All I Wanted Was the Alimony - Chapter 39

Good!

Clenching her fist, Lucienne quickly went on to mention the next incident.

“I told him that if we crossed paths again, I’d kill him. After that, I ran into quite a few noblemen.”

Lucienne also said that she knocked out the teeth of four people. Of course, she didn’t say what they had done to her.

She could feel Paello’s hand faltering on her back as she spoke more.

‘He must be feeling more and more like divorcing me.’

She hoped that he would lose his temper, grab her neck once, and give her a terrifying warning.

Since Paello was a virtuous ruler, he would later be overwhelmed with guilt.

He’d tell himself that no matter what had happened, threatening his wife with violence was unacceptable.

With luck, he might say he was too ashamed to face her and suggest a divorce for both their sakes.

‘Yes! That’s exactly what I need!’

Lucienne felt a thrill of anticipation and grinned.

“If I had run into them more, I’d have beaten them more. But nothing much happened after that. If I had to mention something else… there were mosquitoes in the forest.”

“Mosquitoes?”

“Yes, maybe because they were mountain mosquitoes, my back was all itchy. Thankfully, there was no swelling or itching.”

“Mountain mosquitoes?”

“Yes, weren’t you bitten, Your Grace?”

“……”

‘It wasn’t a forest swarming with mosquitoes, much less wild beasts.’

After thinking for a moment, Paello picked up on something odd in Lucienne’s words.

Lucienne was a half-demon.

The skin of demons, though it may appear and feel smooth, is tough and resilient. It was impossible for the Holy Empire’s mosquitoes to pierce it.

Even to kill an ordinary demon with a bow, regular arrows wouldn’t suffice. If the demon were a high-ranking noble, even stronger weapons would be required.

They’d need to wrap aura around the arrowhead or use specially forged, reinforced arrow tips, sometimes even siege weapons like ballistae.

Paello recalled the arrows they had deflected during the ambush.

He had a good idea of who the culprit was, but they seemed intent on leaving no evidence, as the arrowhead was plain and unmarked.

‘Now that I think about it, she’s highly resistant to poison too. Don’t tell me…’

Paello touched the spot on Lucienne’s dress where there had been a hole.

“Is this where the mountain mosquito bit you?”

Lucienne was startled. “Oh? How did you know? Is it red now?”

It was the moment it became clear she had also been targeted.

A chill ran down Paello’s spine.

“Were there any other places?”

“Huh?”

“Places that felt like mosquito bites.”

“Ah, just that one time.”

That was some relief. Still, a vein bulged on Paello’s forehead.

Wanting to get rid of him because of discomfort or dislike, he could understand that to a degree.

Even if it wasn’t pleasant, it wasn’t threatening either.

Besides, once the birthday celebration ended and they returned, he would rarely encounter Sidell again, so he had planned to overlook such petty actions.

Whatever else, laying a hand on family was far beyond crossing the line.

‘It was only because it was Lucienne that she came out unscathed.’

If the Grand Duchess had been an ordinary person, Paello would likely be clutching a coffin by now.

On top of that, Lucienne was a symbol of peace between the former emperor and the Demon King.

Everyone had opposed Paello’s marriage.

They said forming a bond with a powerful noble family within the Holy Empire would solidify his position.

But even so, Paello had chosen to show loyalty to the former emperor, standing for the greater cause.

And now Sidell, who inherited the crown, had shattered that cause herself.

Paello felt deeply indignant toward Sidell. He also grew curious about the men Lucienne had beaten up.

Lucienne had spoken as if it was no big deal because she was strong, but the men she encountered must have done something wrong.

If they hadn’t, there would’ve already been letters of protest, demands for compensation, or at least word of the incident.

‘I’ll have to look into it.’

Paello did not stop massaging as he asked, “If you knocked out a few teeth, there should be marks on their faces.”

“Probably? I bet their faces are too swollen to attend the party.”

Then Lucienne quickly waved her hand.

“Ah, but I’m never going to apologize, so don’t even think about making me. Understood?”

She intended to make him sick of her by showing she had not a shred of remorse.

“Understood, madam.”

At the calm reply, Lucienne felt relieved, unaware that Paello was looking down at her with a faint smile.

***

“Pardon? A list of nobles who lost teeth after being punched during yesterday’s hunting competition?”

Joad, who had come to report on the condition of the boat manager Max, looked perplexed after reading the commission letter Paello had just handed him.

“Secure the list quickly and send it along with this document to the nearest Ronatere Territory No. 4.”

Ronatere Territory No. 4.

In addition to the largest Ronatere domain, there were seven smaller territories affiliated with it in the Holy Empire.

Among them, Territory No. 4 was the smallest in land size, located to the west of the capital, and about a three-hour carriage ride away.

“Are you planning to visit Territory No. 4 this time?”

Joad asked absentmindedly, then looked over the next document Paello handed him, growing even more confused.

“What did these people do?”

At that moment, the image of Lucienne’s dress with a hole in it flashed through his mind.

“The ones with those traces must be the snipers!”

“No. That’s a separate matter.”

“Pardon?”

“They were struck by my wife.”

“…Pardon?”

“But she hasn’t told me the reason why she hit them.”

“Ah, usually that means…”

Joad cautiously offered his honest opinion.

“Isn’t it usually the one who hits that’s in the wrong?”

“That might be the case under normal circumstances. But my wife is a half-demon. Though she’s adjusted a bit recently and shows her true nature, she never revealed her strength in the past.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s probably because she came to the Holy Empire alone and was cautious about everything.”

“?”

Joad’s mind quickly replayed Lucienne’s past behavior.

‘She’s changed a bit in recent months, but considering the Grand Duchess’s personality before that…’

Choosing his words carefully, Joad admitted it to himself.

The past is the past, the present is the present.

‘Let me just be honest with myself. It’s not like I’m going to say it out loud.’

The past Grand Duchess had a dog-like temper and was a complete wreck of a person.

She only acted mild-mannered in front of Paello, but verbal abuse, violence, heavy drinking, and gambling were her daily routine.

Even so, she’d claim she was weak and delicate, pretending to be a victim, and insisted she had a kind and gentle nature, saying things that didn’t match reality at all.

It felt all the more hopeless because she sounded sincere. Joad ranked that as one of the top five most ridiculous things he’d ever heard.

But Paello, his face calm and hands clasped together resting against his chin, said quietly, “She lived hiding herself, so the stress built up and she displayed hysterical traits, but the fact that she never harmed anyone despite her strength is quite admirable.”

“?”

Joad felt like washing out his ears.

‘Yes, Your Grace, the Grand Duchess has changed and become more admirable recently, but that doesn’t erase the past. Really, Your Grace.’

He forced down the words that had reached his throat and waited for Paello to continue.

He was not only an excellent knight but also highly capable in managing his position.

“If someone like that acted out during the hunting competition, it’s no ordinary matter.”

“Hmm. Then wouldn’t it be better to ask the Grand Duchess directly? That seems faster and safer.”

“No, my wife is too kind.”

“?”

“She’s already showing mercy to those men. If they were high-ranking nobles, there would’ve been protests or some kind of stir by now, but it’s been quiet.”

“……”

“No doubt the fault lies 100% with the other party. That’s why…”

The more Joad listened to Paello, the more dizzy he became, feeling like he might faint.

Lately, Paello had begun showing more expression, and the way he looked at Lucienne seemed to have changed.

Paello had rescued Lucienne when she was almost struck by the Hero’s Divine Sword and kissed her cheek in public, ignoring all eyes on them—it was undeniable.

To Joad, it was clear that Paello had developed feelings for his spouse. They were finally in their honeymoon phase.

Of course, Joad himself had been impressed by Lucienne’s various feats.

She had even used quick judgment to hand the Hero’s Divine Sword over to Paello.

But she was still half-demon.

To citizens of the Holy Empire, she was inherently untrustworthy.

Moreover, she assaulted people and didn’t even properly explain why. And yet, Paello was covering for her and even planning abductions for her sake? Wasn’t this going too far?

Completely unaware of Joad’s internal monologue, Paello continued speaking.