ITMHM 2

Chapter: 2

Now that I think about it, it didn’t take an unusually long time from the moment I first met my husband to the time we got married.

Dothilia had been defeated in the war.

That dreadful news had reached me on an early winter morning, when I had only just managed to fall asleep while worrying about my father, who had gone off to the war.

Knock, knock.

Awakened by the sound of someone knocking at the door, I greeted the uninvited guest in a disheveled state.

“Who—”

A pure white uniform, gold buttons, a stiff collar fastened all the way up to the neck.

It was a naval uniform.

The moment I saw what filled my vision, I smiled brightly.

“Father?”

I quickly lifted my head. But before I could even greet my joy, my expression quickly darkened.

The man standing before me was not my father.

Under a navy cap, his face was stiff, his posture rigid.

I had a bad feeling. In an instant, all drowsiness vanished, and instinctively I knew—

The soldier in front of me had come to deliver bad news.

The man soon removed his cap. His features, previously hidden in shadow, were slowly revealed. Blue eyes reflecting the breaking sunlight shone like the sea.

His tightly closed lips moved slowly.

“Is this Edith Prim, only daughter of Isaac Prim?”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

My eyelids trembled slightly. Unconsciously, I pulled my clothes tighter as if to steady my emotions.

After confirming my identity, the man continued speaking as if it were routine.

“I’ve come to deliver a notice of death. Dothilia Navy Sergeant Isaac Prim, while battling illness on the battlefield, passed away on December 18, 1824, at approximately 2:15 PM.”

It was a cruel piece of news, delivered in a tone as dry and emotionless as the man’s voice.

I blinked slowly.

What exactly had I just heard?

Everything around me except the man went dark, and the noisy sounds of the street faded away.

“What did you just—”

It had to be a mistake. It had to be. Or perhaps I had misheard in my sleep.

I steadied my breath and asked again.

“I think I must have heard wrong. Could you please repeat that once more?”

“I regret having to deliver such news.”

Hope did not return.

“No, that can’t… that can’t be. How could Father…?”

It was my father, who had always sent me letters.

Saying he was safe. That although Dothilia seemed likely to lose the war, he would soon be able to come see me.

And yet, how could something like this…?

My vision turned white. My legs lost strength, and just as I was about to collapse—

“Careful.”

The man grabbed my arm with a firm grip and helped me up.

Only when I could stand on my own did he release his hold.

“…Thank you.”

I didn’t even know what I was saying. The words came out automatically.

Slowly lifting my head, I saw the man quietly looking at my face. He spoke in a dry tone.

“The body is being held at the Naval Headquarters. You will need to complete identity verification and apply for death benefits, so you must report to the Naval Headquarters in Müssen Port within a week.”

I forced myself to nod. That was the best I could do at the moment.

Everything went dark before my eyes. I stood there blankly and closed the door.

“No way…”

Finally alone, I slowly sank down onto the floor.

That was my unforgettable first encounter with my husband, Johannes Schultz.

Since hearing the news of my father’s death, I had not been in my right mind.

Half of me wanted to go and confirm the body; the other half knew that doing so would mean accepting his death for real.

So I holed myself up at home and endured as best as I could.

But, cruelly, the one-week deadline the man had given me arrived in an instant.

It was both a long and short time.

I didn’t even have the energy to check my appearance. Barely gathering my resolve, I prepared myself and left the house.

The streets were quieter than usual. It might have seemed strange, but I didn’t have the mental capacity to notice.

“The Naval Headquarters…”

I walked following the map the man had given me. As I got closer to my destination, the loud, bustling noise pierced my ears.

“How disgraceful. What era is this…?”

“He deserved it.”

People were saying things I couldn’t quite understand.

Moving further along, I saw a crowd gathered densely near the harbor.

Could it be that everyone had gathered to identify the deceased?

Since the war had been lost, it was only natural that there would be many casualties.

Looking around, I spotted navy personnel lined up along the roadside. Among them, my gaze stopped on a particularly noticeable man.

He was staring straight ahead with an expressionless face. As I watched him, he turned his head.

The golden naval insignia on his cap reflected the sunlight and gleamed brightly.

Squinting slightly, I lowered my gaze and met his deep blue eyes.

It was him.

The navy officer who had come to deliver the news of my father’s death.

Having found who I was looking for, there was no need to hesitate. I quickly approached him.

