My Dear Husband, Let's Keep It Business-Like! ~Countess Anastasia, Raised in The Downtown, Won't Give Up Her Way~ - Episode 42

“By the way, I understand why I can see spirits now, but why can Anna see them from birth? Is it a constitution or something genetic?”

My husband tilts his head in confusion.

Yeah, actually, I wanted to ask about that too.

“Wait, Anna, you didn’t know that either?!”

“Because Ana is Tanya’s child.”

“Tanya is Carolina’s child, right?”

…Genetics?

“Anna, what about that Tanya or Carolina?”

“Oh, Tanya is my mother. Her real name is Tatiana, but she went by Tanya in town. Carolina is new to me as well, but judging by the context, she might be my grandmother… maybe?”

My husband is deep in thought, looking somewhat troubled.

“Does that mean Anastasia comes from a special lineage?”

I was taken aback by my husband’s rather probing question, but the spirits were completely unfazed, remaining as carefree as ever.

“Hmm, I talked a lot and got tired!”

“When we talk about the princess, the king gets angry, you know?”

“Let’s ask the Spirit King next time if it’s okay to talk to Anna!”

“That’s good, that’s good, yeah, let’s do that!” The spirits excitedly cheered among themselves.

“Alright then, see you later. Thanks for the cookies!”

Saying that, they flapped their wings and flew away.

It flew away, but… didn’t you say something really concerning?

What is a princess? A princess?

Since there is a spirit king, does that mean you’re a spirit princess?

Or perhaps, there was a princess who got along well with spirits?

Indeed, back in the day, I used to think, “If someone said my mom was actually a princess from somewhere, I could believe it,” because she was so different from everyone else. But there’s no way she could be a princess of spirits or something, right? …Right?!

As I was dizzy from my mother’s incredible potential, I locked eyes with my husband.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yes. There are a lot of things I’m hearing and learning for the first time too.”

“Didn’t Anna often ask her parents about herself?”

“Yeah, I didn’t hear much about it.”

After answering, I remember the time when I was still young.

“Why doesn’t Anna have a grandpa or grandma?”

“Why can Anna see the spirits?”

“Why does Anna always have to wear the pendant?”

When I heard that, my dad always gave me a troubled smile. So, even as a child, I came to think that it was something I shouldn’t ask about.

By the way, Mom

“Hehe, it’s a secret!”

Since they only said that, I gave up on everything.

“When I asked my father about my origins, he always looked troubled. Even as a child, I didn’t want to bother him, so before I knew it, it became normal not to ask. Looking back now, I should have asked more…”

I never imagined there would be so many mysteries and secrets.

“Well, children are surprisingly good at reading their parents’ expressions. If they think their parents would be troubled, they won’t say or ask anything. …I have a bit of experience with that myself.”

I think my husband must have gone through a lot as well. Taking over an earldom at the young age of 20 is not something that usually happens.

The relationship between your parents isn’t very good either… or rather, it seems that your husband’s father had a bad habit with women.

It even accidentally reached my ears. I don’t know the details, but it was probably quite something.

For a while, the two of them drink tea in silence.

The bedroom, now devoid of the spirits, felt quiet and unsettling, and just as I was thinking that, my husband started a conversation.

“The reason I asked for your time today is for two matters. One was about that light, and I understand that now. The other matter was that I wanted to see Anna’s pendant.”

“This pendant, is it?”

“Ah, I had a little look at it the other day and did some research myself, but I was also curious about the spirit story from earlier.”

How does the story about the spirit earlier connect to this pendant?

“At that time, I thought it might be a new type of magical tool since I had never seen anything like it before… but rather, isn’t it something very old?”

“Yes, that’s right. I think it’s an old item, but I don’t know its origin. It was just passed down to me from my mother…”

I really don’t know anything.

Somehow, I feel pathetic, and my eyebrows naturally droop.

“Do you know the country called ‘Fayoum’?”

“Huh? No, this is the first time I’ve heard of it.”

“I see. Feyam is a country whose existence is only preserved in legends, and it’s uncertain whether it ever really existed. It’s also known as the ‘Country Loved by Spirits.'”

I was taken aback and looked at my husband’s face.

My husband is also looking at me with a very serious expression.

“Could it be that Anna’s mother is somehow connected to that Feyam…?”