When I Asked My Husband for a Divorce, He Said He’d Be Bringing Home a Young Woman, So I Left - 16

When I lifted my head, the wind once again playfully twirled my hair. Since I could sense the presence of spirits, they must have been amusing themselves with my locks.

I’m not a spirit mage, so I can’t borrow their power, see their forms, or hear their voices. But like most people who aren’t spirit mages, I can at least vaguely sense their presence—enough to think, Ah, so they’re here.

I don’t know what becomes of the dead, but if their souls linger as something akin to spirits, I’m sure I’d recognize my mother’s presence. If she came to me, I’d know.

If she’s already been reborn, my voice might not reach her. But I hope it does.

“Shall!!”

Suddenly called by name, I turned in surprise to see my father and brother rushing toward me.

I hadn’t decided to come back yet—had my sister-in-law told them?

“…Are you crying?”

Breathless, hair and clothes disheveled, I sat crying before my mother’s grave while the two of them fumbled, unsure what to do.

I’d never seen them like this before.

Wait… no need to doubt it. I… I’m really cherished, aren’t I?

I’m not a child anymore.

I rarely misread people’s emotions now.

My father, whose hair grew whiter with each meeting, whose face and hands deepened with wrinkles and quiet dignity. Who had remained alone since my mother’s death, never remarrying. I’d never asked why—but suddenly, I remembered.

I had said it once—though I couldn’t recall when—“There’s only one mother in the world.”

Had he taken that to heart, dutifully staying single all this time?

And then I remembered telling my brother, “Don’t forget my birthday, okay?”

Was that why he still sent gifts without fail? Even after I left home, engaged to another, even though we barely spoke and he hardly knew my preferences—he still picked something out every year, always with a card.

The two of them were probably just… awkward.

They simply hadn’t known how to handle a child who’d lost her mother. But surely, all this time, they had loved me dearly.

Tap.

I felt a gentle push against my back.

Ah… that presence.

Unable to resist, I stood and took a step forward—then another, throwing myself into my father’s arms.

He stiffened for a moment before carefully wrapping his arms around me.

“Did you… hear the rumors?”

In business, information is everything. Of course he’d know the rumors about Ixel and Charlotte on the front lines, among other things.

Tap.

Again, I felt a soft pat on my back.

A faint presence, mingling with the wind spirits.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

But even if it was, that was fine.

It felt just like my mother’s touch—the way she used to soothe me when I cried as a child, frightened by nightmares.

Bolstered by that sensation, I decided to tell my father and brother everything—about what had happened… and what would come next.

The three of us sat side by side on the narrow cloth before my mother’s grave, and the warmth of their hands gently holding mine on either side gave me courage.

But as I spoke, my father and brother’s expressions twisted into fury, and they nearly marched off to hire an entire mercenary division to storm the Ixel territory. I had to frantically summon my sister-in-law to stop them.

We couldn’t let my pregnant sister-in-law sit on the bare ground outside, so we moved to the parlor.

“My, my.”

After just a glance at our faces and a few scattered words, she had already pieced together most of the story. Her ability to grasp a situation was terrifying.

“So, Shall, you haven’t seen Ixel Duel-sama since your twenty-fifth birthday—nearly three years ago?”

When I nodded, my father and brother growled. But my sister-in-law silenced them with a smile. “Hush, now. You too, Father-in-law.” She was formidable.

“The rumors reached us, of course. But since you weren’t acting, we thought maybe you didn’t know. Your circle was handpicked by Father-in-law, airtight—so we assumed they’d decided you didn’t need to hear the gossip. But that wasn’t it, was it? The rumors turned out to be true, and that’s why you couldn’t act?”

Exactly. Though I hadn’t heard it directly from Ixel, the fact remained—he had chosen someone else. The scandal had been spun into a noble tale because of his Duel lineage, leaving me powerless to respond.

“But now, circumstances demand action.”

I caught my breath. Her words shook me.

I had just told my father and brother that after the annulment, I’d leave on a journey and never return.

I’d mentioned my illness as the reason for the divorce—but not my life expectancy.

At first, I thought it unnecessary to say. But now, by not telling them, I knew they’d believe I was still out there somewhere, alive and well—next year, ten years from now. That’s why I stayed silent.

It was selfish of me, realizing how much they cared only to lean on them like this. But I wanted—just once in a while—for them to worry about me.

“…Shall? Are you planning to die?”

Her question froze the room.

“Ah—”

The sound that escaped me might as well have been a Yes.

“N-no, I don’t… plan to die by my own hand. It’s just…”

Ah, I hadn’t wanted to say it.

“…the illness. I don’t have much time left.”

Though my voice was barely a whisper, it echoed through the room.