The Returning Husband Refuses to Divorce Chapter 30

As soon as Helien Bron arrived at the temple, she headed straight for the central prayer hall.

“Where is His Holiness?”

“He’s inside.”

After hearing the junior priest’s answer, Helien quickened her pace slightly.

She stopped before the magnificent doors and took a moment to straighten her robes before knocking.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

For the first time, the slightest trace of tension crossed Helien’s usually composed, unruffled face.

She slowly opened the door.

However, someone was already inside.

“Oh, Lady Helien.”

The first thing that caught her eye was a dazzling head of platinum-blonde hair.

It flowed softly past the woman’s shoulders, as though sunlight itself had been melted into strands of gold. The face framed by those locks was almost impossibly beautiful.

Snow-white skin.

Clear blue eyes without a single blemish.

And lips curved into a faint smile.

If someone were asked to imagine the human being most beloved by God, this would probably be the result.

Saintess Elise Chartier.

The most exalted woman in the Holy Empire of Ethila, and the human being blessed most abundantly by God.

“You must have had a difficult journey. Thank you for all your hard work.”

Elise smiled warmly.

Even her voice was pleasant to the ear.

Looking at her, it was easy to understand why people loved her so dearly.

After briefly paying her respects, Helien asked,

“Where is His Holiness?”

“Over there.”

Elise glanced toward the window.

Helien followed her gaze.

A man stood before the tall window.

He had long legs and a tall, straight posture.

His build was almost too imposing for a clergyman, yet the immaculate white uniform he wore gave him an almost otherworldly air.

The light streaming in from behind him obscured his face.

Even so, Helien recognized him immediately.

Without hesitation, she dropped to one knee.

“I pay my respects to Your Holiness the Pope.”

For a moment, there was no response.

Helien waited with her head bowed.

She could feel his gaze resting on the crown of her head.

“You’re here.”

At last, a gentle voice rang out.

“Raise your head, Helien.”

Only then did Helien slowly look up.

The man turned around, bathed in light.

His youthful face bore no trace of age. Silver hair fell softly around his features, and his eyes curved as though he were perpetually smiling.

His perfectly sculpted features conveyed warmth before authority.

Anyone seeing him for the first time would probably find it easy to let down their guard.

The Pope of Ethila, the Holy Empire.

The representative of God, who ruled over countless priests and whom even the Emperor could not treat carelessly.

Who could imagine that such a person would look like this?

And yet Helien felt tense every time she stood before him.

She had felt that way for a very long time.

“So.”

The Pope asked with a smile.

“What was her answer?”

There was no need to ask whose answer he meant.

Helien remained silent for a moment.

“She refused.”

Silence.

The Pope’s smile did not change in the slightest.

“She refused?”

“Yes.”

“Did Ines say so herself?”

“Yes.”

“Because of the Duke?”

This time, Helien took a little longer to answer.

〈Regardless of what happens with His Grace.〉

Ines had been astonishingly firm when she said those words.

“…She said it had nothing to do with him.”

The Pope’s eyes slowly curved.

“I see.”

That was all he said.

And yet, somehow, the atmosphere in the room grew heavier.

Elise cautiously interjected.

“It seems my sister still has some lingering resentment toward the temple.”

Her brows tilted slightly, as though she felt sorry for Ines.

“Perhaps we should give her a little more time? She must have been taken aback by being asked to return so suddenly.”

The Pope slowly turned his gaze toward Elise.

“Elise.”

“Yes, Your Holiness?”

“What kind of person was Grand Duke Evanhardt?”

For an instant, Elise’s smile froze.

But she soon resumed her perfectly gentle expression.

“…He’s a good person.”

“Is that so?”

The Pope’s smile deepened slightly.

“Since you spent so much time with him on the battlefield, your opinion should be trustworthy.”

“……”

Elise offered no further answer.

Helien remained silent as well.

As though nothing had happened, the Pope turned his gaze back toward the window.

“Very well.”

“Your Holiness?”

“Let us observe the situation a little longer.”

He was still smiling gently.

“There’s no need to rush just yet.”

Strangely enough, the moment Helien heard those words, she felt even more tense than before.

“You may leave. Thank you for your hard work.”

The Pope dismissed her in a mild, courteous tone.

No longer able to bear the tension, Helien promptly bowed and left the room.

A few days later.

All the guests who had visited Evanhardt for the victory banquet had departed.

The castle quickly returned to its usual routine.

And Ines’s days became considerably more ordinary as well.

“Since this is our first lesson, let’s start with a light overview of the domain.”

Enrique Orche placed a thick stack of documents on the desk.

Thud.

Ines stared at it for a moment.

“…You call this a light introduction?”

“Compared to the records for the entire ducal domain, yes.”

“I see.”

He really wasn’t someone to underestimate.

Feeling slightly overwhelmed, Ines began leafing through the documents.

Taxes, roads, farmland, winter damage, population and production figures for each village…

Much of the information was unfamiliar to her, and it made her head ache. But as she continued reading, she found herself becoming unexpectedly interested.

So this is what the North is like.

Despite having lived in Evanhardt for five years, Ines knew remarkably little about the domain.

She had rarely even ventured outside the castle.

But now, as she examined the records one by one, the domain that had once seemed like an indistinct expanse was gradually taking shape in her mind.

“I’ll begin the explanation. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me immediately.”

Enrique’s calm voice filled the room.

Suddenly, Ines’s gaze stopped on a line of text.

Come to think of it…

An entirely unrelated thought popped into her head.

I wonder what Zecard is doing right now.

The truth was that things between them were still a little awkward.

Zecard hadn’t continued avoiding her after skipping breakfast that one time.

Starting the following day, he had returned to their usual meal times and sometimes initiated conversations when something needed to be discussed.

At least on the surface, everything seemed as it had before.

And yet, for some reason, Ines could clearly feel that something had changed.

His tone and behavior were still just as gentle as ever.

…He’s definitely keeping his distance, though.

If he had continued avoiding her, she would have assumed that he was still angry.

But that wasn’t the case, either.

Zecard had simply taken a small step back—just enough for Ines to notice.

Well, I suppose…

Perhaps this was what things were supposed to be like.

No, for a married couple bound by a contract, this was already a perfectly good relationship.

The attention Zecard had shown her until recently had arguably been excessive.

And yet…

…I think I liked things better before.

The moment that thought crossed her mind, Ines froze.

What on earth was I just thinking?

“You seem to have your mind elsewhere.”

“……!”

Ines jerked her head up in surprise.

Enrique was staring directly at her from across the desk.

“Ah… I’m sorry. Please continue. I’ll pay attention this time.”

But Enrique closed the documents he was holding.

“No need. I think that’s enough for today.”

“Already?”

“I have no intention of overworking you on your first day.”

He added casually,

“I also heard that you went through quite an ordeal a few days ago.”

Ines was slightly surprised.

How does he know about that?

The incident had not yet been officially disclosed.

Yulia and Hans had been apprehended, and the investigation was underway, but Zecard had made sure that the details were not spread carelessly until the matter was resolved.

And yet Enrique already knew.

I suppose he really is quite close to Zecard.

She had seen the two of them speaking comfortably with each other several times before, but she hadn’t realized they were close enough for him to hear about something like this.

“More importantly, did you know?”

“Know what?”

“His Grace has been on an absolute rampage lately.”

Ines blinked.

“…Zecard?”

“Yes.”

Enrique nodded with an expressionless face.

Then he added in an utterly matter-of-fact tone,

“Much worse than you might imagine.”