Marriage with a Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 110.2

Schedule: Wed and Sat. Nana's ko-fi, Nabi's kofi.

Chapter 110.2

“His Lordship’s parents?”

“Yes. You don’t have to tell me if it’s difficult. I’m just… curious.”

I decided to approach the matter through Mrs. Tene. If my actions angered or hurt Kairos, I would take responsibility. But if they were hiding something from me, I would prepare myself accordingly, even if it meant using my powers.

My question clearly troubled Mrs. Tene. Finally, as if making up her mind, she bowed her head.

“His Lordship’s parents were… reserved and strict, but they were respected by the people of the territory. They laid the foundation for His Lordship to strengthen and develop the estate.”

“I see. What was their relationship with Kairos like?”

By now, I was comfortable using Kairos’s name even in front of Mrs. Tene. At first, I had used formal titles out of propriety, but it felt too awkward, so I stopped.

“The relationship between His Lordship and his parents was no different than that of any other noble family.”

Mrs. Tene bowed her head again. I took a small sip of tea and set the cup down. “Mrs. Tene.”

“Yes, Madam.”

“Did the former Duke… use dark magic?”

“I beg your pardon?”

Mrs. Tene’s eyes widened. I turned to face her directly. “Mrs. Tene, I saw something strange in the basement storage room yesterday.”

“M… Madam did?”

“I found a magic circle under the carpet, and I… I saw something else as well.”

Mrs. Tene’s face paled.

“The day you gave me the key, I saw a scorched magic circle in the storage room.”

“Ma… Madam.”

Suddenly, Mrs. Tene fell to her knees.

“M… Madam.”

“Tell me, Mrs. Tene. Let me trust you and Kairos. Please, tell me everything.”

Let me trust everyone here. Let me stop doubting Kairos. Just as Mrs. Tene knelt before me in earnest, so too was my plea sincere.

That night, I remained in the study for a long time.

“Madam, I swear on everything I hold dear, His Lordship would never commit such a wicked act. I would stake my life on it. Please, believe me.”

Mrs. Tene pleaded with me, her head bowed low. But she only apologized; she wouldn’t reveal what she knew. I didn’t have time to wait patiently, so I implored her to tell me, for her master’s sake.

I planned to use my illusion magic only as a last resort, so I spent a long time persuading her.

Finally, Mrs. Tene began to tell me about Kairos’s parents.

“…Both the former Duke and Duchess could use dark magic.”

“Both of them?”

She explained that the Duke was a powerful dark mage, capable of using advanced magic circles, and the Duchess, like me, was a rare illusionist. And they were devout Cultists. I hadn’t been mistaken about the symbol.

“His Lordship’s parents wanted him to follow in their footsteps, but he refused.”

I covered my face with my hands, anguished by what Mrs. Tene told me next. If I relaxed even slightly, I felt like I would burst into tears. Kairos had been a tool, meant to fulfill his parents’ plans.

Two powerful sources of dark magic, combined to create an even greater power, a successor to their legacy.

However, contrary to their plans, Kairos hadn’t been born with dark magic.

Instead, he possessed a powerful resistance, impervious to any form of dark magic. The former Duke and Duchess of Hadid, leaders of the Cultists, were meticulous enough to keep their true identities hidden until their deaths.

They had intended for Kairos to inherit their mantle, but their plans had been thwarted.

Having another child to continue their scheme was nearly impossible. Those with dark magic were rarely conceived; Kairos’s birth had been a miracle. Waiting for another, with no guarantee of success, was too great a risk.

So they changed their plans. Mrs. Tene didn’t know what their new plan entailed, but it continued throughout Kairos’s teenage years. From a young age, his parents had suppressed all his emotions and thoughts, shaping him into the tool they needed.

“…When he was younger, he couldn’t laugh or feel pain. After his parents passed…”

After that, more than a decade ago, Kairos had severed ties with his parents, burning everything and hiding it deep underground. That was the scorched magic circle I had found. He had tried to destroy all traces, but some remained.

“Madam, please believe in His Lordship. You are the only one he has opened his heart to. You are the one who has allowed him to become… human. Please, believe in him so that he can continue to live and breathe. I beg you.”