The Returning Husband Refuses to Divorce Chapter 21

“Move faster. Stop dawdling!”

At the sharp reprimand, Selena bit down on her lip in frustration.

That insolent little…!

There had been a time when Selena held the entire vast Evanhardt domain in the palm of her hand.

Being ordered around by some mercenary whose origins she didn’t even know was not merely unpleasant. It was humiliating.

In the past, he wouldn’t even have dared speak to me.

This was all that bastard’s fault.

Zecard Evanhardt.

Her insufferably arrogant stepson.

Yes, Selena had known from the very beginning.

Someday, that son of a bitch would find a way to make her pay…!

“Hey, what are you doing over there? Don’t come any closer!”

“Oh, well… I-I have something I need Lady Selena to check.”

“Hand it over. I need to inspect it first.”

The knight snatched the paper from the maid’s outstretched hand and skimmed through it.

He frowned as though he couldn’t understand what it said, and the sight made Selena want to scream.

“Well, nothing important here. Here, take it!”

But the most infuriating part was that Selena had no choice but to accept this treatment without a word of complaint.

The moment she noticed the unease and pity in the maid’s eyes as she looked at her, Selena clenched her teeth in humiliation.

I’ll make you pay for this disgrace someday. Just you wait!

And so, even as Selena prepared the banquet as instructed, every aspect of her daily life remained under strict surveillance.

She had thought that preparing the banquet would at least give her opportunities to make contact with other people, but…

“What are you doing resting? Get back to work. The sooner you finish, the sooner I can clock out!”

The insolent knight assigned to watch her was annoyingly vigilant for someone who was merely a knight.

Be patient. I have to be patient.

Still, she couldn’t help the anger that occasionally surged up from within her.

Why on earth should I have to…?!

But Selena calmly composed herself and resumed her work.

She might be in this miserable situation now, but if she waited long enough, her opportunity would come.

The perfect moment to strike back!

And sure enough, that moment arrived sooner than expected.

What’s that?

The meal provided to her consisted of a scrawny piece of bread and a bowl of clear soup without a single solid ingredient.

Beneath the bowl lay a small note.

Selena quickly grabbed it and stuffed it into her pocket.

“Something’s strange… Why are you being so obedient today?”

The knight, whose eyes were annoyingly sharp, seemed suspicious of Selena’s unusually docile behavior. However, she pretended not to know what he was talking about.

At last, evening came, and she returned to her cramped little room. There, she unfolded the note.

[Preparing the operation.]

Finally!

Thrilled, Selena continued reading.

But the farther she read, the more her expression twisted.

What the hell is this supposed to mean?

The note had been sent by Yulia.

She had once been the former head maid’s right-hand woman. Clever and quick-witted, she had been one of the maids Selena favored.

And yet…

What does driving Ines out have to do with me?

Why was that fool talking such nonsense?

According to the note, Yulia was working to turn the servants against Ines and planned to expose their hostility at the upcoming banquet, humiliating Ines beyond repair.

Fine. Seeing Ines disgraced would certainly be satisfying. Selena disliked her on a personal level, too.

But…

Even if that woman gets kicked out, it doesn’t mean I’ll get to return!

The charges Zecard had brought against Selena were embezzlement and abuse of authority.

In other words, they had nothing to do with Ines.

Y-You stupid fool!

Her expectations betrayed, Selena grew even angrier. She crumpled the note and hurled it against the wall.

Then she stood there, fuming as she glared at it for a long while.

…No, wait a moment.

Come to think of it, perhaps she shouldn’t dismiss the idea outright.

She had heard that Zecard had recently been taking conspicuous care of his wife.

More than simply being on good terms with her, he was deliberately emphasizing that Ines was the official Duchess of Evanhardt.

Such behavior could easily be interpreted as having political implications.

There’s definitely room for me to intervene.

Even if she couldn’t turn the entire situation upside down, she could at least buy herself some time.

Selena bent down and picked up the crumpled note again.

Her eyes gleamed as she reread its contents.

Yes. That’s it.

Simply driving Ines out wouldn’t be enough.

But if Ines caused Zecard’s claim to the ducal title to be called into question, that would change everything.

The temple’s envoys would be attending the banquet.

If evidence emerged in front of them linking the Duchess to heresy, the temple would inevitably intervene.

Zecard wouldn’t be able to easily abandon the duchess he had chosen over Selena. It was a matter of legitimacy, after all.

That would force him into a direct confrontation with the temple.

That chaos will be enough.

It would buy her the time she needed to destroy the ledgers and escape.

Selena took a fresh sheet of paper and wrote a short reply.

