Chapter 1: Fourth Wedding Anniversary

 

‘I’ve returned.’

 

Where should I begin?

 

First, the memories themselves are crystal clear.

 

A few days after placing Rihanna’s corpse to rest.

 

The all-out offensive by the Transcendents began.

 

The kingdom fell.

 

I was killed by the Transcendents’ army.

 

That was how things had played out so far.

 

“Brother-in-law? Are you feeling sick? What’s wrong?”

 

Alois is calling out to me.

 

Exactly as he did eleven years ago.

 

At this point, I had to admit it.

 

‘It’s true, I’ve really come back.’

 

Energy surged through my body.

 

My legs were fine.

 

And yet, guided by my memories, my instincts clearly bore hostility toward Alois.

 

“Brother-in-law?”

 

I couldn’t ignore his calls forever, so I decided to check:

 

“Alois, where are the bouquet and the cake I prepared?”

 

“Ah, you’ve finally come to your senses? The maids have the bouquet ready, and the cake will be brought out around evening.”

 

Then Alois clutched his head, pleading:

 

“Please, just go and calm my sister down as soon as possible. It’s absolute chaos over there.”

 

“Alright, Alois.”

 

I wanted nothing more than to kill this red-haired man before me right this instant.

 

I nearly clenched my fist in anger, but held back. He, too, was a man of Helmut.

 

With the Helmut family’s innate, overwhelming physical prowess, someone of my commoner birth couldn’t possibly overcome him.

 

‘Not yet.’

 

So I passed him by.

 

‘A bouquet, a cake, and a chandelier.’

 

Many things would happen today.

 

A blade was hidden in the bouquet, and the cake was laced with a drug that would cause severe stomach pain.

 

And the chandelier would fall on me, crippling my right leg.

 

It wouldn’t just ruin today, but would destroy my future—truly a horrific day was in store.

 

‘All of this, Alois, was your doing.’

 

The one who ruined my life was none other than Alois Helmut, the third son of the Helmut family.

 

This time, I wouldn’t fall victim.

 

As I passed by him, I noticed the pendant Alois wore around his neck.

 

It was a gift from my wife, Rihanna, given to Alois when they were young—a keepsake he always carried.

 

Inside the pendant was a letter Rihanna had written when she was a child.

 

That right there was the reason Alois ruined my life.

 

‘A twisted deviant.’

 

He was a madman who lusted after his own sister.

 

Though he always pretended to be friendly with me, deep down he hated me more than anyone else.

 

That’s why he wanted to render me even more useless, deliberately orchestrating my accident.

 

Yet in the end, his own fate didn’t turn out well either.

 

In this timeline, about three years from now, Alois, unable to hide his true feelings, would face the tragedy of being expelled from the family.

 

****

 

Stepping out, the grand central hall of the Helmut estate greeted me.

 

A staircase leading to the second floor faced the main entrance, and the spacious, dignified interior was always well-maintained.

The arms and armor mounted on the walls hinted at the family’s deep martial heritage.

 

And right before the stairs leading up to the second floor,

 

there stood a red-haired woman with her hands folded together.

 

“Rihanna…”

 

My wife, whom I had once laid to rest with my own hands.

 

The pride of a kingdom that fought the Transcendents until the end.

 

The Blood Rose Rihanna Helmut.

 

“Isaac.”

 

At my call, she slowly turned her head and looked toward me.

 

Her blood-red eyes, like finely cut gems, reproached me.

 

“One of Father’s ironclad rules is that all family members must have breakfast together.”

 

Even though it’s been ten years, her usual blank expression still feels strangely familiar.

 

For reference, I’m not considered one of the family members expected to attend breakfast.

 

Even though I’m the husband of the eldest daughter.

 

Details like this made it obvious how the Helmut family regarded me.

 

“But today, I didn’t join them for breakfast. I had already cleared it with Father-in-law in advance.”

 

“Because of me?”

 

“That’s right. You said you’d prepare breakfast to mark our fourth wedding anniversary.”

 

But in the end, she got stood up.

 

“…….”

 

My eyes drifted to the ring on her left ring finger.

 

At the same time, I, too, couldn’t help but notice the unfamiliar sensation of my own wedding ring on my left ring finger, something I hadn’t felt for a long time.

 

Rihanna.

 

Why did you keep wearing the ring of a husband who fled?

 

The questions remain, and there’s still no one to answer them.

 

“Even though it’s a bit late, let’s have breakfast.”

 

Without a word, Rihanna followed my lead into the dining room. Inside, the tableware was arranged on a small table set for two.

 

I’m guessing it was yesterday’s version of me in this world who requested it.

 

As we took our seats, the attendants swiftly brought out the soup.

 

Among them, I spotted a familiar, welcoming face.

 

Milli.

