Chapetr 17
“Congratulations on the opening of Mr. Welf’s detective agency. From R, who misses you.”
“…As expected.”
Just as she remembered.
She stared intently at the initial “R” written in elegant handwriting.
A coincidence?
But for it to overlap three times?
Up to two times could be coincidence—but from three, it becomes inevitability.
The person who sent the bouquet and card congratulating the opening of the office.
And the author who wrote the two books she didn’t even know were on her shelf.
The “R” who wrote this card was also the only person who knew “Celia Welf.”
“Is this your first time seeing me?”
“Of course. I didn’t even know someone lived in this building.”
“Geez, I thought you were a ghost at first—I almost fainted.”
When she had talked with the nearby shopkeepers, they all said it was their first time seeing her.
She had thoroughly investigated to see if anyone knew this body, but couldn’t find any family or relatives.
Which meant—no one knew Celia Welf.
As if she were a character that hadn’t existed before and had suddenly been added.
Unlike in Korea, there were no systems here that tracked individual identities, so there wasn’t even an institution where she could find information about Celia.
And yet, requests still come in. As if someone designed it that way.
A detective who appeared out of nowhere with no connections.
The people around her and the clients accepted her existence without much suspicion.
The only person who seemed to know her was someone suspicious who wrote an excessive number of (utterly trashy) books, identified only by an initial…
And—
Welcome!
You have taken your first step into a new life as ‘Celia Welf.’
—along with the system window guiding her.
At this point, she became curious.
Just what kind of character have I possessed?
And what kind of ending awaits at the end this system is leading me to?
She was deep in thought, turning possibilities over in her head, when—
“…You must have been close.”
Daimon spoke, looking at her as she held the card.
“Close with who?”
“The person who gave you that bouquet.”
Was he talking about this guy, R?
Close? With someone who ranked Top 3 on the list of people she wanted to beat up upon meeting?
“I’m planning to get close.”
And then beat him up.
Whether he understood her resolve or not, Daimon simply stared at the bouquet with an unreadable expression.
She shoved the bouquet toward him.
“No wonder it didn’t wither—it’s artificial flowers. Just decorate it somewhere.”
“….”
Holding the bouquet, Daimon lowered his gaze without saying a word.
Beneath his shadowed eyes, something unreadable flickered and disappeared.
Then he quietly replied,
“Yes.”
“So even after working like a dog for the Empire, he couldn’t find a woman to marry. That’s kind of pitiful.”
When Elisa first received Karl’s proposal, she had scoffed.
Due to the grotesque burn scars covering her neck and face, Elisa was treated almost like an outcast within her family and high society.
In contrast, Karl was a man with handsome looks, excellent character, and the honor of being the admiral of the Empire’s western coast.
And yet, a man like him couldn’t find a match and ended up proposing even to Elisa.
“Guess no one wanted to become a widow.”
Serving on the western coast was probably the biggest drawback.
It was practically the same as going off to die on a battlefield.
But Elisa didn’t really care about that.
She had never felt the need for a husband.
Life was something you lived alone anyway.
If anything, she thought casually that living as a widow—untouched by anyone—wouldn’t be so bad.
And so, after accepting the proposal—
Until the day they met, Karl didn’t send even a single formal letter.
“To be late on the very first meeting… he must really dislike me.”
And he was even late to their first meeting.
Elisa, who had a fiery personality, had no intention of quietly waiting for someone.
Deciding to treat the engagement as if it never happened, she stood up to leave.
“I apologize for being late.”
At that moment, Karl appeared.
Holding a bouquet that shimmered in iridescent colors.
Whoosh.
Through the gap of the door he opened, the refreshing sound of waves flowed in.
Karl was a man with a refreshing beauty that didn’t match someone who had spent his life fighting at sea.
His appearance was even more impressive than the rumors, and Elisa found herself momentarily speechless, staring at him blankly.
“Work ran late… would you accept this?”
Mesmerized by his gentle voice, Elisa even forgot to be angry.
She simply accepted the bouquet with a flustered expression.
“What is this?”
“A bouquet made of mother-of-pearl. Since ancient times, sailors have given them to those they wish to protect.”
It was her first time receiving flowers from someone.
And for them to carry such a grand meaning…
The ticklish feeling in her chest felt unfamiliar.
“You don’t have to force yourself to be kind.”
That’s why she deliberately spoke harshly.
She didn’t want to get her hopes up for no reason.
“You don’t even want this marriage anyway, right? As long as we keep up appearances, that’s enough.”
It was rude enough that any normal gentleman would have stormed out immediately.
But Karl merely tilted his head, looking completely unbothered.
As if mirroring the waves, his hair swayed gently.
“Why do you think that?”
“Do you feel nothing when you look at my face?”
“Well… it reminds me of a sandy beach on a clear day.”
“A sandy beach?”
“Yes. Your hair.”
Was he referring to her light brown hair?
She had never heard such a comparison before.
Maybe it showed he was someone who lived by the sea.
“Are there beaches with burn scars too?”
Elisa pointed at her scars and spoke bluntly.
“No.”
His gaze followed her finger before meeting her eyes again.
There was neither pity nor disgust in them.
It felt like the first time in a long while she had seen such eyes.
“They’re traces left by waves.”
…That single sentence was the beginning.
The moment Elisa’s life completely changed.
After that, to be the first to see Karl when he returned from the sea, Elisa visited the Lerint estate almost every day.
She even went to temples she had never visited in her life to pray for him.
Elisa, who had always spent her time alone, found a new kind of happiness while waiting for Karl.
To make an effort for someone else was both painful and joyful.
So even if she spent lonely days missing him from afar…
Even if his replies to her letters were cold…
Even if their promises were constantly pushed aside…
Elisa endured it all.
Compared to the sacrifices Karl made, this much was nothing.
“So it’s fine to spend my birthday alone for once. He must just be busy…”
Crushing the birthday invitation she had prepared for Karl, Elisa muttered as if comforting herself.
You have read all free chapters of <How to Become the Hero’s Spouse>.
Insufficient cash! Time until next free access: 23:59:59
Cash recharge station has been activated.
Current recharge station: Lerint Estate
(Other locations are locked.)
She closed the library system window that displayed the insufficient cash notification.
Then, leaning back in her chair, she thought,
“Hero’s spouse, huh…”
It was a common story.
A partner who valued work over love.
A lover who endlessly waited for him.
And in the end, a conclusion where she was discarded like worn-out shoes.
Elisa, who had mocked Karl for sacrificing himself for the Empire, ended up doing the same—devoting herself to him, only to be abandoned.
After that, Elisa disappeared completely without a trace.
Why did Karl ask Elisa to break off the engagement?
He was an indifferent man, but also righteous enough to make Elisa fall for him.
That was why he willingly joined the western fleet everyone avoided and fought sea monsters.
So for someone like him to suddenly demand a breakup from a fiancée who had waited for him for so long…
What on earth had happened between them?
“Hmm…”
If she wanted to find out how the original story unfolded, she’d have no choice but to diligently collect more cash again.
Because…
