My Husband Has Changed - Chapter 144



Only Noblemtl

#144. Fearful Decision
2024.02.21.

“Adele.”

She was a little surprised by the strength with which he held her. She could see the tendons bulging on the back of his hand that wrapped around her thin lower abdomen.

His slightly trembling hand looked desperate as if he would not let her go even if he died.

“… … Valentin.”

“I’m sorry. Did it hurt?”

However, as soon as Adele showed a slight expression of discomfort, his hand immediately released.

He froze awkwardly, unable to do anything, and then weakly grabbed her forearm again.

“Are you hurt? You stumbled earlier.”

“I’m fine. I’m fine.”

Adele felt him very slowly lowering his upper body. His breath, which had become so close, lightly brushed against the back of her neck. A faint sense of relief was in his breathing.

Valentin carefully buried his lips in the hair that had fallen over her shoulder and whispered.

“It’s okay if you’re not hurt. At first, I was just surprised. Since you were alone without an escort… … .”

Escort. Now that I think about it, the escort who was supposed to be in charge of her today hadn’t shown up yet.

Was he away for a moment? Or was there some other urgent matter? Whatever it was, it was quite embarrassing for someone who had been completely confident in the existence of an escort.

‘I almost got into big trouble. It was fortunate that Valentin came at the right time.’

Adele, who sighed in relief belatedly, suddenly realized that she had not properly met Valentin’s face until now.

He would have made eye contact with her as soon as they met, but he was acting a little strangely now.

‘Why?’

It was as if he didn’t want to show his face… … .

“Wait a minute, let’s stay like this for just a little longer.”

Valentin demanded, as if he had noticed her suspicions. His lips touched her shoulder. She

could feel his trembling from the skin they had touched. Not just the trembling, but his relief, fear, sadness, and trembling patience. It was strange.

“… … .”

She was human, so her heart easily weakened. Adele held her breath for a moment as she endured Valentin.

This precarious peace was precious to her, too. However, too many things had already been ruined to ignore it.

“Valentin.”

Adele firmly released Valentin’s hand and faced him. And Adele was a little surprised to see that Valentin had become much more gaunt than a few days ago.

His eyes, which had become darker, and his cheeks, which had become chubby, were still handsome, but they looked sharp like a hungry beast.

“Why? Adelheid.”

Valentin, who had been looking at her with a stern face, finally managed to smile. It was a smile that looked so dangerous, yet so captivating at the same time.

Adele held back her heart from weakening. She couldn’t back down now. She took a deep breath and exhaled.

“There was something I really wanted to ask you when we met. It’s a very important matter to me, so you have to answer me honestly… ….”

“No, Adele.”

Her eyes widened at Valentin’s refusal. She

had imagined the moment when she would tell Valentin this story and his answer countless times, but she had never imagined that he would refuse so firmly.

“What do you mean by no… … ?”

“If you want to get an answer from me, you have to offer a fair deal.”

“What?”

“You still can’t control your will, you.”

“… … I don’t feel like joking. What I was going to ask you today is a very important matter to me… … .”

“Yes. It has never been a joke. It is a very important matter to me, too.”

She looked at Valentin with puzzled eyes.

It would have been better to admit it clearly. Rather than solidify her suspicions with this ambiguous response.

Her heart, which had been struggling to trust him, felt like it had suddenly fallen into the mud. Adele wrapped her body, which was beginning to tremble slightly, in her arms.

“I think you already know what I want to ask you.”

“… … .”

“… … What did you do to Padre? What and how did you do it to make the priest so… … .”

“Padre?”

He repeated, narrowing his eyes. His frown, as if recalling memories, looked ‘almost’ innocent.

And Adele already realized that she had harbored an irreversible suspicion.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember the name.”

“… … .”

“I also don’t know why you’re acting like this all of a sudden.”

Well, he didn’t know. If he really didn’t know, he wouldn’t have been so defensive.

Adele repeated it like a spell whenever she felt weak.

Coke, Laura, and the people of Nassau Castle. If the ‘princess’ had committed an unforgivable sin against Valentine in the past, then the one who had given the oracle had also committed an unforgivable act using the ‘princess’s’ sin as an excuse.

