I’ll Change My Husband First with an Abduction Marriage – Chapter : 04
After that, I cried so hard I nearly fainted.
More precisely, I pretended to.
When the dress was ruined the day before the wedding, and the bride ‘fainted’ because of it, the Delphine ducal estate fell into utter chaos.
Thanks to that, it would have been nice if the wedding were canceled outright or postponed, but I wasn’t that lucky.
Somehow, Ludwig managed to obtain a fairly convincing wedding dress.
“Good.
With this, we can hold the wedding tomorrow without any problems.”
“Thank goodness.
Really…….”
I swallowed down a curse like ‘Damn X!’ and smiled weakly as if relieved.
It was after Evangeline, who had been watching this, disappeared with a stiff expression, and Ludwig, after offering me a perfunctory comfort, left as if he’d grown sick of it.
The maid Annie, who had received my secret orders, entered the room carrying a cold towel.
Only then could I finally smile sincerely.
Keeping my voice low in case the sound leaked outside, I asked.
“Did you do well, Annie?”
“Yes.
I did exactly as you told me!”
Annie nodded with a bright, vigorous smile.
Right after I regressed, there were two people who would, without fail, come to see me tonight.
And one of them was Annie.
When Annie came earlier, I had her do ‘something’ first.
Then I screamed to call people in.
“Put this box in the guest room where Evangeline is staying.”
To make as big a commotion as possible and raise the odds of Annie’s success.
And I planted a seed of suspicion in Ludwig.
‘That there’s someone nearby who wants to ruin tomorrow’s wedding.’
I only told the truth as it was.
The one who wants to ruin tomorrow’s wedding is me, right here.
But Ludwig will have no choice but to suspect Evangeline.
‘No one would want to ruin the wedding more than a mistress.’
And if the knife that clearly bore the marks of tearing the dress and veil were found in Evangeline’s room, what then?
‘Could Ludwig still not suspect Evangeline, and refrain from blaming her?’
Absolutely impossible—I’d bet the cold towel Annie is placing over my badly swollen eyes right now.
I let out a small sigh.
“Haa.
Good.”
“The wedding is tomorrow, but what are we going to do about you swelling up like this, Miss?”
“It’s fine…….”
To be honest, if I could cancel the wedding, I felt like I could even ruin my face.
‘But Ludwig is the one who, even if I ran away with another man, would drag me back and marry me in the end.
I shouldn’t expect it to be canceled over something this minor.’
From the start, Ludwig is trying to marry me for the Delphine ducal family’s territory and property.
Truly, it’s only a regret that my father is gone.
No, this wasn’t the time to resent circumstances I couldn’t help.
The wedding can’t be canceled over something ordinary.
‘Then I’ll have to make something not ordinary.’
I heard Annie mutter softly.
“That’s why I told you so many times that Miss Ruth, that woman, is strange.”
As you can tell from the fact that I entrusted her with a secret task, Annie is a maid I can trust.
She was the daughter of my late wet nurse, my milk-sister.
And in the past three lives, she was one of only two people who never once betrayed me.
She died, again and again, trying to protect me, trying to save me.
Annie whispered, sounding delighted.
“I’m really glad it seems like you suspect her now, Miss.”
“Yeah.
Thank you, always, Annie.”
Over my eyes, where the cold towel had been placed, I held Annie’s hand tightly.
This time, I will never lose this warmth in vain.
* * *
After gauging the time, I sent Annie back to her room.
The reason was simple.
‘Because there’s a second person who will come to find me tonight.’
Ludwig or Evangeline, who came earlier, won’t come unless I deliberately call them in.
But there were exactly two people who, no matter how the situation changed, always came to my room.
Annie, whom I just sent away, and…….
Knock, knock.
I heard a knock, and a familiar voice.
“May I come in for a moment, Miss.”
“…Yes.
Come in.”
The door opened, and the one who entered silently was a man with a sturdy build.
I called his name softly.
“Sir Beltein.”
He was the only knight in the Delphine ducal family who never betrayed me.
And he was also the very person who, in the immediately previous third life, had taken me and fled with me.
“Ludwig is trying to marry me because he wants the title.
Please take me and run away, Sir Beltein!”
The Delphine ducal family had dozens of knights.
But most of them were more loyal to my fiancé Ludwig than to me, the direct line of the Delphine family.
