Clear skies were greyed out and yellow lightning flashed through the clouds several times like the tail of a dragon. Rainwater began pouring onto the cold ground shortly after the funeral began, as if to announce the bad weather to the untrained eye.

The mourners gazed up at the sky that was merging with the atmosphere of the funeral, each of them chattering with voices of different levels. Even among the disturbances, the depressing atmosphere was only becoming heavier as the rainwater fell from the sky.

In the midst of their gaze was a woman wearing a black velvet hat that had a veil casted over it. The ends of her pitch black dress were blown about by the wind. Because of the black clothes, from afar she was like a grim reaper who brings death.

“How come…. At such an early age.”

“That’s what I’m saying. The Duchess must have it really hard.”

The whispering voices did not subside. They buzzed with only shallow words of comfort. This meant that among these people, none of their words expressed condolences with sincerity to her.

In fact, all the mourners were really curious about was what the Duchess was thinking right now. They were well aware of the discord between the Duke and his wife, which had already spread throughout the capital.

Even in those scathing eyes, there was no movement in that small, slender back. As she mourned the death of her only husband, she just stood still as though she would die and turn into stone waiting for him.

T/N: 망부석 (Mangbuseok) – A legendary faithful wife, turned to stone waiting for her husband.

A deep black coffin engraved with a cross took its place on the ground which had been dug deeply. As the black soil got wet, the coffin shone as though it was reflective. The Duchess’s eyes that looked at him were as cool as the rainwater falling from the sky.

“My Lady.”

One of the knights who followed her husband called her in a rather soft voice. Only then did the Duchess look up. She was wearing a hat, so it was not at all possible that her face was struck by the rain, but her eyelids were wet as if soaked in a lake. Her face made those who saw her be evoked with a pitiful emotion. The Duchess nodded without saying a word. It meant to proceed with the burial. Four knights began to cover the top of the coffin with soil. Their physical strength was quite great, and they didn’t seem to be exhausted despite continuous shoveling.

After Judith, the Duchess, wiped off the rainwater splattered on her cheeks once, she stared at the coffin, which was gradually being covered with dirt, with cold eyes.

‘He’s truly dead.’

He was indeed a man who made people really amused until the end.

Judith could not relax throughout the funeral. If she did so, she felt like her scorn towards her husband, whom she hated so much, would burst out.

Anyhow, when the funeral service would end, it seemed that she would suffer greatly from the fatigue. The role of a pitiful, noble, and pure wife, who was lost in sadness due to the death of the head of the household who was maintaining the family, was really exhausting work.

As soon as the burial was finished, Judith turned around. As soon as she faced them, her eyes flickered through many of the people’s faces and watched their expressions thoroughly. The noblewomen, though with sad faces, for some reason did not hide their curiosity and inquisitiveness. The nobleman could hardly take their eyes of the pathetic and beautiful Judith even though they stood next to their companions.

There was an uneasy atmosphere that strangely seemed calm.

“I am truly thankful to you all for attending the funeral.”

She detested the surrounding situation as her voice trembled and filled with strife. Even so, no one questioned it as it only appeared very sad to them. It was a relief. After seeing off the nobles who were returning, Judith walked inside the mansion and took off her hat, which she had been dreadfully wearing, almost tearing it off and held it. She, then, quickly handed it over to the maid who was following her.

With nothing to keep it in place, her neatly groomed hair flowed down to her waist. Her silver hair, shining and sparkling, had a pale pink hue that stood out under the light of the lamp. Handing it over to the maid, she also removed the black silk gloves and a feather-shaped brooch that hung on her chest.

“Throw it all away. I’ll never use it again.”

“All- all of these?”

The maid asked, her eyes wide opened in surprise. Judith, after answering with a nod, went straight up the stairs.

Looking at the bedroom on the second floor, she focused on the window in the hallway. After the funeral safely finished, a towering mud tomb was seen among the servants who were cleaning up.

