I'm So Tired Because of My Contract-Breaking Husband - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
“What is this!”
While Lexion was in a daze, Adelina shook off his hand and ran to the mirror.
“Ha!”
After Adelina disappeared from his arms, Lexion stood up and went to stand in front of the mirror.
When he hit the side of the mirror with his hand, he felt as if the mirror flinched.
‘Hey… young man. You should have let me go nicely when I asked. Anyway, can you apply some resin here? My home is all tattered. Hohoho.’
Adelina, now relieved to be inside the mirror, pointed at the cracked spots, urging Lexion to apply resin.
It seemed she would need to negotiate with the deity soon to find another home.
“What am I doing?”
Lexion grumbled but took out resin and applied it to the cracks in the mirror.
‘Let’s just sleep today, young man. Let’s go kill him next time.’
With the mirror slathered in resin, Lexion’s face was hardly visible anymore.
Fortunately, Lexion didn’t go to kill Emperor Grain but instead went into the bathroom to take a shower.
Adelina sighed in relief and leaned her back against one corner of the mirror wall.
+++
The next day, after being force-fed information about wyverns, Adelina regained her senses and opened her eyes, only to find darkness.
‘Why? Why is it so dark? The morning sun should be up.’
Were the blackout curtains drawn thick? Or was there a solar eclipse outside? It felt like being buried in the earth…
‘Hey! Did you abandon me? We’ve grown close! How can you abandon your companion mirror!’
He must be the worst person. Even though she had deciphered things for him! How could he discard her just because she was broken?
Adelina’s space lifted and began to shake violently.
‘If possible… bury me in the earth. Not the incinerator… no complete destruction… bury me gently.’
Yes. Being underground would be fine. She could live seeing worms and moles again. That time was the most peaceful, after all. She thought she could live that way.
+++
Lexion wrapped the mirror in cloth and put it in his arms. Then he rode his horse to the forest where he was to meet Stephan.
Lake Laktea, the most beautiful lake in the capital, was large enough to hold the entire Milky Way. Around the lake was a wide lawn and well-maintained forest, making it a favorite spot for lovers and families.
“Here it is, Your Grace.”
Stephan, who had arrived first, waved his hand in front of the carriage.
“Transfer to my carriage.”
“Yes, Your Grace. But won’t this start strange rumors? Well… if such rumors would be beneficial, then so be it. I’m fine with it.”
Stephan made a lame joke as he boarded the carriage, noticing Lexion seemed brighter than the day before.
Lexion had already instructed the coachman and escort knights to wait 10 meters away. They moved aside, as Lexion and Stephan often met.
“What… are you doing, Your Grace?”
Stephan watched Lexion, who was taking off his cloak inside the carriage.
‘Is he really thinking of spreading such rumors to avoid marriage with Princess Isabelle!’
“Wait.”
Unaware of Stephan’s gulp as he steeled himself, Lexion took out the cloth-wrapped item from his arms and placed it on the opposite seat.
+++
‘Oh! Light! The young man didn’t abandon me!’
As the cloth wrapping the mirror was removed, bright light filled Adelina’s space.
Even as a former human, Adelina seemed to prefer brightness, as people should live under sunlight.
She clung to the mirror wall, looking around.
‘Where is this?’
What Adelina saw looked like a wooden roof. Given the limited space, it seemed to be the roof of a carriage. Surely… it wasn’t a coffin.
“Mirror. If I start a war now, what are the chances of winning?”
While she was bewildered, Lexion’s voice was heard.
“Uh… Your Grace?”
Stephan stared at Lexion with a look that said, “What is he doing?”
It seemed yesterday’s events had shocked him so much that he lost his mind. He might need to knock him out if necessary.
Stephan clenched his fist without Lexion noticing.
<“11.9%. In other words, wake up from the dream. If you want to die, do it alone. Don’t drag others into the fray… huh!”>
Once again, Adelina was startled by the words that came out against her will and covered her mouth inside the mirror.
Life returned to Lexion’s eyes as he looked at Stephan’s face.
Stephan, not knowing what he just heard, stared blankly at Lexion.
Lexion put one finger to his lips, signaling Stephan to be quiet, and wrapped the cloak around the mirror.
“Yes. The chances are higher than expected. I must start the war immediately.”
<“Hey! What’s high about 11.9%! You’re going to die! You can’t die!”>
Once again, Adelina shouted angrily and reached out from the mirror.
“Got you.”
Lexion grabbed her hand and pulled her, wrapping her body in the cloak.
“Let go! Let go!”
Adelina, held in Lexion’s arms, struggled to get away, but he held her even tighter.
“You. You’re not wearing anything right now. Just stay like this for a little while.”
As Lexion spoke soothingly, holding her more firmly, Adelina stopped resisting.
“Let go! You bad man!”
When clothes appeared on Adelina, she twisted her body, and this time Lexion released her easily.
“The mirror… it’s completely shattered…”
Adelina tried to step into the mirror, touch it with her hand, and even put her head in, but it was too shattered to enter.
