I ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED A DUNGEON

Karl’s coaching worked, at least well enough, and one afternoon two men arrived at the Aldric household alongside him.

Sabrina brought Edwardo down to the hall, his frame frailer now than it had been in months, bones visible where his coat hung loose off his shoulders. He told her to send them away, but she held her ground, insisted he at least hear them out first.

Edwardo didn’t fully understand what was happening anymore, but he’d stopped questioning her, mostly because he had nothing left to question with.

"Edwardo, good to finally meet you, my friend." Karl offered a broad smile. "These two gentlemen are colleagues of mine from Neoterra. Viktor Hoffmann and Élise Vautrin. Both Numen researchers, working on something new."

Edwardo gave a small nod. "Edwardo Aldric. And this is my—" He broke into a rough cough before he could finish.

"Rest, dear." Sabrina rubbed slow circles against his back.

"Don’t trouble yourself, sir." Viktor spoke up smoothly. "Karl’s already told us plenty about you. And we’ve had a thorough conversation with your wife already."

He set a leather-bound book on the table and opened it. "We’ve spent years on this research, but the royal court back home won’t back the invention, not without more testing than we can afford. We’ve been searching for someone to help move our work into the Roisa Kingdom, but our reputation’s taken enough of a hit with the court that no one local wants to touch the job. Karl mentioned he knew a man reliable enough to trust with it."

"I could, certainly." Edwardo studied him. "You do have the proper permits, I assume."

Viktor’s gaze flicked toward Sabrina. "That’s, ah—"

"They don’t have the permits." Sabrina rested a hand over Edwardo’s. "But I’ve reviewed their work myself. There’s nothing dangerous in it. Given the right opportunity, this could sell itself in no time at all. They just need someone willing to open the right doors."

Edwardo considered that a moment, then turned to her. "I trust your judgment. If you’ve no doubts, then neither do I."

"Thank you. Thank you, truly." Viktor reached for Sabrina’s hand and shook it eagerly. "You won’t regret this decision, I promise you that."

"I hope not." Her gaze sharpened at him just enough that he pulled his hand back a beat faster than he’d offered it.

That night Sabrina prepared dinner to mark the occasion. Everyone gathered for once, Helen didn’t put up her usual resistance, Joshua was the first one seated, and Sabrina took her own chair and waited for the rest.

Yona appeared at the top of the stairs. "Lady Aldric."

"Where’s Edwardo?"

Yona crossed to her side and leaned in close, murmuring something only Sabrina could hear.

She listened without expression, then nodded. "I’ll handle it." She pushed back her chair and stood, glancing at the two children. "Go ahead and start without us. Your father and I need a few minutes."

She made her way to Edwardo’s room, and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, arms slack at his sides, a shawl draped loose over his shoulders.

"The children are waiting for you dear." She crossed the room and sat beside him. "I know you’ve had a lot on your mind since this afternoon, I understand that, but it can wait a little—"

"How did you reach them?" He said in a low voice.

"I’ve been working with a number of people lately. Karl came to me about it eventually. You know him well enough, don’t you?"

"You’ve been gone every night for the last month. Why didn’t you tell me?"

"I didn’t want to add to what you were already carrying." She ran a hand along his back. "I’m sorry if it worried you."

"What were you doing, Sabrina?"

"Working. With other people, on this."

"Were you sleeping with them?" He turned to face her fully. "Answer me clearly. Tell me I’m wrong."

Her expression stayed calm. "How could you possibly think something like that? I would never do such a thing. I’m an Aldric. Your wife."

"Then say it to my face. Say I’m wrong. That what I’ve heard isn’t true." His voice climbed. "Tell me you didn’t do it."

"Of course I didn’t. Who told you something like that?"

"You’re lying." He rose to his feet. "I know you, Sabrina. I know you well enough to see it."

She held still a moment, then rose to match him. "You’re wrong. I didn’t do it. It wasn’t me who did it."

Edwardo’s breathing grew shallow, and his hand reached for her shoulder, pulling the cloth down. Dark bruises marked her arms, her chest, thin cuts along her stomach.

Sabrina stood still.

"This was your choice. When you said we hadn’t tried everything." He shook her by the shoulders. "Tell me why."

She exhaled slowly and pulled her dress back into place. "I did it for you. For this family."

"I never asked you to do this." His voice cracked. "You could have stayed out of my affairs, the way you always did before. For the family? Doing something like this doesn’t save a family, Sabrina. How could you fall this far? Dying would have been better than this."

"I did this because you couldn’t. Because you failed. Because you gave up." Her gaze turned sharp. "I did what I had to, to protect this family. I didn’t spend my days pitying myself over what had already happened. You don’t get to decide what’s right here. You don’t get to decide what I should or shouldn’t have done."

She grabbed his collar. "You should be thanking me, Edwardo. For pulling you out from the hole you dug up. Dying is better? I put everything into this family. I can’t watch it crumble just because of a mistake you made. I can’t die before giving everything."

Edwardo stared at her, fury and fear rising in his chest. Yet the face of her stayed calm through all of it, no emotion breaking the surface. "You’re not Sabrina."

"What did you say?" Her grip tightened on his collar. "Say that again. I am Sabrina. Sabrina Aldric. The same woman who married into this family two years ago."

"You’re..." The rest of it died in his throat. His vision swam, his legs gave out beneath him, and he started to collapse.

"Edwardo." She caught him before he hit the floor. "Hey, Edwardo, what’s wrong?" She lowered him down, mind racing. "This isn’t the time for jokes. Open your eyes. The children are waiting. Edwardo! Open your eyes!"

Her whole body shook. "I’m sorry. This was a mistake. Please, wake up."

She looked back toward the door. "Joshua! Helen! Yona! Someone, tell him to wake up!"

The days dragged on and Edwardo still hadn’t woken. Doctors came and went, some genuinely trying, others offering little more than hollow sympathy dressed up as medicine. None of it changed anything. Karl and Viktor both came by at different points. Sabrina pleaded with Karl directly, but even he had no answer to give her this time.

She tried to reach the children too, told them through closed doors that everything was going to be fine, that their father would wake soon. Neither Helen nor Joshua opened their doors for her.

On the sixth day, she met an adventurer. He mentioned a group who might be able to help, people who dealt with things doctors couldn’t touch. She agreed without a moment’s hesitation, and that same evening four figures in black cloaks arrived at the house.

She led them straight to Edwardo’s room.

Sabrina watched in silence as they worked. White flowers arranged in a ring, candles set at even points, and one of the men cut his own wrist and let the blood fall across Edwardo’s stomach in slow drops. He traced a circle around the bed, an unfamiliar symbol drawn at its center, and began reciting something low and steady.

Edwardo’s chest began rising and falling faster. Her own heart pounded in time with it, and she pressed her hands together.

"Please. Please. Please. Let this work."

"Haa—" Edwardo’s eyes snapped open, darting around the room in confusion before they started to lose focus again immediately.

Sabrina pushed past the cloaked men and dropped to his side. "E-Edwardo—"

"We’ve done what we could." The man with the cut wrist was already turning to leave. He glanced once at Edwardo, then leaned close to Sabrina and murmured, "We don’t perform miracles."

She ignored him entirely and reached for Edwardo’s hand. "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know I shouldn’t have done something so vile. I’m sorry. But everything’s going to be all right now."

His fingers tightened faintly around hers, lips parting. "Georgia..."

Sabrina went completely still, the single word emptying her mind of everything else. She jerked back from him, staggering.

What?

Her eyes lifted to his face. His eyes had stopped moving. His chest had gone quiet.

He’s dead.