Chapter 62
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I possessed the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 62
"It started...."
She began explaining calmly what she had experienced.
"It was just a small cough. I thought it was nothing more than a common cold."
But the cough showed no signs of stopping.
Moreover, the relentless coughing prevented her from sleeping properly, let alone eating meals as she should.
As her explanation continued, I found my expression hardening involuntarily.
'This... it seems similar to King Berga's symptoms, doesn't it?'
Two years ago, there had been quite a commotion in the Salt Kingdom when the king fell ill with a similar affliction.
Since Berga had suffered from severe coughing at the time, the physicians unanimously pointed to asthma or lung disease as the cause. Naturally, they had primarily prescribed herbal remedies known to benefit the respiratory passages.
But the true cause lay elsewhere entirely.
'The Boyad People.'
Who could have anticipated it? That the source of the relentless cough stemmed from racial characteristics.
In truth, the Boyad People, who were the ancestors of the Salt Kingdom, possessed unusually fragile ribs that broke easily.
However, as generations progressed and various races intermingled, such problems had diminished. Moreover, since Berga's symptoms manifested only as coughing rather than pain, it had been all the more difficult to detect.
It was only later, through the conjecture of a certain scholar, that the ribs were identified as the cause, and only then could appropriate treatment be administered. However....
Considering how long it took even when the patient was the king himself, wouldn't it be extraordinarily difficult to identify the cause in ordinary circumstances?
After completing my deduction, I found myself posing a question without thinking.
"If I may ask, Baroness Fabron, which region are you from?"
"Ah, though it's somewhat embarrassing, this mansion was left to me by my late parents. I was born and raised here."
"Your parents as well, Baroness?"
Though my somewhat impertinent question might have seemed rude, she answered with a smile, rendering my caution unnecessary.
"*Cough, cough!* My mother is from Cletan, and I've heard my father was born in the Salt Kingdom. He immigrated to Cletan at a young age."
"I see...."
Just as I suspected.
Upon learning that her bloodline was connected to Salt, I released a silent exclamation of realization.
This made my conjecture feel considerably more credible.
'Still, I should verify this precisely just to be certain.'
"But... *cough, cough!* what brings the young lady to visit me?"
"Oh, that's right!"
Having become so absorbed in her story that my mind had drifted away, I finally remembered the main purpose of my visit.
Yet despite this, I found it difficult to broach the subject so readily.
'I was told not to meddle carelessly in mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts.'
What if my involvement only worsened the rift between them?
I had memories of attempting to resolve the wheat trade matter through my own efforts in the past, only to end up bloodied. I feared a similar situation might repeat itself.
But....
'Standing by and doing nothing isn't the answer either.'
After hesitating for a moment with my lips parted, I steeled my resolve once more.
"Baroness Fabron."
"Pardon?"
"I was wondering... what do you think of your in-laws?"
"Ah."
A flicker of complex emotion crossed her pallid face.
But moments later, her eyes softened gently.
"I think they're good people."
"Pardon? But..."
Hadn't they oppose the union between Fabron Marquis and his wife?
Moreover, they had essentially severed ties by now, so as a daughter-in-law, she must surely harbor some resentment.
Then why?
"Hehe, I understand that expression well enough."
She spoke softly, continuing as though she'd heard my unspoken question.
"They are... simply ordinary parents who love their son dearly. *Cough, cough!* Though he may think differently, I know they genuinely worry for him and love him with all their hearts."
"..."
That's why they're good people.
The Baroness Fabron's face as she added this held a truly sincere light.
"From what he's told me, he grew up wanting for nothing since childhood. He's never known what it means to lack anything."
James Fabron—the most distinguished and brilliant son to come to prominence.
Under the support of the Marquis and Marquise, he lived a life where he grasped everything he needed. In a sense, one might have called him a spoiled young master.
But his life took an entirely different turn the day he met a certain woman at a social gathering.
"I thought we were an ill-matched pair. I assumed he would merely regard me as a romantic interest... but in the end, he chose me. Defying his parents' opposition... a girl from such a humble house as mine."
As I listened, I found myself grateful that Fabron Marquis was not present.
"That's why I understand their opposition as well."
In aristocratic society, marriage was nothing more than securing power through the most honest of transactions.
Had Fabron Marquis been even slightly more cunning, he would have kept the current Baroness Fabron as a mistress and married the daughter of some powerful house instead.
That was the universal wisdom and custom of this age.
'But Fabron Marquis chose to honor his loyalty.'
The Baroness Fabron seemed to harbor similar thoughts, for her voice grew even gentler.
"Separate from my gratitude to him as his wife, it's only natural that they opposed the marriage for their son's sake. Besides, they're not truly bad people."
What followed was something I had never heard even from Embrose Marquise.
Before Fabron Marquis left home entirely, Embrose Marquise had come to visit Baroness Fabron.
The Baroness, braced for anything from a dousing to a slap across the face with a fan, was all the more bewildered by the Marquise's unexpected demeanor.
"I'm sorry to say this to a young lady... but I would appreciate it if you would part with my son for his future. I will find you the finest husband through the most distinguished matchmaker in the Imperial Capital."
"I understood her then. Only..."
Sorrow welled in her downcast eyes.
"I respected his love too much, and my own heart mattered too greatly for me to grant her wish."
"I see."
It was more complicated than I'd thought.
A fundamental conflict of interests preventing any reconciliation, even when some affection existed between them.
But such things happened far more often than one might expect.
I shook my head inwardly and opened my mouth.
"Then... if it were possible to restore your relationship, you wouldn't miss that opportunity, would you?"
"Of course not. It pains me so deeply to see people who love their son so much living without any contact with him, having severed all ties."
If I were to compare this situation to a K-drama, it would be something like an ordinary woman marrying a third-generation chaebol heir.
And if I were to name the clichéd scene that invariably appears in such genres, I could immediately think of 'mistreatment'.
Of course, someone as warm-hearted as the Embrose Marquise wouldn't resort to petty methods to mistreat her daughter-in-law.
'But just the atmosphere of not being welcomed would be difficult.'
Moreover, the Baroness, whose health was already fragile, could end up acquiring emotional wounds while trying to cure her physical ailments.
"Wouldn't it be difficult for the Baroness if your relationship were restored? It could become uncomfortable..."
"I might have worried about such things in the past, but I trust my husband. There are things you come to understand once you become a couple."
"That is... what exactly?"
Hm hm.
The Baroness, who had let out a soft laugh, conveyed her next words with unwavering conviction.
"Whether my man is someone who can become a solid shield for me in the moments when he needs to protect me, or whether he isn't."
The warmth in the Baroness's eyes as she spoke was so genuine that I simply nodded silently.
'What kind of heart must one carry to display such trust?'
It was a moment of genuine curiosity.
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