The Returning Husband Refuses to Divorce Chapter 10

Leo was only ten years old.

He was the youngest among the odd-job workers permitted to enter the inner castle.

Odd-job workers were generally looked down upon by the formally employed servants. So when that person approached him, Leo couldn’t help feeling intimidated.

“Listen carefully. You need money, don’t you? When you go into the castle later, sneak something out for me. I’ll pay you for the errand.”

The man spoke kindly, but Leo immediately saw through him.

This is a threat.

The man knew all about Leo’s family circumstances.

His sick mother.

His younger siblings.

Leo was the only one in the family who could earn money.

And if things go wrong, he might even hurt my family.

Leo had actually been beaten by that man while working in the inner castle before.

“Besides, it’s my property anyway. It’s not like you’d be stealing anything. Understand?”

The man’s defensive words made it obvious that he was practically confessing to his own crime. Leo understood that much, but he had no choice except to nod.

And the result was…

“This rotten little brat stole something!”

Damn it. It’s all over now.

Leo squeezed his eyes shut.

“He’s always been a little thief. We need to teach him a proper lesson this time!”

As luck would have it, three servants from the inner castle had witnessed Leo hiding the item.

No! I’ve never stolen anything before!

But there was no way anyone would believe him when he had been caught in the act.

“Hey! What’s going on over there?”

To make matters worse, a group of men was approaching from a distance.

Leo’s face turned deathly pale.

Those men… Are they the knights who returned yesterday?

He had already heard the news.

His Grace the Duke and the knights had returned the previous day and dismissed all the servants.

That must be why that man made me do this.

As the knights drew closer, the color drained from Leo’s face.

Even servants who had devoted their entire lives to the ducal household had been fired in an instant. There was no telling what would happen to a little odd-job worker caught stealing.

They might even cut off my hand!

Desperate, Leo turned his gaze toward the three servants who had first caught him.

Help me! Please!

In fact, one of the three was his accomplice.

The plan had been for Leo to take something from the annex, after which his accomplice would hide it and smuggle it out.

But for some reason, his accomplice had ended up with the others, and Leo had been caught stealing.

He must have made a mistake somehow. He’ll help me now!

But the boy’s hopes were cruelly betrayed.

His accomplice simply turned away, avoiding Leo’s gaze.

Despair washed over the boy’s face.

“Hey, kid. Is all of this true?”

Even as Leo stood there, several knights with imposing builds and towering frames questioned him.

What should I do?

He wanted to tell them everything.

That he had done it because they had threatened him.

But… What if they don’t believe me?

The knights had left for the front five years ago. Although not all of them were acquainted with the servants, most knew at least some of them.

Leo, on the other hand, was only ten.

No adult would take a child’s words seriously.

“Tell us the truth. Did you steal it?”

If he said nothing, he might die.

But if he spoke up, they might retaliate against him.

Trapped between two terrible choices, Leo squeezed his eyes shut.

“I mean, I…”

Just then, a clear, melodious voice interrupted him.

“Sir Ash.”

Leo flinched in surprise.

W-what?

The atmosphere changed in an instant.

Leo cautiously opened his eyes.

It’s the woman from the annex!

He had never spoken to her, but he knew who she was.

He had heard that she was the Duchess, but the former duchess had hated her so much that she had been banished to the annex.

She was so beautiful that he could hardly look away, yet she always seemed sad, which made Leo feel sorry for her. That was why he would sometimes secretly pick flowers and leave them on the annex’s windowsill.

But why is she here?

The woman slowly turned her gaze toward him.

Her blue eyes seemed to tell him, It’s all right now.

At that moment, Leo felt something catch in his throat.

How foolish of him to feel that way when he barely even knew her.

“May I ask what’s going on here?”

Meanwhile, Ines calmly assessed the situation.

It looks like that boy was caught stealing.

She recognized the child. She had seen him wandering around when she lived in the annex.

He was also the one who occasionally left a flower behind.

“It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with. I apologize for the disturbance.”

Ash Ranford answered Ines respectfully.

He’s telling me to mind my own business and leave.

Ash was the man who had blocked Ines when she went to Zecard’s room yesterday.

Before the meal, Zecard had briefly introduced him to her. He was Zecard’s loyal adjutant, and…

As I thought, he really dislikes me.

