I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 13

Episode 13

 

Elisa, who had come one step closer, looked up at the older children and spoke firmly.

 

“Okay.”

 

“What?”

 

“I asked you how it feels to live with Richard. You said it’s good.”

 

The children, surprised by Elisa’s unexpected reaction, hesitated and took a step back.

 

Then Elisa approached them and asked,

 

“Can I ask you something? Do you find this kind of vulgar conversation enjoyable? Talking behind someone’s back and ridiculing them in a place where the person is absent?”

 

“Well, vulgar? Did we say anything untrue? It’s all true. That he’s the son of a nobleman, that he used to be a mercenary!”

 

“Is that so? If your conversation is so righteous, why not say it in front of the adults over there?”

 

Among the nobles, there were those who used to be supporters of the Emperor but now leaned towards Rubellin due to their experiences in the hunting grounds. Some parents of these children were already in line to meet Albert.

 

And even if they were supporters of the Emperor, there was no Noble in the Empire who could openly oppose Roubellin.

 

“You, even when you saw him in the hunting grounds, knew how arrogant he was.”

 

A silver-haired girl, who had been silently observing Elisa, spoke. She had been called Rose just a while ago.

 

Elisa knew Rose’s name.

 

“The wife of Christian, and the stepmother of the protagonist.”

 

As Christian’s fiancée at the moment, she was probably the leader of this group.

 

As expected, another child stepped forward to protect Rose.

 

“Hey, you seemed to be ignorant until recently when you lived in the Roengreen village. Rose is the darling of Viscount Felice. She is the fiancée of the Crown Prince who will rule this empire in the future. Show some respect!”

 

“So what?”

 

“So what?”

 

“Anyway, she is still Rose Felice. I am Elisa Rubellin.”

 

Elisa intentionally emphasized the accents on ‘Felice’ and ‘Rubellin.’ Then, looking straight into Rose’s eyes, she asked,

 

“Do you still not know who should show respect? Rose Felice.”

 

Faced with Elisa’s imposing demeanor, the children and Rose were unable to find words to refute and their lips trembled.

 

Observing those children closely, Elisa slowly turned away. Elisa’s hand, turned away, was trembling slightly.

 

Late to notice, Elisa tightly clenched her hand.

 

Then, from behind, the voices of the children were heard.

 

“She married a half-blooded noble with a low lineage!”

 

As if that was not enough, the children, who were about to add more, instantly stopped and fell silent when they saw Elisa in front of them.

 

Remaining in that position, Elisa, who was about to take a step forward, abruptly stopped.

 

“…….Richard?”

 

Right in front of her, Richard, with cold eyes, was standing.

 

“I was wondering why you weren’t coming; it seems you were caught by these bugs.”

 

Richard, with disdainful eyes, approached and held Elisa’s hand.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Unlike when the children ridiculed Elisa in front of her, they couldn’t mock Richard. They couldn’t even mock him for calling them ‘bugs.’

 

They just looked at him with frightened eyes, biting their lips.

 

Richard led Elisa away from that spot. Elisa’s hand, caught by him, was trembling slightly. Irritation surged when he noticed it.

 

‘So fragile.’

 

Richard gently, yet firmly, held Elisa’s hand and said,

 

“Don’t take the lead from now on, just ignore them. It’s all just nonsense.”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

Elisa stopped her steps at the same time. Richard also stopped.

 

When Richard looked at her with a puzzled expression, Elisa spoke.

 

“I saw it back then. I said I would stand by your side.”

 

So, don’t pretend like nothing happened and live like that.

 

Richard stared blankly at Elisa, who said that. The girl who couldn’t fight, or rather, was so scared that her body trembled, was desperately confronting them.

 

For no one else but herself.

 

“So, it means when no one is on my side, you should be on my side too. People who speak ill of me, you should blow them away with your wind. Got it?”

 

Elisa held Richard’s arm and spoke.

 

Richard, looking at Elisa as if asking when she started speaking so decisively, couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

 

Then, seeing Elisa’s footsteps falter, he slightly furrowed his brows. Afterward, he extended his back towards Elisa.

 

Elisa looked at his back with a puzzled expression.

 

“Get on.”

 

“What?”

 

“Your foot, it hurts.”

 

“I’m fine…”

 

However, despite her refusal, Richard stood there with his back extended.

 

After a moment of hesitation, Elisa got on Richard’s back.

 

Although she worried that it might be too heavy, Richard smoothly stood up without showing any signs of difficulty.

 

“Even so, he’s like an older brother, it feels reassuring.”

