We Will Get Divorced: The Perfect Divorce Plan of the Sacrificial Daughter and the Cold-Blooded Soldier - Chapter 16

“What?! Sierra?!”

The response was immediate.

The sound of footsteps pounding down the stairs from the second floor of the assembly hall echoed through the building. The sound shifted to something more like tumbling halfway down.

“It really is Sierra!”

My cousin Kevin Eirondale came bursting out.

Long-time no see, Brother. So, you were leading the rebel forces after all. Your short temper seems unchanged, as always. Your un-noble-like speech and behavior, your muscular physique, your closely-cropped hair.

“I missed you!”

“—Oof!”

His doting, bull-headed nature hadn’t changed either. He pushed through his soldier subordinates and gave me what felt more like a tackle than a hug.

“I was shocked when I heard you got married! They said you were abducted by the Undying King? You’ve gotten so thin. You’re suffering under that bastard after all, aren’t you?”

“That hurts, Brother. I’m not suffering at all. In fact, I’m being treated better than I was at my parents’ home.”

“Is that so, is that so. So, you are being tormented by that scoundrel after all! You poor thing!”

“The only thing tormenting me right now is this. Please don’t squeeze me while wearing armor.”

“You poor thing!”

Ugh! He still never listens to a word I say!

Kevin, the son of my father’s youngest brother and former administrator of Harrop, was the only relative in the Eirondale family who treated me well. He was an upright, compassionate young man with strong popular support, but I couldn’t honestly describe him as gentle because of his unrefined, rough manner completely unbecoming of a noble and his physicality that was anything but gentle.

That’s why it hurts, you brute. Maybe I should slap him soon.

“Let go, you’re hurting my wife.”

Just as I thought that, Julian forcefully intervened.

“Ow! Who the hell are you?!”

“The husband of the woman you’re currently hurting. Now get off her.”

“Sierra’s husband?”

With a twitch, a thick vein bulged on Kevin’s forehead. A lightning-like red flashed in his eyes as he glared at Julian’s face.

“So, you’re the Undying King!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Kevin drew the saber at his hip.

“Stop, Brother!”

So, it came to this after all. Kevin, who doted on me excessively, and Julian, who had technically taken me from my family—it was impossible for these two to meet without something happening. I really shouldn’t have let them meet.

But it was too late for regrets. The soldiers who had been stunned into inaction seemed to snap to attention at their master’s drawn blade, their spearpoints now filled with fighting spirit.

“You’ve got some nerve showing your face before me, Undying King. What were you thinking, stealing my dear cousin?”

“I didn’t steal her. This was a legitimate marriage approved by both sets of parents.”

“I see, so it was Uncle’s doing. It wouldn’t be surprising if Uncle sold off Sierra for the dowry money. But that’s strange. I heard you stormed the Eirondale manor.”

“I investigated Sierra’s circumstances before the marriage. When I discovered she was being treated quite terribly, I took her out without waiting for preparations.”

“That’s right! Sierra was always having a rough time. I kept telling them—they should appreciate Sierra more!”

“I cannot love women. Since Sierra couldn’t possibly love such a husband either, we settled for a paperwork marriage without a ceremony. We don’t even see each other at home.”

“Good! I’d never be able to forgive you if you’d laid a hand on my Sierra. Well now, for an Undying King, you’re a pretty reasonable man. Alright then, I’m gonna kill you!”

Why did it come to that? Weren’t you getting along quite well just now?

“…Are we even speaking the same language?”

Julian sighed as if too exasperated for words.

“Hmph, my uprising isn’t just about Sierra! I couldn’t overlook the corruption of the new administrator—you!”

“Corruption?”

“Going to play dumb? Fine, keep playing dumb then. I’ll call a witness right now. Village chief, get out here!”

………….

“Village chief!”

When no one appeared, Kevin shouted as he charged into the assembly hall. Julian watched him go with a dumbfounded expression.

“Sierra, what is he talking about? What corruption?”

“Who knows?”

Harrop was unusually trouble-free for an Eirondale territory, so I’d rarely been involved in its administration even during my time as deputy duke. What exactly was Kevin so angry about?

“Sorry to keep you waiting, here!”

After waiting several minutes, my cousin returned breathing heavily.

The man being dragged by the arm was probably the village chief. He was somewhat portly and reminded me a bit of my father in appearance, but he was a suspicious character who refused to lift his head, his gaze darting about nervously.

“Go on, tell him, village chief! That this Undying King imposed unjust heavy taxes on Ruhen village immediately after taking office!”

“Y-yes…”

“It was an exorbitant amount! The villagers couldn’t survive with taxes like that. So, the village chief shouldered the tax burden for everyone!”

“Y-yes…”

“Then that Undying King bastard got greedy and imposed even heavier taxes, over and over again! The village coffers were emptied in no time. Isn’t that right, village chief!”

“Y-yes…”

“Well, Undying King! Do you still have any excuses? Even with a witness giving such clear testimony!”

Was that really testimony? It seemed like Kevin did almost all the talking.

I felt a prickling sensation from my side. When I looked up, Julian was communicating with his eyes: “I don’t want to talk to this guy anymore.”

Understandable. A noble who acted like a bandit—you wouldn’t find another like him anywhere in the Vishka Kingdom.

“Um, Brother. I understand what you’re saying.”

So, as the experienced one, I would have to handle this.

“Your righteous indignation is justified. I believe your complaint is undoubtedly a noble one founded on justice.”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

“But have you properly examined the evidence?”

“Of course! I confirmed it with my own eyes. The village coffers were definitely empty.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Did you confirm that the emptiness was caused by heavy taxes? For example, are there documents, or did you ask the villagers?”

“I didn’t ask. The village chief, this village chief! He silently shouldered the tax burden to avoid worrying the villagers. This guy’s a real man!”

“Ah, I see… He shouldered it using the village coffers?”

When Kevin slapped him on the shoulder, the village chief’s gaze darted about even more wildly, as if expressing the anxiety in his heart. I looked up at Julian’s face again, but the current administrator seemed to have decided not to say anything more, his lips pressed firmly together.

So, I had to step in again. Unexpectedly assuming the role of deputy administrator.

“Brother, this is very difficult to say, but isn’t it rather unreasonable to suspect my husband of corruption based on this alone?”