I Think My Husband Might Be a Murderer - Chapter 3

***

I followed the man toward the naval headquarters. That brutal sound still echoed in my ears.

After walking some distance down the road on the opposite side, a large modern building came into view. The tiles neatly laid beneath it gleamed under the sunlight.

As we entered the building, a soldier as big as a bear spotted the man and came rushing over. He saluted politely and said, “Colonel, you’ve arrived.”

The man returned a brief salute, and the soldier lowered his hand. He looked at me and asked, “And who is the lady beside you…?”

The man introduced me as a bereaved family member. The subordinate immediately stepped forward to guide me.

“Ah…! Then this way—”

The man raised a hand and stopped him.

“I’ll guide her.”

“Pardon?”

The soldier’s small eyes widened. He scratched the back of his head with a thick hand and stepped back hesitantly.

“Yes, understood…”

As we moved down the corridor leading to the basement, naval officers bustled about in every direction.

Though they were busy with their duties, they all stopped to salute when they saw the man. When they noticed me following behind, some glanced at me curiously.

But it didn’t matter to me.

“Have the other bereaved families already come by? I mean, it seems like I’m the only outsider here.”

“Most have already come.”

The man opened a door at the bottom of the stairs as he replied.

Here, too, the naval officers greeted the man with respectful salutes. After walking a bit farther, someone approached us.

“Commander, we’ve collected all the belongings from the Baltic fleet. We should be able to distribute everything to the families within the deadline.”

Commander…?

The way the officers had been addressing him started to bother me.

Naval colonel, Baltic fleet, commander…

It didn’t take long for me to realize what that discomfort stemmed from.

‘Johannes Schultz?’

I looked up at the man in shock. My lips parted slightly, a faint gasp slipping out.

“You’re… the Young Duke Schultz?”

The man raised an eyebrow at my barely whispered words. He looked down at me with an indifferent gaze.

“If you’re asking about the title I was born into, then yes,” he answered briefly in affirmation.

“My goodness.”

I stood frozen for a while, unable to speak.

I thought I was the only one bearing misfortune. But the truth was, someone else was suffering even more.

This man had watched his father’s execution with his own eyes and had to endure the scorn of the crowd gathered at the port.

How could he be so calm? How could he face such painful moments without flinching?

“How—”

“Are you trying to ask how I can act like nothing happened?”

I nodded stiffly. Johannes Schultz said nothing and continued walking.

Down a long, white corridor, we walked in silence. Eventually, he stopped in front of a door, gripped the handle, and said, “If you commit a crime, it’s only right to receive proper punishment. That’s what my father taught me.”

I involuntarily held my breath.

His voice didn’t waver. It sounded as if he were speaking of someone else entirely.

“But how can you not doubt it at all? What if he was falsely accused—”

“Would that change anything?”

“What?”

He slowly turned his head and met my eyes with his icy blue gaze.

“Soldiers must follow the orders of their commander-in-chief without question. Right now, that’s the royal family.”

I couldn’t say anything. Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I saw a flicker of sorrow in his eyes.

“This is the mortuary. Are you ready to identify the body?”

He returned to his stoic expression as he asked if I was ready to see my father’s remains.

Instead of answering, I nodded slowly. He pulled open the door.

The mortuary was colder than anywhere else. The air was filled with a strange mix of harsh chemical smells and the scent of corpses.

I looked around carefully and found a bed labeled with my father’s name.

“His body is more decomposed than the others. It may be difficult.”

“…It’s fine. I have to see with my own eyes whether it’s truly him.”

That moment of confidence didn’t last.

“Urgh.”

The moment I saw the body, nausea surged up. I quickly covered my mouth and fled the mortuary.

After catching my breath and calming down, a wave of self-disgust hit me.

How heartbroken must Father be?

After pulling myself together, I stepped back into the mortuary.

My father’s body was too disfigured to recognize. On top of that, the stench was unbearable. The deep purple blotches that had bloomed all over his body were horrifying.

Because of that, I was struck by a second wave of shock.

Could a corpse this decomposed really be my father’s?

“Is it really my father…?”

I wasn’t expecting an answer. I just felt the need to speak the words aloud and face reality.

Johannes didn’t respond either.

I looked at my unmoving father and took his hand. It was the first time I had ever touched a corpse. His hand was damp and slippery.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the naval officers stationed in the mortuary turning their faces away, unable to bear the sight. But I didn’t have the presence of mind to care about them.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

The touch of a cold corpse, devoid of any warmth. That was when it finally sank in completely.

Father was truly gone.

Then I realized something was off. The hand I held felt different from the one I had always known.

I quickly lifted it to inspect.

“…This isn’t my father’s hand.”

I looked up at Young Duke Schultz and spoke. His brow rose. I added hurriedly, “Father—my father’s right index finger was bent. I’m sure of it! What I mean is, maybe he’s still alive…”

I couldn’t finish the sentence.

Then, the only naval officer who hadn’t turned away spoke up cautiously.

“I… I don’t know if I should say this, but during decomposition, the body can swell and appear temporarily straightened.”

“But—”

“The belongings recovered from the body are confirmed to be those of Petty Officer Prim.”

Young Duke Schultz cut in as he handed over a box placed in the corner.

“Ah…”

Any sliver of hope vanished in an instant. A hollow feeling clamped down on my body.

So it really was true.

A naval badge engraved with the name Isaac Prim, his uniform, the handkerchief I had embroidered and gifted to him.

The moment I saw my father’s belongings, the emotions I had kept in check erupted.

Tears I had held back were about to burst forth, so I widened my eyes and clenched my lips. I grasped the burial shroud covering my father’s body tightly, trying to hold it in.

At some point, the naval officers had all left the mortuary. Only Johannes Schultz remained by my side.

A low voice reached my ears.

“You can cry.”

A simple phrase from someone who shared my pain felt more comforting than anything else. Even if he hadn’t meant it that way.

In the end, the tears I had held back poured out. I collapsed before my father and wept into my hands.

A large hand hovered in the air for a moment, then slowly patted my back.

I let out my grief beside him for a long time.

***

After barely pulling myself together, I completed the death benefit application with Young Duke Schultz’s help.

If one were to assign monetary value to the death of a man named Isaac Prim, it was utterly pathetic.

“Only six million Berks…? That’s all?”

It felt absurd and miserable to be dealing with such calculations right after sending my father off, but I had to survive. I had to keep living.

“Petty Officer Isaac Prim’s insurance was never worth much to begin with. He had taken advance payments on his salary, and besides, he was just a regular soldier.”

“But if he hadn’t enlisted, he wouldn’t have gotten sick!”

“I’m just a low-ranking soldier too. Complaining to me won’t change anything. If you’re desperate, go find someone higher up and beg.” The officer waved his hand in annoyance.

“How could this be…”

The lives of those who fought for their country and died alone were worth less than a nobleman’s monthly luxury expenses.

“If you keep this up, it’ll be troublesome for us too. We have to explain everything to each person individually.”

He glanced around, then lowered his voice when he saw no one else listening. “Because of the enormous amount embezzled by Duke Schultz, there’s barely any money left to pay death benefits.”

It was a stiff, rehearsed line. As if begging me to blame Duke Schultz.

That’s why I couldn’t believe it.

He handed me the payout and ushered me out, saying that other bereaved families of fallen soldiers had received similarly small sums.

When I arrived home, the mailbox was crammed with letters.

Most were overdue tax notices or water bills.

“Ha…”

Poverty didn’t even give me the chance to mourn my father’s death.

Without time to grieve or reminisce about my father’s last moments, I had to earn money to face the reality before me.