The Returning Husband Refuses to Divorce Chapter 5

The fact that the Saintess was Ines’s own younger sister only made the situation more complicated.

I need to clear up this misunderstanding before things get any worse.

She needed to tell him that she had absolutely no interest in being his wife and would willingly sign the divorce papers.

Ines had intended to leave him even if Elise weren’t in the picture.

Rather than risk being hit with a divorce settlement over some ridiculous misunderstanding, it would be better to make her position clear from the beginning and reach an amicable divorce agreement.

That was the conclusion Ines had reached.

After walking briskly for some time, she finally arrived at her destination.

…Oh.

Without realizing it, she stood there in a daze, staring at the enormous door at the far end of the corridor.

In truth, she had already been overwhelmed from the moment she entered the main building.

The place she currently lived in was a tiny, shabby room tucked away in a corner of the annex.

For the past five years, Selena had barely allowed her to set foot inside the main building.

The only reason she had managed to get this far without being stopped was sheer good timing.

If all the servants hadn’t been occupied with the banquet preparations, she would have been turned away on the first floor.

Come to think of it, Zecard should be in his room by now, shouldn’t he?

She recalled Selena clinging to Zecard in the banquet hall.

But an hour had already passed since then. Even Selena couldn’t possibly keep someone who had just returned from such a long journey occupied for that long.

Besides, the two of them had never been particularly close.

As Ines remembered it, Zecard hadn’t been especially affectionate toward his stepmother five years ago. Given their relationship, that was hardly surprising.

All right. Let’s do this.

Swallowing nervously, Ines cautiously stepped forward.

But just as she was about to knock, a voice sounded from behind her.

“His Grace is currently resting.”

The Duke’s chambers.

Ines stopped with her hand raised toward the magnificent door and turned around.

The face was unfamiliar, yet somehow recognizable.

I saw him earlier.

More precisely, he was the man who had stood directly behind Zecard in the banquet hall. If he was that close to the Duke, he was probably his adjutant.

Ines did her best to make her voice sound gentle.

“I’d like to see His Grace.”

The response she received was blunt.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been ordered not to let anyone in.”

“There’s something important I need to tell him. Please.”

“Please come back another time.”

Ines hesitated briefly before speaking again.

“It won’t be a long conversation, and I won’t disturb his rest for long. If I’m not even allowed to knock, could you at least ask him whether he’ll see me? If His Grace says no, I’ll leave immediately.”

“That’s impossible.”

The adjutant answered without the slightest hesitation, and Ines’s expression stiffened slightly.

He doesn’t even intend to ask.

This was a rather difficult situation.

After all, she had no idea when another opportunity would arise once today was over.

Of course, Ines understood that approaching Zecard like this might be an inconvenience to him.

Although this was a serious matter to her, to a man who had yet to recover from a long journey, it might amount to nothing more than an annoying little chore.

But she was too desperate to give up so easily.

There was another problem, too.

It seems the rumors about me have already spread to the knights.

The adjutant’s behavior was rather disrespectful for someone addressing his lord’s wife.

Judging by the formal way he addressed her, he clearly recognized who she was, yet he hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself.

And if the adjutant knew about the rumors, there was a good chance Zecard had heard them as well.

I really do need to speak with him before it’s too late. Preferably today.

In that case…

“What if I could help His Grace with his ‘purification’?”

The moment he heard the word purification, the adjutant’s expression changed.

“What do you mean by that?”

Instead of answering, Ines took something out.

It was a blade of grass that had withered and turned black after being corrupted by demonic energy.

I brought it just in case, but I never thought I’d actually have to use it.

Suppressing a bitter smile, Ines channeled her holy power into the hand holding the grass.

Hum.

“……What is this?!”

The grass was purified, its color transforming into a fresh, vibrant green.

Ines held it out to the adjutant.

“Is this enough to prove it?”

This world was locked in an endless struggle against the Evil God.

Terminus.

The region was also known as the End of the World, and it was where monsters serving the Evil God relentlessly invaded human lands.

Terminus was where Zecard had been stationed during his campaign.

According to reports, he had completely brought an end to a monster wave that had continued for ten whole years.

The temple had announced that, thanks to his magnificent achievement, humanity would not have to worry about monster invasions for at least another hundred years.

Zecard was undoubtedly humanity’s savior.

However…

He spent five years in Terminus. Even if he received purification once in the capital before coming here, he’ll need it again.

After all, the more frequently one underwent purification, the better.

Moreover, the concentration of demonic energy in the North was exceptionally high compared to other regions. That was precisely why Ines had been able to find corrupted grass so easily.

Apparently, the adjutant couldn’t dismiss her purification abilities so easily, because he hesitated.

“But you’re certainly…”

Ines smiled bitterly to herself.

He was probably about to point out that she had failed to become a Saintess because she couldn’t manifest her holy power.

“I may be far less capable than the Saintess, but it’s not as though I can’t use holy power at all. I’m a member of House Chartier, too.”

In reality, she could use a tiny amount of what was considered ordinary holy power.

There was also something else unique to Ines, but there was no need to mention that much. He wasn’t someone she could trust.

“So, what will you do?”

The adjutant pressed his lips together, his expression grave as he considered the matter.

At last, he made his decision and spoke firmly.

“Even so, I cannot allow it. Please return another time, and then—”

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

“Ines?”

Both the adjutant and Ines turned toward the sound.

…Huh?

The door, which had been firmly shut, was now open.

A towering shadow emerged through the gap.

The moment Ines recognized the owner of the voice, she jumped in surprise.

“So it really is you, Ines.”

Standing there was her husband, Zecard Evanhardt.

He had apparently changed his clothes, as he was now dressed much more casually than he had been earlier.

Good heavens.

Taken completely by surprise by his sudden appearance, Ines froze.

Zecard simply stared at her face.

His gaze was so blatantly direct that it made Ines feel flustered.

Is there something on my face?

She nearly raised a hand to touch her face but managed to stop herself.

Zecard, however, continued to keep his eyes fixed on her.

After quite some time had passed, he finally spoke.

“I believe I told you not to stop Ines if she came to see me.”

His voice was calm, but the adjutant flinched noticeably at his words.

“Well… Your Grace seemed to finally be getting some proper rest, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Disturb me…”

Zecard cast the man a brief, indifferent glance.

“Was that for you to decide?”

His voice held no anger. If anything, it sounded almost languid.

Yet the adjutant looked even more frightened than if he had been openly reprimanded. The man stood frozen, his face pale and his lips pressed tightly together.

Without sparing him another glance, Zecard turned to Ines.

“Come in. It’s all right.”

Now that the Duke himself had said so, there was no longer any justification for stopping her.

The stiff-backed adjutant stepped aside.

Still confused and glancing around uncertainly, Ines hesitated for a moment before entering the room.

…Well, at least things worked out.

The Duke’s chambers were enormous and lavishly furnished.

Naturally, they were the finest rooms in the entire castle.

Ines looked around with fresh curiosity.

“I heard you had something to tell me. Is that right?”

His voice pulled Ines out of her thoughts.

When their eyes met, Zecard smiled gently.

His demeanor was quite different from what it had been in the banquet hall.

Earlier, he had seemed almost dangerously sharp. Now, for some reason, he appeared gentle. Perhaps it was because he had managed to get some rest?

“Yes, that’s right.”

After looking at him calmly for a moment, Ines nodded.

“There’s something important I need to tell you. I’ve been waiting for you to return.”

At that, Zecard’s expression softened even further.

His unexpectedly welcoming attitude put Ines at ease.

Could he already have guessed what I’m going to say?

If so, that would actually be a relief. It would make it much easier to get straight to the point.