When I Asked My Husband for a Divorce, He Said He’d Be Bringing Home a Young Woman, So I Left - 17
“…Is it not simply that you can no longer bear children?”
My father’s thin voice.
My brother wordlessly picked up his sword and moved to leave the room.
“You!”
“Don’t stop me! Thirteen to fifteen years… fifteen years!! Neglecting the wife who studied with tutors instead of attending school, who worked and supported our lands, who fell ill—only to chase after some young girl without regard for age…!! What nonsense about Duel and healing light. What lies about ‘I will protect her no matter what’!! I won’t let that worthless liar draw another breath!!”
I will protect her no matter what.
I will cherish and protect Charl.
Those were the words Ixel declared when we married.
“I’ll return. I swear I’ll protect this country. I’ll protect it so Charl can live without hardship.”
The words he spoke when leaving for the frontlines.
It felt like light bursting forth.
Ah, why had I forgotten?
He had always acted to protect me.
That was why I, too, devoted my entire being to supporting Ecrulund.
Ixel… my husband—perhaps he fought out of duty as a Duel, but he also fought for me. Even if his heart changed, that truth remained.
Even if I died, it would not disappear.
Though I will be gone, I have already become part of my husband’s life.
Even apart, my husband and I existed together.
I lived protected by him.
“…Charl?”
My brother, his fury dampened, stared at me as I began to laugh softly.
“…Thank you, Brother. Father. Sister-in-law.”
Realizing how deeply I was cherished, I remembered something profoundly important.
My brother lowered his sword and sat beside me again, taking my hand in his chilled grip.
Caravans were often targeted by bandits, so my brother kept his sword ready. Though it was purely for self-defense, his concern warmed my heart.
Father, too, had been holding my hand all this time—though it was damp with sweat and a bit… unpleasant—but I politely ignored it.
“When they told me I had six months left, I thought about so many things alone… and I was terrified. What scared me most was the thought that after I died, I might resent you all—that I might wish for your unhappiness instead of your happiness.”
“Your remaining time isn’t set in stone. Words have power. Stop that.”
Father tightened his grip and scolded me.
But I was already crying so messily that it wasn’t frightening at all.
What had I been looking at in him? What had I given up on?
“And… the thought of Ecrulund falling into chaos. It’s my beloved homeland, rebuilt with all my heart and soul. Even if I’m gone, I want it to remain a prosperous land where not a single child goes hungry.”
Father and Brother’s hands twitched in response.
Even if the sword was lowered, they must have planned economic retaliation. But that would only hurt the weakest—I had to stop them.
“I heard that when Ixel renounced his title as Duel, he requested a reward from His Majesty. Father, did you know?”
“Hmm… Not the details. I know His Majesty is moving on something, but political matters are tightly controlled. If it involved money, he would have consulted me.”
The reliable money tree.
Father held no official position in the royal court and avoided unnecessary political involvement, so it made sense he wouldn’t know unless the king asked him directly.
Theirs was truly a strange relationship.
“I think… what Ixel asked for was His Majesty’s blessing to marry Charlotte.”
I squeezed their stiffened hands to soothe them. If they got worked up at every word, we’d never get anywhere.
But this was simply the depth of their love for me. The thought tightened my chest—but in the warmest way.