Chapter 37: Marital Quarrel

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

Two red-haired sisters lie side by side on a bed. Despite being siblings, they had never once lain together like this, so an air of awkwardness lingered between them.

 

Perhaps the only time they’d ever been in such a position was when Sharen got knocked out in a spar and collapsed on the ground—if that even counts as “lying together.”

 

“…….”

 

Gulp.

 

Particularly, Sharen was extremely tense, thanks to the slip of the tongue she’d made to Silverna at the tavern.

 

‘What do I do? She doesn’t seem to know yet. Should I say something now and ask for forgiveness? Is that even the right thing to do?’

 

Should she confess now? Would it be better to wait?

 

‘But if I get beaten here, I might really die without anyone noticing!’

 

After all, it was just the two of them in the room. There was no one to stop Rihanna. Maybe it’d be better to say something tomorrow in front of other people.

 

As though a wild beast lay next to her, Sharen continued to worry over various scenarios in her head.

 

“Can’t sleep?”

 

It was Rihanna, eyes still closed, speaking in a soft voice.

 

“Uh… yeah.”

 

“If it’s uncomfortable, I’ll sleep somewhere else.”

 

“N-No! It’s not that!”

 

Rihanna had begun to sit up slowly when Sharen grabbed her. If she went so far as to send Rihanna away now, tomorrow would truly become unmanageable.

 

“I don’t mind sleeping with you, Unni! It’s just… I’ve got a lot on my mind, that’s all!”

 

“…….”

 

Rihanna lay back down, cleared her throat awkwardly, then asked,

 

“What’s on your mind?”

 

“Huh? W-Well, I mean—”

 

After some hesitation, Sharen took a careful peek at Rihanna’s expression and broached the topic,

 

“Don’t you think Silverna might have feelings for Isaac?”

 

“…….”

 

“I-I mean, I think there’s a good chance, don’t you?!”

 

Flustered, Sharen blurted out whatever came to mind.

 

At Sharen’s words, Rihanna stared blankly at the ceiling. Her blinking eyes gave no hint as to what she was thinking. Then, in a very brief tone,

 

“Definitely.”

 

She uttered the single word in passing.

 

Sharen’s eyes went wide.

 

“R-really? You’re that sure?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Because Rihanna had heard it herself while disguised as a maid:

 

‘I… I think I like him’

 

Silverna, whispering shyly to Anna as she tried to hide her embarrassment. Hearing that had brought Rihanna many thoughts, but in the end, there was only one conclusion.

 

“But it’s not something I can get involved in.”

 

The sadness in Rihanna’s voice made Sharen unconsciously turn her head to look at her sister. It was the first time she’d seen her this emotional, and it unsettled her.

 

“Unni?”

 

“Because I’m divorced.”

 

“But you’re still his wife, you know.”

 

“Only for now.”

 

“You never know! Isaac might change his mind and decide to stay!”

 

Sharen felt odd being the one to console Rihanna, but she still wanted to keep offering comforting words.

 

“No, Isaac has already made up his mind.”

 

“…Unni?”

 

Hearing the quiver in her sister’s voice, Sharen instinctively took hold of Rihanna’s hand.

 

“He doesn’t even want an apology anymore.”

 

Sharen felt guilty at that as well—she, too, had once treated Isaac like a personal servant.

 

“Hey, Unni…”

 

She also knew Rihanna had stood by and let it happen.

 

“But why did you let our brothers bully Isaac?”

 

When Sharen asked, Rihanna let out a short sigh and said,

 

“Does the reason even matter now?”

 

Rihanna slowly closed her eyes.

 

“I made a choice, and it just turned out to be the wrong one.”

 

“…So, you’re going to let Isaac go now?”

 

“Yeah. So quit bringing up this idea that you or anyone else might have feelings for Isaac.”

 

It’s disrespectful to him.

 

Adding this, Rihanna spoke firmly. Sharen gave a small nod and then spoke in a quiet voice.

 

“Well, since you said you’ve let him go, I guess I should make one confession too.”

 

“…….”

 

“I, uh… kinda told Silverna about it. About you and Isaac getting a divorce.”

