The Returning Husband Refuses to Divorce Chapter 4

“W-What do you mean? He’s already arrived?”

Selena hurried toward the servant as well, flustered.

The reason for their confusion was simple.

The Duke wasn’t expected to arrive for another week.

In fact, Selena had been preparing the banquet to coincide with his scheduled return.

As a result, preparations inside the banquet hall were still incomplete, leaving the place in a chaotic, bustling state.

“All the knights have gathered in front of the main gate. His Grace asked where you were, My Lady, and said he would come here himself…”

“That’s impossible! There’s no way!”

Selena shouted, her face pale with shock.

“The letter announcing his return only arrived recently. No matter how hard he tried, it would have been impossible for him to get here at that time!”

Her reasoning made sense.

He was returning a full week ahead of schedule.

The Duke of Evanhardt and his knights had been fighting on the front lines at Terminus.

It was so far away that even on horseback, it took a full month to reach from the northernmost region.

“You wouldn’t dare lie to me, would you? If you are, you’d better be prepared to face the consequences!”

However, before the servant could say another word, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from a distance.

Thud. Thud.

As the footsteps grew louder, everyone swallowed nervously.

He’s really… come back?

Even Ines thought that, logically speaking, it made no sense for the Duke to return now.

But if he hadn’t, there was no other way to explain the approaching footsteps.

Bang!

At last, the door swung open.

Ines instinctively held her breath.

Beyond the open doorway stood a group of men.

Every one of them was tall and powerfully built, with the unmistakable appearance of knights.

Drawing everyone’s attention, the imposing men strode into the hall with confident steps.

At the very front, standing in the center of the group, was one man who immediately captured everyone’s gaze.

“…Oh my goodness. It’s really him.”

Someone murmured in a barely audible voice.

Ines’s eyes widened.

He was truly there.

Zecard Evanhardt.

Her husband, and the master of this vast domain.

The room fell silent.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on that one man.

He really has come back.

The man began moving his legs again.

While everyone in the hall stood frozen in confusion, Zecard leisurely surveyed his surroundings.

Before long, his gaze settled on one particular spot.

For some reason, Ines thought their eyes had met.

…It must be my imagination, right?

As if under a spell, Ines found herself staring back at him.

Her husband was devastatingly beautiful, even more so than she remembered.

He had always been a handsome man who attracted attention, but now, after all these years, he was on an entirely different level.

His mature features, solid physique, tall stature, and face with its elegant yet sharp lines…

Five years ago, Zecard had still possessed the air of a boy. Now, he had become an irresistibly attractive man in his prime.

And yet…

…Something feels strange.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but he was definitely different from before.

It wasn’t simply because time had passed.

Rather, there was something precarious and dangerous about him…

At the same time, Zecard’s blue eyes slowly traveled from Ines’s head to her toes.

His gaze was so intense and lingering that it seemed to devour every last detail of her.

For a moment, Ines felt as though she were being hunted by a predator, and she flinched violently.

“Oh, Zecard! You’re finally here!”

A voice suddenly broke the silence.

“Your mother is so happy. I can hardly believe you’ve returned safe and sound!”

Wiping away her tears with a handkerchief, Selena hurried toward Zecard.

“I wanted to welcome you home in grand style, so I’ve been preparing a banquet. Come along, dear. You must be exhausted.”

Her excessively ingratiating manner made her look less like a mother greeting her beloved son and more like a sycophant currying favor with a tyrant.

“Shouldn’t you rest and recover from your journey first? Go inside and get some rest. As for tonight’s banquet… we’ll have to finish preparing it quickly. Just wait a few days, all right? I’ll arrange a truly magnificent banquet for you.”

Selena spoke with a false smile, then signaled to the butler, instructing him to hurry and get the banquet hall in order.

At the same time, she shot Ines a meaningful glance, silently telling her to get out of there at once.

…I should leave for now.

