shoulders hunched slightly.

“It would be terrible if you caught a cold.”

Before her father passed away, Lily had been robust, never once falling ill. Since then, she had been seriously ill twice, one of those times being after she discovered Frederick’s true nature.

It was a fever stemming from extreme psychological stress. She had been terribly sick, to the point where even keeping her eyes open was difficult, but Frederick was nowhere to be seen. One might have expected him to at least pop his head in on his way out or back to ask if she was okay, but he didn’t.

When Lily later confronted him, asking how he could be like that, Frederick sighed with extreme annoyance and said,

“I believe I told you before. If you want love from me, bring me something useful.”

That such a man would now worry about her catching a cold was ludicrous. She wondered if he was genuinely concerned or if he had some other ulterior motive. Given his history, her suspicions only grew stronger.

“My dear?”
“…I’ll go fix my makeup for a moment.”

Unable to bear watching Frederick pretend to be a gentleman, Lily used makeup as an excuse to leave the VIP room. She had no real intention of fixing her makeup, but she couldn’t just stand idly in the busy hallway, so she headed towards the powder room.

True to its status as a high-end boutique, the hallway was tastefully decorated. The paintings on the wall were lovely, and as Lily walked slowly, admiring them, she was about to turn a corner in the corridor.

“…You said Viscount Benjamin came with his wife?”

Hearing someone talking about her, Lily stopped. She withdrew the half-step she had taken. Meanwhile, her ears perked up, trying to catch their words.

“Really? Viscount Benjamin came with his wife?”
“That’s what I said. I heard him clearly say ‘wife’ with my own ears. And that woman didn’t deny it either.”
“Oh my god. How could he?”

If it were just simple gossip, she would have brushed it off with a ‘there they go again,’ but the content of the conversation was unusual, and she couldn’t just let it pass.

“Even if they are separated, he shouldn’t bring his wife here personally!”
“That’s exactly what I mean! And it’s the Viscountess’s fault they broke up in the first place. He left the designer to marry the Viscountess and become a noble…!”

From the sound of it, the designer of this boutique seemed to be Frederick’s former lover. That explained why the employee had looked at Lily with that mix of contempt and resentment.

No matter how broken up they were, bringing his wife to a place where his former lover worked? Lily found it absurd, but then again, this was Frederick, so it made sense. Him acting outside the norm was nothing new. It wasn’t even surprising anymore.

But understanding it and feeling upset about it were two different things. She had no desire to wear a dress designed by her husband’s former lover. She’d rather wear an old, out-of-fashion dress than that.

So, I should just tell him I want to leave. It seems best to say something before he pays. Lily turned her steps, which had been heading for the powder room, back the way she came.

The VIP rooms had curtains instead of doors, each with a different color. The curtain for Lily’s VIP room was red. Pushing aside the wine-red curtain, she saw a man and a woman passionately kissing, completely unaware of her arrival.