I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 24

Episode 24

 

 

 

“Thirsty….”

 

 

 

The next morning, Elisa woke up feeling a burning thirst, as if she were on fire. Her head was dizzy, and her stomach felt bitter.

 

 

 

“Why is my body…”

 

 

 

Elisa, questioning her physical condition, suddenly recalled the memories of the previous night. Drinking heavily with the knights, stubbornly clinging to Richard like a child when he suggested going to the room, and eventually returning to the room with him…

 

 

 

As Elisa remembered all of that, she panicked and looked around the room. Fortunately, Richard was not there.

 

 

 

“I can’t believe I… “

 

 

 

Elisa slapped her own cheek and buried her face in the pillow.

 

 

 

To show such disgraceful behavior to someone who had returned after being away for years!

 

 

 

“What must Richard have thought seeing that?”

 

 

 

Maybe he thought something strange had happened, that she had indulged in alcohol during his absence. That could be a reasonable assumption.

 

 

 

But it felt unjust.

 

 

 

After living a busy life for years, she had only just tasted alcohol for the first time yesterday.

 

 

 

“I should quickly get up and act like nothing happened.”

 

 

 

Elisa got up with the intention of starting her day as if nothing happened. Her head was a bit dizzy, and her throat was dry, but she could endure it.

 

 

 

At that moment, the door opened. Startled by the sound, Elisa nervously lay back down. Fortunately, it wasn’t Richard.

 

 

 

“I can’t live like this…”

 

 

 

Elisa, pretending to be asleep, looked around the room in horror. Fortunately, Richard was not in the room.

 

 

 

“Went to take a bath, I guess.”

 

 

 

Richard, wearing a bathrobe, had a towel draped over his wet hair. Every time he wiped his wet hair with the towel, glimpses of chest muscles appeared between the loosely tied robe.

 

 

 

Water droplets, running down the gently contoured muscles, looked remarkably captivating. Elisa found it strangely captivating.

 

 

 

With his face moistened and contrasting with his dark lips, it added an odd charm.

 

 

 

After drying his hair, Richard went into the dressing room, put on trousers, and came out again.

 

 

 

Of course, his upper body remained exposed.

 

 

 

“Oh.”

 

 

 

Elisa, who had been absentmindedly admiring him with wide-open eyes, almost forgot to pretend to be asleep.

 

 

 

“Oh no. Why is he wandering around half-naked in someone else’s room!”

 

 

 

Ah, this is your room, right.

 

 

 

“But still…”

 

 

 

Elisa, feeling embarrassed, couldn’t take her eyes off his body.

 

 

 

Even when he wore thin pajamas, she felt it, but without them, his body seemed broader and more robust than she had imagined.

 

 

 

But what caught her attention more were the scars, large and small, scattered across his body.

 

 

 

“That fool…”

 

 

 

After getting hurt like that, he probably didn’t bother to get proper treatment and just left it alone.

 

 

 

He must have left those wounds to become scars. It was obvious even without looking.

 

 

 

Thinking about him repeating endless fights, unaware of the pain, a part of Elisa felt saddened.

 

 

 

Richard combed his hair and put on the shirt he had brought a while ago. And he approached the bed, buttoning it up.

 

 

 

Elisa, who was tense, almost forgot to pretend to be asleep when suddenly a knock sounded.

 

 

 

Soon after, Richard’s footsteps moved away.

 

 

 

Richard, who seemed to linger at the door for a moment, closed it without any conversation with the visitor and approached Elisa again.

 

 

 

At that moment, when Elisa was nervous, his voice came from behind.

 

 

 

“How long are you going to pretend to be asleep?”

 

 

 

Three seconds of silence passed between them.

 

 

 

Elisa, who had been frozen for a moment, resigned herself and quietly got up.

 

 

 

“Well, it’s not like I was pretending to sleep. I just didn’t fully wake up, so I was lying down.”

 

 

 

Richard seemed indifferent and handed Elisa the cup he had been holding.

 

 

 

Elisa looked at the liquid in the cup with a puzzled expression. It was a transparent red liquid, and there were dried flower petals floating in it.

 

 

 

“What’s this?”

 

 

 

“A remedy for hangovers.”

 

 

 

“Oh… thank you.”

 

 

 

Elisa received the cup, still feeling dazed. It seemed that the servant who had come to the room earlier had brought this.

 

 

 

As Elisa was about to drink the medicine, Richard gently took her hand.

 

 

 

Surprised by the sudden touch, Elisa, with rabbit eyes, looked up at him. Richard handed her something and quickly withdrew his hand.

 

 

 

“Drink it and get some more sleep. And turn around.”

 

 

 

Elisa, with a puzzled expression, looked down at her palm, and there were two fruit-flavored candies wrapped in paper.

 

 

 

“Why did he give me this?” Even though he doesn’t like snacks like candies or cookies, Elisa wondered where he got the candies and why he was giving them to her. Nevertheless, she decided to accept them for now.