 

Richard, who was usually regarded as a puberty-stricken younger brother, looked a bit more mature today. At the same time, the warmth touching her back, which had widened quite a bit, felt strangely unfamiliar.

 

“Arm.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Wrap your arm around my neck. Even if I fall, I won’t know.”

 

Elisa hastily wrapped her arm around Richard’s neck. As a result, the warmth between them became a bit closer.

 

Although Richard’s mouth curved up slightly, Elisa didn’t see it.

 

Under the moonlight, the gentle breeze of the spring night tickled the two children and passed by.

 

—

 

After the party, time passed.

 

“Now it really feels like spring.”

 

On the way to the library, Elisa, looking at the window filled with the color of light green, murmured. The breeze coming in through the window was warm and soft.

 

At that moment, voices of men chatting below the window reached her ears.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

Elisa’s gaze naturally turned in that direction.

 

The knights of Rubellin were gathered there. It seemed like, with the weather warming up, they had come out for outdoor training after a long time.

 

The knights were wearing thin shirts soaked in sweat. Some even had their tops completely off.

 

Elisa, who saw the muscular bodies exposed without any cover, coughed awkwardly and averted her gaze.

 

“Ahem…”

 

But as if drawn by the scent of meat, she instinctively brought her gaze back.

 

“Hmm. It’s also the duty of a host to observe how the knights are training, isn’t it?”

 

Elisa decided to delay her plan to go to the library and watch the training of the knights.

 

Finally, the knights began their sparring.

 

This time, both knights had taken off their tops, revealing their well-defined muscles. The movement of their muscles was clearly visible with every clash of their swords. They were clearly adult male bodies.

 

As Elisa watched the scene with sparkling eyes, a familiar voice reached her from behind.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“Ah!”

 

Elisa was startled like a guilty child at the sudden appearance of Richard.

 

Richard, equally surprised by Elisa’s unexpected reaction, was taken aback.

 

Elisa, feeling awkward, quickly replied in desperation, fearing that she might reveal her true feelings to Richard.

 

“I, I was just watching because practicing is cool. It’s really cool. I wanted to learn too.”

 

“You want to learn?”

 

Elisa felt embarrassed by Richard’s question, as if he knew nothing.

 

Conscience-stricken, she couldn’t tell the pure fifteen-year-old husband the truth yet.

 

“Oh, no. I just said it on a whim.”

 

“I could teach you.”

 

“You’re good at swordsmanship too?”

 

In response to Elisa’s question, Richard narrowed his eyes.

 

For some reason, he felt offended that Elisa underestimated his swordsmanship skills.

 

“…Why would you think I can’t do swordsmanship?”

 

“Well, you’re a mage, so I thought you might not be good at swordsmanship.”

 

“I use magic not because I can’t do swordsmanship, but because magic is much more efficient.”

 

“I see.”

 

Elisa reacted dryly, relieved that she wasn’t caught spying on the knights.

 

She never had a real interest in swordsmanship, and it wasn’t surprising that Richard, who had traveled through various guilds since childhood, was skilled with a sword.

 

“Well, I’ll go first. See you later.”

 

Elisa turned and disappeared.

 

Watching her leave, Richard, who had been pursing his lips, sighed. It wasn’t the reaction he had expected.

 

Richard glanced down at the knights Elisa had been watching with interest just a while ago. His red eyes were chillingly calm.

 

*

 

That evening, as Tomson returned to his room after finishing dinner, he was surprised to see Richard standing in front of it.

 

“…Lord Richard?”

 

Richard, leaning against the wall with his fists clenched, was waiting for him.

 

Tomson felt tense as he looked at Richard approaching.

 

‘What’s going on here?’

 

Richard had entered the Duke’s estate about a year ago.

 

At that time, Richard had little interest in the family, so he didn’t involve himself much in the affairs of the knights. Naturally, he had no reason to talk to the knights.

 

Especially not with a regular knight like Tomson.

 

For someone like Richard to come all the way to the lodging.

 

If there was business, he could have sent a servant to call Tomson to his room or given instructions to the knight commander.

 

But seeing him in person with such a cold expression, something seemed off.

 

‘Did I do something to offend him?’

 

The only thing he did today was engage in intense training with his colleagues in the backyard after lunch.

 

Tomson reconsidered his day, wondering if he had done something to upset Richard.

 

However, what came out of Richard’s mouth was something Tomson never expected.

 

“Fight me tomorrow. Around two in the afternoon, after lunch, in the backyard.”

 

“Um…?”

 

Taken aback by the unexpected challenge, Tomson looked at Richard with bewildered eyes, but Richard was already walking away.