Ines calmly surveyed the others as well.

Five knights and three servants.

Every single one of them looked at her with hostility.

I suppose it’s only natural.

No matter how well Zecard treated Ines, the people under his command couldn’t simply accept the situation.

She had already been the subject of unpleasant rumors, and now, because of her, their acquaintances, colleagues, and family members had lost their jobs.

Of course, Zecard had never explicitly said that he had replaced the servants because of Ines.

But anyone with a little sense could put two and two together.

After Zecard’s return, Ines was the only person in the castle whose circumstances had improved.

“I’m in my room, but I kept hearing the commotion. I’d like to hear what happened.”

When Ines showed no sign of backing down, Ash eventually sighed and began explaining.

“…And that’s what happened.”

After thinking quietly for a moment, Ines looked at the boy.

“He doesn’t look like the sort of child who would do that.”

Ash frowned before he could stop himself.

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. I’d like to hear more of the boy’s side of the story.”

“We’ve already questioned him. He’s the one refusing to answer.”

The boy, suddenly singled out, flinched violently.

“Besides, these three are witnesses. They claim they saw him hide the item in his pocket with their own eyes.”

At that, Ines glanced at the servants.

She seemed to ponder something for a long moment before suddenly walking toward the boy.

Then she crouched in front of him, bringing herself to his eye level.

“Is it true?”

The boy flinched.

“Did you really do it?”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Ines raised a hand to stop Ash.

“You couldn’t bring yourself to speak, could you? Because you thought no one would listen. And you were worried about what might happen afterward. But if you keep silent, you’ll end up taking the blame for everything.”

The boy’s face grew paler with every word.

“It’s all right now. I’ll listen to you. So tell me.”

Her gentle voice rang out clearly.

“Did you really do this because you wanted to?”

Overcome by his pent-up sorrow, the boy began to sob.

Then, pointing at someone, he cried out at the top of his lungs.

“It was him! He teamed up with the head maid and threatened me!”

“What?”

The servant he had pointed at frantically waved his hands.

“W-what…? That’s absurd! You can’t possibly be serious…!”

The servants all began talking at once.

“That little brat dares to frame Hans?”

“We helped him get a job here, and this is how he repays us!”

“H-h-h-head maid? What are you talking about?!”

The knights were thrown into confusion, but their sympathies gradually shifted toward the familiar servants.

Watching the chaos unfold, Ash let out a sigh.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to handle the rest of this myself. Please excuse us.”

From his attitude, Ines could tell that he didn’t believe the boy at all.

“How exactly do you intend to handle it?”

“I’ll punish the boy according to the law.”

“But he says he was threatened.”

“Children that age lie all the time.”

At that, the boy cried out as though he were screaming for his life.

“N-no! I’m telling the truth! I really didn’t do it!”

He pointed at the same servant again.

“Search Hans’s belongings! He’s already stolen other things and hidden them there! If you just look, you’ll see…!”

“You little rat! Who do you think you’re trying to frame?!”

The servant flew into a rage and grabbed the boy by the collar.

“You want to die? If you’re so eager to die, then die on your own! Why drag me down with you?”

Ash shook his head before speaking.

“Anyway, please return to your room. I’m afraid I won’t be able to see you off, given the circumstances.”

But Ines stopped him.

“Please search that man’s belongings, just as the boy requested.”

The atmosphere turned icy in an instant.

“What did you just say?”

Ash spoke stiffly, his expression hardening.

“We have a witness’s accusation. Shouldn’t we make sure of the facts?”

“A child—and a thief at that. How credible do you think his testimony is?”

Ines realized that Ash wasn’t simply being difficult for the sake of it.

He can’t afford to back down in front of me.

This was a contest of wills.

Whether the boy was guilty was no longer the main issue. Ash and the others were now openly defying Ines.

“Are you prepared to take responsibility for this order?”

Ines was the Duchess.

She shouldn’t casually invoke the word responsibility over a child who wasn’t family and whom she barely knew.

But that didn’t matter.

This was a bet she was certain to win.

Because…

“Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll stake my name on it and take responsibility. Now, begin the search.”

After all, Ines had the ability to see through other people’s lies.