My Husband is so carefree and constantly Cheats on me, so I Kept making him Suffer as Payback, but somehow, he’s started to seem Kind of Cute. - Chapter 12

“Wha—?! Why the bath?!”

That’s what I want to ask!

Since he saw me naked, I slapped him as hard as I could, but he seemed too bewildered to pay it any mind.

“Where exactly have you been? There was quite an uproar here over your sudden disappearance.”

“Oh, was there? My apologies. I was swallowed by a dimensional distortion and ended up in another world.”

…Excuse me?

“My apologies”, he says?

Coming from this selfish, egotistical, reckless man, those words were far more shocking than the fact that he had gone to another world.

Even more surprising was the fact that such words existed in his vocabulary at all.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth. In that world, I…”

Oh. His pronouns are shifting again.

This man is so easily influenced by his surroundings.

According to his story, upon arriving in the other world, he was granted some sort of special ability. Using that power, he adventured across the land… and eventually defeated a Demon King.

Um…

That sounds exactly like a child’s fantasy, but given the distinct change in his demeanor, I can only assume it’s true.

More importantly—

He’s no longer a pig.

Hmm…

Why does he seem a little handsome now?

“And now, I have a mission. There are still other Demon Kings out there. I must defeat them all.”

Ah, I see.

So, after triumphantly vanquishing one Demon King, he bravely leaped back into a dimensional distortion—

Only to end up in our bathroom.

…Does that not make me the final boss here?

Heh… So, you finally figured it out, you fool.

Very well, then. I shall obliterate you with my supreme magical power!

…No, I didn’t actually say that.

Instead, I dried him off, dressed him properly, and shoved him into bed.

…After dueling him three times. But that’s a secret.

The Next Morning…

“I must go. I’m sorry, Yuffie. Take care.”

“Lord Erald…”

“Please don’t look at me like that. I know I was never a good husband. Forget about me… No, just assume I’m dead. Find happiness for yourself.”

With a strangely calm expression, he tried to speak heroically, but his pronouns were a mess again.

Seriously, is he really okay?

The situation was hilarious, but it seemed he truly intended to travel to another world in search of more Demon Kings.

Out of curiosity, I asked if such a thing was even possible.

To my astonishment, he claimed that a god had granted him a magic tool that creates dimensional distortions for teleportation.

…Is that magic tool safe?

Because it literally dropped him right in front of me.

Yet, for some reason, he exuded absolute confidence.

“It must be divine mercy that allowed me this final farewell with you. I have no regrets now. My dearest… Be well.”

With that, he vanished.

…Damn it.

For a brief moment, my heart did flutter.

So, I punched the mental image of him in my memories.

Dearest, my foot.

He never once cared about me properly—he spent his life fooling around with other women!

Not that it bothered me or anything.

By the way—

He left his sword in the bath.

And so… What does God want from me?

To be honest… I think I might actually like my husband.

But.

I have a feeling he’ll come waltzing back eventually.

Probably with another ridiculous tale to tell.

And if he doesn’t, I’ll simply pass his story down to future generations.

And so, in House Crusroden, the tale of the Countess’s husband who vanished into a dimensional distortion became a legend.

According to Lord Graffeld, that sword he left behind was imbued with immense divine power.

The temple even requested to have it.

I refused—on the grounds that it was merely a forgotten item and that he might return to retrieve it.

How typical of him, even in his absence, to provide me with such a perfect excuse without meaning to.

In the present day, his story—

Including the time he exposed corruption in the Maximilian Marquisate,

His many escapades as an infamous philanderer,

And his utterly childish but surprisingly real adventures in another world—

Has been compiled into a book titled The Grand Adventures of Hero Emerld.

It has been reprinted over and over, becoming a bestseller.

By the way, his name was only spelled wrong by mistake… and they just left it that way.

At its core, the book makes a complete mockery of him.

Yet, at the same time, it somehow radiates a certain warmth—

And people love it.

…It’s embarrassing to admit, but I’m the author.

And now, they even want to adapt it into a play.

I was invited to the premiere.

Naturally, I declined.

But then…

For some reason, the Duke came to me—

Looking strangely dejected—

And handed me a ticket.

So, I had no choice but to go.

And… well, it was entertaining.

Except for one scene.

The one where the actor playing Lord Erald leaps into a dimensional distortion—

And the actress playing me dramatically clings to him, sobbing, “Don’t go!”

I absolutely refuse to acknowledge that.

They don’t understand.

I was never in love with him as a man.

What drew me to him was something more…

Something human about him.

We were never truly husband and wife.

We were probably just… friends.

And I’m sure—

Wherever he is, he’s living freely and enjoying himself.

And the thought of hearing whatever absurd tale he’ll bring back next—

Is enough to keep me entertained.

So, my apologies to the Duke, but—

I have no intention of divorcing him.

And I will raise our child properly.