MSDH CH 08

Chapter – 08

Chapter – 02

 Emergency Wanted! How to Survive a Villainous Husband

God answered my prayers.

I was still furious that He shoved me into this kind of fate, but still—today, I’ll praise You.

From early dawn, something felt off, and by morning, heavy rain began pouring so intensely that I didn’t even need to pretend to be sick anymore.

It was raining so hard I wondered if the mansion might get swept away.

I had planned to survive Saturday and spend Sunday pretending to be sick, but I didn’t need to anymore.

Even if the rain stopped now, the roads would be muddy and the carriage would struggle to move.

And if he had dug a hole to bury me, this rain would definitely collapse it.

There’s no way it only rained everywhere except there… right?

Hehe.

If Noah weren’t beside me, I would’ve laughed out loud.

On the other hand, Noah looked very displeased with the weather.

Like someone whose plan had been disrupted.

Even when I called him, he didn’t show it much, but the moment I looked away, his expression turned frightening again.

“It’s a shame it’s raining. If it weren’t, we could’ve gone out.”

Thanks to the heavy rain, I ended up drinking tea Noah prepared instead of going out.

Even if it were rainwater, it would probably taste sweet today.

“It’s fine. There are plenty of days anyway.”

“….”

Plenty of days? What does he mean by that? There are absolutely not plenty of days!

“But where were you planning to go? You’ve been waiting for the weekend, Noah.”

I glanced at him sitting beside me.

Yes, I decided to ask.

I wondered what kind of answer those perfect lips would give.

Noah gently took my hand with his long, elegant fingers.

He kissed the back of my hand lightly and smiled.

“It’s a place my wife needs to see herself.”

“Ahaha… I wonder where that could be… If it’s somewhere you’re taking me, it must be a very nice place, right?”

Even as I said that, my fingertips trembled slightly.

I slowly pulled my hand away so he wouldn’t notice.

“It’s probably a place Hazel has never been before.”

A place I’ve never been…?

That wouldn’t be heaven, would it?

As I stiffened, my hand was grabbed again.

It didn’t hurt at all, but he interlaced our fingers and slowly traced them as if checking every line of my fingerprint. Cold sweat formed on my back.

I decided I should never use my fingerprints anywhere.

Every time Noah kissed my fingertips, I couldn’t help but flinch.

If this were really a gift or a date, he would’ve at least given hints—but Noah had no intention of saying anything.

Once he decided something, danger was inevitable, not just today or tomorrow.

He was probably waiting for the right moment to eliminate me in the way he preferred.

And that could be tomorrow, or the day after.

Maybe next time he’d use a method that doesn’t depend on weather.

To escape completely, I needed not just to get away from Noah—but also divorce him.

Even though his love was fake, I still didn’t want to erase the happy memories of our relationship and one-year marriage.

But… I might need to do it in a way where Noah never realizes I found out his true identity.

Still, I had to be ruthless.

If possible, I needed a way to escape in one clean move.

Even exile was on the table as a last resort.

To do that, I needed time away from him.

If I disappeared, how long would it take before he personally moved instead of sending subordinates?

A day? Two? Three? A week or more?

His subordinates would fall for my illusion magic, but not him.

Maybe I should go back to the capital for a while?

But leaving suddenly might make him suspicious.

Until now, I had acted like someone who values stability.

A peaceful ending between us… there was no such thing, was there?

Ugh.

Everything was frustrating.

For now, I needed to reduce the time I spent with him.

First, I had to secretly move funds during work.

Everyone here was basically under Kailus’s influence, so I needed trustworthy people around me.

I had always believed I should rely on myself… but maybe there were still people I could trust.

“Someone somewhat reliable…”

“Ah!”

I accidentally let out a sound and quickly covered my mouth.

I shouldn’t even do this anymore.

“Is something wrong, Hazel?”

“N-no, nothing! Just suddenly.”

“Suddenly?”

Kailus—no, Noah—smiled faintly and leaned his cheek against my hand.

“I feel like recently you spend more time lost in thought and not looking at me.”

Meeting his red eyes through narrowed lashes sent a chill down my spine.

“N-no, that’s not true! I always look at Noah. Really. Strange, huh?”

I forced a smile he liked the most.

“Then right now?”

“Right now?”

I forced myself not to roll my eyes and focused hard.

“Yes. I always think only of Hazel, but it seems my wife does not feel the same. That makes me a little sad.”

“Haha… what are you talking about? I always think about Noah! Just now I was thinking about the pumpkin pie I ate last night. It was so good! And you made it!”

At that, his sharp gaze softened again.

He always made that face when I talked about food.

Maybe that’s how witches lured children in fairy tales.

I understood his concern.

I used to look only at him too, completely in love and oblivious.

But that was before I knew anything!

“Please look only at me, Hazel. At least while we are together. Okay?”

Saying it so sweetly, while meaning don’t even think about running away, was unfair.

The tea suddenly tasted bitter.

That evening.

Leaving Hazel, who had fallen asleep earlier than usual, Kailus returned to his office to finish his work.

As he reviewed documents, he fell into thought.

Recently, Hazel’s behavior had been strange.

She had always been cheerful, but now she startled easily.

Her gaze, once fixed on him, kept drifting away.

Had anything changed recently?

Nothing in the reports showed anything unusual.

Unless… she was thinking about another man.

That was impossible. He had cleared everyone around her.

“…Ah.”

A document listing dates—10th day, 22nd day, one month, 50 days, 100 days, engagement, wedding anniversaries—caught his eye.

It was a list he had prepared to match Hazel’s preferences for celebrations.

Maybe she was preparing a gift for their anniversary?

That would explain her behavior.

Of course.

Just like on her birthday.

So this time too, she must be working hard on some cute surprise gift.

His mood, which had been sinking, lifted instantly. His lips curved elegantly.

“Then I’ll pretend not to notice.”

That level of ignorance was fine.

He leaned back and pulled out a document from the deepest drawer.

“Hmm.”

It was already over a year old.

Hazel’s personal profile and preference data.

He remembered when he first received it and let out a small laugh.

“Here it is, Your Grace.”

About ten pages of documents were placed in his hand.

“Name: Hazel Love. Age: 23. Gender… female.”

He lazily rested his chin on his thumb while tracing his lips with his index finger.

“No family. Born and raised in the capital…”

“Yes. No family makes things easier. Less trouble.”

His subordinate, Sid, shrugged.

“Height 164 cm, weight 44 kg… she’d practically float away. Tch, barely anything.”

Kailus slowly scanned further down.

Graduated top of the Imperial Knights Academy.

Over 100 subjugation missions with the Imperial and White Dragon Knight Orders.

Never failed a target mission. Skilled in wide-area illusion magic capable of putting entire battalions to sleep.

“So she’s not just some reckless woman.”

Still, since illusion magic didn’t work on him, there was no concern.

In fact, watching her fail in front of him might even be entertaining.

He continued reading.

She had resigned and moved to Ferrarium.

Now she ran a mercenary guild, rapidly expanding on minimal funds.

Kailus’s lips twisted.

The source of that money was obvious.

She was using his money.

Running off with it and growing her little fortune in some rural backwater.

He flipped the page.

And then he stopped.

“Ideal type: tall, broad shoulders like the Pacific… what is the Pacific?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it just means something extremely wide?”

“During the day: kind, gentle, polite. At night: still kind, but wild and beast-like… what? She even likes a certain level of obsession? Shouldn’t that be avoided?”

“Maybe she has a split personality? Or unusual tastes? Should I investigate whether that’s trending these days?”

Kailus frowned slightly.

“…What a strange woman.”

And yet—his lips curved faintly again.

“Interesting.”