If it had been a sin committed only against her, Adele would have gladly embraced Valentine’s sin. She

would have embraced him with a heart of atonement. But, this. This was not all. The lives and the lives of those involved in this tragedy.

“If you say you still don’t know… … . Okay. I will figure it out on my own.”

“… … .”

“You said that if I could handle the ‘source’, I could do anything, right? You said that reading the past was no different from reading a book. I will do as you say. If that is all you have to say to me, Valentine.”

“… … .”

“After all the truth has been revealed, you really left me like that… … .”

She paused to suppress her rising emotions, taking a deep breath.

“If that happened because of someone’s will, I will not forgive whoever it was.”

“… … Whoever?”

“Yes. Even if it was you, Valentin.”

“You made a scary decision, Adele.”

Despite that firm, almost blunt declaration, Valentin simply smiled faintly.

Adele’s eyes widened in surprise at his reaction. Was it confidence? Or was it because he was truly innocent? Either way, it was not an expression that one would show to a non-believer.

Adele met Valentin’s gaze cautiously with a confused face. Surprisingly, his eyes looking at her were still filled with affection.

“… … .”

He carefully lifted her chin and swept her parted lips with his thumb.

Adele let out a trembling breath and closed her eyes. The feeling of his firm fingertips pressing and tearing at her thin, fragile skin made her heart race.

“Why… … .”

Her breathing quickened in Valentin’s face, which was getting closer. As if anticipating what would come next. Forgetting the subject and shame. She

felt incredibly ugly for being wary and suspicious of him, and at the same time feeling intensely fascinated by him. Adele whispered with her last desperate wish.

“Why… … don’t you ever deny what I say?”

“… … .”

“If you had only said something like, ‘You didn’t do it,’ … . You’ve always been true to me, so I would have believed anything… … .”

“Choice is a human privilege. No matter what I do, your conclusion will be the same.”

“… … .”

“It’s ridiculous. I’m already scared. I haven’t even started doing the things you hate.”

Again. It was a story that had no meaning. Adele’s eyes twisted and she dropped her gaze from his.

“I’m tired of riddles. If you’re not going to tell me exactly, I’d rather not tell you.”

“Adelheid.”

He called her name as if to ask her to look at him. As Adele stubbornly stared at the floor, Valentin sighed and said,

“I didn’t intend to argue the moment I saw your face.”

“… … .”

“The subjugation will begin at dawn. Five families have volunteered to be the vanguard. Ansgar has also signed up.”

At those words, Adele briefly forgot about her anger.

“The monsters have long since escaped anyone’s control. Their only goal is now: the extinction of humanity. That’s what ‘I’ once wanted.”

“… … .”

“They move according to their purpose. Since they can’t deal with humans as a rabble, they’ve increased their numbers and formed a system similar to a human army. The difference from humans is that they don’t fear hurting themselves. That’s why they’re more dangerous.”

He was silent for a short time.

“Your affiliation will change from Ansgar to the rear support unit. Nassau Castle will be the last line of defense, and I’ll leave Donovan behind so that he won’t be inconvenienced… … .”

“That can’t be.”

Adel lifted her head, which had been sliding down.

“Are you saying that you will leave me here? What about Ansgar’s soldiers without me? I cannot let them go to the subjugation battle without a healer. Of course, I am not yet proficient, and I know that you do not trust me, but even I am more helpful than not having me… … .”

“Adelheid. It’s not that I do not trust you.”

“Then? I am not someone’s wife or a noblewoman, but I belong to the military as a healer. I am also prepared to fully fulfill my role in my position.”

She clenched her teeth for a moment to control her slightly agitated emotions.

“You know how much I have tried… … .”

“I am not trying to belittle that effort. Of course, I am not saying that you are useless.”

“Then, why?”

“For now, I expect the punitive war to be a battle of speed. It will all be over in three weeks to a month. The wounded will be transferred here after receiving minimal treatment. Your mission can also be done in the rear units.”

Adel looked at him with an incredulous face.
　

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