 

“…….”

 

“But you already let him go, so I guess it’s no big— Aaaaagh!? Owwww! M-my hand! Let go of my haaand!”

 

Sharen, unable to match her sister’s grip strength, could only scream.

 

“You liiiiiiar!”

 

****

 

The next day.

 

Isaac and Rihanna were summoned separately by the Margrave for questioning.

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

The place they arrived at, however, looked more like a spot for a meal than an interrogation. The room was somewhat cramped, but a warm lamplight lit the interior, and the table was set with simple snacks like sandwiches and jerky.

 

There was even a bottle of liquor lying around, making them wonder if this was really supposed to be an interrogation at all.

 

Sitting side by side, the two of them shared a subtle awkwardness because of what had transpired the previous day.

 

When the Margrave still didn’t show, Isaac cleared his throat and turned to Rihanna.

 

“About yesterday… um… did you sleep okay?”

 

“Yeah, I slept in Sharen’s room.”

 

Rihanna answered with a blank expression, and strangely enough, that typical demeanor put Isaac at ease.

 

‘Thank goodness.’

 

Isaac still felt uneasy about having turned her away after she had been so forward with him. He felt guilty for possibly humiliating her, but in the end, he’d had no choice but to send her off.

 

If they had stayed together any longer—

 

“Ahem, well, that’s a relief.”

 

“How about you, Isaac? Did you sleep well?”

 

“Me? Yeah, I slept fine. I was tired, so I knocked right out.”

 

“That’s good… I’m glad.”

 

Rihanna offered the same reply in return.

 

With eyes devoid of any emotion, she kept staring at the entrance—eager for someone to show up.

 

But still, nobody came, prompting Rihanna to exhale lightly and cast her gaze toward Isaac.

 

“If you need help, just say so.”

 

“Help?”

 

“Your aura. While we’re here, I could teach you.”

 

“…….”

 

Aura.

 

Something Isaac had never been able to handle.

 

[Aura? Are you kidding me? When you reach the extreme, you don’t need that.]

 

Recalling his Grandmaster’s words, Isaac answered,

 

“Teach me.”

 

If the Grandmaster were here, she would have probably pouted, saying, Tell that person to be your master, then.

 

But right now, she wasn’t around.

 

Better to learn while he had the chance.

 

“…Sure.”

 

Seeing how easily Isaac agreed, Rihanna’s eyes widened slightly. She fought to keep a small smile from forming at the corners of her mouth—when finally, the door opened, admitting Uldiran Caldias.

 

“It took a bit. Monsters were swarming near the barrier.”

 

Seating himself, Uldiran popped a strip of jerky in his mouth first. As he chewed, he looked at the two of them with a curious expression.

 

“You’re stiffer than I expected. I left you two alone so you could have a tender moment.”

 

“…….”

 

“…….”

 

“Hmm, was that too considerate, or are you just tense?”

 

After taking a swig of liquor, Uldiran made a show of joking around.

 

“No need to be nervous. Just answer my questions and I won’t press charges. Of course, I can’t speak for Helmut.”

 

He picked up another piece of jerky, and pointed it at Rihanna before biting into it.

 

“I’m willing to hear you out as ‘Rihanna,’ but obviously Arandel won’t take it kindly that Helmut bowed to Caldias. You understand that, right?”

 

“Yes, I’m aware.”

 

“…Bowed?”

 

Isaac looked at Rihanna in confusion. But she deliberately avoided turning her head away.

 

“You bowed? You, Rihanna?”

 

“You didn’t hear? It was quite a scene. Learned a thing or two about romance.”

 

Uldiran let out a hearty laugh.

 

Isaac, at a loss, glared at Rihanna.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding. If the family head finds out, who knows what he’ll say to you? He’s probably already furious you came here on your own.”

 

“I know.”

 

“You knew and still… Ugh, fine. Whatever.”

 

Isaac propped his chin up in a huff. Rihanna, noticing his reaction, felt compelled to add something.

 

“I only did it to save you.”

 

“The Margrave would’ve come to help if it weren’t for you.”