[Humiliating her is not enough.]

After a moment’s thought, she added another line.

[Give the temple a reason to intervene directly. Make the evidence so conclusive that there can be no turning back.]

Selena folded the reply and hid it beneath the empty bowl.

A short while later, the knight came to collect the dishes.

After turning the corner in the corridor, he stopped and retrieved the note from beneath the bowl. He laid a thin sheet of paper over it and copied its contents word for word.

Then he returned the original note to its place.

“My Lady, allow me to help you.”

Ines, who had been staring blankly at herself in the mirror, emerged from her thoughts.

“Oh, thank you.”

May bowed her head obediently and picked up a makeup brush.

Hmm…

Ever since May had burst into tears in front of Ines a few days ago, her entire demeanor had softened.

She had never openly displayed any hostility toward Ines, but now she was practically as docile as a lamb.

She really must have been grateful to me.

Unaccustomed to receiving kindness from others, Ines felt awkward as she allowed May to attend to her.

“All done, My Lady.”

At last, May stepped back after finishing Ines’s makeup and arranging her hair.

Oh.

Ines was secretly startled.

She hadn’t had a single occasion to attend an official function in the past five years, so this was the first time she had dressed up like this since her wedding.

…I look pretty.

It wasn’t simply a matter of physical beauty.

For the first time in a very long while, Ines could see a spark of vitality in her own face.

Something that hadn’t been there before.

“Which necklace would you like to wear?”

The jewelry box was filled with expensive gemstones.

Every last piece had been personally selected and purchased by Zecard.

When did he manage to prepare all this?

If he had been fighting a war between nations, he might have collected jewels as spoils of war. But Zecard had been stationed on the frontier, a place filled with grotesque monsters rather than precious stones.

Besides, she had heard that he would receive the emperor’s rewards at the official victory banquet scheduled to take place in the capital a few months from now.

Everything here appeared to have come from renowned jewelers in the capital…

Did he really manage to buy all this during that brief stop in the capital?

Once again, Ines marveled at Zecard’s thoroughness before choosing a diamond necklace.

“Thank you. Everything turned out beautifully thanks to you.”

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

“His Grace has arrived.”

When Ines nodded, May hurried over and opened the door.

A moment later, Zecard entered.

Dressed in his formal uniform, he looked more striking than usual.

His long legs and broad shoulders were accentuated by the perfectly tailored uniform, which fitted his body with crisp precision.

“You’re here.”

Ines quickly rose to greet him.

But the moment their eyes met, Zecard stopped dead in his tracks.

His blue eyes traveled insistently from the top of Ines’s head to the tips of her toes.

“Zecard?”

Only when Ines called his name did he finally break into a gentle smile.

“You look beautiful. It suits you perfectly.”

“Oh, thank you.”

For some reason, Ines felt pleased, as though she had passed his exacting standards.

“It’s all thanks to you. Thank you so much for the gifts.”

Everything Ines wore today, from her clothes to her jewelry, had been prepared by Zecard.

The dress in particular fit her figure perfectly, and she couldn’t imagine how he had known her exact measurements.

Perhaps he has a remarkably keen eye.

While she was idly entertaining this thought, Zecard had already approached her side.

“Would you grant me the honor of escorting you today, my lady?”

Zecard held out his hand with impeccable courtesy.

Ines hesitated for a moment.

Not because she disliked him, but because she was worried she might make the same mistake as last time.

No. I don’t need to be so self-conscious. It’s just a formality, after all.

Besides, keeping Zecard waiting while she agonized over such a simple matter would be even more discourteous.

Having made up her mind, Ines carefully placed her hand atop his.

“Thank you.”

His deep voice reached her ears.

Maintaining eye contact with Ines, Zecard slowly lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to its back.

It was undoubtedly a light touch, yet it felt strangely different.

Thank goodness. I didn’t pull my hand away this time.

For some reason, Ines felt embarrassed, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

“Then, allow me to escort you.”

The two of them left the room.

Their hands remained clasped together.

…Why isn’t he letting go?

Feeling as though she were somehow at fault, Ines couldn’t bring herself to ask him to release her hand. Instead, she looked at Zecard.

“As I mentioned earlier, we’ll be receiving the delegations this morning.”

“I see.”

“The imperial delegation is said to be nearly here. If we leave now, we should arrive at just the right time.”

Ines quickly ran through the names of the members of the imperial delegation in her mind.

She had never been particularly connected to the imperial family, so there was no one she could say she knew personally.

“And the temple’s delegation is expected to arrive in about an hour.”

At those words, Ines faltered for a moment.