Chapter 001
…Hagenti?
Shasha grabbed her notebook and pen—items that were like extensions of her own body—and followed the butler through the dark hallway. To her surprise, he led her to the infirmary in the annex, a place used only by the employees.
The small infirmary smelled of rubbing alcohol. In a corner where candlelight flickered, the estate’s guard and a doctor stood with grave expressions around a bed. Someone was clearly sitting on the bed, but they were obscured by the doctor’s back.
“…….”
An inexplicable sense of anxiety bubbled up within her. As Shasha unconsciously gripped her shawl tightly, the butler held out a bundle of white cloth toward her.
“It seems this fell and struck the Master’s head.”
As he unwrapped the cloth, a large crystal ornament that should have been attached to the chandelier appeared. There was blood smeared on a slightly cracked section.
My goodness, so the “urgent matter” was…
「What is his condition? Is he badly hurt?」
“No, the external wounds are not that severe. However, the, well, the problem is…”
At that moment… Clang!
A silver spoon bounced off the stone floor and hit the wall. As the startled doctor turned his body, the figure of a man bathed in the amber light was revealed.
Aside from the dried bloodstains on his forehead, Hagenti looked perfectly fine.
However… surprisingly, he was huffing and puffing.
Yes, he was “throwing a fit.”
That cold-blooded, machine-like man.
The doctor filled another silver spoon with painkiller and pressed it toward Hagenti’s lips. But Hagenti hunched his shoulders, tucked his head in like a turtle, and screamed as he dodged the spoon.
“Get it away! I don’t want it!”
“Master. You must take it.”
“I said I don’t want to! I won’t eat it!”
Ha, Hagenti…?
Shasha shook off her deep shock and slowly approached him. Noticing her, Hagenti narrowed his eyes and puffed out his cheeks like a squirrel.
Then, with a solemn expression, he let out a lisping voice.
“I won’t eat it if it’s not strawberry flavor!”
* * *
1. The Seven-Year-Old Husband
A scream welled up inside Shasha.
Her gray eyes, seized by terror, shed hot tears once again. The capillaries in her legs felt as though they were bursting, causing a needle-like pain.
She tried to use all her strength to stand her ground, but no matter how young he was, she couldn’t overcome the strength of a male, even an adolescent one.
“Haha! Look at this, she’s crying again!”
Those surrounding Shasha by the steel cabinets burst into a discordant chorus of laughter. They were all wearing the same school uniform, but Shasha’s uniform alone was covered in unidentified filth and reeked of a foul odor.
Saint Ruichel Academy. A prestigious school with deep history, a place where only students “chosen” by bloodline or wealth could attend.
But the law of the jungle exists everywhere.
Name: Alexandra Evreux.
Characteristics: Orphan. A relative no one wants. A girl who brings misfortune.
…And, mute.
“Ack! You…!”
When someone tried to pry her fingers off the cabinet door, Shasha rammed him with her head using all her might. The male student, his chin turning bright red, huffed in humiliation before shoving Shasha into the narrow cabinet.
Soon after… Thud.
As the cabinet door closed, a cramped darkness enveloped the standing Shasha.
She heard the sound of the lock clicking from the outside.
“Try writing ‘Get me out’ in there! You’ll have to press down hard for anyone to hear it!”
No. Open it.
I’m scared. Don’t go.
Don’t go….
‘Don’t go!’
Shasha let out a silent outcry, pounding the cabinet door frantically with her fists. But the students’ footsteps grew distant, as if mocking her.
When did this memory, which had been bleeding for so long, begin to heal?
No, it seemed it hadn’t even healed by the time she met him.
A few years after graduating from that hellish academy. At the age of only twenty-two, Shasha Evreux sat like a criminal in a drawing-room to face numerous suitors.
Though known to be mute, she could provide a noble surname, and above all, the beautiful Shasha was a rare jewel in the marriage market. Thus, there was no reason Hagenti would not want her.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Hagenti.”
As if visiting a business client, he sat before Shasha in a jet-black suit and immediately presented a 10-carat diamond ring.
“Let us get married, Miss Evreux.”
And so, he successfully purchased a new bride.
♡♡♡
“He claims to be seven years old. It seems he has regressed to his seven-year-old memories following a severe impact to the head.”
Oh, heavens.
Staggering, Shasha braced herself against the desk to stay upright. The doctor hurried to support her, but since she wasn’t about to faint, she politely declined.
She couldn’t believe it. His condition had been very strange last night, but to think his memories had regressed….
To make matters worse, seven years old.
Not seventeen, but “seven.”
“For now, we will wait for his condition to improve while administering medication. If medication doesn’t work, we may have to use more intensive methods.”
As the sounds of employees signaling the start of the day drifted in through the slightly open window, the doctor hurried to lower his voice.
Shasha flipped her notebook over to show him.
「Who else in this mansion knows about Hagenti’s current state?」
“Myself, the butler, and Sir Lewis Karl, the guard who found him collapsed. Ah, we plan to inform his aide, Mr. Aiden. For the time being, he will have to handle the mansion’s affairs.”
「No one else besides Mr. Aiden should know about this situation. I expect you to keep this secret as well.」
“Yes, Madam. Of course.”
Hagenti was a wealthy man of commoner origin who had many enemies even before marrying her. If his current state became known, attacks would surely come from the outside in some form.
…Just in case, should I have them sign a non-disclosure agreement? But how do I write one of those?
Hagenti must have written many. But Shasha, who had never handled the mansion’s business, didn’t know what such an agreement contained, or even what it looked like.
「I will personally warn Sir Lewis Karl again.」
The moment the doctor nodded, a sudden knock broke the silence.
Since Shasha could not use her voice, she often communicated through clapping or a bell. When she clapped twice, the door opened and the butler, Bill Danver, appeared.
Bill, who was on the younger side for a butler, always wore a tailored suit and kept his greying hair neatly slicked back with oil. He, too, was a person brought in by Hagenti.
In fact, there wasn’t a single employee in this mansion who hadn’t passed through Hagenti’s hands.
“Madam, what shall we do about today’s appointment?”
…Appointment?
When Shasha frowned, he explained.
“You have a face-to-face appointment with the lawyer this afternoon. It is regarding the ‘matter’ between you and Lord Hagenti.”
Like everyone else in this mansion, the butler avoided mentioning “that” word directly and couldn’t meet her eyes. Even though she had experienced this many times, for some reason, Shasha felt a bit angry today.
「Tell him not to come as an urgent personal matter has arisen.」
“Madam, if you say that…”
「Hagenti will return soon, and the divorce will happen.」
The sound of the pen nib racing across the paper was sharp.
Her untidy handwriting calmly rebuked the butler in the silence.
「And from now on, please don’t call the divorce a ‘matter’, Mr. Danver. It is a ‘solution’.」
* * *
Even though he was seven, Hagenti was a bit different from a typical seven-year-old.
It wasn’t that his personality or intelligence had changed to that of a seven-year-old. Since he had “returned” to his seven-year-old memories, he was smarter and more driven than his peers.
Well, to put it nicely. To put it bluntly… he was crafty and had a fiery temper.
And above all, he was incredibly rude.
“Ah! It hurts!”
His unrefined shouting sounded like the roar of a lion encountering an enemy in the middle of the savannah.
Hagenti swung his arm and accidentally pushed the doctor who was disinfecting the wound on his forehead.
Despite being the one who pushed, he let out a “gasp” of surprise when the doctor staggered back in pain. For someone whose body had grown so much overnight, controlling his strength was difficult.
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