 

 

 

“It’s bitter…”

 

 

 

Elisa gulped down the medicine that Richard had given her. However, her calm expression gradually distorted.

 

 

 

Elisa, with a pained expression, drank all the medicine and put the cup down.

 

 

 

“Ugh, it’s bitter!”

 

 

 

It seemed that the taste was the reason he gave her the candies.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

After having lunch, Elisa, as usual, went to the library to borrow books and returned to her room.

 

 

 

As she was placing the books on the table, she heard the sound of horses neighing outside the window.

 

 

 

“Richard?”

 

 

 

Without thinking, Elisa looked out the window and spotted Richard. Even from a distance, amidst the crowd, his appearance was unmistakable.

 

 

 

Richard was with the knights gathered in front of the horses.

 

 

 

“Seems like he’s going on a territory inspection.”

 

 

 

Elisa stopped walking and silently observed Richard talking with the knights.

 

 

 

“He’s quite handsome as a husband. He has grown up so well. But…”

 

 

 

It felt strange.

 

 

 

The thickened face, the significantly increased height and body, the voice that had settled into a mid-low tone after adolescence, and…

 

 

 

“His personality feels strangely changed.”

 

 

 

Well, after seven long years, it would be stranger if nothing had changed.

 

 

 

Even though they shared the same room for four days and had meals together, it felt awkward.

 

 

 

“I can’t play pranks anymore, and I can’t confront him like before…”

 

 

 

Whenever she saw his seemingly younger face, it felt heartwarming as if a long-lost friend had returned. Yet, at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss for the boy from her memories who seemed to have disappeared.

 

 

 

Elisa found herself treating him awkwardly despite becoming friends who shared the same room and ate together daily.

 

 

 

“Well, we’ll soon become more familiar since we’re both men.”

 

 

 

If they became friends who occasionally met, it wouldn’t be too awkward.

 

 

 

But even with such thoughts, the lingering feeling of disappointment did not fade. If anything, it made her feel more uneasy.

 

 

 

While lost in these thoughts, Richard suddenly looked up and glanced in her direction.

 

 

 

Elisa was taken aback and quickly ducked below the window.

 

 

 

“Did he see me?”

 

 

 

Crouching under the window, Elisa heard a familiar voice from behind.

 

 

 

“Madam? Why are you doing that?”

 

 

 

It was Ann.

 

 

 

Seeing Elisa sitting on the floor, Anne grinned.

 

 

 

In response to Anne’s question, Elisa, flustered, stammered in reply.

 

 

 

“I-I thought something fell from the book, so I was checking.”

 

 

 

“Your dress might get dusty. Let me check, just stay there.”

 

 

 

“Thank you, Anne.”

 

 

 

Anne bent down to inspect the floor instead of Elisa.

 

 

 

In the meantime, Elisa discreetly raised her body and looked out the window again.

 

 

 

Richard had already left the castle riding on a horse with the knights.

 

 

 

Observing Richard’s retreating figure, Elisa suddenly questioned her own actions.

 

 

 

“Why did I hide?”

 

 

 

Even though it was an awkward situation, it wasn’t a crime to shake hands once, yet she hid as if she had committed a crime.

 

 

 

“Anne, it’s okay now. Maybe I saw it wrong.”

 

 

 

Elisa helped Anne stand up.

 

 

 

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Anne went to open it, and it was Aaron.

 

 

 

“His Excellency is looking for the young mistress.”

 

 

 

Elisa sighed.

 

 

 

She had already anticipated that he would call her soon and had an idea of what he would say.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

A night illuminated by the bright moon.

 

 

 

Elisa stood in front of her bedroom wearing a thin slip that revealed the silhouette of her body. She had a solemn expression on her face as she clutched the doorknob.

 

 

 

The order to wear the slip came from Albert.

 

 

 

“If you defy me, those children you care for so much will suffer…”

 

 

 

He threatened Elisa with the maids, including Anne. Faced with such an order, Elisa had no choice but to comply.

 

 

 

“Richard won’t do anything unless you want him to.”

 

 

 

Elisa believed him and had come up to this point, but standing in front of him made her anxious.

 

 

 

“What if Richard changes his mind…”

 

 

 

Whether it was voluntary or impulsive, if he changed his mind, there was nothing she could do to defend herself.

 

 

 

But now, there was no turning back.

 

 

 

Elisa prayed that Richard was sleeping and slowly opened the door to the bedroom.

 

 

 

At that moment, she met eyes with Richard, who had been standing on the balcony looking outside.

 

 

 

His eyes widened for a moment when they locked.

 

 

 

Elisa hurriedly wrapped her arms around herself and turned around. She searched for something to cover herself but found nothing suitable.

 

 

 

As Elisa fumbled to find something to cover herself, she felt a presence approaching from behind.

 

 

 

She turned, startled, and Richard, with a heavily distorted expression, was now just a step away.