“Excuse me, where is the Naval Headquarters—”

Before I could finish speaking—

“Ah—!”

I lost my balance as the crowd surged forward. Just as my body was about to be swept away—

The man grabbed me and pulled me back just in time. I ended up half in his arms, unable to move as the crowd continued to push against me.

“T-thank you.”

“The Naval Headquarters is in the opposite direction. However, the situation is not favorable at the moment, so it would be better to wait a bit before moving.”

“…Pardon?”

As I looked up at him blankly, the man turned his gaze toward the front of the harbor. Following his line of sight, my eyes widened immediately.

‘A public execution…?’

Beneath a rusted guillotine that hadn’t been used in a long time stood a middle-aged man.

His clothing, though simple, was made of expensive fabric, and his hair was neatly styled. His exposed skin showed no visible wounds.

Public executions, considered unethical, had long been abolished as relics of a bygone era.

So why…?

Too shocked to even feel embarrassed at being held by a stranger, I blinked in a daze.

Then a low voice sounded above my head, deepening my confusion.

“Duke Schultz.”

“Pardon? Why would the Duke…?”

There was no need to wait for the man’s answer. The explanation came instead from the onlookers who were noisily conversing.

“Oh my, public execution for something like embezzlement? Isn’t that too harsh?”

“What do you mean ‘something like’? He took off with an amount equivalent to a year’s national budget. And no one knows where it went.”

I unconsciously swallowed.

An amount equivalent to a year’s national budget was truly enormous. And to have vanished without a trace…

Duke Schultz was said to have a good reputation not only in Müssen but also in the capital, Baden.

Yet such a person had committed disgraceful acts behind the scenes. And having lost the war as well, the royal family likely chose a public execution out of spite.

But…

“There’s no way the Duke would—”

“That’s the official statement released by the royal family. Everyone believes it to be true.”

As I murmured to myself, the man replied dryly. The spectators continued to chatter.

“The young duke has it rough. Still, thanks to him, they won many victories in the war, so it seems they won’t touch him. He must be returning from the battlefield by now—has he heard about his father, I wonder?”

“Is this the time to worry about others? I heard the war reparations are no small matter. If they can’t track down the embezzled funds, they might pass the burden onto us through taxes!”

The heated debate continued. Some defended Duke Schultz, while others attacked him with sharp words.

One thing was clear.

Most of the crowd gathered at the harbor held negative feelings toward Duke Schultz.

I stared blankly at the dense crowd.

Beyond the guillotine stretched a deep blue sea. The clear sky was, annoyingly, beautiful.

For a place where a life was about to end, it was far too sentimental and picturesque.

Perhaps it was meant to make him regret his wrongdoing even more by forcing him to see such things for the last time.

Did Duke Schultz really commit embezzlement? If so, what kind of feelings was he standing at the threshold of death with?

Was he regretting getting caught? Feeling wronged? Or perhaps remorseful?

Yet, contrary to my expectations, his eyes held no emotion whatsoever.

There was no look of injustice, nor regret. He simply wore a face of quiet acceptance of everything.

My fingertips curled slightly, and my face turned pale.

If he had truly committed a crime, he would not have such eyes, such an expression.

Instinctively, I realized—

‘That person is innocent….’

But no one would believe it. Or perhaps he was simply a natural actor, feigning innocence until the end.

But so what?

Even if Duke Schultz were innocent, there was nothing I could do to help him. Too many political factors were likely involved.

However, one thing I could do at this moment was clear.

‘Let’s go back.’

I was not thoughtless enough to turn someone’s possibly wrongful death into a spectacle.

“I should be leaving now. The Naval Headquarters was on the opposite side, correct…?”

Just as I turned to leave in confusion, his grip on my arm tightened further.

“It is dangerous to move out now due to the crowd.”

“But—”

At that moment, a loud trumpet sound cut me off. The onlookers gradually fell silent.

Soldiers began ascending the execution platform in formation. The sound of disciplined footsteps filled the harbor.

“It looks like they’re about to carry out the execution.”

Even as someone said that, the man continued holding me firmly.

He spoke calmly.

“You should not watch.”

When I looked up at him, a large hand covered my eyes.

At that very moment—

CRACK—

A brutal sound echoed across the harbor, followed by waves of gasps and cries from all around.

The man never took his eyes off the execution platform.

It was an unexpected public execution.