The Returning Husband Refuses to Divorce Chapter 9

There was no answer.

Of course, there wouldn’t be.

This annex had been all but abandoned. As the very person who had sent Ines here in the first place, Selena knew that better than anyone.

“AAAAAH!”

Selena screamed and collapsed onto the floor.

This can’t be happening. It has to be a dream.

How had things come to this?

She had prepared everything perfectly. Although her relationship with Zecard had never been particularly good, she had believed that five years would be enough time to make up for it.

And yet, before she could even lift a finger, she had been thrown out and banished to this annex!

Zecard hadn’t said much, but Selena knew exactly what this meant. In effect, he was telling her to fend for herself and die.

Just as she had done to Ines.

This is all that woman’s fault.

Selena gritted her teeth.

In truth, she had been banished here immediately after Ines left the banquet hall.

The moment Ines disappeared, Zecard’s expression turned icy, and he abruptly issued an order to the knights.

Before Selena could do anything, she and the servants had been thrown out of the main castle. It was a humiliation she had never experienced, not even back when she had been the former duke’s mistress.

Quick-witted as she was, Selena immediately understood.

Her damned stepson had already fallen head over heels for his wife.

When on earth did those two become so close?

It made no sense. Five years ago, they hadn’t been particularly close.

Nor had anything special happened between them over the past five years. They hadn’t exchanged a single letter.

So why had Zecard suddenly started looking at Ines with such desperate affection?

Even more maddening was that the feelings seemed to be entirely one-sided.

Ines herself seemed completely oblivious to what was going on and had simply fled as usual, wearing that same vacant expression. Left all alone, Zecard had taken his frustration out on Selena instead.

Who would have thought he’d start digging through the ledgers the moment he got back?

After being thrown out of the banquet hall, Selena had spent the entire night being grilled by Zecard’s adjutant. She had only been released that morning, after which she was confined to this annex.

She hadn’t expected Zecard to return so soon, and her double-entry books were still unfinished. Things had been fine up until now, but at this rate, it was only a matter of time before the slush fund she had siphoned off was discovered.

I need to come up with a plan quickly. No matter what it takes…!

She was still alone, desperately racking her brains, when a knight arrived.

“This is an order from His Grace.”

With an impassive expression, the knight conveyed Zecard’s instructions.

A grand celebration was needed to honor the knights who had endured hardship on the battlefield and commemorate their victory. Since Selena had already been preparing the banquet, she was to finish it properly and take care of everything herself.

For a moment, hope flickered in Selena’s eyes. It almost sounded as though she was being given back some of her authority.

“His Grace also said that all your actions will be monitored from now on, so you shouldn’t even think about trying anything foolish.”

The knight added the warning coldly before leaving.

Left alone once more, Selena let out a hollow, incredulous laugh.

“Heh.”

There was a limit to how much someone could be treated with contempt.

Wasn’t he essentially saying he intended to use her as a mere tool before throwing her away?

Selena trembled with humiliation and shame.

But then, her eyes suddenly snapped open.

No. This is an opportunity.

No matter how closely she was watched, there would surely be gaps in the surveillance.

As the person in charge, she would have countless ways to siphon money from the banquet budget. She might even find a way to contact people outside the castle without the guards noticing.

Her stepson had given her such an important position. He was underestimating her far too much.

So that’s how you want to play it? Fine. I’ll make you regret it.

Thinking of Zecard and Ines, Selena curled her lips into a sinister smile.

Ines really did have a meal with Zecard.

He was even stranger than I expected.

All she had done was eat with him, yet she felt utterly exhausted. Ines let out a deep sigh.

The problem had been that so much had happened so suddenly that she had lost her appetite and barely touched her food. The moment Zecard saw her picking at her meal, he had immediately threatened to fire the chef.

The chef was one of the few people who had shown Ines any kindness over the past five years. If the kindly, round-faced chef hadn’t secretly made sure she received decent meals while keeping them hidden from Selena, Ines would have starved to death long ago.

In the end, things had gone so far that Zecard himself tried to cut up her steak and feed it to her. Ines had no choice but to eat on her own. Thanks to that, she had finally managed to eat her fill for the first time in ages.

But is Selena really staying there?

Back in her new room, Ines glanced out the window.

The shabby annex.

It felt strange to think that their positions had been reversed overnight.

During the meal, Zecard had briefly explained what had happened the previous day.

Even though Selena had been the former duke’s wife, embezzlement was a serious crime that couldn’t be overlooked.

Besides, she wasn’t even his biological mother, so Zecard had no reason to show her mercy.

The only problem was that Selena still had a role to play…

It seemed Zecard intended to give Selena just enough freedom to draw out any remaining accomplices who tried to contact her, then capture them all.

At first glance, it seemed like a reasonable plan.

Even so, it would be better not to let our guard down.

Having experienced Selena’s cruelty firsthand, Ines knew just how persistent and relentless she could be.

In that case, she ought to…

Selena will definitely try something. I should stop her before she gets the chance.

Ironically, Ines was the person in the castle who knew Selena best.

After all, she had spent five years suffering at Selena’s hands, observing her from closer than anyone else.

Ines’s gaze settled calmly on the annex.

This would be a way to repay Zecard for his kindness, but it would also be her own revenge against Selena.

…Enough about that. I should think about something else.

No matter how cruel Selena was, her downfall was now all but inevitable.

Ines only had to sit quietly and wait for Selena to dig her own grave.

It was time to give Zecard’s proposal some serious thought.

Extending their contractual marriage.

Could he have some ulterior motive?

But realistically speaking, Ines wasn’t worth deceiving. To put it bluntly, there was nothing he could gain by taking advantage of her.

Perhaps her holy power was the only thing of value?

However, the story of how Ines had failed to become a Saintess was well known. Although she had revealed yesterday that she could use a little holy power, everyone must have understood that it was nowhere near enough to be useful.

Suddenly, Ines recalled a voice buried deep in her memories.

A gentle, warm voice.

It had belonged to the Pope.

On the day she first visited the temple to receive her baptism, he had stroked young Ines’s head and said those very words.

But the moment it became clear that Ines could never become a Saintess, the warmth vanished from his eyes.

They turned cold in an instant.

…I suppose that’s only natural.

Ines smiled bitterly.

Yes, she had no idea what Zecard’s intentions were, but once he finally realized that she was useless to him, he would abandon her too.

He might be acting this way now, but she had no idea how he would change once he had safely secured his ducal title.

I must never depend on anyone else. I’m the only one who can protect me.

Ines needed a foundation that would allow her to stand on her own, even if she were thrown out of the castle that very day.

But power and military strength weren’t things she could acquire overnight.

So, for now, money would have to do.

There was just one problem.

Realistically, it would be difficult for me to take action myself.

Although she hadn’t formally given him her answer yet, Ines intended to agree to extending their contractual marriage.

If she did, she would have to spend the next year living up to the standards of a flawless duchess, which would severely limit her freedom of movement.

Is there someone trustworthy who could go out and handle things on my behalf?

Just then, Ines happened to glance out the window.

Her gaze soon settled on one particular spot.

Several knights and servants had surrounded a young boy, speaking to him in a threatening manner. The hostile atmosphere seemed ominous.

Perhaps…

After a moment’s consideration, Ines rose to her feet without hesitation.