Her unhesitating steps paused for a moment.

Today his corpse was buried there only as a show to the mourners, but when things calmed, she’ll have it dug out right away, and, as a result, thrown away anywhere in Mount Kemel that was connected with the rear of the residence. If someone were to know of her intentions, they would think she was a cold lady with no sympathy, but Judith didn’t care.

This was only because it was her husband, not her, who died. If she had been the one to die, her husband would do the same thing to her. In actuality, her actions were in comparison nice to what he would have done. As he hated his wife, he might have not held a funeral at all.

‘Bye, Derrick.’

Judith bid her last farewell to her husband who was confined in his grave. And she resumed her steps again. Only the sound of her dress shoes click-clacked in the chilly hallway.

Today, her husband, Derrick Vaisil, was truly dead.

Judith Lipis.

She, who was the very precious youngest daughter of the Marquis family of Lipis, had gained a tremendous reputation upon her debut in high society. The reason was because of her fresh and gorgeous beautiful face, which was similar to that of a fairy.

Her silver hair, which had a pink hue at a closer glance, always flowed beautifully, and her features framed by a small face were so clear that even those just passing by could not forget it. The balance of the deep double-lidded eyes, sharp nose, and red lips did indeed appear as though from a fantasy.

When she first appeared, the entire ballroom was filled with silence, and it was such a famous anecdote that it was still talked about even years later.

As such, she was married at an earlier age than others were expected to, but her partner was the Duke of Vaisil, one of the most prestigious and powerful men in the Empire. Though only bonded through business exchanges done ever since she was a child, their fathers were finally linked through the unity of their descendants.

Judith knew that marriage was supposed to be an eternal promise to a loved one, but at the same time she knew well how absurd of a dream that was.

As she was an esteemed young lady of a Marquis family, naturally marriage to her must not be a “promise,” but a “business.”

Her older brother, Vinsen Lipis, who was the only one above her, was the reliable successor, who would be leading the Marquis family as the head in the future. Meanwhile, Judith was the foothold that would give support to Vinsen as such. In short, she was like a root that would help the tree grow straight in place.

She had to give Vinsen unshakable power through the business of marriage. That was exactly her role as the young lady of a Marquis family.

If one would encounter this truth all of a sudden, they might either not comply with it or feel repulsion over it. Isn’t it like being sold to a stranger only to strengthen the reputation of the family?

However, Judith learned from day one that sacrificing for the family was natural. She accepted marriage without love as an obvious thing. In the first place, there was no reason to believe in the feelings of love.

She was closer on the quiet and calm side than the cheerful one. Normally, a lady who has a character of knowing her manners and being moderately lively would gain popularity, but in this society, where appearance dictated many things, her silence became associated with a quick-witted loveliness.

The popularity of Judith in society was so great that there was a joke that the number of young people attending the banquet changed depending on whether she attended it or not.

She, who was normally quiet, naturally didn’t like noisy places, and wasn’t the type to attend every banquet. As such, when the occasional rumors circulated that she would be attending, the entrance of the banquet hall would be crowded with people.

Generally, if she did attend, Judith always had a moderately quiet time by herself, whether or not her surroundings were noisy. Usually she would dance with her older brother, Vinsen, once, and would end the night by simply sharing a conversation with the young ladies whose faces she knew. She behaved so neatly that one could never imagine a scandal that could cause a stir in a tea party.

The young lords would try to keep her from going back, but would usually lose sight of themselves. Even though they made a ruckus because of her, like the eye of a typhoon, although the reason for the uproar, she was still as if nothing was happening. Since she was such a person, she did not act unusual even when she first met her fiance, whom she had never seen before.

The motivation to be meeting up with her fiance was simple. The Duke and the Marquis just happened to be attending a place where they met by accident.

Judith first met her fiance, Derrick Vaisil, that day.

