Home / I Died the Day My Husband Got Honored / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of I Died the Day My Husband Got Honored: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

After Adrian Blackwood left, I sat at the table for a long time.The bottle of Deathveil pills was right beside me. Taking them would suppress my vital signs for six hours. Once my coffin was taken outside Kingsbridge, someone would open it and take me to the south. Adrian had even prepared a new identity for me. I'd be Sarah Bennett, a 23-year-old widow and an orphan.Clara Hayes picked up the wedding dress that hadn't been put away yet. Suddenly, tears rolled down her cheeks."My lady, you were just trying it on yesterday."She was right.Just yesterday, Adrian had even helped straighten my bridal crown. He said that after our wedding the following day, I'd never have to endure other people's criticism again.And I'd actually believed him.For the past two years, everyone in Kingsbridge had talked about how much criticism he'd endured for my sake. They also said he indulged my every whim.But there was one thing Adrian had never done. He'd never slept with me. I'd mistaken

Chapter 2

The next day, Julian came to take me back to the Ashford residence. He'd brought my favorite cherry pastries again."They're from Bennett's Bakery in the south of Kingsbridge. Fresh out of the oven."When he left for war three years ago, he'd bought me a bag of those same cherry pastries.The wind was strong that day. I ran after his horse all the way beyond the city gates and refused to let go.Julian had no choice but to dismount and comfort me. He broke the last cherry pastry in half, popped one half into my mouth, and ate the other half."There. That counts as us having one together."My eyes were red as I asked, "What about next time?"He tightened my cloak around me, then smiled and gently tapped the tip of my nose."When I come back, I'll make it up to you with a whole box."I waited more than six months. But the next thing delivered to the Ashford residence wasn't cherry pastries. It was his battle armor, soaked in blood.I sat there holding the armor until dawn. I ra

Chapter 3

As I was leaving the Ashford residence, my father handed me a family identification token."If anyone stops you for questioning along the way, show them this. Don't let anyone find out you came home today."As the carriage passed through the west market, I suddenly asked the driver to stop."We've got rats in the old storeroom at home. Could you please stop by the pharmacy and pick up some rat poison for me?"The driver suspected nothing. He took the token and went into the shop.A short while later, he handed the packet into the carriage and made a point of warning me."Miss, the shopkeeper said this stuff is extremely poisonous. Keep it somewhere safe and make sure no one touches it by accident."I slipped the packet into my bag without a word.The last thing my father had given me had actually come in handy after all.When I returned to Blackwood Manor, the rooms I'd lived in for the past two years had already been mostly cleared out.Vivienne was reclining on my chaise lo

Chapter 4

Before dawn, black mourning drapes had already been hung around the courtyard.Clara helped me change into my burial dress, her tears dripping onto my collar."My lady, please let me go to the south with you."The steward stood in the doorway, blocking her way."His Highness has already granted you your freedom. Ms. Ashford will be taking on a new name and identity. She can't have anyone with her who knows the truth."Clara dropped to her knees, crying."My lady always starts coughing when winter comes, and she keeps waking from nightmares at night. Without me, who's going to remember to warm her medicine?"I placed the contract binding her to my service in her hand."You don't have to take care of me anymore," I said.As they led Clara away, she kept looking back every few steps."My lady, when you get to the south, please make sure you eat properly. Don't keep taking your anger out on your own health."I watched as they closed the door, leaving Clara outside. But I made no

Chapter 5

After my death, Adrian was the first to realize something was wrong.He stood beside the coffin and asked the steward, "How long ago did she take the medicine?""Less than 15 minutes ago, Your Highness."Adrian nodded. His gaze settled on my face, and he suddenly bent down to wipe the corner of my mouth.A faint smear of blood marked his fingertip. His expression changed."Summon the royal physician."My father frowned."The Deathveil Pills are supposed to slow down the heartbeat and blood flow. That shouldn't be a cause for concern."Adrian ignored him. He lifted me out of the coffin and laid me on a bed.Julian reached out to stop him."The time has already been arranged. We can't delay this any longer."Adrian looked up at him and said, "She's bleeding."Only then did Julian notice the dark red stain at the corner of my mouth. He abruptly picked up the medicine bowl from the table. A thin layer of liquid still remained at the bottom.When the royal physician arrived, he

