I Think My Husband Might Be a Murderer - Chapter 10

“Miss Prim.”

His sharp gaze slowly returned to my face. Then a low, languid voice brushed against my ear.

“Workload is decided by the employer. It should be clearly stated in the contract.”

Presumptuous. That was what Duke Schultz was implying.

“But—”

“Are you asking me to fix this?”

He cut me off just as I was about to explain. He didn’t seem particularly intent on rebuking me for my rudeness.

“Yes, I am.”

“……”

“Practically speaking.”

I folded my hands politely and adjusted my tone even more carefully.

“As I said before, I’d like to be given more work. Preferably something physical.”

Duke Schultz looked troubled as he twitched the tips of his interlocked fingers. With a short sigh replacing silence, the crease between his brows deepened.

Then came a voice like a sigh.

“Unfortunately, the documents coming into the estate vary day to day, and all tasks have already been assigned. The only gap in duties is the mistress’s role.”

“Then I’ll take that on—”

“You don’t seem particularly bothered by being called presumptuous.”

Ah. I realized my mistake and shut my mouth.

Duke Schultz leaned forward slightly. A faint smile curved his lips.

Unable to suppress my nerves, I looked away from his deepening gaze and took a sharp breath.

“You said you preferred physical work.”

I lowered my eyes to the floor and nodded slowly. “Anything is fine.”

“Even though you don’t know what kind of task I might give you?”

At the clearly suggestive tone, I instinctively looked up—and frowned.

The atmosphere around Duke Schultz was subtly different than when I had met him outside. Sharper, more refined, and somehow more…

His clear blue eyes narrowed.

“I don’t think you’re someone who lacks propriety, Your Grace. Especially since you were close to my father…”

Before I could finish, an utterly absurd question was thrown my way.

“What would you say to marriage?”

I stayed silent for a while. I couldn’t comprehend what he had just said.

The air grew tense with discomfort. I barely managed to open my mouth.

“Excuse me, what did you just say…?”

“No one would call it presumptuous, and the other servants’ attitudes would change, too.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t quite follow. Would something change if I were married? Would they assign more work to married people…?”

“Who knows.”

For some reason, Duke Schultz looked amused.

“In that case, I must apologize. I don’t have a partner. And it hasn’t been long since my father passed, so such matters…”

“That’s perfect, then. I was just about to propose.”

“So, so you mean the person I’m to marry would be… Your Grace?”

His outrageous reply made my previously polite demeanor unravel.

I blinked hard.

Staring at him in disbelief, I found him completely unfazed as he replied, “I’m proposing to you, Miss Prim.”

He said it in a dry tone, as though stating the weather.

And his expression…

Was this some kind of noble joke? It wasn’t funny in the slightest.

Still, since he was my employer, I forced a smile. My lips trembled slightly with the effort.

I finally spoke, “You must have been very close to my father, Your Grace. To feel comfortable enough with me to make such jokes.”

Whether he said the same things to the other servants, I didn’t know, but this was my way of telling him not to joke like that again.

“It’s an honor, Duke Schultz.”

I lifted one side of my skirt with one hand and curtsied. I wasn’t sure if it was perfect, but it was my best attempt at noble etiquette.

The crease in his brow, which had been flat until now, subtly deepened.

“If my response was disrespectful, I apologize. My father taught me to be courteous to superiors, but never servile or easy to push over.”

Kindness for kindness. Rudeness for rudeness.

No matter the status of the other person, he said I had that right.

Duke Schultz stared at me for a long while. To the point of discomfort.

Then came a sharp voice.

“I don’t believe we’re close enough to joke with one another.”

“…Pardon?”

Then proposing marriage to someone you’re not even close with, what kind of logic is that?

I barely swallowed the words rising to my throat.

“I’m serious, Miss Prim. I believe it would be best if you married me.”

Just as he said, his face was completely sincere.

And that made it all the more bewildering.

“I believe it’s not proper to make such a grave decision as marriage on one’s own.”

What I meant was—why confuse someone who never even considered it with such a one-sided proposal?

Naturally, this was my first time facing Johannes Schultz since our encounter outside the estate. We had no real connection.

My life wasn’t romantic enough to imagine something as foolish as him falling in love with me at first sight.

What’s your intention?

I met his unfathomable blue eyes.

“Is this another suggestion to improve House Schultz’s reputation in Musen?”

If not, then there was only one other answer I could guess. And it wasn’t a good one.

“Regardless, I must decline.”

He didn’t look surprised. He must have expected me to refuse.

“You’re not even going to ask why?”

“No.”

The reason was obvious.

I knew well enough that some high-ranking noblemen indulged in debauchery and vice.

Not by going to brothels, but by seeking out women they considered ‘pure.’

They took impoverished commoners, filled their bellies, pampered them with luxury, and in return, took their pleasure.

Then discarded them once they were no longer useful.

But to talk about marriage so suddenly? That was a bit strange…

I didn’t know why he brought up marriage out of nowhere, but maybe it was a new fad among nobles.

I straightened my posture and kept my expression composed. “If Your Grace hired me with such intentions from the beginning… then I resign.”

There was no need to apologize.

‘It’s not like I did anything wrong. If I’m at fault, it’s only for being naive.’

As expected, excessive kindness always has an ulterior motive. I was foolish to believe he only meant to repay a favor he owed my father.

“I won’t deny that thought crossed my mind. But you came to me, and the timing seemed appropriate.”

“Appropriate?”

“You wanted more work. The only unassigned duties are the mistress’s.”

I was speechless.

“Surely… that’s not the reason you proposed to me.”

“Of course not.”

His response was unflinching.

“Then may I ask your reason? I hope it’s not the cliché of love at first sight…”

“Miss Prim, I told you—this isn’t a joke.”

“Then why—!”

“I’m offering you a deal.”

His eyes deepened. I let out a faint, incredulous laugh.

He really had a way of saying outrageous things like they were nothing. A man who’s never known what it’s like to worry about surviving each day was proposing a ‘deal.’

Even a passing dog would scoff at that.

“Deals are only valid between equals.”

He had plenty to offer. I had nothing. I was just one of the servants employed by the Duke of Schultz.

I was living off his money even now.

So what on earth did I have to give…?

A low voice cut through my thoughts.

“I believe I said this before. I’m not someone who places much importance on process.”

That must be why he had bluntly asked if I wanted to work for House Schultz back then.

“I’m someone who gets what I want. That’s why I made the offer without unnecessary explanations.”

Because things would go his way anyway.

That’s why he wasn’t giving me any detailed reasoning. And I wouldn’t ask, either. I had no intention of accepting.

“If you were uncomfortable, I apologize. If you want an explanation, I’ll gladly give one.”

I looked at him calmly.

Even now, his eyes were strikingly deep and beautiful. They say Johannes Schultz is the jewel of the Baltic Sea.

A fitting title, indeed.

With a bitter smile, I answered, “No, there’s no need to explain. Even if I heard your reason, my answer would still be the same.”

The faint smile on Duke Schultz’s lips vanished.

But it lasted only a moment. He returned to his usual cold expression and looked away.

“I have no intention of forcing you.”

But somehow, deep down, I already knew it would come to that eventually.