I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 41

Chapter 41

After walking for over an hour along a dark and narrow corridor, Elisa and Anne reached the end of the passage.

“Madam, there’s a door leading out this way,” Anne shouted, walking ahead.

Elisa illuminated the area with the glowstone she was carrying.

As Anne had mentioned, there was a staircase leading upwards at the end of the corridor, and next to it was a frame with a white wolf emblem symbolizing Rubelin.

Just like when entering the corridor, Anne turned the frame in the opposite direction.

As the frame creaked and turned, the sturdy door at the top of the stairs slowly opened with a heavy sound.

Elisa and Anne furrowed their brows momentarily against the dazzling sunlight before adjusting to the light and ascending the stairs.

The area where the corridor led was a small forest near the outskirts of the island.

Outside the staircase, the spring greeted them with pale green sprouts and refreshing trees scattered all around.

“Madam.”

Anne, who had climbed the stairs first, looked around and gestured for Elisa to come up.

Shielding her eyes from the piercing sunlight with her hand, Elisa ascended the stairs.

The sparse forest was silent except for the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Anne, emerging into the sunlight, quickly assessed Elisa’s condition.

“Are you not feeling well? Is your stomach bothering you…?”

“I’m fine. Doesn’t it feel like we’re going on an adventure?”

“Well… can we take a short break, though?”

“Since we’re going to take the carriage anyway, we can rest then. Let’s go.”

In truth, Elisa hadn’t been feeling particularly well since morning.

But she had always felt this way since she became pregnant, so she brushed it off as nothing out of the ordinary and urged Anne to continue walking with her.

“Tomorrow morning, they’ll realize we’ve disappeared from the mansion.”

So they needed to hurry as much as possible.

Elisa and Anne emerged from the forest and hailed a carriage.

“To Arden Summit, please.”

Arden Summit was the name of the summit led by Ancel.

While the headquarters of Arden Summit was in the Arden territory on the eastern coast, it was a well-known organization due to its considerable size, even though it was based on the island.

The carriage swiftly rode to the front of the Arden Summit branch.

Arden Summit was located slightly off-center from the central area of the island.

Elisa flipped the hood of her robe and got off the carriage. It was to prevent any potential recognition, just in case.

“Wow.”

Following her, Anne got off the carriage and marveled at the unfamiliar scenery around her.

Men and women with tan skin, presumably from the south and east, were abundant in the branch, and there were many strange items rarely seen from the north.

An Arden Summit messenger approached Elisa as she got off the carriage.

“Hello, ma’am. What brings you here today?”

“I’ve come to retrieve some belongings I left here.”

Elisa handed him Ancel’s letter.

The gaze of the branch manager softened obediently upon seeing the fish-shaped emblem on the letter.

The fish emblem was a symbol of the Arden Viscount.

“Please wait a moment. I will fetch the branch manager.”

The messenger went inside the building and came out with a middle-aged woman who seemed to be the branch manager.

She suggested Elisa come inside.

“We’ll prepare the items you’re looking for shortly. In the meantime, would you like to have some tea inside?” she offered.

“Then I appreciate it.”

Elisa, already feeling sluggish, gladly followed her into the meeting room.

A maid quietly entered, placed fragrant tea with a subtle pink hue, and left.

As they waited while sipping the tea, the branch manager returned holding a purse of gold coins.

“Here is the travel allowance you requested. Your clothes and necessary items are already loaded onto the carriage. The mercenaries will be assigned to accompany you on your journey.”

“Thank you.”

Instead of Elisa, Anne received a hefty purse of gold coins.

“Since there’s still some time before all the luggage is loaded onto the carriage, would you like to have a meal before leaving?” the branch manager suggested to Elisa. It seemed she wanted to do something extra for her friend Elisa, a noblewoman.

“Okay.”

Although Elisa didn’t particularly feel hungry, she nodded in agreement, thinking of Anne, who might suffer from her empty stomach due to their journey.

The branch manager stood up happily.

“Then please follow me.”

Elisa got up to follow her.

At that moment, she felt a pulling sensation in her lower abdomen.

Her body stiffened as she felt it, but fortunately, the symptom quickly disappeared.

Although worried that the symptom might recur, Elisa tried to suppress her anxiety and followed the branch manager with Anne.

Luxurious food awaited the two in the dining room.

“You can have as much food as you like to prepare for the journey ahead,” the branch manager said, making space for the two to comfortably dine.

