I Think My Husband Might Be a Murderer - Chapter 1

“So, was it a love marriage between the two of you?”

In a way, it was a slightly rude question.

The ladies invited to the mansion didn’t bother with formalities and began throwing out all sorts of curious questions.

Johannes Schultz, who had disappeared after leaving behind numerous rumors, had reappeared—this time, with a commoner woman as his wife.

It made sense that they’d be full of questions.

Their stares, openly brimming with interest as they looked at me, were quite overwhelming.

“Of course. We’re completely immersed in newlywed bliss.”

I showed no reaction to their excessive interest. I simply gave an appropriate answer and took a sip of tea.

“To be married to the Duke Schultz, who is adored by all. You must be so happy, Duchess.”

“It was always my dream to live in Musen. Musen is such a wonderful place.”

“I’m curious about your first meeting. Where and how did you meet?”

At that last question, all eyes turned to me.

I hesitated among the ladies, whose eyes sparkled with curiosity.

How am I supposed to explain this?

“Our first meeting? Well… how did we meet again…”

As I hesitated to speak, the ladies waved their hands lightly and urged me on.

“No need to be shy.”

“Of course. That’s how we all got close too.”

“The Duke, who never kept any women near him, what part of you could have charmed him so?”

They seemed to think I was just a bashful person. But I was never the shy or reserved type.

It was just that, right now, saying anything carelessly would be a real problem.

“Haha…”

I answered by drinking my tea instead.

They looked slightly disappointed, but lightly brushed it off, saying, “There’ll be plenty of chances.”

I suppose it was fortunate that I got through that moment safely.

Hiding my unease, I offered them a small smile. Praying that they wouldn’t ask any more difficult questions.

Then, I turned a faint gaze out the window, filled with emotions I couldn’t even define myself. Letting out a barely audible sigh that no one noticed, I recalled once again the cause of the disturbance in my perfect life.

These days, I’ve been enjoying a flawless newlywed life with a husband who is perfect in every way.

But I’ve started to have one concern.

I think my husband might be a murderer.

***

This is not the world I used to live in.

It hasn’t been long since I found that out.

While objectively enjoying a perfect married life, something I wished I had never remembered suddenly came to mind.

It was exactly one week ago, during a conversation with my husband.

“Primwood. What do you think?”

He wanted to give the mansion a nickname. As we exchanged ideas, that name—Primwood—came up, which started the whole problem.

“Primwood…?”

“After your name. And since the mansion is surrounded by forest.”

He said it with a smile, but it gave me an odd sense of déjà vu. I couldn’t recall it clearly, but I was sure I had heard that name somewhere before.

…And not in a good way.

I pushed that eerie familiarity aside and gently tried to dissuade him.

“After my name? But this is the Schultz family mansion. And we haven’t even been married that long. Who knows what might happen? Isn’t it a bit early…?”

“Are you saying we’re going to get divorced or something?”

What I got in return was his dry voice. He cut me off and asked back with a slightly stiff expression.

His extreme example was surprising, but I couldn’t say I didn’t understand. We needed to appear perfect on the outside, after all.

I quietly tried to calm him down. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant there’s no harm in thinking it over slowly. Besides, naming the mansion after my surname… What if the late Duke found out? He’d be so shocked.”

“The opinion of someone who’s no longer in this world doesn’t matter anymore.”

“But still…”

“Edith Schultz.”

My husband firmly called out my name.

I didn’t know why he was so insistent on using my original surname, but it was difficult to change his mind.

“…Alright.”

In the end, the mansion was named “Primwood,” but I still didn’t like that name. Though it was supposedly named after my surname, it gave me an oddly eerie feeling.

I wanted to chalk it up to just a mood, but the sudden anxiety that washed over me showed no signs of leaving. Not even when I returned to my room and lay down on the bed.

I tossed and turned all night, trying to figure out the reason behind the uneasiness the name gave me.

And when that name had fully lodged itself deep in my mind, the fog slowly lifted—and with it, all the memories of my past life came rushing back.

The Kingdom of Dochilia, one of the leading modern nations in the railroad industry.

Within it, the most beautiful city—Musen.

The Duke Schultz, protector of Musen.

And…

The Duke Schultz’s estate—Primwood.

“Oh my God. Johannes Schultz.”

My previously steady heartbeat quickened, and I felt like the ground beneath my feet was disappearing.

Why hadn’t I realized it until now?

This place is inside a novel. To be precise, the novel I read in my past life.

The details were hazy because it had been so long, but I was certain. And my husband, Johannes Schultz, was the male lead in that novel.

You might think, ‘Isn’t it a good thing if he’s the male lead?’ but I can confidently say—with the rest of my life on the line—that it’s absolutely not.

“Johannes Schultz is…”

Johannes Schultz is a deranged serial killer.

No one, aside from the female lead, saw through the kind and perfect mask he wore, but he had killed more women than one could count.

Of course, he eventually falls in love with the female lead and they get a happy ending. But…

“…That’s not me.”

My face crumpled.

Maybe I dropped the novel before finishing it… I wasn’t certain, but I remembered there being a lot of talk about the ending.

I jumped up and paced the room anxiously.

“I’m insane.”

Then stopped abruptly, smacked my head, and started pacing again—over and over.

“What was so great that I walked right into this madness?”

“His family is good, he’s tall, and even handsome. He’s perfect, right?”

“No. Johannes is kind.”

“No—can you be sure? He could be acting.”

I even talked to myself. Like a lunatic.

But I was dead serious. My life was on the line.

“I could be the female lead.”

Eventually, I started forcing optimism.

“No way.”

But that hope disappeared quickly. I had a few solid reasons to believe I was not the female lead.

First.

My name is Edith Prim. The female lead’s name is Joanna Tenet—not a single letter matches.

Second.

The female lead was said to have a delicate and fragile appearance. I don’t. Sure, I’m on the pretty side, but I’m far from fragile.

And lastly, third.

The mansion’s name, Primwood, had always existed before the female lead ever appeared.

Since Johannes named it after me, it means the female lead has yet to show up.

No one knows exactly when his murders began. Which means he might or might not kill me, but…

“The chances of him killing me are high.”

Unbelievable. I walked into hell on my own.

I moved with a blank expression. My trembling hand gripped the mirror’s frame.

No matter how I looked at it, the reflection in the mirror was the face of someone about to die.

Long brown hair and emerald green eyes.

The common features of the women Johannes Schultz killed.