37 - The Son-In-Law Of A Prestigious Family Wants A Divorce

Title: The Aristocratic Son-in-law Wants a Divorce - Chapter 37 "......." "......." Lying side by side on the bed were two red-haired individuals. Despite being sisters, they had never lain together like this before, leading to a lingering awkwardness. The closest they had been was when Sharen had been knocked down flat in a sparring session—perhaps the only memory they shared of lying down together. "......." Gulp. Sharen was especially tense due, in no small part, to her slip of the tongue at the tavern with Silvanna. 'What should I do? I don’t think my sister knows.' Should she come clean and ask for forgiveness now? Was that the right thing to do? 'But if I do, I might be done away with without a trace!' There were only the two of them in the room. There was no one to stop Rihanna. Would it be better to confess in front of others tomorrow? While mulling this over, as if there were a predator beside her, her sister Rihanna murmured with her eyes closed. “Can’t sleep?” “Oh, um.” “If you’re uncomfortable, I can go sleep somewhere else.” “No, it’s not that!” Sharen quickly stopped Rihanna as she slowly began to rise. If she chased Rihanna away now, she wouldn’t be able to handle the fallout tomorrow. “I don’t mind sleeping with you! It’s just… I have a lot on my mind.” “.......” Rihanna gently lay back down. Then, with an awkward cough, she asked. “Because of what?” “Huh? Well, um—” Sharen hesitated, casting sidelong glances at Rihanna as she gingerly tested the waters. “Don’t you think Silvanna likes Isaac?” “.......” “I mean, I think she might?!” Flustered, Sharen blurted whatever came to mind. Rihanna, impassive, stared at the ceiling. Her blinking eyes gave no hint of her thoughts, until she uttered one brief word. “Certainly.” The fleetingly spoken word left Sharen wide-eyed. “Reeallly? You’re sure?” “Yes.” Because Rihanna had heard it directly when she was disguised as a maid. [I think… I think I like him.] Silvanna had confessed in a hushed tone, blushing as she whispered to Anna. After hearing that, Rihanna had all sorts of thoughts, but in the end, arrived at one conclusion. “But it’s not something I can intervene in.” There was a tinge of sadness in Rihanna’s voice, causing Sharen to turn and look at her sister unknowingly. It was the first time she’d seen such raw emotion from her sister, which was both startling and bewildering. “Sister?” “I’m divorced, after all.” “Ah, but you’re still his wife, aren’t you?” “Only for now.” “You never know! Isaac might change his mind and decide to stay.” Sharen found herself surprisingly comforting Rihanna. Still, she wanted to keep uttering such hopeful words. “No, Isaac has already decided.” “Sister?” With a trembling voice, Sharen found herself holding Rihanna’s hand without thinking. “He didn’t even want an apology.” Sharen shared a similar guilt because she had also treated Isaac like a servant in the past. “That’s why, sister.” And knowing Rihanna had ignored it all along, “Why did you let the others bully Isaac?” Curiously, when Sharen asked, Rihanna replied with a strained sigh. “Does the reason matter now?” Rihanna slowly closed her eyes. “I made a choice, and it was the wrong one.” “So, are you going to let Isaac go now?” “Yes, so stop asking if I have feelings for Isaac.” It’s disrespectful to him. Rihanna added pointedly. Nodding slightly, Sharen shyly responded. “Well, since you’ve let him go, I suppose I should confess something too.” “.......” “I told Silvanna about it. That you and Isaac are getting divorced.” “.......” “But since you’ve already let him go, there’s no—aaaaaah?! It hurts! My hand! Let go of my haaaand!” There was no way Sharen could win against Rihanna’s grip. “You little liar!” * * * The next day. Isaac and Rihanna were summoned separately by the margrave for an inquiry. "......." "......." The place where they were taken seemed more like a dining space than a place for interrogation. Despite the room being relatively small, the warm glow of the lanterns filled it, and simple snacks like sandwiches and jerky adorned the table. A bottle of wine even sat there, making it hard to believe it was meant for interrogation. The two sat side by side. Because of the previous day’s events, a peculiar awkwardness hung between them. Since the margrave was long in coming, Isaac coughed softly and asked Rihanna. “Did… you sleep well last night?” “Yeah, I slept in Sharen’s room.” Rihanna’s expressionless reply seemed more familiar to Isaac, easing his mind slightly. ‘Thank goodness.’ Isaac felt guilty about letting her go after she made such an overt gesture, but he had no choice but to send her away. If they had stayed together any longer—. “Well, that’s good to hear.” “And you, Isaac? Did you sleep well?” “Yeah, I slept soundly. I was so tired I just passed out.” “Good, that’s a relief.” Rihanna returned his words with the same bland reassurance. Continuously looking at the doorway with emotionless eyes, she seemed eager for someone to arrive. When no one came, Rihanna let out a faint sigh and glanced at Isaac. “If you ever need help, just tell me.” “Help?” “With your aura. I can teach you here if you’d like.” “.......” Aura. An area Isaac hadn’t mastered. [Aura? Do you jest? Once you reach the pinnacle, such things are unnecessary.] Recalling the great master’s words, Isaac replied. “Please teach me.” If the great