I Married a Sick Husband

“What the hell is this, Your Majesty?” The Duke of Schwartz, with a hardened expression, appeared in front of Meredith. But even then, Meredith’s expression didn’t change a bit. “Did you come here for this?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Meredith replied bluntly. “I came here purely to celebrate my mother’s birthday. But suddenly… she got angry and slapped me on the cheek.” “…..” “How dare she slap the cheeks of the Empress of Valtejain. Doesn’t the Duke know what kind of mortal sin this is?” The Duke of Schwartz looked at his wife, wondering if that was true. The Duchess of Schwartz shook her head with a look of injustice. Seeing this, Meredith snorted and opened her mouth. “It’s no use even if you lie. Everyone in there will be your witness.” “What the hell is this…!” “The Duchess of Schwartz will be imprisoned for insulting the Empress under the laws of the Empire. So now you know. Well then.” Meredith shook her head once and went on her way. “Honey, save me! Honey!” As the Duchess of Schwartz did not want to be dragged away like this, she resisted the guards by shouting loudly. “I am not guilty, honey!” “Father, will you only see mother being dragged away like this?” When the Duke of Schwartz left the Duchess to be taken without taking any action, Catarina, bewildered, rushed to her father and pleaded with him. “Hurry up and save my mother, father! What do they mean by prison? No way, father!” “Noisy. Keep your mouth shut!” “Father!” “The first thing we need to do is figure out how the hell this happened.” The Duke of Schwartz was brutally rational even when his wife was dragged in front of him. If it’s true that, as Meredith said, the duchess slapped her on the cheek… It wasn’t normal. It was never something to be taken lightly. “Until we know for sure, don’t be arrogant and stay quiet in the room.” “Father, but……!” “Catarina!” In the end, Duke Schwartz, whose patience had reached the limit, raised his voice. “I can’t afford to listen to your stupidity right now. Go back to your room right now!” “…..” In the end, Katarina had to go back to her room with her mouth shut. *** Thus, the Duchess of Schwartz spent her special 50th birthday in a cold, filthy prison. The shocking fact that the Duchess of Schwartz had publicly slapped the empress, who was her own child, spread quickly. It was because there were so many guests invited to Duchess Schwartz’s birthday party that day, and what happened now was so unprecedented that it was hard to find a precedent. If anyone had a gathering, they were busy talking about what happened that day. “Why did the Duchess of Schwartz suddenly slap Her Majesty’s face?” “I don’t know. I heard she had a seizure after receiving the fan from the Empress?” “No, what’s wrong with the fan? Is it some special kind of fan?” “The Marchioness of Elrose, who was closest to the scene at the time, said it was just an ordinary fan. No, it was an extremely pretty and colorful fan. It makes you want it for a moment.” “Then why did she suddenly do that when she saw it? I don’t quite understand.” “I don’t understand this more than anything else. Why on earth did she hide the fact that Her Majesty was an illegitimate child of the Duke of Schwartz and turn her into a sickly second daughter?” “Oh, that’s right, that’s right. I didn’t quite understand that either. There is no imperial law prohibiting an illegitimate child from becoming an empress.” “It’s obvious. Isn’t it because of pride? They didn’t want to reveal that he had an illegitimate child.” “But I feel quite sorry for the Empress. Apparently, she was very passionate and kind to the Duchess of Schwartz, and she got slapped in the face.” “I know, right. Her Majesty even came to her birthday party and gave her a pretty birthday present.” “She seems like a good person. Empress Dowager also cherishes her a lot. Last time Her Highness invited her to a tea party, you all know how picky the Empress Dowager is, right?” “And if she was an illegitimate child, she would have been bullied a lot. I’m sure she must’ve grown with no good treatment. It’s obvious without looking at it, right?” “No way… I thought it was strange for Duke Schwartz to have made the younger daughter the empress, instead of the older daughter. There was such a thing.” “Even a weak emperor holds an authoritarian position, but he did not want to let his real daughter go. Really, a mindset of a thief*.”