I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 14
Episode 14
“Um, Sir Richard. When will the sparring begin?”
The next day.
Having finished lunch, Thomson came out to the backyard as ordered by Richard, waiting patiently. However, even after the two hours Richard had mentioned had quickly passed and it was approaching half-past two, Richard remained standing still.
He occasionally glanced up at the mansion’s second floor but did nothing else.
“Wait.”
In response to Richard’s cool reply, Thomson returned to waiting, pretending to be asleep.
After about ten more minutes had passed, Elisa appeared at the second-floor window.
Only then did Richard turn to Thomson, grasping his sword.
“Let the sparring begin.”
Thomson faced Richard, assuming a stance. Suddenly, he recalled what his colleagues had said.
“Don’t try to face the Duke with your actual skill. Everyone says they want a fair fight, but if you win, it hurts their pride. The more noble they are, the more true it is.”
“A fair fight means pretending to struggle against mediocre swordsmanship, asking to be defeated at the right time.”
“Exactly. Just enough. No other noble house will pay you as well. Stick around.”
Thomson possessed exceptional skill among his peers.
Fellow knights shook their heads in dismay, wondering why Richard had chosen Thomson, of all the skilled knights, for the sparring session.
Pretending to fight against amateur swordsmanship was challenging for Thomson.
“Enough. It’s your sister on the other side.”
Thomson observed Richard on the opposite side, thinking about the siblings whose livelihoods depended on him.
At that moment, Richard launched a preemptive attack.
Thomson quickly parried the attack. When he attempted to press Richard by putting force into his sword, Richard’s sword moved swiftly, effortlessly deflecting the attack and swiftly closing in towards Thomson’s throat.
“Too fast!”
Thomson desperately stepped back, narrowly avoiding the attack. It was a moment where his throat could have been slashed.
With a cold voice, Richard warned Thomson, who looked astonished.
“If you don’t face me at my actual skill, next time, your throat will be cut.”
Thomson, as well as the fellow knights observing, were amazed at Richard’s skill.
“How can a fifteen-year-old have such skill…”
Although Richard’s physique was naturally smaller than Thomson, he knew how to use that difference to his advantage.
Richard didn’t face Thomson’s attacks head-on, knowing he would be overpowered in sheer strength.
Instead, he skillfully avoided the attacks, quickly countered before the impact could be felt, and his movements were flawless without any unnecessary actions.
Even compared to a professionally trained assassin, Richard’s skill was impeccable.
“He lived in various guilds before entering the Duke’s mansion, wandering and surviving. It wasn’t just a rumor…”
Thomson struggled to keep up with Richard’s speed and finally lost his grip on his sword.
“Argh!”
In the end, with a sharp sword aimed at Thomson’s throat, Richard emerged as the victor.
Thomson raised both hands in surrender.
Richard, who had been watching him intently, quickly sheathed his sword, just as he did when he wielded it.
“If it wasn’t your actual skill, you can request a rematch.”
“No, my lord. Your skill is sufficient.”
Thomson acknowledged his defeat gracefully. However, a question that had been bothering him slipped out.
“But why did you suddenly challenge me to a duel? Did I offend you in any way?”
“No. I was merely curious about the knights’ skills.”
Richard vaguely replied and looked up at the second floor of the mansion.
However, Elisa was nowhere to be found there.
*
Elisa, who had been watching the sparring between Richard and Thomson, returned to her room with Anne, who had just finished an errand. Anne laid out a neatly folded scroll of paper in front of Elisa.
“This is what you requested, madam.”
Elisa unfolded the paper given by Anne and smiled with satisfaction. It was a map depicting the entire continent.
“Thank you. You’ve done well. Sit here and have this.”
Elisa then handed Anne the remaining cookies.
Blushing slightly, Anne sat at the table and started eating the cookies.
Elisa spread the large map on the bed, securing it with small items at each corner.
At that moment, Anne, as if suddenly remembering something, spoke up.
“Oh, right. I heard a story in the square today; His Highness the Crown Prince is not feeling well.”
“Oh, that story? I heard about it a fortnight ago. Has he not recovered yet?”
“Yes. It seems more serious than expected. Everyone in the square was talking about it.”
Elisa briefly showed interest in the Crown Prince’s current condition but didn’t think much of it.
“Well, he won’t die just yet. He still has a lifespan left.”
“Um…?”
“It’s nothing.”
Elisa mumbled, seemingly unaware, and waved off Anne’s curious gaze.
After finishing the cookies, Anne took the empty tray and left the room.
Left alone, Elisa lay on the bed and examined the vast map.
Her gaze first landed on the large land to the north of Arencia, the principality of Rubellin.
“So, this is Rubellin….”
Although Rubellin’s territory was broader than any other, the harsh climate and rugged mountainous terrain limited its land utility. Moreover, it bordered contaminated lands to the northwest, making it a dangerous area with frequent monster appearances.