 

The youngest cook working in the Helmut kitchens. A tanned, copper-skinned girl my own age, Millie stood out.

 

In the old days, I’d often chatted with Milli.

 

As a peer and a fellow commoner, she understood my troubles well. She offered comforting words and tasty food to ease my loneliness.

 

‘Seeing her again now really brings back memories.’

 

After I fled from Helmut, I never heard what became of Milli.

 

“Milli.”

 

“Yes, Sir Isaac.”

 

I’d spoken her name out of fondness, but Milli seemed to think I was giving the signal we’d agreed on yesterday.

 

She brought over bread and sandwich ingredients, setting them before me.

 

These rough, simple ingredients were something you’d never normally find in Helmut.

 

‘Ah, right. I prepared these, didn’t I?’

 

The moment I saw them, it all came back to me.

 

My plan was to recreate the very first meal I had made for Rihanna as a kind of event to commemorate our anniversary.

 

“…….”

 

Back then, I’d been so nervous in the face of Rihanna’s blank expression that I couldn’t do a proper job.

 

‘But now that I look again.’

 

Now that I have some composure, I think I can see a subtle hint of anticipation hidden behind her neutral face.

 

Once the attendants stepped back,

 

I began making a sandwich for Rihanna.

 

I halved the bread, layered slices of cheese, cut the bacon into bite-sized pieces, and topped it off with just a few pickled vegetables. Lastly, I finished with a bit of salted mashed potatoes.

 

“Here you are.”

 

“…….”

 

Rihanna, staring intently at the sandwich I offered, carefully took it in her hands.

 

At our first meeting, I had struggled mightily to convince her to hold her food and eat it by hand, something that went against her notions of proper etiquette. Back then, it hadn’t been easy.

 

Now, as I prepare my own sandwich, out of the corner of my eye I catch Rihanna cautiously taking a bite, holding the sandwich in both hands.

 

Seeing that brought a slight smile to my face.

 

‘It reminds me of old times.’

 

During the days I worked as a ferryman, this had been my staple food.

 

You could eat it even while crossing the river on a small boat.

 

Suddenly,

 

as I watch Rihanna munch on the sandwich, I can’t shake the feeling that so much has changed.

 

Back when we ate sandwiches together on that tiny boat drifting along the blue river, when our biggest worry was whether we’d get sunburned—those were simpler, happier times.

 

‘I never imagined a future like this could await us.’

 

I glance at Rihanna as she chews her sandwich.

 

As she quietly munches, her expression unchanged, it strikes me.

 

In all my memories, where nearly everything has changed, this is the one scene that remains just the same.

 

****

 

Time passes, and evening falls.

 

Inside the banquet hall of the Helmut estate.

 

On the balcony, Isaac looked up at the starry sky.

 

Beside him, his elegantly dressed wife gazed at the same spot in the heavens.

 

Hair cascading down to her waist, skin so pale it heightened the intensity of her crimson hues, eyes red like blazing embers—different from her rose-colored hair yet just as fiery.

 

They called her the Rose of Helmut, famed throughout the kingdom for her unparalleled beauty.

 

It had been a very busy day.

 

The bouquet had been replaced with a new one, and instead of a lavish cake from elsewhere, he’d asked Milli to prepare something small and humble.

 

Though the chandelier fell just as Alois had planned, Isaac, expecting it, neatly avoided the disaster.

 

And so,

 

after roughly ten years, Isaac had come full circle back to this place.

 

‘In my past life, I was knocked out under that chandelier.’

 

Catching the breeze, Isaac slightly turned his head.

 

Standing next to him, Rihanna.

 

A hardened blankness devoid of any emotion.

 

Those cool, crimson eyes always forced Isaac to tread carefully.

 

“Rihanna.”

 

“…….”

 

Even when Isaac called, Rihanna did not respond.

 

She simply looked up at the sky, as though waiting for something.

 

“I worked quite hard on today’s preparations.”

 

For Isaac, it had taken fourteen years to bring this event to fruition.

 

And now came the final part.

 

In the empty rose garden of Helmut, illuminated by the moonlight,

 

Isaac gently took hold of Rihanna’s left hand and drew it toward him.

 

“We’ve been through a lot.”

 

“…….”

 

“Even so, as husband and wife, we managed to get by in our own way.”

 

Even Rihanna, whose expression never wavered, looked slightly surprised and stared blankly at him at these words.

 

“I’ve thought about it many times—what would be the best path forward for us as a couple?”

 

Isaac covered her left hand with both of his, softly.

 

“Rihanna.”

 

Then, carefully removing the wedding band from her left ring finger, he quietly declared:

 

“Let’s get a divorce.”

 

The wind, tinged with the scent of roses, blew softly.

 

“What?”

 

For the first time today, Rihanna’s blank expression broke.