I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 23

Episode 23

Ignoring his words, Richard left the room. The words of his grandfather, facing imminent death, lacked credibility. As soon as he left the room, he encountered Thomson and an unfamiliar young man who followed behind.

“It’s an honor to meet you like this, sir.”

Richard easily remembered the face of the man who stood next to Say when he entered the mansion today, when he entered Elie, and when he stood next to the deceased.

“I am Aghail Leicester, an aide.”

Aghail nodded, bowing his head again. Richard’s already cold expression became even colder. He was the one often mentioned in the letters Elisa sent, almost without exception.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from my wife.”

There was a strange accent in the word ‘wife.’

“Then, I’ll leave it to you from now on.”

Before Richard could respond to Aghail’s words, he quickly passed by. Aghail looked at Richard’s retreating figure with puzzled eyes.

‘Somehow it feels strangely awkward… Is it my imagination?’

But now, for the first time, he barely exchanged greetings and had his first conversation with Richard. There was no apparent reason for him to dislike Aghail. Aghail looked at Richard’s back, which had quickly moved away, with bewildered eyes.

* * *

Instead of Albert lying in the hospital bed, Elisa held a grand banquet praising the efforts of the Rubellin knights. As the night deepened, the atmosphere of the banquet continued to rise, and the music never ceased.

“Come on, don’t be polite, just drink! What’s the use of not drinking on a day like today?”

“Guilty!”

The father-like figure of the Rubellin knights, who had been protecting Rubellin for the past seven years, laughed heartily as he went around filling the glasses of the knights who had returned from the battlefield.

The knights released the tension by sharing past stories with long-lost comrades. However, unlike the lively atmosphere of the festive banquet, Elisa’s face showed signs of worry.

Elisa sneakily glanced at Richard sitting next to her. Richard was in the midst of chatting and drinking with Thomson and other knights who had fought together on the battlefield. Before the banquet began, Elisa remembered the words Albert had called her, and she sighed inwardly.

‘Tonight. Tonight, accept his seed. If you take advantage of the atmosphere when the mood is high, he won’t be able to resist….’

According to what she heard from the maids, Albert even prepared separate nightwear for her to wear at night. It was undoubtedly a carefully planned move.

‘Consider the age difference between the original Hannes and Richard… it seems like it’s about time for Hannes.’

Of course, Elisa had no intention of doing so. But the problem was how to avoid this situation. No matter what clothes she wore or how she stood in front of him, she knew he wouldn’t waver. He lived with the determination to cut off the lineage of the family with his own hands.

‘But… it’s embarrassing!’

Even now, the situation was unfamiliar and awkward. How embarrassing would it be in such a situation? So, how could she avoid such a situation? At that moment, the knight commander, holding a beer barrel, approached Elisa.

“Well, would the lady like a drink too?”

“Eh?”

“Oh, this glass is too small. After all, if you are the lady of Rubellin, this level of distribution should be appropriate, don’t you think?”

He brought a large drinking glass used by the knights and thumped it down in front of Elisa. It was larger than Elisa’s face. He laughed heartily and poured beer into Elisa’s glass until it overflowed.

“As much as you’ve suffered, and as much as I am loyal to you, I offer this.”

Richard’s expression, who had been watching from the side, noticeably stiffened, but the knights, drunk with excitement, didn’t notice.

“Before you raise your glass, madam, could you say a few words?”

The knight commander proposed a toast to Elisa. Elisa, who hesitated for a moment, slowly stood up. As the noisy crowd’s attention focused on her, Elisa cleared her throat and opened her mouth.

“Everyone… Thank you so much for your hard work. I am sincerely glad that you all returned safely to the embrace of your hometown. Each and every one of you is a hero who has widely spread the name of Rubellin. Blessings to the heroes of Rubelin.”

“Infinite glory to Rubellin!”

The knights shouted in unison, as if making a pledge, and downed their drinks. Watching their satisfied expressions, Elisa looked down at her own glass in front of her and took a deep breath. Seeing this, Richard tried to stop her.

