My Husband was Switched - Chapter 11

Should I clear up the misunderstanding?

But if I don’t, I might end up getting divorced.

And to top it off, I just found out that Zeno can transform into a human. If I had known that earlier, I would have been more cautious!

“So, what happened is…”

Where do I even start?

I found a branch imbued with holy power, which turned out to be a relic containing the power of the divine beast Zeno. As a result, I was forced to awaken my abilities, becoming a super-strong person who can communicate with animals and wield the power of the divine beast?

Would he believe me if I told him this?

I couldn’t reveal everything to someone who was already considering divorce. But if I became the Grand Duchess who cheated on her husband at war with a wolf, I wouldn’t be able to hold my head high in the future.

I’d be the subject of gossip everywhere.

‘He went to war for the freedom of the North and married me, who’s not even a legitimate princess but a concubine’s daughter, and now that woman cheated on him…’

It would be a scandal that would sweep through high society.

I glanced at Zeno. The cause of all this trouble was glaring at Cedric, baring his teeth as if he wanted to devour him.

‘That’s a beast in human form, not a person.’

Zeno looked at me, still wary of Cedric.

I didn’t want a dishonorable divorce. So, I had to explain the current situation.

“Your Highness, this child who looks like a beast is Zeno.”

“You’ve grown close enough to call him by name.”

His face twisted even more. I quickly racked my brain and began to explain.

“Zeno is a divine wolf. I just realized he could transform into a human. Will you believe me if I say that?”

This was the unvarnished truth.

I glanced at him, but he looked unconvinced. But I really just found out Zeno could turn into a human. I had no intention of deceiving him.

‘That cunning bastard, so he stayed in my room all this time?’

Why hadn’t he transformed into a human before? The answer was clear with a bit of thought. With my awakening, Zeno gained a contractor, which released his sealed power.

I didn’t know that power included human transformation.

“I found a branch imbued with holy power. It seems to have unlocked the divine beast’s power.”

“Are you making excuses now?”

“Why would I deceive Your Highness? It would be better to let you misunderstand.”

Why would the person who suggested divorce miss such a good opportunity? But it wasn’t honorable.

His blue eyes were so cold they seemed to freeze.

“What can I do if you don’t want to believe it? Let go of that hand.”

Zeno stepped forward and grabbed my hand. Stuck between the two, I couldn’t move.

‘This is driving me crazy!’

There was no one to help. How could I explain this? As I was fidgeting, shadows fell on the floor. They flew towards us quickly.

“Tweet tweet.” (Don’t bully her!)

“Go away!”

Birds swarmed and started pecking at Zeno. Zeno, furious, waved his hands at them.

“Tweet, tweet tweet!” (Don’t make Claire uncomfortable!)

“Why are you all picking on me? Do you want to get eaten?”

Zeno let go of my hand and started chasing the birds in earnest. Now transformed into a wolf, Zeno became a predator trying to catch the birds.

Cedric and I watched Zeno and the birds blankly. It felt like watching Zeno’s antics as he darted around trying to catch the birds. Even the animals in the garden joined forces to chase Zeno.

‘You guys…’

My heart swelled with emotion. You guys are so grateful?

“You see? I took in Zeno in his wolf form, not as a man.”

“……”

Cedric’s face relaxed a bit. Zeno seemed to have forgotten about me as he leaped around, battling the animals.

“More importantly, I didn’t get to say something important because you came so suddenly.”

I smiled brightly and grabbed his hand.

“I’m glad you returned safely.”

This was sincere.

❖ ❖ ❖

I entered the Grand Duke’s residence with Cedric.

It had been so long since we sat face to face, and it was unbearably awkward.

There was a small commotion outside the door. It was probably because of the sudden return of the Grand Duke.

“Aren’t you sitting too far away, wife?”

Cedric grabbed my chair and pulled it closer to him.

The sudden closeness made the atmosphere tense. Cedric seemed to have a lot to say as he opened his mouth.

“Wife.”

“I’m sorry.”

I quickly apologized. It was my fault for creating a situation that could be misunderstood.

“Never mind the wolf pup, what do you mean by a branch with holy power?”

“Do you remember when I said I needed to find something in the forest?”

Cedric nodded.

“I needed that branch. As Your Highness knows, I don’t have any abilities. So, I thought I needed a branch with holy power to protect myself.”

“Are you saying it actually exists?”

“I found it thanks to Zeno.”

I’m sorry. I did have abilities, but I couldn’t tell him everything. I needed to keep one card up my sleeve.

“There shouldn’t be a divine beast here.”

“I was surprised too, but since there’s no word from the imperial family, maybe they don’t know about its existence yet?”

Given that Zeno came here injured, he probably escaped from the imperial family. I don’t know why he came to the North.

“Is there no chance the imperial family will find out?”

“If they see Zeno, they’ll know. But we can take measures before they come. We must never let the imperial family take the divine beast.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s beneficial for Your Highness.”

And for me too.

“No one else knows Zeno is a divine beast. He’s never transformed into a human in the Grand Duke’s residence. I just saw it for the first time too…”

“I understand.”

That’s it?

The Grand Duke said nothing more. If the Grand Duke was here, didn’t that mean other knights were here too?

I stood up suddenly.

“We can’t just sit here! We need to hold a welcome party! Did the knights come too?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. They’re coming tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

How could I not worry about that? I tried to get out of the chair to go to the door, but he stopped me.

“Huh?”

When I turned to look at him, I saw his smiling face. Then his large hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me into his embrace.

“Are they more important?”

“Huh?”

“More than me, who’s right in front of you.”

“Hosting a welcome party is my duty, isn’t it?”

“Then shouldn’t we fulfill our marital duties first?”

“Huh?”

I froze in his arms. He laughed quietly and wrapped his hand around my neck.

The distance closed quickly, and our lips were about to touch.

I didn’t know what triggered his obsession, but my heart was pounding.

In the end, Cedric and I didn’t kiss.

If the butler hadn’t announced that dinner was ready, we might not have eaten.

There was a separate dining room, but tonight we had dinner in the room. It seemed he still had things to discuss.

‘He even sent away the others!’

Cedric didn’t take his eyes off me.

At this rate, I might get eaten.

“Um, did everything go well on the battlefield?”

He focused on cutting the meat. How could he slice it so evenly without taking his eyes off me?

For some reason, I felt a chill.

“Then why did only Your Highness come back first?”

“Why indeed.”

I tilted my head at his murmured words. What should I say to that?

“I came back quickly because I was curious.”

“Curious?”

“To see if you had run away or were thinking of something else.”

“Ugh.”

I clutched my chest in shock. It was definitely my guilty conscience.

Cedric smiled and handed me a glass of water.

I gulped it down, but my startled heart didn’t calm down.

‘Surely he doesn’t know what I’m thinking.’

He met my gaze and popped a piece of meat into his mouth. Slowly and leisurely, he chewed and smiled with his eyes.

“But Wife.”

I nibbled on my food, listening to Cedric.

“I heard it was a wolf pup.”

“Well, yes.”

“Isn’t it too big to be a pup? Or did it look like a baby to you?”

“It was very small back then.”

It wasn’t small, but it wasn’t this big either.

I didn’t know it would be an adult man.

I shrugged and smiled awkwardly.

“Surely you didn’t share a room with it.”

“Of course not…”

Following his gaze, I saw the cushion where Zeno had curled up.

Crunch.

I heard the sound of grinding teeth.