We Will Get Divorced: The Perfect Divorce Plan of the Sacrificial Daughter and the Cold-Blooded Soldier - Chapter 28

Just like the outbound journey, we stayed overnight in the village of Ruhen and arrived back at the consulate residence just past noon the following day.

The moment Julian stepped down from the carriage, he was immediately seized by the butler and led to the reception room without even a moment’s rest. Apparently, some unexpected guest had been waiting for Julian since the day before yesterday.

“Go rest and recover from your journey in your room.”

Though Julian had told me that when we parted, I didn’t feel like staying cooped up in my room and decided to go for a walk in the garden instead.

“Madam, are you going for a walk? I’ll accompany you!”

Leaving Amy behind in the room, who was brimming with unusual enthusiasm about accompanying me on my walk.

“N-no! It’s dangerous for you to go alone. If something were to happen—”

I’m sorry, my dear Amy. Right now, I’d rather be alone. I want to sort out my feelings somewhere with no one else around.

“I can’t allow it! Amy is coming too! There’s something I want to tell you about. My maid friend Ilina recently went through a heartbreak—”

Thank you, but I’ll listen another time. I forcibly peeled off Amy, who was clinging to me like a puppy to its mother, and left the room.

Walking as if to avoid people, my feet naturally headed toward the inner courtyard. The garden is the perfect place to think alone. It’s shielded from prying eyes, and the servants rarely enter. It’s practically the only place in the busy consulate residence where I can be completely alone.

“—Ah, no.”

But then I heard a voice coming from that very courtyard, which was troubling.

“—No, not here.”

And what’s more, it was a rather unusual voice.

“—Stop… you idiot.”

Um. What kind of situation is this?

I stopped at the entrance to the courtyard and pondered.

Unlike the extravagantly expensive Eirondale ducal family’s courtyard, the consulate residence’s courtyard is essentially little more than a wild field. As mentioned before, since it’s shielded from view, it might be considered the perfect rendezvous spot for passionate young men and women, but…

“—Hey, no. Arcadia.”

No, you’re the one who shouldn’t. What are you doing in someone else’s courtyard?

Give me a break. Driven away by the sickly sweet, coquettish voice leaking from the shadows of the grove, I turned on my heel. Why do I have to sneak around in my own garden? At times like these, why do I feel like I’m the one doing something wrong? Why do I end up sneaking away, praying not to be found?

And at times like these, no matter how carefully I step, a dry branch always suddenly appears under my foot,

—Crack.

and makes a loud noise every single time. Why is that, really?

A short, sharp gasp rang out.

The person who came flying out of the grove was a young maid with a familiar face. She’s one of Julian’s maids, and I’ve seen her chatting happily with Amy many times. The very same Ilina who was just mentioned as having recently gone through a heartbreak.

“Ilina… right?”

“A-ah, Madam. Are you out for a walk?”

“Y-yes, that’s right. I was just about to return to my room.”

“I-is that so? Well then, I should return to work as well. E-excuse me.”

Sweat-drenched Ilina hurriedly ran off from the courtyard while straightening her disheveled hair. I stared blankly after her retreating figure, her apron askew.

“…Why did I have to come out here?”

I couldn’t help but mutter to myself. This is beyond awkward. I was trying so hard to be considerate and leave. I wish they could have waited until I was gone.

“Oh my, did I get caught in a bad spot?”

That’s exactly why I’m telling you not to come out.

Of course, a young maiden doesn’t become drenched in sweat outdoors by herself. Naturally, there was someone with her. That’s why I said, “I’m about to return to my room.” I was saying it to you. To the other you, who was presumably hiding in the grove.

But the man, completely oblivious to my intentions, emerged nonchalantly.

“But if you’re back, does that mean my brother is back too?”

What’s more, he called the consulate’s wife “you.”

“I’ve been bored since the day before yesterday, so I had her show me around. Hmm, do I need to introduce myself?”

“…No, that won’t be necessary.”

I already heard your name from Ilina’s mouth. In an extremely sickly-sweet voice.

If I recall correctly, it was “that good-for-nothing womanizer sweet-talker,” wasn’t it? So, you were the unexpected guest who suddenly showed up.

I didn’t even feel like asking who he was. I had the same feeling as when I first saw Nadine, I was certain at a glance that he was Julian’s relative.

Slanted eyes, high nose, sharp jawline, tall stature—the beauty of his features was almost like a family crest representing the Vraogone name, but the man standing there with a smile had something about him that drew the eye even more than his appearance. A dangerous attraction, like watching a tower of blocks about to collapse, or a tightrope-walking clown.

“Shall we go then, Lord Arcadia? My husband is probably looking for you.”

“Yeees, sister-in-law.”

The demonic smile of Arcadia, the youngest son of the Vraogone family and chief of the military police who should be enforcing discipline, gave off such a dangerous aura that it was impossible to genuinely rejoice at having saved the trouble of going to Vraogone.