It was the first time, but the reason why he didn’t feel somewhat unfamiliar with her was that Derrick Vaisil was as famous in society as Judith was. If the attribute that followed behind Judith was “beauty,” the attribute that followed Derrick could only be called “debauchery”. He was a man who had been living such a promiscuous life that it was to the point one could say that there was no esteemed young lady in high society who hadn’t passed through his hands.

Judith felt an intense feeling from the time of her first meeting with him.

‘Somehow I don’t think we fit.’

Was what she thought.

And just like she was worried about, Derrick Vaisil was a man who didn’t have the form of someone who could be accompanied with only one woman. He was promiscuous, cheap, and dirty. His looks, which had a reputation that was as incredible as his prodigal life, was so handsome that he had captured the hearts of many women, but not much came into the eyes of Judith, who looked at him unfavorably.

Judith always hated the acrid cigarette smell that was given off by him, and even though he stayed still, his attitude of having no manners, which he tried to hide but was still obvious, was also good to frown at in particular.

Derrick showed quite an interest in her after their first meeting, and he didn’t hesitate to make a pass towards her during the several dates they had as a formality before their marriage.

But Judith didn’t like his frivolous words and actions that seemed not only to be insincere, but also felt as if they were enraptured, so she constantly treated him coldly.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Judith did nothing but be continuously stone cold, and Derrick refused to yield in his flirtations. It stayed that way until the day of the wedding ceremony, where his unyielding spirit reached its peak.

‘You appear as an extremely outstanding lady. Since you’ve gotten married to me, you’ll also have to spend the night with me starting tonight, wouldn’t you?’

‘Having to have children is the responsibility of a married couple, so I will not refuse.’

At this, Derrick’s face broke down for the first time. It was the face of a man with his unshakeable pride all crumpled up.

The wedding was held magnificently with the blessings of both families. However, neither party made eye contact with the other during the ceremony. The air surrounding the two was quite chilly and cold throughout the ceremony.

After the wedding finished safely, Judith entered the ducal mansion where Derek stayed. She went into the bedroom first, washed up, sat on the bed, and waited for him. But no matter how long she waited for the huge bedroom door to open, she didn’t think it would. Tic toc tic toc ― There was only silence lingering from the flowing pendulum.

The night was gradually becoming late, and, losing her patience, she opened the bedroom door and went outside.

In front of the bedroom, where she thought no person would be there, was a knight and a maid, who shuffled her feet, not knowing what to do.

“…….Where is the Duke?”

Since they were as surprised as, if not more than, Judith, she asked them while not betraying any emotion. Contrary to her expectation that they would answer immediately, the maid hesitated for a long time and wouldn’t open her mouth. As she continued to hesitate with her response, Judith looked back at the knight standing behind the maid. He was an escort knight who was always following behind Derrick.

Why was he here right now?

All of a sudden, anxiety struck Judith’s chest.

“Take me to the place where the Duke is.”

“Madame, that’s…..”

“Now.”

She was helpless to Judith’s firm gaze. The maid dragged her feet and led her to the place. Actually, truth be told, she wanted to find the Duke by herself and send them back downstairs, but she was unable to as she didn’t fully know the structure of the mansion.

Not long after, the maid stopped walking. It was in front of some door that was no different from the bedroom door.

“It’s here?”

“It is – it is Your Grace’s office.”

After explaining, the maid quickly stepped back.

Judith carefully put her hand on the door knob to open the door. At the same time, a harsh sound grazed her ears and her fingertips flinched. With the door only slightly cracked before her, the sound leaked out into the cold hallway.

‘…….Ah, De, Derrick! Haang, ahng!’

What she was hearing from the inside was clearly the moaning of a woman.

And the name the woman’s coquettish voice was calling out was the same name of her husband’s, whom she performed the wedding ceremony today with.

There could never be two people called ‘Derrick’ in this ducal mansion, so it was clearly expected that the man who was doing things inside of there was Judith’s husband. That clear fact before her made her feel dizzy. The hand that was holding onto the doorknob wrapped itself tightly on it.

