I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 38
Chapter 38
After having lunch, Richard came to pick up Elisa as promised.
“Elisa.”
As he knocked, Elisa, who had just finished getting ready, opened the door.
Richard gazed at Elisa for a moment, dazed.
Elisa was wearing a light, flowing dress and a hat suitable for going out. The clothes were not something one would usually wear in the cold and windy streets of Rubellin.
With her fair, milky skin, slightly flushed cheeks and lips, along with her dazzling blonde hair and bright green eyes, she seemed like the embodiment of the spring season.
“Richard?”
Elisa called out to the absent-minded Richard with a puzzled look.
Finally snapping out of his daze, Richard reached out his hand to Elisa.
“Let’s go.”
After hesitating for a moment, Elisa placed her hand on top of his large hand.
Even though it was a hand she had held without hesitation when she was young and without much thought as she grew older, for some reason, it felt unfamiliar today.
Her chest tingled with warmth and the solid texture enveloping her hand.
“I guess I’m excited too, it’s been a while since we went out.”
Suppressing her excited feelings, Elisa followed Richard out of the room. At that moment, Anne, who had been watching from behind, handed Elisa a thick shawl and advised her.
“Please be careful, Madam. Don’t overexert yourself.”
“Yeah, I’ll be back.”
With Anne’s farewell, Elisa left the room.
As Elisa and Richard walked out of the room together, Richard felt the gaze and looked around the room.
For some reason, Anne’s gaze as she looked at Richard seemed resentful.
Though Richard found Anne’s gaze strange, the door had already closed.
As they stepped out onto the mansion’s porch, a carriage with the Rubellin aristocrat’s emblem engraved awaited them.
The two of them got into the carriage side by side. They were bid farewell by the butler Grayson and the servants.
“Have a good time, both of you.”
Eventually, the carriage departed. Inside the carriage, only the sound of the wheels rolling could be heard.
Elisa glanced at Richard sneakily.
Richard was looking out the window, lost in thought. His expression showed that something was bothering him.
“Is it because of last night…?”
Last night, Elisa had lain in bed, thinking about why Richard didn’t want to divorce her.
After much thought, she concluded, “He considers me as family, as a friend.”
“He probably worried about me even though he avoided me when I was in pain.”
If not for that reason, his actions couldn’t be explained.
Coming to this conclusion left Elisa restless.
“I’m not suggesting divorce because I want to.”
Since arriving in Rubellin after being possessed, it had become like a hometown to Elisa.
Elisa loved Rubellin, despite its cold weather. Everything she liked was there.
The people she loved, the memories she cherished, the evidence of her hard work.
And him.
Just as Richard was precious to Elisa, Elisa was a cherished family member and friend to Richard.
“But if we want to avoid a future where we’re all unhappy, we should part ways now…”
If things continued like this, both of them might end up dead as originally intended. She wanted to avoid that possibility from the start.
But Richard, who seemed oblivious to Elisa’s feelings, appeared unwilling to divorce her.
“What should I do now? Should I run away somewhere far?”
Elisa sighed and leaned against the cushion.
As her hunger intensified, likely due to not having a proper meal, Elisa stepped outside just to clear her mind but suddenly felt extremely tired.
Without the strength to continue her thoughts, Elisa soon fell asleep.
Her head nodded uncontrollably from side to side.
Then, her head bumped against the carriage wall. Hearing the sound, Richard turned to look at her.
“Mm…”
Elisa grumbled slightly, scrunching her brow, but soon fell back asleep. However, her head continued to sway unsteadily from side to side.
Seeing this, Richard gently wrapped his arms around Elisa’s head and leaned her head against his shoulder.
In her half-asleep state, Elisa nestled her head against his shoulder, finding a comfortable position.
Richard silently watched her in this state.
The light weight of her head resting on his shoulder, the gentle warmth, and the soft sound of her breathing in his ear brought him comfort.
Yet, it also brought him unease. Suddenly, he remembered her words from last night.
“Let’s divorce now, Richard.”
After being apart for seven years and finally returning to her side, she wanted to leave him, citing a promise made eight years ago.