“Don’t force yourself to drink.”

However, Elisa, holding the glass larger than her face with both hands, downed it forcefully.

Richard, as well as Thomson who was watching from the side, had surprised and widened eyes.

“Oh, our lady knows how to drink after all. Better than I thought?”

“Just this much, well. I can drink it like water.”

Elisa flashed a boastful smile at the surprised Thomson. Richard, looking at Elisa as if in disbelief, and Thomson and the knights laughed as if finding it amusing.

“While we were away, you’ve done quite a bit to develop the territory. Impressive!”

“I’ve been through some trouble. Of course, others too.”

Elisa began exchanging drinks with the knights while chatting. Despite Richard’s attempt to intervene, she was unyielding, and the knights, already intoxicated, paid no attention to Richard’s expression.

“No, Your Grace, really… What’s with asking us to catch up as if we could fly? Isn’t that a bit too much?”

“Is that so? I just thought I should say something possible…… I’ve been traveling alone because I didn’t want the knights to get hurt. I’ve always been like that, pretending to be indifferent while taking care of others. You knights have worked hard.”

“You take care of us? Not just to Your Grace, right? We haven’t received special treatment…”

Thomson, whose eyes had become unfocused due to the effects of alcohol, glanced at Richard’s expression, subtly mocking.

Similarly, with her eyes glazed, Elisa laughed and raised her glass. When they were about to drink again, Richard, feeling uneasy, took away Elisa’s glass.

“Elisa, stop drinking and let’s go to bed.”

“But I want to drink more….”

Although Elisa complained with pursed lips, she couldn’t resist Richard.

Richard embraced the swaying Elisa and lifted her up.

“It’s a honeymoon, after all. We’ve been apart for seven years since we got married. Right, Your Grace?”

Richard responded with a cold look, as if to answer for them, and then turned and left the hall.

Elisa, embraced by Richard as if she were meant to be, sighed continuously.

“We were having so much fun… I want to drink more….”

“….”

“Because if I don’t drink until I’m drunk on a day like today, it’s a sin.”

Elisa, who had been whining, sat down as it was in the middle of the corridor. Then, she pouted her lips and looked up at Richard.

“I want to play more. Huh?”

“….”

“Richard.”

With a childlike tantrum, Elisa looked at him, but Richard, after a moment of surprise, burst into laughter.

The sight of her, whom he had never seen before, was embarrassing and cute at the same time.

Although he wanted to see more of Elisa’s tantrum, he didn’t want others to see it.

Richard picked up the sitting Elisa and headed for the bedroom.

At first, Elisa resisted, but she soon became quiet.

“I want to play more….”

Even though she was full of excitement now, going back to the room seemed unfair. However, once they reached the room, Elisa, who had been whining about wanting to play more, immediately collapsed onto the bed.

“Uh, dizzy….”

Even though she was still, it felt as if everything was spinning, and her eyelids felt heavy as if they could close at any moment.

Concerned, Richard sat down next to Elisa, looking at her with worried eyes.

“Why do you drink so much if you can’t handle it?”

“Drunk people… can’t wear such clothes.”

“Such clothes?”

“… I said I wouldn’t be eaten, didn’t I?”

A slow response came back.

Unable to interpret Elisa’s mumbling, Richard stared at her in confusion.

Then, suddenly, Elisa, whose eyes were blinking slowly, grabbed Richard’s large hand in front of her.

Caught off guard, Richard was momentarily surprised by the sudden touch.

“Just holding hands… and sleeping…”

The eyes that were blurred gradually closed.

Shortly after, a faint sound of breath escaped from her slightly opened lips. Even in the midst of this, her hands were still firmly holding onto his.

“….”

Caught in the held hand, Richard, who was watching the defenseless sleeping Elisa, looked at her with a concerned gaze.

“What should I do?”

Then, kissing her soft hair, he murmured with a faint voice.

“I can’t just hold hands and sleep now.”