She never loved Derrick. Be that as it may, there was no way she would be happy suffering from his disregard of his vows through such candid methods. As though the fact that she was unhappy was not enough, his contempt, which he didn’t restrain, poured out, while his debauchery that he didn’t suppress, even today, the day of their wedding, made her shudder.

She didn’t open the door and turned her body back around, directly returning to her and her husband’s spacious bedroom.

Unlike Derek’s office, which was frequently noisy, this place was so quiet. Judith sat slightly on the bed. It was cold on top of the large bed, but it was warm compared to Judith’s heart, which had become completely cold.

She sighed deeply as she stroked the duvet.

Never having her pride hurt before, she felt a sense of humiliation, as though she was crawling up from the bottom of the ground for the first time in her life.

As she laid on the bed by herself, she felt the bed space was particularly large and empty.

On the first night that the new bride was looking forward to, she was nothing other than deserted.

The marriage life that began like that could never be smooth.

The marriage between the ducal family of Vaisil and the marquis family of Lipis was only for show. In that formal union, Derrick and Judith’s relationship was so dull that there was no emotion at all. It’s safe to say that they probably were business partners linked under the embellishment of a ‘business deal’.

In the process, Derrick happened to fall deeply for a young lady. Her name was Silvia Wirell, the young lady of the Viscount family of Wirell, who recently came to the capital and was starting to run a business.

At first, she thought it was just some shallow curiosity, but no! Silvia didn’t relinquish for one month, and lasted as long as three months beside Derrick, who had changed.

Judith received reports on Derrick whether she liked it or not. It was to prevent a problem from causing a setback in this empty marriage. Although they had no feelings, it was clear that their marriage was a great help to the Marquis Family, and Judith had to continue with this marriage.

Through the report, she came to know of Silvia’s existence. They had been meeting under the pretext of ‘management”. Derrick, whom she thought as fickle, didn’t come to his senses because he had fallen in love with her, as though he had become “sincere”. He often went out early every morning and came back late in the evening, and instead of the scent of cigarettes, his body strongly gave off a certain fragrant scent of perfume.

Judith just left them alone and watched for the time being.

She thought she didn’t have to trouble herself and meddle because she didn’t even love him. She also didn’t want to get involved because, even though he had really liked her at one point, she had seen too often how easily he changed between women, and waited for it to occur again, as well.

However, when reports began to show that the two were frequently seen dating in the capital city, she could not just sit back and watch.

So far, rumours of the discord between the ducal couple was a topic that had often followed the two, but would be passed off as no more than a false rumor. However, his behavior would leave a bad impression on Judith.

No matter how little affection this relationship held, though, there was still a line that must not be crossed.

“If you want to have an affair, how about doing it while hiding it, please?”

Judith visited her husband and threw the documents with the whereabouts of their dates onto his desk. Derrick dark eyebrows knitted together discontentedly.

“What are you doing?”

“You’ve been doing well to hide your affair until now. What’s changed all of a sudden?”

He stared at the face of Judith, who was asking, with his arms crossed. Realizing that she wasn’t being sarcastic, but was asking from the bottom of her heart, Derrick burst into laughter.

The moment Derrick titled his head slightly to the side, she noticed the trace of a kiss mark on his neck. He came in past midnight last night. It was clear that the one who probably imprinted that mark was her, Silvia Wirell, who had been with him all night.

Judith could only feel disgust at the shameful proof of his nightly activities.

“Behave yourself properly. Unless you want to suffer through a divorce.”

No longer pleased to be in the same space as him, she turned her back on him. Before she could take a step forward, something touched the back of her head. Flutter flutter ― She heard the sound of papers flying as they fell messily by her feet.

“I really hate you so much. Do you know that?”

She responded, firmly biting her lower lip,

“It’s the same for me, as well.”

“I shouldn’t have married someone like you. Why the hell did I marry a woman who is as emotionless and unaffectionate as you, and….”