Thanks to her, Anne ate heartily, but Elisa had no appetite, even after taking an appetite stimulant.

“Am I coming down with something…?”

Already struggling with pregnancy symptoms, feeling weak and lacking energy, Elisa felt even worse with aches all over her body.

To make matters worse, her stomach started pulling again.

Anne quickly noticed Elisa’s change and asked, “Madam? What’s wrong?”

“Oh… It seems the medicine isn’t working well. I have no appetite. Don’t worry about me, just make sure you eat plenty.”

Elisa forced a smile to reassure Anne.

While worrying about Elisa, Anne ate heartily to take care of herself. If she wanted to protect the weakened Elisa, she needed to be strong herself.

After finishing their meal and dessert, the branch manager returned.

“I’m not sure if the meal suited your taste.”

“Yes, it was. Thanks to you, we enjoyed it.”

“Now the carriage is ready. Are you leaving right away?”

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

Elisa knew she wasn’t feeling well, but she still agreed. She felt that she would feel relieved once they left the island as soon as possible.

However, as she stood up, her vision whitened, and her legs weakened.

“Madam!”

Anne quickly embraced the collapsing Elisa. Anne’s complexion turned pale as she checked on Elisa’s condition.

“Oh dear, Madam. You have a fever!”

“…”

“This won’t do. It could be serious. It’s better to rest until you feel better.”

“But if we wait until tomorrow morning, they’ll realize we’re missing…”

The branch manager, watching them with concern, spoke up.

“I have an idea.”

*

At dawn, with some remaining twilight, in the Tearyl Viscountcy located to the west of Akaroa.

A shadow seeped into the sparsely populated forest.

It was Lord Rohas.

“Pant, pant…”

With a frightened expression, he kept looking back as he ran.

Last night, he heard news that Richard had come near the Alita Summit where he was hiding.

He had to make a choice before Richard found him.

Whether to continue hiding at the Alita Summit or to escape as soon as possible.

If Richard couldn’t find him hiding at the summit, it would be fortunate, but if he did, there would be no other way to escape.

Instead of hiding, Lord Rohas chose to flee.

The branch manager showed him the way.

“In the morning, Duke Rubelin will arrive here. Before that happens, escape through this passage. Once you’re out of the passage, you’ll see the forest. Cross it, and our carriage will be waiting there.”

Lord Rohas emerged into the sparsely populated forest through the secret passage within the summit, as the branch manager had informed him. Following her instructions, he traversed through the forest.

After running for what felt like an eternity, he finally saw the end of the forest.

“Now, just a little further…”

It was at that moment when Lord Rohas, breathing heavily and slowing his pace, suddenly froze in place.

Out of the silent forest, where not even the sound of the wind could be heard, a gust of wind unexpectedly swept through.

“W-wind in the forest…? Could it be…?”

Feeling a sinister premonition, Lord Rohas, who was looking around anxiously, froze as he saw the shadow looming before him.

Richard landed lightly in front of him.

“Where are you rushing off so early in the morning, Lord Rohas?”

Richard’s gaze as he looked at him was chilling, as if he could freeze Lord Rohas with just his eyes.

Pretending to catch his breath and turning his head for a moment as if considering, Lord Rohas decided to be the first to speak.

“M-Milord, what brings you to this remote place? And at such an early hour, no less.”

“Don’t you know better than anyone?”

“Haha, well… I’m not quite sure, Milord.”

Lord Rohas forced a smile and put his hand into his robe.

Before leaving the summit, he had been given a poisoned dagger by the branch manager.

Where were all the knights stationed? Right now, Richard was alone.

“Do you really not know?”

“How could I possibly understand the deeper meaning of it all!”

Lord Rohas drew out the dagger and charged towards Richard.

But Richard didn’t even blink and easily avoided Lord Rohas’s attack, grabbing his arm.

“Would you still not know even if your limb was broken?”

And effortlessly twisted his arm.

With a thud, a terrible sound accompanied Lord Rohas’s arm being twisted in the opposite direction. The shock caused the dagger to fall to the ground.

“Aaargh!”

It was only after experiencing such excruciating pain that Lord Rohas finally realized something.

What the title was for the man before him.

The Storm of Rubelin.

The war hero who single-handedly stormed into the Pyran Royal Palace and ended the war.

“Or perhaps…”

Richard threw Lord Rohas, who was writhing in agony, to the ground and looked down at him coolly, opening his mouth.

“Would you know if you were struck by lightning?”

Above him, black clouds were gathering.