Chapter 6

Adrian wouldn't let anyone put me back in the coffin. Instead, he carried me into the main suite, which had originally been prepared for our wedding.The wedding garlands still hung around the room. Two wedding glasses sat on the table, and the bridal shoes I'd never worn stood beside the bed.Just yesterday, everything here was ready for a wedding. Today, I lay on the bed, no longer breathing.Over ten royal physicians arrived. Some administered treatments with needles; others prescribed medicine. One even suggested soaking my hands and feet in a scalding herbal infusion.Adrian approved every treatment. It wasn't until Clara knelt beside the bed and blocked the last physician that anyone stopped."That's enough. My lady feared pain more than anything else when she was alive."Adrian held my hand without looking up."She's not dead. The Deathveil Pills stop a person's breathing for six hours.""It's already been eight hours," she said."Then, we'll wait longer."Clara asked

Chapter 7

When my body was brought back to the Ashford residence, the main gates stood wide open.This time, my mother made no attempt to cover my face. But my father refused to let the bells toll to announce my death.He said the palace had yet to decide how to explain what had happened. So, my family couldn't publicly announce my death or begin mourning without permission.Clara stood at the entrance, refusing to let anyone carry the coffin inside."When my lady was alive, you were afraid someone might see her. Now that she's dead, what are you still afraid of?"My father replied sternly, "This matter concerns the affairs of the kingdom. It isn't simply a private family matter."Clara shot back, "Then, whose family is supposed to care about my lady?"My father was stunned.I was Julian's wife, a pawn Adrian had used to deceive Northvale, and a daughter the Ashford family had chosen to cast aside.Everyone had the right to decide whether I stayed or went. But not a single place was wil

Chapter 8

After returning from the palace, Adrian went to the room where I'd stayed. It was empty now. My books, medicine bottles, and clothes had all been removed. All that remained was a small pile of ashes in the charcoal brazier. The wooden bird had been burned beyond recognition.Adrian crouched down and picked out the charred fragments of wood one by one.Vivienne stood beneath the covered walkway."Your Highness, what's the point of doing all this now?"He didn't answer.Her eyes reddened as she continued, "That wooden bird was a fake. So was the wedding dress. Even your promise to marry her was just to keep her quiet and cooperative."Adrian finally looked up."Who told you I wasn't going to marry her?"Vivienne froze."But Julian's already back. How could you possibly…"He interrupted her. "I'd intended to marry her all along."But after Northvale was defeated, the king personally issued a decree restoring Julian's identity. The royal court also needed Adrian to clear his

Chapter 9

Julian returned to the house where we'd once lived together. It had been neglected for three years.The magnolia tree in the courtyard had grown taller than the roof, but there was still no swing beneath it.When the elderly steward saw Julian, he knelt at the entrance and wept for a long time."My lady had this tree pruned every year. She said she still wanted a swing built beneath it when you returned, General Whitmore."Julian stood beneath the tree all night without going inside.The next day, he unlocked a chest in the study. It was filled with letters I'd written to him.I'd written the first letter seven days after he left Kingsbridge. I'd told him the magnolias were blooming and reminded him to keep his promise when he came home.Even after news of his death arrived from the border, I continued writing to him.I told him my father had forbidden me from wearing anything festive again, and that my mother had taken away the things we'd used at our wedding.I also wrote th

Chapter 10

For three whole days, my family, Julian, and Adrian argued over where I should be buried.My family wanted me buried in the Ashford family cemetery. Julian wanted to bring me back to the Whitmore family burial grounds, while Adrian ordered a separate burial estate to be built for me.Just as before, they each made decisions on my behalf, until Clara brought out an old piece of paper.It was a preion from when I'd been seriously ill. On the back, I'd casually written a few lines."If I ever get to leave Kingsbridge, I'd like to find somewhere I can see the river. I'd plant a few magnolia trees there, somewhere no one would recognize me."Back then, I was confined to Blackwood Manor, and I'd simply jotted down a passing thought. No one had imagined that it would eventually become the only wish I'd leave behind.My grave was built on a riverbank outside Kingsbridge. I wasn't buried in the Ashford family cemetery or in a grave meant to be shared with Julian. The burial estate Adrian

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