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Translator: uly
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Let's Get a Divorce
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'I'm back.'
Where should I even start?
My memories are crystal clear, at least.
A few days after Rianna's body was laid to rest.
The Transcendent Race launched their all-out assault.
The kingdom fell.
And I died to their horde.
That was the rundown up to now.
"Brother-in-law? Are you feeling sick? No, what's wrong?"
Alois was calling out to me.
Exactly as he had eleven years ago.
At this point, I had to admit it.
I've really come back.
Vitality surged through my body.
My legs felt solid.
And yet, my instincts—shaped by those memories—were screaming at me to see Alois as an enemy.
"Brother-in-law?"
I couldn't ignore him forever, so I decided to check something.
"Alois, where are the flowers and cake I prepared?"
"Oh, finally awake? The maids handled the flowers, and the cake's set to arrive for dinner."
Then Alois clutched his head and begged.
"Please, hurry and go cheer up my sister. Things are a total mess over there right now."
"Got it, Alois."
I wanted to beat the red-haired bastard in front of me to death right then and there.
My fist twitched impulsively, but I held back. He was a Helmunt, after all.
The overwhelming physical prowess they were born with—I, a commoner, couldn't match it.
Not yet, anyway.
So I brushed past him.
Flowers, cake, and the chandelier.
A lot was going to happen today.
A blade was hidden in the flowers, and the cake was laced with something to cause stomach pain.
And the chandelier? It would crash down on me, crippling my right leg.
It wouldn't just ruin today—it would destroy my entire future.
All of it. Your plan, Alois.
The one who wrecked my life
was Helmunt's third son, standing right in front of me—Alois Helmunt.
Not this time.
As I passed him, I noticed the pendant hanging around his neck.
It was a gift from my wife Rianna to Alois when they were kids—one he always carried with him.
Inside that pendant was a letter Rianna had written him as a child.
That's the reason he ruined my life.
You sick, twisted pervert.
He was a lunatic who lusted after his own sister.
He'd always acted friendly toward me, but deep down, he hated me more than anyone.
That's why he wanted me even more pathetic—he orchestrated that accident on purpose.
But his own end wasn't much better.
Three years from now, unable to hide his feelings any longer, Alois would be exiled from the family.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Stepping outside, the grand central hall of the Helmunt estate greeted me.
The staircase to the second floor faced the front door directly, and the spacious, stately interior was impeccably maintained, as always.
The weapons adorning the walls hinted at the family's deep martial heritage.
And right there, at the base of the stairs to the second floor.
A red-haired woman stood with her hands clasped together.
"Rianna..."
My wife, whom I'd buried myself.
The kingdom's pride, who fought the Transcendent Race to the very end.
Blood Rose Rianna Helmunt.
"Isaac."
At my call, she slowly turned her head and looked my way.
Her gemstone eyes—carved by a master jeweler—reproached me.
"One of Father's iron rules is that all family members eat breakfast together."
Her usual blank expression felt familiar, even after ten years.
For the record, I wasn't counted among the family members at breakfast.
Even as the eldest daughter's husband.
These little details showed exactly how the Helmunt family viewed me.
"But today, I skipped breakfast. I got Father's permission in advance."
"Because of me?"
"Yes. I told him you were preparing breakfast for our fourth anniversary."
But in the end, I'd left her hanging.
"..."
Suddenly, my eyes caught the ring on her left ring finger.
Mine too.
The feel of the ring on my left ring finger felt a bit awkward after so long.
Rianna.
Why did you keep the ring from your runaway husband?
The question lingered, but there was still no one to answer it.
"Sorry I'm a little late. Breakfast."
With my escort, Rianna followed me to the dining room without a word.
A table set for two waited there, complete with place settings.
Probably something yesterday's me in this world had arranged.
As we sat, the servants swiftly brought soup.
Among them, a familiar, welcome face appeared.
Milli.
The youngest chef in the Helmunt kitchens.
Her striking, sun-tanned bronze skin marked her as my peer—and same age.
We used to talk a lot back then.
As a fellow commoner and same-age friend, she'd listen to my woes.
She'd comfort me with kind words and delicious food, easing my loneliness.
Seeing her like this, she really is a sight for sore eyes.
I'd lost track of Milli after fleeing the Helmunt estate.
"Milli."
"Yes, Master Isaac."
I'd called her out of fondness, but she must have thought it was the signal from our agreement yesterday.
She brought bread and sandwich fixings, setting them before me.
Rough, simple ingredients you wouldn't see in the Helmunt household.
Oh, right. This was the plan.
It hit me the moment I saw them.
To celebrate our anniversary, recreating the first meal I'd ever made for Rianna—that was the event.
"..."
Back then, I'd been too intimidated by her blank stare to make it properly.
But looking at it now...
With some breathing room, I could see a faint glimmer of anticipation beneath her stoic face.
The servants withdrew.
I made a sandwich for Rianna.
Sliced the bread in half, added cheese slices, cut the bacon to bite-sized pieces.
A few pickled slices for veggies.
Finished with a topping of salted mashed potatoes.
"Here."
"..."
She stared at the sandwich I offered, then took it gingerly in her hands.
Back at our first meeting,
I'd had to work hard to convince her that eating with her hands wasn't improper.
While I made my own,
I caught sight of Rianna delicately biting into hers with both hands—and it made me chuckle softly.
Takes me back.
When I was a mere ferryman, this was my staple.
Easy to eat even on a boat crossing the river.
Suddenly,
watching her eat the sandwich so intently,
I felt like so much had changed.
Back on that blue river,
sharing sandwiches on a little ferry,
laughing over silly worries like getting sunburned.
Never imagined a future like this back then.
I glanced at Rianna chewing away.
Surprisingly,
in my memories where everything had changed, this sight was the one thing that remained exactly the same.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Time passed, and evening came.
The banquet hall in the Helmunt estate.
Isaac gazed up at the starry sky from the balcony.
His elegantly dressed wife stood beside him, looking at the same view.
Hair cascading to her waist, porcelain skin accentuating her crimson hue, rose-like tresses paired with burning red eyes that evoked a different kind of fire.
She lived up to her fame as the kingdom's greatest beauty—the rose of Helmunt.
It had been a busy day.
He'd prepared fresh flowers, and instead of some fancy store-bought cake, a small, humble one from Milli.
The chandelier had fallen as per Alois's scheme, but Isaac—forewarned—dodged it cleanly.
And so,
after about ten years, he'd circled back to this moment.
In my last life, I'd been knocked out by that chandelier.
A breeze tugged his head slightly to the side.
Rianna stood next to him.
Her face frozen in emotionless stoicism.
The chill in her red eyes always made Isaac tread carefully.
"Rianna."
"..."
Even at his call, Rianna didn't respond.
She stared at the sky as if waiting for something.
"I put a lot of effort into today."
For Isaac, it had taken fourteen years.
And now, the finale.
The empty rose garden of Helmunt, glowing under the moonlight.
Isaac gently drew Rianna's left hand to him.
"We've been through so much, haven't we."
"..."
"But we've managed as husband and wife, in our own way."
Even Rianna's blank expression cracked slightly in surprise at his words, her gaze fixed blankly on him.
"I've thought about it a lot. What the best path forward is for us."
Isaac cradled her left hand gently in both of his.
"Rianna."
Then, carefully slipping the wedding ring off her ring finger, he declared softly.
"Let's get a divorce."
A rose-scented breeze wafted in.
"What?"
For the first time that day, Rianna's stoic mask shattered.