The reason was simple. Three years ago, after my father died, the Emperor became my guardian.
And the Emperor chose Ludwig as my fiancé.
In effect, the Emperor handed the Delphine ducal family to his nephew.
Of course, over the past three years, they served Ludwig as their master.
Amid all that, the only one who never forgot his loyalty to me was Sir Beltein.
He had advised me again and again.
“Miss.
Grand Duke Ludwig is not someone you can trust.”
“And it seems Miss Ruth, the marquis’s daughter, and the grand duke have an improper relationship.”
Every word of it was right.
But I, foolishly, did not believe Sir Beltein.
Instead, I reproached him and tried to keep him at a distance.
Even so, Sir Beltein came to persuade me all the way until the night before the wedding.
“Grand Duke Ludwig does not wish to marry you because he loves you, but because he wants the Delphine ducal family’s power and legitimacy.
It is not too late even now.
Break off the engagement…….”
He, along with Annie, was one of only two people on my side.
‘A precious person who sincerely spoke for my sake.’
Sir Beltein was the same this time as well.
Kneeling before me, he offered heartfelt counsel.
“Miss.
I know you will not wish to hear my words, but even so, I beg leave to speak for your sake.
Even now, please change your mind.”
“…….”
“That the wedding dress ended up in that state is also suspicious.
And yet Grand Duke Ludwig does not even publicly try to find the culprit.
How carelessly must he regard you to…….”
In truth, I knew.
Why Ludwig was not actively searching for the culprit who ruined the wedding dress.
‘It’s probably because he suspects the likely culprit is Evangeline.’
If it became known that Evangeline did it, his own disgrace would officially be exposed as well.
I had also had evidence hidden in Evangeline’s room, but I do not want that matter to become public.
‘I only meant to add more discord between Ludwig and Evangeline.’
Sir Beltein, who had no idea what I was thinking, pleaded with me with all his might.
“For your own sake above all, please reconsider.”
“…….”
No matter how many times I regressed, this man remained unwaveringly upright.
A vulnerable woman in crisis—moreover, the former lord’s daughter—and he would throw away his own life to save her…….
A noble man more knightly than anyone.
So I was deeply grateful, and also deeply sorry.
Especially… in the immediately previous third life…….
Thinking of the dreadful end he had to suffer because of me, I slowly shook my head.
Sir Beltein seemed to take it as a refusal of his counsel.
“Miss!”
I knew it.
He would follow any request or order I made.
‘In the last life, he took me and ran away, bore every slander, and died miserably.
And even then, to the very end, he never blamed me.’
Sir Beltein’s sacrifice did not save me from Ludwig.
It only sacrificed him meaninglessly.
‘This time, I won’t ask.
For my sake, and for this man’s sake, too.’
I answered calmly.
“It’s already too late, Sir Beltein.
The wedding is tomorrow, and Ludwig will never accept a request to break off the engagement.”
“Miss!”
I rose slowly.
Sir Beltein seemed to realize something was strange.
“Why are you wearing outdoor clothes?”
This is a bedroom, and it is time to go to bed.
But I was dressed to go out.
Moreover, in simple clothes that even commoners might wear.
Instead of accepting Sir Beltein’s request, I gave him an order.
“Sir Beltein.
As the Delphine ducal family’s only direct line, I command you, a knight of Delphine.
Tonight, escort me.”
“…….”
Sir Beltein, who stared at me blankly for a moment, immediately knelt and rendered a knight’s salute.
“I will obey.”
It is my fourth life, but this is the first time I have seen Sir Beltein like this.
I realized anew.
‘Back then, to Sir Beltein, I wasn’t a lord to serve, but a girl to protect.’
But now, that will change.
* * *
Sir Beltein was the strongest among the Delphine ducal family’s knights.
Which meant he could help me slip out of the estate while avoiding attention even with one extra burden—me.
This applied just the same in my past life when he took me and ran away.
‘That’s why I asked him to escort me.’
If I tried to leave alone, I’d probably be caught partway.
Sir Beltein chose places with few people and moved with me.
Passing under the terrace of Evangeline’s bedroom while crossing the garden was purely a coincidence.
Crash—!
A loud sound rang out, and a poor jewelry box smashed against the terrace floor, then rolled down into the garden.
Thanks to that, I was able to see the paper knife stuck in front of my feet.
‘This is…!’
It was certainly the blade I used to tear the wedding dress.