Ines had no reason to obey Selena’s orders, but she obediently began to walk away.

There was no way she could have a conversation with her husband right now, anyway.

She couldn’t exactly start discussing their divorce or contractual marriage in front of everyone.

However, before she had taken more than a few steps, a hand caught her.

Grab.

Startled, Ines turned around.

Zecard had approached her without her noticing, and he was looking directly at her.

“…Ines.”

The moment his low voice reached her ears, a shiver ran down her spine.

His gaze was so intense and single-minded that it was as though Ines were the only person in the entire room.

Feeling as if she might be devoured, she instinctively flinched.

For some reason, she couldn’t move even a single step.

How much time passed like that?

“Oh, Zecard!”

Selena finally recovered her composure and hurried between them.

“Can’t you see you’re making her uncomfortable? You shouldn’t grab a woman like that.”

At her words, Zecard glanced at his stepmother before gradually loosening his grip on Ines’s wrist.

But soon enough, his gaze returned to Ines and fixed itself on her once more.

“Of course, the two of you must have a great deal to talk about… but you’re in front of everyone right now, aren’t you? Besides, you’ve been away for five years. There are more important things to take care of first.”

Selena spoke gently, as though soothing Zecard, while once again giving Ines a pointed look.

This time, Ines didn’t let the opportunity slip away.

Now that he’s back, there will be plenty of chances to talk to him. I’ll try again later.

In truth, she had simply been overwhelmed by her husband’s presence, but Ines tried to rationalize her decision as she hurried away.

She could no longer bear to meet Zecard’s eyes.

Behind her, his gaze followed her, burning with an almost unbearable intensity.

What was that just now?

Ines absentmindedly rubbed her wrist as she pondered the incident.

She could still almost feel the warmth of his hand holding her.

Her heart was pounding.

His sudden action had startled her, but it hadn’t actually hurt.

If anything, he had handled her with such care that it seemed he was afraid she might break.

Strangely enough.

…He was probably just surprised to see me again after so long.

Ines shook her head, desperately trying to dispel the questions lingering in her mind.

The truth was, she didn’t really know what kind of person he was. She had only seen him a handful of times five years ago, after all.

So she had no way of knowing whether Zecard’s behavior just now was an unusual, impulsive act or simply how he normally behaved.

In other words, there was no need to read too much into it.

More importantly, what should I do now…?

Judging by Selena’s behavior earlier, it probably wouldn’t be easy to find an opportunity to meet Zecard.

It had been an unmistakable attempt to keep her at a distance.

Selena was probably worried that if Ines grew closer to Zecard and was formally acknowledged as his Duchess, her own influence would diminish.

It seemed like a pointless concern to Ines, who wanted a divorce, but Selena would likely take it very seriously.

She might even have the maids start keeping an eye on me tomorrow.

Of course, such petty schemes would become meaningless the moment Zecard decided to intervene.

The problem, however, was that Ines had no idea whether he would actually seek her out first.

Then this is my only chance.

After all, when one person was in a hurry, they had no choice but to make the first move.

Ines immediately left her room.

The evening sun painted the sky red.

With a shawl draped over her shoulders, Ines stepped outside.

The sun will be setting soon.

Anxious to hurry, she found herself walking faster and faster.

Although they were husband and wife, Ines wanted to avoid meeting Zecard after dark if possible.

She couldn’t afford to invite any unnecessary misunderstandings.

At present, unpleasant rumors about Ines were circulating throughout the Evanhardt domain.

Selena must have spread them.

More specifically, people were saying that Ines was a vicious, ill-tempered woman. There were even rumors that she was so obsessed with her husband that she bullied the beautiful women of the North.

Every one of them was an absurd lie. The problem was that there was a high chance these rumors had already reached Zecard’s ears.

…If that’s the case, he might have the wrong impression of me.

That would be quite troublesome.

After all, Zecard now had a lover—the Saintess.