[t/n: 도둑놈의 심보, 도둑놈, literally: ‘a mind of a thief.’ It refers to the want to earn or get something without putting in any hard work.] In an instant, public opinion formed in favor of Meredith and condemned the Schwartz family. [Blair’s POV] “…So?” Of course, Empress Dowager Blair’s trust also played a part in creating a positive public opinion for Meredith. “What do you want me to do, Duke?” As soon as she understood the situation, Blair asked the Duke of Schwartz, who came to her first. The Duke of Schwartz opened his trembling lips and said. “If this is the case, my wife will certainly face a heavy sentence.” “It would be so.” “Then, of course, there will be disadvantages for me as well.” “It would be so.” “Then, of course, the Empress Dowager will also be harmed.” “…….Harm?” Hearing Duke Schwartz’s words, Blair’s brow furrowed. It was an expression of ‘Did I hear it wrong?’ “Me?” “If there is a matter of concern with the helper, it will also affect the Dowager.” “Duke. You seem to be under a great illusion.” I have never seen such an arrogant bastard. ‘…How dare you in front of someone.’ Blair pointed out with a faux laughter. “You are the one who came to help me. I didn’t go looking for you, you came to me.” “….” “Am I wrong?” “Of course… of course it is.” It was then that the Duke realized that he had erred in his speech. Then he hurriedly started making lame excuses. “Forgive me, Your Highness. I think my explanation… was lacking. I just meant… I was afraid that if I lost my power because of this, I would not be able to help Your Highness, both physically and mentally.” “….” “I hope you don’t get me wrong. It was never meant with blasphemous intent.” “Yes, I understand.” Blair, who snorted once, went back to the point. “So? What do you want… Rescue the Duchess who slapped the Empress on the cheek? You are asking for a very difficult request.” No matter the reason, it was a grave felony to slap the empress in the face. Without the empress’s mercy or the emperor’s persuasion, it was almost impossible to solve this situation in an amicable way. “No matter what I do, it is difficult for me to solve this kind of problem…” “There is no one who does not know that the Empress Dowager is the head of the imperial family.” When Blair spoke weakly, the anxious Duke Schwartz hurriedly tried to convince her. “I also heard that you have been close with my daughter recently.” “……” “If it is the words of the Empress Dowager, my daughter will surely obey.” ” …I do not know.” Blair responded with a tone of skepticism. “I never thought my dear was someone of weak character.” “Your Highness, the Empress Dowager, please…!” “If I can solve this problem, what will the Duke do for me?” To Blair’s question, Duke Schwartz answered almost absent-mindedly. “If you can solve this problem, the Schwartz family will be forever loyal to the Empress Dowager.” “Didn’t you swear allegiance when we first met?” “Th-that’s……” Duke Schwartz asked with a puzzled face. “Is there anything…. else you want?” Seeing the Duke of Schwartz waiting for her answer with a puzzled expression on his face, Blair burst out with a delightful laugh involuntarily. “No. I just asked.” “Th-then…” “Alright. I will grant the Duke’s request.” “Ar-are you sure?” “Yes. As the Duke said, we are helping each other.” “Thank you… Thank you, Your Highness. Ha. This grace must be…!” “But do remember, Duke.” At that moment, Blair interrupted Duke Schwartz and spoke clearly. “The Duke can do no harm to me. Even if the duke loses power like this, it’s enough to find another helper.” “……” “Do you understand what I mean?” “…Of course, Empress Dowager.” Don’t forget your place as a subject “Please forgive me for the mistake I made in the first place with the same heart granting me the great favor.” “Of course I will.” Blair smiled until the corners of her eyes were curved, then added. “Well, and know this too. I will do my best to save the Duchess, but things may not work out the way I want them to.” “……” “Are you prepared for that? I am not the emperor.” “Of course, Your Highness. But… I beg you.” “For now, don’t worry too much and go.” “Yes, Your Highness. Then I will leave, trusting you.” After a long greeting, the Duke of Schwartz withdrew at last. “……” Blair’s expression, left alone, was much drier than that shown to the Duke of Schwartz. ‘It’s better to just change my hand like this but…’ Let’s wait and see for now.