The Returning Husband Refuses to Divorce Chapter 7

Ines couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze and discreetly looked away.

Could the rumors be false after all?

If that were the case, she could understand why he felt wronged. Even if their marriage was only a sham, he had been mistaken for a man who had betrayed his wife.

But why did he resent her so much? Why not simply explain himself?

“……You truly don’t have even the slightest affection left for me.”

Watching Ines’s bewildered expression, Zecard gave a bitter smile. For a brief moment, his face betrayed an expression of misery and pain as he murmured the words.

However, the moment passed so quickly that Ines failed to notice it.

Before long, Zecard had gathered his thoughts and perfectly composed his expression.

“Very well. I understand what you wish to say, Ines. It seems I bear some responsibility for this situation as well.”

He smiled pleasantly and spoke with such elegance that one would never have guessed he had been angry just moments ago.

Thank goodness. I guess he understands now.

However, it didn’t take long for her to realize that something had gone terribly wrong.

“I apologize for leaving my wife lonely for so long. From now on, I shall endeavor to fulfill my duties as a husband.”

“……Your duties?”

Zecard gave her a crooked smile.

“Surely, we should begin by consummating our marriage, which we’ve put off until now. I’m perfectly willing to do so right now.”

Ines was horrified before she even realized it.

“What exactly do you mean by that……?”

Zecard explained with an unruffled expression.

“As you may know, under imperial law, a marriage is only fully recognized once the wedding night has been consummated. In that regard, our marriage could still be considered incomplete.”

That was also why Ines had been so eager to divorce him.

Until now, they had managed to gloss over the matter on the grounds that her husband had been away on an expedition. But now that he had returned, they had to reach a decision one way or another.

Either consummate the marriage or get divorced.

Naturally, Ines had never even considered the former, so she couldn’t understand what was happening.

What on earth is this man talking about?

“I acknowledge my mistakes. Although I had the war as an excuse, I was undoubtedly an inattentive and inadequate husband to you. If you’ve been considering divorce, then it is entirely because I have failed you.”

Zecard adopted a somber expression, as though he were genuinely heartbroken.

Then he gazed at Ines with an intensity that made her uncomfortable.

“Now, as your husband, I wish to make amends for my mistakes. Would you give me just one chance?”

Was it just her imagination, or had he emphasized the word husband?

Feeling increasingly overwhelmed, Ines hurriedly replied.

“Y-You don’t need to do that.”

At that, Zecard raised one eyebrow.

“I don’t need to?”

His displeasure was written plainly across his face.

But when Ines flinched, he immediately softened his expression as though nothing had happened.

“……It seems you’re very angry with me. And understandably so. This, too, is my fault.”

“No. That’s not what I meant……”

She swore to heaven that not a single one of the thousands of scenarios she had imagined in her head had gone like this.

“I’m hurt that you’ve mistaken me for a man who has another woman, but everything is due to my own failings. I’ll gladly accept whatever punishment you see fit.”

Faced with his deeply earnest gaze, Ines was at a loss for words.

What on earth is going on……?

Ines found herself looking at her “husband” anew.

His handsome face was undoubtedly the same man she had married five years ago, but the person inside seemed like a complete stranger.

Could he have been struck by some wicked spell on the battlefield and had his soul switched with someone else’s?

She had been driven to imagine something absurd.

Although she hadn’t spoken much with him five years ago, she distinctly remembered that he hadn’t been like this. She recalled him being more taciturn and sharp-tongued……

Just then, Zecard chuckled.

“My apologies. I seem to have overdone it. I was simply so happy to see you again after all this time.”

His words sounded as though he were backing down, and only then did Ines realize she had been holding her breath. She finally let it out.

“I understand your position perfectly well, my lady. However, I don’t believe this is the right time to discuss divorce.”

“……Why not?”

At that moment, a strange light flickered in Zecard’s eyes.

“Because I still need you, my lady.”

Need her?

Seeing Ines’s puzzled expression, Zecard began to explain.

“You know very well why I proposed a contractual marriage five years ago.”

Of course she did. How could she possibly forget?

She might never forget what had happened that day for the rest of her life. Although it had been a transaction, he had been her salvation at that moment.

“As you said, we married out of necessity. At the time, I needed a wife to secure my succession to the title. But in truth, that matter has yet to be settled.”

Zecard continued slowly.

“As you may already know, there is one final step in the succession process: approval from the temple. The temple evaluates whether the person inheriting the title is a ‘moral leader who has established a proper family.’”

Ines was well aware of this, having been educated at the temple as a candidate for Saintess when she was young.

It was precisely that requirement of having “established a proper family” that had prompted Zecard to rush into marriage back then.

But why was he bringing this up now?

“Don’t tell me……”

“Yes, exactly.”

Zecard nodded without hesitation.

“My succession to the title has yet to be fully finalized.”

That was impossible.

Ines was taken aback by a problem she had never even considered.

“I only found out recently myself. After investigating, it seems the temple has been postponing its final approval for five years, using my departure for the front lines as an excuse.”

And it wasn’t difficult to guess why the temple had done such a thing.

They’re trying to keep him in check.

The ruling powers of the Holy Empire of Ethila were divided into three main factions:

The temple.

The imperial family.

The four great holy houses.

Of these, the temple effectively stood at the top, while the remaining powers maintained a balance among themselves.

In this Holy Empire, even the imperial family was little more than a puppet of the temple.

Recently, however, a slight crack had appeared in that balance.

Zecard Evanhardt has accomplished too much. Even the temple can’t afford to ignore him.

At present, Zecard and the Evanhardt Knights enjoyed a reputation that reached dizzying heights throughout the empire.

From what Ines had heard, Zecard had done more than simply repel a monster wave. He had even destroyed the core of the rift from which the demonic creatures poured forth. It was an unprecedented feat.

“That…… certainly puts you in a difficult position.”

Only then did Ines fully understand why he couldn’t divorce her.

Zecard desperately needed a wife right now. Without one, he would have to find some complete stranger and marry her instead.

What was more, Ines herself had close ties to the temple.

Even though she had failed to become a Saintess candidate, the fact that she was a blood descendant of the Chartier family, one of the four great holy houses, remained unchanged.

If Zecard divorced Ines under these circumstances, the temple could seize any opportunity to find fault with him. They would undoubtedly portray him as a shameless man who had cast aside the woman who had stood by him during his time of hardship.

“Just one year.”

Zecard’s low voice echoed through the room.

“Please stay by my side for just one year.”

Looking into his eyes, where inexplicable emotions swirled with unsettling intensity, Ines couldn’t bring herself to answer hastily.

Only after a long silence did she finally manage to speak.

“……I understand your circumstances.”

Ines carefully chose her words.

“But I believe I need more time to think this over. Please give me some time to consider it.”

If she considered Zecard alone, she wanted to agree. Five years ago, he had saved her. Now it was her turn to help him.

And yet, when she looked back on the past five years, she couldn’t bring herself to nod so readily.

She didn’t resent Zecard for leaving on the expedition, but that didn’t mean the painful years she had endured had simply faded from memory. As long as Selena and the servants remained here, staying in this place would require considerable courage.

“Very well.”

Fortunately, Zecard agreed without protest.

His reaction was somewhat unexpected. Their contractual agreement had been based on “Zecard’s succession to the title,” so he could have easily invoked the contract to force Ines to comply……

“Ines.”

Just as their conversation was ending and he was about to leave, Zecard called out to her.

He gazed at her silently for a moment. Then he slowly pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

“No matter what you choose, I will protect you.”

It was surely nothing more than a conventional declaration.

And yet, for some reason, the look in his eyes remained etched in Ines’s heart.