Even now, the mirror was cracking with a creaking sound every time Adelina spoke. It was on the verge of becoming glass powder soon.
“You can’t go inside that mirror.”
Lexion said as he wrapped the mirror in cloth again, looking genuinely regretful.
“Instead, I’ll find you another piece of this mirror.”
Adelina’s ears perked up at Lexion’s words.
‘That’s right! It was originally a big mirror! There must be pieces of the mirror still left in the earth!’
The calculation was complete. The mirror pieces left in the earth would be much sturdier than this flimsy mirror house.
“Alright. Then let’s go right away!”
Unaware of why Lexion had brought her out, Adelina stretched her hand forward, urging him to start the carriage.
‘So naive.’
Lexion gently gathered her arms together.
“Duke… what is going on here? Who is this lady?”
Stephan was still bewildered, looking back and forth between Lexion and Adelina.
“Ha. Synesis. A living repository of knowledge… umph umph…”
As Adelina began to introduce herself again, Lexion hugged her from behind and covered her mouth with his hand.
“Marquis. Congratulations. You’ve gained a daughter. A grown daughter.”
Lexion gave a sly smile. Watching that smile, Adelina blinked her eyes.
‘Wasn’t I a grandmother? Is it okay for me to be this man’s daughter?’
Judging by the atmosphere and conversation between the two men, Adelina guessed she must not be a grandmother, but still young.
Stephan initially looked surprised but soon followed Lexion’s lead and lifted the corners of his mouth.
“Thank you for finding my daughter, Duke. Now, shall we hear my daughter’s name?”
At Stephan’s words, Lexion leaned forward to meet Adelina’s eyes.
“Do you have a name?”
When Adelina nodded, Lexion gently released his hand from her mouth.
“Ha. Synesis. A living repository of knowledge… umph umph…”
He quickly covered her mouth again.
“Adelina. It means a noble lady.”
Adelina stared blankly at Lexion, forgetting even to blink.
‘How did he give me the same name as the one bestowed by the deity?’
Is this name common? Did both the deity and this man just give a random name?
Or… maybe this time, she might truly receive noble treatment…
“From now on, your name is Adelina Florin. Congratulations. You’re now the Marquis’s daughter.”
Following Lexion’s words, Adelina’s eyes widened to the point where one might wonder if they were human.
‘Marquis’s daughter? That noble? The noble lady who gets food and meat without doing anything? The noble lady whose maids clean and do the laundry?’
What a windfall. Of course, she hadn’t done anything while living in the mirror, but now she wouldn’t have to do anything even more.
Adelina blinked twice long to show she understood.
Lexion waited until she sat up straight before removing his hand from her mouth.
“Adelina Florin. You are now my daughter.”
Stephan looked curiously at Adelina’s golden eyes and extended his hand.
“Adelina Florin, Marquis’s daughter. From now on, I will serve you well as my father.”
Adelina, who suddenly gained a charming middle-aged father, smiled brightly and shook Stephan’s hand.
“Stay at Stephan’s house from today, learn etiquette, and come to our house after the coming-of-age ceremony.”
At Lexion’s words, Stephan nodded and took out a notebook to start jotting down things to buy immediately.
“I know etiquette.”
At Adelina’s words, Stephan stopped writing down ‘etiquette teacher’ in surprise.
“A living repository of knowledge. There are 205 encyclopedias. Among them, there were books related to etiquette.”
“Impressive, my daughter.”
As Adelina spoke as if it was nothing, Stephan drew two lines over ‘etiquette teacher’ with satisfaction.
“But why move houses after the coming-of-age ceremony?”
Adelina’s question made the smiles on the two men’s lips grow even bigger.
“Because you’re going to marry me. Congratulations. You’re going to be the Duchess.”
Lexion tilted his head to the side, wearing a relaxed smile as he tried to loosen the tightly tied cravat.
“Ah… I don’t want to!”
Adelina’s refusal made Lexion’s hand stop. Stephan, watching the scene, burst into laughter.
“Why… don’t you want to?”
“I don’t want to do anything. Not. A. Thing. Being a Duchess involves a lot of work.”
Adelina scrunched her face, slightly shaking her shoulders with an expression of distaste.
‘What’s this… getting married without even loving me… ridiculous…’
Marriage? Being someone’s wife? She had never thought about it, nor did she intend to. Such words were entirely unrelated to her.
Lexion stared at Adelina and then grabbed a handful of her hair.
“This silver hair. These golden eyes. Even if you don’t want to do anything, people won’t leave you alone. If you become my wife, they won’t dare to approach you recklessly. Just be the Duchess.”
Having never seen her own appearance, Adelina looked at her silver hair held in Lexion’s hand.
‘Is… is that so?’
Indeed, unusual looks might arouse people’s curiosity. They might look at her curiously and poke her like a monkey in a zoo. It could become quite tiresome.
“Alright. But you have to keep your promise. A Duchess who does nothing. And find the mirror for me later!”
“Okay. Deal sealed.”
Lexion extended his hand to Adelina. When she took it, he held it firmly for a long time.