Mysterious Husband [Vol 1-7] ✓

[Vol. 6] Chapter 148

(Third person's POV- omniscient)

Miku was happy that she bought medicines for Kaede and food for her siblings.

Both Hotaru and her went to the market to buy those. The pouch certainly had so many coins along with four gold coins that would last them for whole of three to four months!

She had no idea that knight was that rich!

If only she could sell those weapons of his, it would have been fetch a good amount. Then maybe, they didn't have to worry for a year.

As they reached their old and cranky house, she found a few bulky men had surrounded their front yard.

She and Hotaru got worried because their small siblings were alone in that house. Miku shouted, "What are you all doing here, you imbeciles!"

They turned around and grinned evilly. Three of them had wooden sticks and the rest of the two had rusty daggers in their belts. They were the local gangs of the new Lord. That bastard Lord!

He had sent them again...!

One of them smiled and said, "The Lady of the house came finally. The Lord has sent you a gift. Here!"

He threw something at her feet and she saw it was a red robe and a collar.

He said, "The Lord said to put them on and be sure not to wear anything else beneath it."

And they laughed hysterically, making fun of her.

It was the robe the prostitutes wear and they don't wear anything beneath it to attract their customers. The collar was a symbol that the Lord wanted her to be one of his concubines.

But it was mostly an insult to her because the Lord would only use her for his desires.

She clenched her teeth and Hotaru shouted, "You bastards!"

And he advanced toward them to beat them. Miku shouted behind him, "Hotaru, don't!"

But they had surrounded him and started to punch and kick him as Hotaru tumbled down on the ground. They were massive in sizes while Hotaru was lean and wasn't strong at all. If he had been fed maybe he could have been strong like them.

Miku took a tree branch and went toward them. In this commotion, her other siblings came out with rocks in their hands.

While Miku started to swung the log in all directions, they threw the stones toward them. Some of the rocks flew toward their heads, ears, eyes making them injured while Miku's log gave a good beating to them.

However, while tackling them, the pouch came out of her skirt pocket and fell on the floor.

One of them said, "You bitch! You have this much coins yet you haven't paid the new Lord!"

And they took it as they ran away.

Miku lost the coins that would save them for the next three months and her lips quivered as anger rushed through her stomach.

She shouted, "Tell your Lord to wear those and come here then I will go. And be sure to tell him nothing to wear beneath it. You bunch of loosers! And take those coins and never come back you begger of a Lord!"

As they ran away cursing her, Miku and others went toward Hotaru, who got many bruises on him.

"Hotaru, you idiot! Why did you went toward them?!"

Hotaru hissed as tears fell from the corners of his eyes, "Because I am the man of the house yet I have no strength to protect you all. I am ashamed of myself!"

Miku slapped him as Kaede and others became shocked including Hotaru as they all looked at her with wide eyes.

Miku growled, "Shove that man of the house where sun doesn't shine, you idiot! I'm the Lady of the house and it is my duty to protect you all and give you the life you deserve!"

And then tears started to fell on her cheeks as she said, "But I'm unable to do so because noble ladies don't work!"

And that was why she had to steal. And she was ashamed that she had to drag her brother in this when he could become a knight or something else.

Although the new Duke had been abolishing all those sickly rules yet it was still far from actually maintaining them especially in the outskirts of the Dukedom. The royal guards would barely come because they were still maintaining the order in all over Komaki.

It all started when their father's power started to decline. She was a daughter of the Baron and everything was fine until that Lord Kogaru showed up.

He had set his eyes on her from the start but as her father knew he was a bad Lord, he refused to give his daughter to him. And soon he started to play dirty.

He used some of his mercenaries to loot people and rob the travellers. And it all fell on her father's shoulders that he wasn't able to protect his land and maintain the order.

Everyone started to blame him and say by day, his knights were leaving him to join Lord Kogaru.

The humiliation and everything went on until one day, they found their father hanging from the ceiling.

He couldn't take it and ended his life.

Miku knew from that moment that he was a coward! All men were the same. He left his children behind to suffer all alone. He didn't even think what would happen if the protective pillar which was their father, was gone.

The Lord had a lot of concubines mostly he had forced them to come into his harem but he was still targeting her. She was only 17 at that time and had been fighting with everyone to survive until now.

Because everyone insulted their name, the Haruno family, Miku couldn't get into any circles to get some work. She couldn't even use her family name because people would only see them as a disgrace family.

The Haruno family now was struggling to survive and it had been so hard lately with the Lord always creating trouble for them.

"Sister, they took our money... Does that mean, we will not eat today as well?" Luka, her younger brother asked as Lina said, "I can go get some wild fruits from the woods..."

Miku smiled at her sisters and brothers and patted on their heads and said, "No. I have bought the food already and also Kaede's medicines..."

Kaede looked at her with wide eyes and she started to sob as she said, "I am so sorry, elder sister. Because of me..."

Miku knew she always felt because of her expensive medicines, they had to suffer and which was why they needed to steal. Miku didn't want Hotaru to be a thief as well but nobody would give him work because of the family name. She wanted to be the one with bad deeds. She didn't want her siblings to do the stealing or robery. But Hotaru joined her because most of the people either want her as their play things or as a slave and Hotaru made sure that they didn't touch her.

Miku yelled at her, "Shut up, Kaede! I have told you all many times, you are not my burdens! You all are my strength and I will make sure you all could live a good life. Just hang in there..."

They smiled and went to the old house together while Miku thought how she would buy food the next day.

The only thought came to her mind was that man...

She grinned. Guess she had to steal his weaponry this time.

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28th January, 23
1272