Judith slowly turned her head to her husband. At some point, Derek also couldn’t hide his contempt for his partner as much as she did. He hated her calmness to the point that it would cause him goosebumps, and she was disillusioned of him being prodigal.

Judith, who was glaring at him, giggled, and gave him a twisted smile.

“Silvia Wirell. You wish to “get married,” as well, with her, right?”

“That name, do not mention it as you please.”

Derrick reacted more sensitively than she expected to her provocation.

That’s funny. Seeing him, who usually looks down on women, came out seriously like this. Wasn’t he a man who thought nothing of something called “emotions” more than anyone else?

Unlike her husband, whom she ended up easily cutting off her relationship with, Judith knew a great deal of women who couldn’t forget him and also still stayed up all night in tears.

“Dream on.”

Judith whispered with a lovely and beautiful smile, only looking at him. She heard the sound of Derrick gritting his teeth from afar.

“Because unless Silvia Wirell is reborn as an esteemed young lady of a Marquis like me, it will never happen.”

Leaving behind a pretentious sneer through her laughter, Judith left the office.

As soon as she took a step outside, the sound of something being smashed occurred terribly inside ― Bang! Bang!

As she walked away, her hatred only deepened.

* * *

The thing was, the relationship between the couple, which was already at stake of teetering off a cliff, had become completely strained since Judith’s direct warning.

Dereck hated her enough to avoid eating together now. But behaving like that did not hurt Judith. Their relationship, which had no emotion of “love”, was simply worse than anybody else.

In the midst of all this, something strange happened. Derrick’s health immediately began to deteriorate as if he had caught some “disease”.

At first, she thought it was a simple fever, but his condition didn’t get any better even when he took some medicine, and even if the most famous doctor in the capital city was called in, he only said that he was unable to comprehend the symptoms at all. Amid the efforts of many people, Derrick Vaisil’s condition continuously deteriorated.

Judith calmly accepted that his condition began to deteriorate.

This was because she fully expected this as a possibility. Derrick enjoyed all sorts of bad things, including aphrodisiacs and cigars, from the time he joined society. Naturally, she hadn’t known it would be serious to the point doctors would give up though.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Derrick was bedridden and the ducal mansions work was transferred to Judith. Rather than directly being involved with management, her older brother, Vinsen, was the one helping.

Derrick’s complexion grew haggard as the days went by, until he could no longer come to his senses and stay properly conscious.

Looking at his ashened pale complexion, Judith felt this was his punishment. Up to now, he had made so many women cry, and made Judith’s, his wife, position a laughing stock several times in front of others.

Wasn’t it said that for those people who bashed other people’s hearts, there will be double the payment to them? That was clearly the case with Derrick.

Looking at her husband who couldn’t get up from his bed, she remembered the young lady of a Viscount family, whom he had fallen deeply in love with and didn’t return to his senses before he had become like this.

Silvia Wirell.

The woman who made her curious enough to wonder how in the world she captured her husband this way.

Sylvia Wirell did not send even a single letter ever since Derrick collapsed. And as she had predicted, even in the future, she wouldn’t be sending letters or the like.

No matter how much their marriage was said to be a business that connected families, it was still an important relationship as it was a pledge made in front of others.

In fact, it was said that in high society, a wife who was not loved by her husband was despised, but due to Derrick’s rumored cheating, Judith experienced humiliations to the point that her blood boiled. In addition to such social perception, for him to openly have extramarital affairs in the Tireur Empire, a place where adultery is legally a serious offense, was tantamount to throwing away one’s own honor.

That’s why Judith was angry with Derrick for not hiding his meetings with Sylvia Wirell, and at the same time concluded that Sylvia Wirell would not be able to send a letter to her husband.

‘I wonder, what is she thinking about right now?’

According to the reports, Derrick kept presenting extremely expensive jewelries and fancy dresses to Silvia everyday. He didn’t just express his love in portions, he did so without skipping a single day. Looking at this, Judith naturally thought it was amazing that there were still assets of the ducal family left. In the eyes of others, he was a sincerely devoted person to his loved one, to the point that he was willing to lay down his life for her.

