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 14

Since my husband returned, we shared a meal, reminisced about the paths we had taken, and spent the night together.

And then…

“Where… are we?”

I was certain we had gone to sleep in bed, yet now both my husband and I were floating in midair.

The space around us was a swirl of colors—red… no, white?

Waves of light undulated, shifting hues each time they pulsed.

In the distance, I glimpsed something pitch black, then green, then purple.

Was this a dream?

“I’m not sure… It feels like we’re trapped between dimensions.”

Why would I be in such a place?

If it were my husband—the ever-infamous, absurd, and now world-renowned Hero—I could understand. But for a retired noblewoman enjoying her peaceful life at a villa, this situation made absolutely no sense.

“Hey now, absurd and infamous?…”

What other words would fit you better?

Even when you were in our world, you constantly amused me, and the stories you told about your adventures in another world only reinforced that perception.

And yet, here we were, just the two of us, trapped in this bizarre space.

If someone told us we had to stay here together for all eternity, I’d be confident that both my mind and eyes would eventually go insane.

『That would be problematic.』

A response came—seemingly out of nowhere—to the very thought that had just crossed my mind.

“Ah, Lord Fryuvalus.”

“!?”

Hearing the unfamiliar name, my husband muttered it as if it were someone he knew.

Whoever they were, I didn’t care.

Just send me home, you kidnapper!

『Calm yourself, madam.』

Since my thoughts were being read anyway, I deliberately formed a sharp remark, only to be reprimanded in return.

How unfair.

Meanwhile, my husband paid no heed to my emotional state.

He didn’t even glance at me—just like old times.

『That kind of resignation must be lonely.』

“It’s far too late for that. There’s no point in expecting anything from this man anymore.”

“You’re talking about me, right? Was I really that bad?”

I shot him a scornful glare, and for some reason, he looked bewildered.

But what was there to be confused about?

You were an idiot, a fool, a philanderer, a slacker, self-centered, fickle, and perverted.

Tell me, where in that list do you find anything redeeming?

Oh, and let’s not forget—you were utterly useless at work.

『Quite the hopeless case.』

“Exactly.”

“Wait, seriously?”

The voice in the void seemed to understand, but my husband clearly did not.

“So then, why have you called us here? I heard you had fallen into eternal slumber.”

What is this situation?

From what I gathered, this entity seemed to be an acquaintance from my husband’s days as a Hero.

『Yes, that version of me has indeed gone to sleep. However, it seems he remained concerned about you. His consciousness fragmented and…』

I couldn’t make sense of anything he was saying, but apparently, this Fryuvalus person had been worried about my husband.

Since my husband returned to this world, his body had essentially vanished, with decades having passed in his absence. It seemed this being took pity on him for that.

And so, he had decided—get this—to rewind the entire world to the time my husband first set off on his journey.

…Excuse me?

I almost blurted it out loud, but managed—just barely—to hold my tongue.

Praise me, Lord Fryuvalus?

『I can read minds, you know. What exactly would I be praising you for?』

Fair point.

『Ah, what an incredibly strong-willed woman. I am truly astonished.』

There wasn’t an ounce of sincerity in that flattery.

So?

If this so-called world-altering event was about to take place, would people actually notice it?

Or…

『No. The world will simply reset.』

“And what will happen to me?”

I turned toward my husband, who had spent his years adventuring, collecting memories of a ridiculous life.

But I had spent my years raising our child, creating cherished memories together.

Would those simply be erased?

『Well…』

Why was he hesitating?

“If you intend to erase my precious memories with my child, I will not allow it. Those memories are invaluable to me.”

I declared it with absolute certainty.

Because, of course, they were.

I had raised my beloved son, endured the struggles of managing our land, and worked through all the hardships that came with it.

And now, finally, I was enjoying the peace I had earned.

If all of that were to be undone, there was no way I could accept it.

To me, living with my husband again was not something more precious than the history I had built for myself.

『I… see.』

Why the polite speech?

『Actually…』

It seemed Lord Fryuvalus—yes, I believe that’s the proper way to address him—was at a loss due to my response. And so, he finally confessed.

First, he was a god.

It turns out that the gods had been using my husband to defeat various Demon Kings.

Once my husband had completed that task, he apparently requested to return to his original world. The god granted his wish and then fell into slumber.

However, when my husband finally returned, it was now—decades after his departure.

Realizing that my husband had lost all that time, the god felt sorry for him and came back to rewind time.

The only problem?

The god had not expected that I—his former wife—would still be here, willingly accepting this irresponsible, philandering fool back into my life.

As a result, my bond with my husband had strengthened once again.

If time were reversed now, I alone would retain all my memories and understand exactly what had happened.

If I agreed, my husband would return to the moment he first set out on his journey, just as he wished.

If I refused, he would remain in this world, as he is now—forced to live in a time where his past adventures had already been turned into novels and stage plays.

“I choose the latter.”

“You didn’t even hesitate!?”

『It’s actually refreshing. Though, considering Erald’s behavior, I can’t blame you.』

My husband likely didn’t even fully understand what was happening.

He was just instinctively protesting the fact that his opinion had been dismissed outright.

Meanwhile, Lord Fryuvalus—having presumably read through my memories—seemed to have begun sympathizing with me.

Time continued to pass in this strange void.

『Very well. I shall not rewind time.』

“Mmh…”

My husband looked dissatisfied.

But honestly, what exactly was his issue here?

“Why do you even want to rewind time?”

“Huh? Well, I never got to say goodbye to Myuri, Felm, Haria, or Charlis. And I was just about to get close to Lunea. Plus, Riomela still needed my support, and Lala—”

…Just how many names is he going to list?

『My apologies. I shall take my leave. Please live happily together.』

Even Lord Fryuvalus had lost all patience.

At this point, the shimmering hues of this dimensional rift had turned mostly orange and red, resembling a sunset.

“Then, how about this? Keep this world as it is, but send me back to a parallel one! That way, Yuffie here won’t be troubled, and I can still fulfill my mission!”

I honestly couldn’t tell if my husband was brilliant or utterly clueless.

But Lord Fryuvalus, now thoroughly exasperated, quickly granted his request and departed.

Perhaps he had gone back to sleep.

“Where… am I?”

“The bath. Have you finally lost your mind? I thought it was too soon for that.”

“Why am I here…?”

“You said something like, ‘By the grace of the gods, I was granted the time to say farewell to you. I have no regrets now, my beloved. Live well.’ Then you dropped your sword and disappeared somewhere… only to return again moments later.”

“I see… so I came back…”

“Yes, you did.”

“I did it!”

“…Hm?”

“Aren’t you surprised?”

“Why would I be? I already know everything.”

“Wait, what…?”

“What was it again? ‘Myuri, Felm, Haria, Charlis, Lunea, Riomela, Lala’…? Did you really think I would let that slide?”

“EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHH!?”