Chapter 62

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 62

Chapter Title: A Persistent Cough

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“It started with...”

She began calmly recounting the events she'd gone through.

“A little cough at first. I just thought it was a regular cold.”

But the cough showed no signs of letting up.

Not only that, but the relentless hacking made it impossible for her to sleep, let alone eat properly.

And it wasn't long before her explanation had me frozen in place, my expression hardening.

This... feels a lot like King Berga's symptoms.

About two years ago, there had been a huge uproar in Salt Kingdom when the king fell ill with something similar.

Berga had suffered from deep, rattling coughs back then, so the physicians all pointed to asthma or lung disease as the cause. Naturally, they'd procured herbs mainly for bronchial relief.

But the real culprit lay elsewhere entirely.

The Boyard ethnicity.

Who could have guessed that an unrelenting cough stemmed from racial traits?

In truth, the Boyard people—the ancestors of Salt Kingdom's royal line—had notoriously fragile ribs that broke easily.

But as generations passed and bloodlines mixed with other races, the issue had lessened. And since Berga's symptoms were just the cough without pain, it hadn't stood out.

It was only later, thanks to a scholar's hypothesis, that the ribs were identified as the source, allowing for proper treatment...

Even for a king, it had taken quite some time. In an ordinary case, pinpointing the cause must be incredibly difficult.

Finishing my speculation, I found myself blurting out a question before I knew it.

“If I may ask, Baroness, where are you from originally?”

“Oh, it's embarrassing, but this manor was the house my late parents left me. I was born and raised right here.”

“Your parents as well?”

Worried it might come off as rude, I'd asked cautiously, but she answered with a warm smile.

“Cough, cough! My mother was from Kletan, and my father was born in Salt Kingdom, or so I heard. He immigrated to Kletan at a young age.”

“I see...”

Just as I thought.

Learning her bloodline tied back to Salt had me sighing inwardly in realization.

It made my theory all the more credible.

Still, better to confirm it properly, just in case.

“But... cough... why has a lady like you come to see me?”

“Oh, right!”

Her fan-girling tale (or whatever it was) had pulled me in so completely that I'd forgotten the main point until now.

Even so, broaching the topic wasn't easy.

Family conflicts aren't something to meddle in lightly.

What if I only made things worse between them?

I remembered the grain smuggling incident from the past—how I'd tried to handle it on my own and ended up spilling blood. The fear of history repeating itself held me back.

But...

Doing nothing isn't the answer either.

After hesitating with my mouth half-open for a moment, I steeled myself again.

“Baroness.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think of your in-laws... if I may ask?”

“...Ah.”

A flicker of complicated emotions crossed her pale face.

But soon enough, her eyes softened.

“I think they're good people.”

“Pardon? But...”

Hadn't they opposed Baron Fabron and his wife's relationship?

And now, they'd essentially cut ties, which surely couldn't sit well with her as the daughter-in-law.

So why say that?

“Heh, I can see why you'd look at me like that.”

She chuckled softly, as if she'd heard my unspoken question, and continued.

“They're... just ordinary parents who love their son dearly. Cough, cough! My husband might see it differently, but I know they truly worry about him and care for him.”

“......”

So yes, they're good people.

Her face shone with genuine sincerity as she added that.

“From what he's told me, he grew up without ever wanting for anything since he was little. He's never known deprivation.”

James Fabron, their most outstanding son.

With the Marquis Embrose couple's support, he'd had everything he needed handed to him. Some might even call him a spoiled young master.

But his life took a dramatic turn when he met a certain woman at a social gathering.

“I thought he and I were a mismatch. Figured he'd just see me as a fling... but he chose me in the end. Defying his parents... for a girl from a humble house like mine.”

Listening, I couldn't help thinking how fortunate it was that Baron Fabron wasn't here.

“So I completely understand their opposition.”

In noble society, marriage was the most straightforward transaction for securing power.

If Baron Fabron had been just a bit more cunning, his current wife—the daughter of a powerless family—would have remained his lover while he married into some influential house.

That was the common wisdom and custom of the era.

But Baron Fabron chose loyalty instead.

The baroness seemed to share my thoughts, her voice growing even gentler.

“Separate from my gratitude to him as his wife, it's only natural they'd oppose the marriage for their son's sake. And they're not bad people, really.”

What followed was something even Marchioness Embrose hadn't shared.

Before Baron Fabron had stormed out for good, the marchioness had visited the baroness.

Terrified, expecting anything from a splash of water to a slap from a fan, the baroness had been thrown even more off-balance by the marchioness's unexpected demeanor.

“I'm sorry to say this to you, my lady... but for my son's future, please leave him. I'll find you the finest match through the capital's best matchmaker.”

“I understood her completely. It's just...”

Sadness welled up in her downcast eyes.

“I valued his love more... and my own heart mattered more, so I couldn't go along with her wish.”

“I see.”

It's more complicated than I thought.

A basic clash of interests preventing any reconciliation, despite some mutual fondness.

But situations like this cropped up more often than one might expect.

I nodded inwardly and spoke up.

“What if... you could mend things with them? You wouldn't pass up the chance, right?”

“Of course not. It breaks my heart to see people who love their son that much cut him off and go without contact.”

If this were a K-drama, it'd be like a chaebol heir marrying an ordinary girl.

And in those stories, the clichéd scene that always popped up? I'd instantly think of 'mistreatment.'

Of course, someone as straightforward as Marchioness Embrose wouldn't resort to petty tactics...

But the vibe of not being welcome would wear her down enough.

Besides, with her health failing, trying to fix her body could end up breaking her spirit too.

“If you reconcile, won't it put you in an awkward spot? It might just make things uncomfortable...”

“I might have worried about that once, but I trust my husband. Marriage teaches you certain things.”

“Like what...?”

Heh.

With a soft laugh, the baroness delivered her next words with unwavering conviction.

“Whether the man I love can be a sturdy shield for me in the moment he needs to protect me... or not.”

Her eyes were so warm as she said it that I could only nod silently.

How does someone live with that kind of faith?

I found myself genuinely curious.