 

“That would’ve weakened the defenses at the main barrier. The Margrave can’t just leave his post on a whim.”

 

“If you’re so aware of what’s going on, maybe you should’ve taken a good look at your own situation, too. What’s your plan once you return to Helmut?”

 

“I’ll figure it out myself.”

 

“Sure, that’s gonna go great. I’m sure the family head will just welcome you back with open arms.”

 

“I told you, I did it to save you.”

 

“You still should’ve done it within reason. Do you have any idea how big of a deal this is?”

 

“In the end, I saved you, didn’t I? Doesn’t that make it okay? If I hadn’t come, things could’ve been worse. You still can’t handle aura, right?”

 

“So that’s how you’re gonna put it?”

 

“Who started talking like they wanted to pick a fight?”

 

“I’m worried about you, that’s all. You really think the family head’s going to love hearing that Helmut has been bowing all over the place?”

 

“I knelt because I was worried about you.”

 

“Would’ve been nice if you’d worried about me sooner.”

 

Their conversation remained at a standstill, each side stubbornly refusing to give in.

 

Watching them quietly, Uldiran nodded to himself.

 

‘So this is how they show concern for each other?’

 

When you listened carefully, both of them were just worried about the other.

 

‘Helmut sure is unique.’

 

Sensing they needed to air things out, Uldiran decided to wait and keep himself busy with another piece of jerky.

 

****

 

Having finished her shift, Silverna gingerly stepped into Malidan Castle. The interrogation was running longer than expected and still hadn’t wrapped up, so she’d come by to check on it.

 

‘I mean, why would I go around announcing they’re getting divorced? They keep telling me over and over to keep it hush-hush, which is making them look like the dumb ones! It’s driving me nuts!’

 

The words Sharen had said yesterday kept floating around in Silverna’s head, to the point where she couldn’t focus on her duties.

 

Seeing how Sharen was moping around all day today, it seemed clear that her drunken confession was no mere slip of the tongue.

 

‘They’re getting a divorce?’

 

If that was true—

 

If they really were—

 

‘Could this mean… maybe… for me—?’

 

“Milady?”

 

“Eek?!”

 

Lost in her fantasies, Silverna hadn’t been watching where she was going; she jumped back when she heard a voice. Standing in the hallway was Anna.

 

Arms folded, Anna gave Silverna a once-over and asked,

 

“Where are you off to right now?”

 

“Oh, uh, I… I was just—”

 

Too flustered to finish her sentence, Silverna fell silent. Anna pointedly asked,

 

“You’re going to see Isaac, right?”

 

“Y-yeah.”

 

“They’re probably still in the middle of that interrogation.”

 

“Well, he’s part of my team, so… I just wanted to go check up on him.”

 

Silverna’s voice grew smaller with each word. With a sigh, Anna strode up to her and reached out.

 

“Unbutton those a bit.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Anna promptly undid two buttons on Silverna’s shirt. Placing her hands on Silverna’s shoulders, she declared firmly,

 

“If you’re going to go for it, do it right. If you’re going to steal him away, then make it count.”

 

“…Anna?”

 

“Milady, do you have any idea how rare this kind of opportunity is? The man you’ve got your eye on is married, but suddenly they’re planning to divorce? This is… literally a godsend.”

 

“A-Anna?!”

 

“Go on! Sure, Rihanna Helmut is pretty, but you’ve got nothing to feel inferior about.”

 

“I… don’t?”

 

“That’s more than enough to drive most men wild. Especially when it comes to Helmut, looks like that might be the weak point.”

 

With a jerk of her chin, Anna gestured at Silverna’s chest. Silverna scratched her cheek in embarrassment, but nonetheless, Anna gave her a push toward the guest room now serving as the interrogation chamber.

 

“Cut me some slack.”

 

“No.”

 

The interrogation room, which Silverna had expected to be rife with tension, instead found three people casually playing cards at a table.

 

“…You used to let things slide back in the day,” said Rihanna, cheeks puffed out in a pout.

 

Isaac clucked his tongue and retorted,

 

“That was when I was a bachelor.”

 

“……”

 

“Quit puffing your cheeks.”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

 

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