‘He’s no different from a dupe.’

Silvia must’ve really liked and accepted them. To her, everything was beautiful and mysterious because she had just moved to the capital, and now she had a Duke, who was one of the best in the Empire, fall for her and was unable to get over her. How much better could it be?

Drenched in such happiness, the fact that he was a ‘married man’ must’ve blackened out her mind.

“It’s not even funny.”

Judith, who was blankly staring at her husband with his eyes closed as though he was already dead, burst into laughter.

She had no more expectations from him of the like. It had already been a long time since she held the slightest expectations toward Derrick. It had been shattered to pieces the day he deserted her their first night together. His continuous extramarital affairs caused her low expectations to grow into a fiery hatred that had spread like embers in her heart.

A few days ago in the mansion, the words of the priest who came by said that his condition was like a ‘curse.’(No man, it’s the virus) The fundamental problem was not an external wound but an internal one, explaining that dark forces of an unknown identity were gnawing at his life. Unlike doctors who had only shook their heads so far, it was a detailed explanation.

As soon as she heard those words, she started calling priests instead of doctors who were constantly changing, but it was no use calling any person or offering any blessing. His condition only continued to deteriorate.

“By any chance, was the one who may have put a curse on you an old woman who loves you so much?”

In the quiet bedroom, Judith’s thin, beautiful voice reverberated rather softly. There was no response, but she, who asked the question, didn’t want one back.

Judith calmly made preparations for the funeral.

Sometime in the following week after that, Derrick Vaisil’s breath finally ceased. Finally, she was able to free herself from the pathetic and pitiful position that had made her a laughing stock due to her husband’s affairs. Being a widow was a much better choice than a woman with a husband who had reduced her into this spectacle.

Four days had passed since the funeral had finished without a problem.

The mansion, which had been restless due to Derrick’s death, began to gradually return to its original lively atmosphere, and even the weather, which had been dim throughout, cleared up with the sun shining.

“Do me a favour and take out the buried coffin. I’m thinking of moving it to the Kemel Forest.”

The funeral of the nobility was often carried out in the yard of the residence where mourners were invited, and later moved to the grave, so the servants began digging the land without hesitation.

The rainfall from last night caused the wet soil to crunch under their feet. Slowly the black coffin’s figure began to reveal itself. The sun was glaring down on them, but when she saw the coffin, she suddenly felt chills. Judith rubbed her arms as she watched the busy servants.

At last, the soil that was covering the coffin was removed altogether. Judith glanced at the coffin, which she had seen four days ago, and turned her eyes. It was at that moment when the servants stepped back, and the knights came forward to lift the coffin.

Rattle.

A strange noise occurred.

Everyone surrounding the coffin stopped moving. She looked around the yard, also having heard the sound of knocking, feeling uneasy.

Silence flowed through the crowd.

When no sound was heard afterwards, everyone thought it was anything but the sound in the coffin. The knights came to their senses one by one and raised the heavy coffin on the grass.

It was at that time.

Rattle! The coffin shook violently just before it was put on the ground. A knight was suddenly startled and dropped the coffin as though he was shaking it off.

Rattle, rattle!

The coffin began to move up and down to the point where they suspected there was an earthquake. The servants screamed and backed away, and the knights, who had stepped back, drew their swords. Judith looked over the shoulders of the escort knights at the coffin that was still shaking.

“What is this…?”

He, who was inside there, was definitely dead, and it was confirmed that his heart had stopped. What the hell? Why was this happening? Judith, whose throat was completely dry, gulped.

The coffin did not open because of its latch, and kept shaking as if it was asking to be released. The servants became frightened out of their wits from this bizarre scene, while the knights were nervous and their bodies stiffened.

“Sir Horton.”