Amidst enemies and allies alike, surviving the battlefield, what feelings drove her to live so relentlessly?
“Well, we haven’t really spent more than a year together.”
The time they spent together before departing was far too short to fully reveal his feelings.
So, perhaps, if they continued to spend more relaxed time together like this, her feelings would eventually turn towards him.
“…No, they will definitely turn towards me.”
He would ensure that her heart had no other place to go.
Richard gently kissed Elisa’s head.
His eyes, tinged with obsession, gleamed brightly.
The carriage rattled as gravel was trampled under the wheels.
Elisa, who had been asleep, woke up feeling the jolt.
But something was strange.
“Huh?”
The carriage wall she had leaned against felt oddly warm, and it wasn’t the carriage wall but Richard’s shoulder that she had leaned on.
In other words, she had fallen asleep hugging him.
Surprised, Elisa’s heart pounded.
But she didn’t want to get up.
The warmth surrounding her was comforting, and his embrace was cozy and secure. His unique scent also emanated from him.
“Should I just sleep like this a little longer?”
As her body weakened, she instinctively wanted to rely on him, who was strong and safe.
As she started to drift back into sleep, the carriage stopped. Soon, the voice of the coachman was heard from outside.
“Your Highness, Madam. We have arrived.”
Elisa reluctantly rose from her heavy body.
Richard, who got off the carriage first, offered his hand to Elisa.
Taking his hand and getting off the carriage, Elisa gasped at the sight before her.
“It’s beautiful…”
Underneath a cloudless sky, cherry blossoms were in full bloom around the lake.
Whenever the wind blew, cherry blossom petals fluttered like snowfall.
The cherry blossom petals danced lightly in the air, falling onto the clear lake that reflected the scenery of the sky.
Elisa, who was mesmerized by the scenery, turned to Richard and gestured.
Her smiling figure among the falling cherry blossoms was simply enchanting.
It was the first time he had seen her smile so brightly since she returned from the war.
Moved by her appearance, Richard approached her without hesitation.
At that moment, the wind that scattered the petals ceased.
“Ah.”
At the same time, a hint of disappointment flashed in Elisa’s eyes.
Noticing it, one of Richard’s eyebrows raised slightly.
Then, the wind picked up again, scattering the cherry blossoms. This time, the wind blew gently but continuously, carrying the petals away.
“Let’s go.”
As Richard approached, he grabbed Elisa’s hand.
Taken aback by the sudden physical contact, Elisa hesitated, but his demeanor was unusual, so she obediently followed him.
Above all, she didn’t mind the contact.
They walked along the lakeside, catching cherry blossoms in the air. It seemed like an unfamiliar place to people as it was sparsely populated.
“Should I bring up the subject sneakily?”
Elisa glanced at Richard, trying to gauge his mood and thinking of an appropriate question to gauge his thoughts.
Then, Elisa noticed cherry blossom petals stuck in Richard’s hair.
She reached out her hand towards his head.
“Richard, wait a moment.”
Pausing for a moment, Richard understood Elisa’s intention and lowered his head.
As a result, his face came close to hers.
Elisa gazed blankly at his approaching face.
Even against the backdrop of the blue sky and pink cherry blossoms, his face stood out prominently.
“Whose house does this husband belong to? Your face is truly a national treasure, my dear.”
People often return from war with their faces battered after rolling around for several years, but Richard’s face, although his hands were rough, looked as soft and fair as someone who had never been touched by sunlight.
“Is that all?”
Lost in admiring his face, Elisa snapped out of it when she heard his voice.
“Oh, yes.”
At that moment, laughter from children by the lakeside could be heard.
Elisa’s gaze shifted in that direction. Naturally, Richard’s gaze, which had been focused solely on her, followed suit.
Two children, around four years old, were playing by the lakeside, throwing stones.
Seeing that scene, a question that she had momentarily forgotten came to mind.
While Elisa casually observed Richard’s reaction to the scenery, she subtly pried.
“Aren’t the children adorable?”
“I’m not sure.”
As expected, his response was indifferent. His answer made Elisa feel impatient.
Elisa asked more directly this time.
“Have you ever thought about wanting children?”