Chapter 22: The real thing
“Calm down, Fried! Isn’t your wife troubled?”
Tony, dressed in military attire, frantically tries to intervene.
Thanks to him, Friedrich is somehow pushed away.
“What’s going on, Tony? She’s my wife, isn’t she? It’s been a long time since we last met. You said you were my friend, so why are you interfering?” Friedrich glares at Andrea.
“No, you, look at your wife who is confused.”
Friedrich directs an anxious gaze towards Liddellina. Who is this expressive person? Liddellina retreats.
With all the bad and good things happening at once, and now a husband who is like a stranger, Liddellina falls into panic.
Then Andrea stands up and greets Liddellina.
“I am Tony Andrea, a subordinate of His Excellency Weller. I apologize for not properly introducing myself at the evening party, but do you remember me?”
“Of course, Colonel Andrea. Thank you for coming all this way. However, is this person really my husband?”
She thinks it’s a foolish question, but Liddellina asks and Andrea puts his hand on his forehead as if troubled.
Did he bring a fake by accident? Or did he realize that the relatives were causing trouble and bring a double instead?
“Okusama, it is very surprising, but he is definitely my boss and friend Friedrich. We have been together since boarding school, but all the old wounds match.”
“What?”
Looking closely at Friedrich’s face, the thin scar on his temple is also present, and the characteristic ice blue eyes and sandy hair are also him.
No matter how many humans look similar, they can’t imitate old wounds or eye colors.
Friedrich, urged by Andrea, orders the relatives to leave the salon reluctantly, and they obeyed.
After paying the doctor, Liddellina is shocked to hear the truth.
“Friedrich had been taken into custody when he lost his memory and wandered the battlefield. It seems that he was shot down by an arrow when the unit was divided by the enemy army.”
“So you’re saying he lost his memory from the shock?”
Andrea nods deeply.
“Yes, it’s completely gone. He didn’t even remember his name, let alone his family name. He was even on the missing persons list for a while. However, according to the doctor, procedural memory remains, so I don’t think it will be a problem for managing the territory as long as Okusama supports him.”
“Procedural memory?”
“Yes, memory necessary for daily life. The doctor said that he has no problem with reading, writing, calculating, and general education. Of course, he also remembers how to dance and has no problem with horseback riding or fencing.”
Even if Andrea says that Okusama’s support is necessary, he is trying to divorce Liddellina. She is worried about how much to tell Andrea.
However, she can’t stay silent. And while Friedrich has been smiling at Liddellina affectionately since earlier, he sits so close to her that their arms might touch. He is the person who said he was uncomfortable with touch and was careful to keep a distance.
“Um…I’m sorry to bring this up when you’re tired, but I feel bad for taking advantage of your weakness by staying silent, so I’ll say it.”
When Liddellina prefaces it like that, Friedrich’s face looks anxious.
“What is it, Liddellina?”
Instead of feeling relieved by the warm voice, she trembled. Is he a fake after all? It’s not like him.
Then Liddellina shows him the divorce letter she received from Hannah earlier. It was slightly moistened with tears.
“It seems that you were planning to divorce me. Hannah-sama said she received this from you. All that remains is for me to sign it. I would like to discuss the terms.”
Liddellina’s confession caused the air in the room to tense up.
“What, is that so? Fried, you said you had a good wife!”
“Why, Liddellina? Did you have that much discontent with me?!”
Tony is surprised, and Friedrich shouts.
“No, this is not something I prepared. It is something that my husband wrote and entrusted to Hannah-sama.”
“Come to think of it, the girl named Hannah was acting like she’s your wife, wasn’t she?
Andrea says suspiciously.
“Ah, that insolent woman. I’m not kidding. My wife is Liddellina here.”
“No, but this is definitely your handwriting, right?”
Andrea says as if dumbfounded.
“What a fool! To divorce such a beautiful person. Liddellina, please, don’t abandon me!”
Suddenly, Friedrich grabs Liddellina’s arm.
Again, he touches her without hesitation. And because he looks at her with the eyes of a discarded puppy, she can’t shake him off.
Liddellina doesn’t know how to deal with the completely changed Friedrich. She can’t seem to talk to her husband, so she asks Andrea.
“Um, Andrea-sama. Is there a chance that my husband’s memory will return in the future?”
“Yes, it might return tomorrow, or he might gradually remember…the doctor says it might stay forgotten forever.”
“…I see.”
Even though she answers, Liddellina is in the utmost confusion. In the end, nothing has been resolved.
“As a friend, I will say this for his reputation, but when he had his memories, he never spoke badly of Okusama and was actually a good person. And he was obviously wary of his relatives.
Furthermore, it seems that Okusama is highly respected by the servants, so I would like her to stay with him for a while. This document is probably a mistake of some kind.”
Friedrich nods repeatedly like a child at Andrea’s words. However, she thinks there must be no mistake with the divorce letter written in his own hand.
“Please, Liddellina. It must be a misunderstanding. I would never think of divorcing a charming woman like you.”
Instead of feeling happy, she felt a chill at the change in him.
However, if she can stay here, she is still grateful.
So, is he the real one?