Judith called out the knight blocking the way in front of her. The knight holding the sword he had drawn looked back at her.

“Will you please open the coffin?”

“My Lady, it is dangerous.”

“The one inside there is my husband’s body. Why is he suddenly rampaging? Is it even true that he died in the first place…It’s my responsibility to confirm it.”

Lord Hortin wet his dry lips. There was truth in her words. What was this thing here? He put his sword in its sheath and stealthily approached the moving coffin.

The fingertips of the knight trembled. He pretended not to be, but his nervous look was also clear. The coffin, which had been buried under the ground for four days after his death, suddenly began to run wild, which was frightening enough.

The latch on the hook that was placed outside came undone under the knight’s hand. As soon as he did, the coffin’s cover, which had been pounding and shaking, opened so strongly it almost broke loose. Sir Horton and the knights around him immediately stepped back and aimed their swords at it.

A cold silence fell. Everyone’s eyes in the yard were on the deep black coffin.

“Ah…..”

A faint sound came from inside the coffin.

Judith’s heart began to hammer as if it had gone crazy. It was because the voice tickling her ears was quite familiar to her.

Soon, ‘he,’ who was lying in the coffin, raised his upper body and showed his figure. Under the sun that was radiantly glaring down on them, his, Derrick Vaisil’s, hair swayed, shining.

“Shit, I’m hungry…”

Judith felt her heart hardening.

Her husband, who was dead, was revived after four days as if it was a miracle.

She clearly confirmed his death, clearly confirmed the moment his heart stopped, but why is this man alive? He was sitting in the coffin over there, with his own figure intact.

Judith’s mind was spinning round and round, locked in confusion. The thought circuit in charge of the rational part seemed to have easily melted and sank into confusion altogether. With this much, she couldn’t believe the situation happening right before her at all.

“…….Your Grace!”

“What in the world is this?! Clearly his death……!”

The very first ones seen to be responding were the Duke’s knights.

They threw their rather lengthy swords away as if abandoning them and ran toward the coffin. After them were the servants dashing into the mansion, panting and puffing, to enter inside. It was clear that they intended to pass on this unbelievable news to other servants.

In the midst of the uproar, Judith just stood still. She could do nothing as though she had received an impact on the back of her head by someone. Her mind hardened stiffly as a piece of metal.

“Your Grace. Are you alright?!”

Derrick Vaisil had been revived. (PR: oH SH*T)

Amid the situation, in which chaos flooded, without a doubt this one and only fact was clear. Her gaze, which had lost focus, slowly returned as she came to her senses, and she looked at her husband sitting still in the coffin.

Derrick Vaisil was looking around in a relaxed and leisurely manner, as if he was a priest who had come down in the midst of a chaotic world. The beautiful violet eyes unexpectedly felt calmer than needed, as if they had sunk into the deep sea with a splash.

Soon he opened his mouth after a long time.

“Where am I?”

He, who was sweeping his hair roughly, hesitated, and looked quietly into his palm as if he was seeing something unfamiliar.

“…What’s this again?”

Ha.

Judith, who was looking at him, burst out into fake laughter before she even realized it. How else could she express this wonderful situation?

At that moment, Derrick’s gaze, which was fixed onto his palm, came up and reached Judith, who stood a distance away from his coffin.

For a short moment, they regarded each other, and soon after, Judith was surprised. Because Derrick, who had been staring at her, suddenly drew a deep and profound smile.

Derrick had never smiled once at her since they got married. Far from smiling, he was too busy turning his head from her, frowning as though he had caught sight of something he would rather not see. Such actions piled up one by one, and even though he didn’t express it with words, she could easily understand the fact that Derrick hated her.

When such a husband dies and comes back to life, he suddenly starts laughing at her when he sees her……

“Right now……”

It was more than enough to arouse her anxiety rather than relief.

Judith’s voice was shaking and she barely managed to get it out,

“Summon the family doctor right now!”

Her urgent voice loudly resonated in the vast garden.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —