How a Mercenary Handles a Mad Husband and a Mad Request - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: How a Mercenary Receives a New Request (1)

“Excuse me. Madam Baymon, please leave the room.”

“All of you, get out! Before I kill you!”

A vase flew in a high arc and shattered on the floor above Finette’s bowed head.

Had she not bent forward enough, the vase would’ve smashed into her face. Finette trembled at the thought.

“If you just take this medicine, I’ll leave right away. It’s the sedative you always take—you’ll fall asleep in no time.”

Thomas held out a small glass vial to Valentin. Finette, eyeing the yellow liquid inside, fled the room as soon as she saw Valentin reach for another vase.

‘He really is insane.’

Finette had once served the Countess of the Renzienre family, the maternal home of the Empress Dowager and the prince’s legal mother, and had come to this ducal estate with a personal recommendation.

That was the usual process for appointing head maids to new castles or mansions, so nothing seemed out of place—except Finette had been given an additional duty: to monitor the Duke of Julius.

‘After watching him, there’s hardly anything worth reporting. He occasionally seems sane, but has daily fits and sleeps like he’s collapsed. I’ll have to tell him later.’

It would probably be quicker to find someone in this estate who wasn’t influenced by the Count’s family.

Finette shuddered as she glanced back at the room still echoing with chaos. She couldn’t care less about the safety of the Duchy of Valmen under this mad lord.

All that mattered to her was one thing: how much personal gain she could extract under the pretense of restoring this long-abandoned, poorly secured estate.

So preoccupied was she with suppressing her sneaky grin that she didn’t even notice Valentin’s personal physician, Allen, approaching.

“Madam Baymon, is something wrong?”

“Ah, Doctor Roten. I was simply worried about His Grace…”

Drooping her eyes quickly, Finette gestured toward the room. Allen gave her a gentle smile and nudged her lightly on the back.

“I brought a strong sedative. Don’t worry—why not attend to other matters? You must be busy.”

“Ah… then if you need me, please ring the bell. We may be short-staffed, but I’ll come as soon as I can.”

“Yes, understood.”

As Finette departed, Allen adjusted his glasses and immediately dropped his smile.

He had just heard her sly laughter. He already knew she was with the Empress Dowager’s faction, but she was more greedy than he’d expected.

Pushing a tray of medical supplies, Allen knocked on the door. Had Finette still been present, she would’ve sneered that knocking was pointless—but Allen knew people were listening.

“I’m coming in.”

“Your Grace, you’re looking quite healthy again today.”

So said Allen Roten, the genius physician, standing before the supposedly mad Valentin. Sharp instruments and medicines were neatly arranged on the top tier of his tray.

“Don’t be sarcastic. Forcing myself to roll my eyes tires me.”

Allen knew the truth—that this man, Valentin Al Font Dechare Julius, was perfectly sane. Of course, it was hard to call someone pretending to be insane truly normal.

“It’s the same thing we’ve done for the past thirteen years. Nothing new.”

“Ha. Allen, even I get exhausted from all the yelling.”

From the lower compartment of the tray, Allen pulled out a brown glass bottle and handed it to Valentin and Thomas. It was a tonic for fatigue.

“There’s no one like Allen.”

“It should also help with the dryness in your throat from all that screaming.”

Grateful for the gesture, Thomas quickly nodded. Then, recalling the infuriating Finette who had refused to leave the room despite being terrified, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“There are far too many eyes watching us. First assassins, now rats.”

“Someone even tried to open my locked cabinet last night. It contains substances that, if mixed, could become poison.”

“With the current residents of this estate, poisoning would be relatively easy.”

Thomas and Allen’s concerns piled up like dust on the window sill. Even without Valentin’s fit acting, the room was already in disarray—almost as if the head maid didn’t exist.

“Your Grace, no one in this estate is on your side but us. But unless you keep pretending to be insane, Sir Thomas and I have no way to drive them out naturally.”

“True. What’s needed to manage an estate… is a mistress.”

Valentin nodded as he passed the brown bottle Allen had given him to Thomas. Allen wasn’t offended—he knew Valentin never accepted anything lightly, even if it came from him.

“I had hoped to gain a bit more freedom away from the Empress Dowager’s eyes, but this place has become just another prison built by that repulsive woman. This will complicate the plan.”

Thomas, downing the potion like liquor, sighed in frustration. Valentin gazed out the window into the night that had fully descended.

“Your Grace, the very thing we feared has happened.”

“Then I suppose I need a wife. Someone to stomp out the rats.”

“But what noble lady would accept this situation? Bringing in a foolish or weak young lady would only make matters worse.”

Soon, Allen, seemingly exasperated, took out his share of the potion. The two probably thought liquor was what they truly needed.

“Does it have to be a noble?”

“What?”

At Thomas’s puzzled response, Valentin pulled a wide grin that reached his cheekbones. Though it was clearly a pleasant smile, both Thomas and Allen felt uneasy. Who knew what absurd thing he would say next?

“What we need is a strong, reliable woman. Someone who knows her worth, does everything to fulfill it, and is clever.”

“That’s true…”

Suddenly, Valentin burst into laughter. Whenever he did this, Allen and Thomas thought he truly might be insane. No—in fact, he’d been mad from the very first time they met. Just to survive.

“Allen, you said Persona contacted us to request payment?”

“Yes. That woman mercenary must have woken up. We got word from them.”

“She woke up sooner than I expected.”

“She seems to be a strong woman.”

Valentin touched the spot where he had cut his skin with a blade. A dull pain still throbbed. The wound hadn’t healed yet and would burst if squeezed.

“Then tell them to come and collect it in person.”

***

Normally, Regina would spend the morning leisurely reading or training. But today, she had come to visit the guild members recovering in the infirmary.

Honestly, her real purpose was to give a few smacks to those who, despite having fractures, had started a push-up contest in their hospital beds.

“Ow! That really hurts!”

“Didn’t I tell you to behave quietly in the infirmary? I said to stay still.”

The last mercenary she had hit muttered that her hand was brutal. Just then, the attending physician who had been watching from the doorway rushed over.

“Excuse me, are you their guardian by any chance?”

“Yes, I am.”

“They’re all patients, so I don’t understand why they act like enraged bulls. Please, tell them to remain completely at rest.”

Oh dear. She had expected this complaint, but the physician looked so haggard that Regina couldn’t help but frown.

“The other day, one of them was bouncing around the backyard like a monkey, saying he felt sluggish. Of course he felt sluggish—he had a fever! If it gets worse, it’ll be serious. He’ll be meeting the gods! Please, I beg you, make them stay at rest!”

“…I’ll give them a stern warning.”

How disobedient must they be for the physician to cling to her like this, as if meeting a savior? Regina bowed her head slightly. Even as he left the room, the physician couldn’t stop muttering, “complete rest.”

“You lot.”

Avoiding her seething gaze, the mercenaries turned their heads, sweat beading between their brows. Today might be the day their hospital stay got extended.

“I-I heard you got poisoned, too. And even got hurt. Should you really be walking around?”

“Yeah, seriously.”

“You want to get hit?”

Why did they always invite trouble on themselves? Regina raised her fist toward the monkey-like mercenaries again. The effect was immediate.

“The antidote worked. My blood’s clean.”

“So who the hell were those assassin bastards, anyway?”

The mercenaries, who had been laughing moments before, suddenly lit up at the question. One in the corner even ground his teeth.

The atmosphere turned heavy in an instant. The physician, who had returned to scold them again, quietly left the room.

“Seems like someone owes our lady a debt. Time to pay it back.”

“You got a scar on your shoulder, right? We should at least bring back an arm to feel satisfied.”

“Leave it. I survived, and the request was completed.”

Regina pushed Shanro, the squad leader who looked ready to charge out, back onto the bed by the shoulder.

She had surprising strength for her size. Even though Shanro had shoulders broad enough to carry a full-grown woman, he didn’t resist further.

“But Lady, I heard the Captain emptied the vault and ran off again.”

Of course he did. The mercenaries burst out laughing as if they had expected it. Regina ground her teeth in rage and unconsciously squeezed Shanro’s shoulder tight.

“Ow, ow! That hurts!”

“Ah, sorry. I got mad.”

Shanro glared at her with a wronged expression, but he also noticed the quiet sorrow resting on one side of her face.