master had been there, she might have pouted and said, [Let her be your mentor then.] But alas, she wasn’t there now. Sometimes, it's right to learn when the opportunity presents itself. "……Okay." Rihanna's eyes widened slightly at Isaac's easy agreement. As she struggled to suppress a smile at the corners of her lips, the door finally opened, admitting Wuldiran Caldias into the room. "It took a bit of time. Beastly creatures were gathering near the barrier." Wuldiran settled into a chair and immediately helped himself to some jerky, chewing thoughtfully while regarding the pair with a curious expression. "More rigid than I expected? I left you alone, imagining you’d have a tender moment." "......." "......." "Was it too much consideration? Or were you both just too tense?" He took a sip of alcohol and chuckled. "No need to be tense. Just answer our questions, and you won't face any reprimands. Although, I can't say what Helmut will think." Pointing at Rihanna with a piece of jerky, he continued. "I've accepted your explanation as 'Rihanna,' but surely you understand that Arandel won’t take kindly to Helmut kneeling to Caldias?" "Yes, I'm aware." "Kneeling?" Isaac turned to Rihanna, confusion evident on his face. Rihanna deliberately avoided turning away from his gaze. "You're saying she knelt? Rihanna did?" "Did you not hear me? It was heartfelt. I learned a thing or two about romance." Wuldiran let out a hearty laugh. Isaac, exasperated, questioned Rihanna. "Are you joking? Do you know what the head of the family will say when he finds out? He’s probably already furious about your sneaky visit." "I'm aware." "Knowing that, you still… ha, fine." Propping his chin up with a sulky response, Isaac settled back. Rihanna's eyes widened slightly as she added a retort. "I was trying to save you." "The margrave would have come even if you hadn't done anything." "If he left, the defenses on the main barrier would weaken. The margrave can’t just leave carelessly." "You're so good at considering your surroundings, maybe you should look at your own situation. How do you plan to face the Helmut family?" "I’ll handle it." "Sure, and the head of the family is just going to let it slide, right?" "I’m telling you, it was to save you." "Still, you should have acted with some sense. Do you not realize how big of a deal this is?" "Whatever the case, I succeeded in rescuing you. Isn’t that enough? If I hadn't gone, there might have been more casualties. After all, you can’t even use aura yet." "Are you seriously saying that?" "Don’t you realize who started this argument?" "I’m worried about you. What do you think the Helmut family will say about you going around kneeling?" "And it was because I was worried about you that I did it." "You should have worried a bit earlier." Their conversation seemed to run in parallel tracks, neither side giving ground. Wuldiran nodded as he watched the two bicker. ‘Is this how they show concern for each other?’ In the end, if you listened closely, you could tell they were both worried about each other. ‘Helmut really is something else.’ It seemed like they were getting things off their chests, so Wuldiran decided to leave them be, occupying himself with more jerky. * * * Having finished her duties, Silvanna hesitantly entered the Malidan Fortress. The interrogation had taken longer than expected, so she decided to check on things. [Why am I the one spreading the news of their divorce? They’re such fools not to heed our warnings! It’s infuriating!] The words Sharen had uttered the other day lingered in Silvanna’s mind to the extent she couldn’t concentrate on her duties. Especially since Sharen seemed unusually deflated today, which confirmed it wasn’t just drunken nonsense. "A divorce?" If so. If that’s really the case. "Could that mean… for me, too—" "Miss?" "Hyah?!" Deep in her own thoughts and not paying attention to where she was going, Silvanna stumbled back in surprise. Anna stood in the corridor, arms crossed, asking inquisitively. "Where are you going?" "Oh? No, I just—" Embarrassed, Silvanna trailed off, only for Anna to pointedly interrupt. "Going to see Mr. Isaac?" “Y-yeah.” “He’s probably still in the middle of an interrogation, you know.” “Y-yeah, but he’s still a teammate. I just wanted to check on him.” Silvanna’s voice grew softer, prompting Anna to approach and reach out with a sigh. “Loosen a few buttons.” “Huh?” Anna undid a couple of Silvanna’s shirt buttons, setting her hands on her shoulders to make her point clear. “If you’re going to do it, do it right. If you want to take something, do it confidently.” “...Anna?” “Miss, do you know how rare an opportunity like this is? The man you’ve been interested in is coincidentally getting a divorce? This is literally a godsend.” “Anna?!” “Go on! Rihanna Helmont is pretty, but you’re not lacking either.” “R-really?” “With your charms, most men would be enthralled. Especially with Helmut’s known weak spot.” Nodding toward her chest, Anna directed subtly. Silvanna, blushingly scratching her cheek in embarrassment, was nonetheless encouraged by Anna’s push to enter the room currently used for interrogation. “Just one sound—” “No.” Expecting a grim interrogation. Instead, she found three people leisurely playing a card game at the table. “...I let you off the hook before.” At Rihanna’s pouting, Isaac clicked his tongue. “That was when I was single.” “.......” “Stop pouting.”