Next, Elisa’s interest turned to the island of Akaroa, where she currently resided.
At that moment, the door opened, and Richard walked in. It seemed he had come directly after washing, as there was still moisture in his hair.
“You’re here?”
Richard approached Elisa, who was lying on the bed, and sat down. Then he casually asked, “What did you do today?”
“Huh? Oh, just… um… I read books in the library.”
“And?”
Elisa looked at Richard with a puzzled expression as he probed into her activities.
Why is he suddenly interested in my daily routine?
Despite the abrupt curiosity, Elisa answered straightforwardly, “And I was looking at the map… Oh, right.”
Suddenly, she remembered the sparring between Richard and Thomson she had witnessed earlier.
“I saw you sparring earlier.”
Upon Elisa’s response, Richard’s eyes flickered with a strange sense of anticipation. It was the response he intended.
Richard expected Elisa to follow up with compliments or admiration. However, instead of expressing praise, Elisa’s eyes were tinged with concern.
“What about the injuries you had last time? Haven’t they fully healed yet? Is it okay to move so vigorously?”
“Huh?”
“You don’t have any lingering injuries, right? Let me see.”
Elisa grabbed Richard’s arm abruptly, intending to inspect his injuries. Taken aback, Richard subtly pulled his arm away, grumbling.
“They healed a long time ago.”
“Even so, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard for a while.”
Ignoring Richard’s somewhat blunt response, Elisa continued her admonition.
In response, Richard, instead of answering, rested his face in his hands with a sigh.
Unable to decipher his sudden reaction, Elisa refocused on the map.
“Richard, how is living in Akaroa? What about the climate and the people’s temperament?”
When Elisa asked, Richard sighed and reluctantly replied, keeping his eyes on the map.
“Originally, the island was selected as the most livable place in the country. Akaroa wasn’t chosen for no reason. Wide plains, a large river providing fertile land, and it connects to the sea route if you follow the river.”
“Ah… I see. By the way, is the local cuisine important there? Are there many delicious dishes?”
“I don’t know. Food is just something you eat.”
Having skimmed the map, Richard lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and then suddenly asked with curiosity.
“By the way, what are you going to do about all this?”
“I’m just preparing in advance for where to live later.”
“Later?”
“When I become an adult, as I promised, I’ll leave the duke’s mansion.”
Richard’s eyes, which had been absorbed in Elisa’s words, widened in realization as he recalled the forgotten promise about the future. His heart sank with a sense of urgency.
Although Elisa added, “And it might be useful to know different territories for future exchanges,” Richard didn’t pay much attention to those words.
With a restless look, Richard asked Elisa, “Where do you want to live later?”
As he asked, Richard’s eyes intensely scanned the map.
Not understanding his persistent gaze, Elisa looked through the map until she pointed to an area near the eastern harbor.
It was close to the Arden Viscountcy, and Elisa had heard it was the estate of her biological father, Lord Roengreen. Although the estate had passed into someone else’s hands due to the repayment of debts after Roengreen’s death, Elisa still wished to visit someday.
“Maybe here for now? The south seems too hot, and the north is too cold.”
“Sornething.”
Richard remembered the area Elisa indicated, as if determined not to forget.
After a few minutes passed.
Elisa’s head, which had been looking at the map, suddenly dropped.
When Richard, surprised, turned to look at Elisa, he heard regular breathing.
“Huh?”
Richard, astonished, stared at the sleeping Elisa, then carefully turned her over and laid her straight. He cleared away the scattered map.
Even during this process, Elisa continued to sleep soundly, unaware. Strands of hair were stuck to her lips.
“…Sleeping more will help you grow more.”
In Richard’s view, Elisa needed to grow a bit more.
During the Arden Viscountcy’s banquet, Elisa standing alone in front of children taller than her looked small and fragile enough to make onlookers anxious.
“But she never lost.”
Rather than feeling pitiful, her resilience seemed remarkable.
Richard reached out to remove the strands of hair stuck to Elisa’s lips.
At that moment, Elisa’s small lips twitched. Simultaneously, Richard’s hand also froze.
For a moment, Richard, who had been caught off guard, looked at the sleeping Elisa, then gently removed the hair strands from her face.
As he did, the face hidden by the hair became clearly visible.
Satisfied, Richard returned to his position, closed his eyes, and let out a sigh.
“Uhh…”
At that moment, Elisa’s murmuring sound and a familiar presence drew near. In an instant, the person narrowed the gap and wrapped their arms around Richard’s waist.
“…”
Richard, looking at Elisa with an expression of disbelief, sighed and closed his eyes.
The warmth felt from one side of his arm had become familiar. Even Richard found peace in that warmth, to the point that he felt strangely at ease.
However, that peace didn’t last long.