I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 5
Episode 5
The door finally opened, and Professor Jaemu walked in. He was an elderly man with a high-prescription pair of glasses, making his eyes appear small on his clearly bald head.
“Feels like he’s going to give us a lot of group assignments and grade us with Cs,” Elisa thought, judging from his appearance.
Although Elisa didn’t want to judge people based on their looks, seeing him reinforced her suspicion.
Nevertheless, as it was their first meeting with the teacher, she had to show proper courtesy.
Elisa stood up and greeted him with a bow. “Hello. I’ll be learning finance from you starting today. Nice to meet you.”
“I’ve heard about the young lady’s enthusiasm for learning. Teaching such a passionate student is truly an honor. I look forward to our time together,” the finance teacher replied.
After the brief introduction, Professor Jaemu immediately began the class.
After explaining how to use the abacus briefly, he gave Elisa a problem. “Now, Elisa, can you represent 326 and 15,739?”
“Oh, yes!”
Elisa’s fingers, which were rolling the abacus in their own way, stopped. She then glanced at Richard, as if checking his reaction to confirm if her answer was correct.
However, when Richard showed no particular reaction, Elisa rechecked the abacus.
Observing her silently, Richard sighed quietly and grabbed Elisa’s hand. His pale, elongated, but firm hand covered Elisa’s petite hand.
Richard held Elisa’s hand and adjusted the abacus. “15 is correct, and 326 is like this. 739 is like this.”
“Exactly right, young lord. You’ve reviewed well,” praised the finance teacher, watching them. Elisa also smiled with gratitude.
Richard, who had been silently watching Elisa with a half-moon-shaped smile, finally realized he was still holding her hand and let go.
“…Focus on the class.”
The tips of Richard’s ears turned red as he quickly turned his head.
‘This is not helping; it’s reviewing.’
Richard thought so.
Elisa was not particularly fast in learning. However, once she thoroughly grasped something, she knew how to apply it correctly.
Richard quietly acknowledged her ability but didn’t say it out loud.
“Let’s end the class here for today.”
“Thank you.”
“Now that you have a fellow student taking the same class, Lord Richard should find it more interesting. Compete, help each other, and learn as rivals and comrades.”
The finance teacher organized the class and left the room. Only Elisa and Richard remained in the room.
Richard, leaving the abacus and notes on the desk, tried to leave the room.
Elisa called him before he could.
“After class, Ann and I were planning to explore the territory. Would you like to come along?”
“I’m busy.”
Richard didn’t hesitate or show any signs of contemplation as he briskly answered and opened the door.
“I, I greet Lord Richard.”
Ann, who happened to be looking for Elisa, quickly bowed upon seeing Richard.
Ann was dressed for an outing and had what seemed to be Elisa’s outing robe.
Taking the robe from Ann, Elisa asked Richard, “Should I buy cookies?”
“That’s something kids would like.”
That statement was a sarcastic remark, implying that Elisa, who liked cookies, was like a child.
‘You’re a kid too!’
Despite hoping for a more amicable relationship now that they were on the same boat, Richard seemed uninterested.
Elisa retorted with a playful look, “Oh, really? Then I’ll buy some and eat them right in front of you. Not sharing any.”
“Feel free.”
Richard replied indifferently and left the room.
Elisa shot him a resentful glance and turned away. “Let’s go, Ann.”
***
A few hours after Elisa went to explore the territory, the wind became chilly. The clear clouds that filled the sky gradually became overcast, indicating that rain might be on the way.
Richard, looking out the window, shifted his gaze back to the book he was reading.
Flutter, flutter.
Richard’s forehead gradually furrowed as he dryly flipped through the pages.
In truth, when Richard ascended to the estate through the mountain path, he encountered more monsters active in the spring than encountered bandits.
‘But monsters rarely come down to the village.’
However, he was worried. A lot.
It had been a long time since he had forgotten what the book he was reading was about. His mind was somewhere else.
Eventually, Richard closed the book and stood up.
“This is really annoying.”
If monsters attacked, and Elisa got hurt in the process, Albert might criticize her for putting herself in danger with a body like hers.
Choosing Elisa, who was genuinely concerned for her safety and had no ulterior motives, over other women whom Albert might bring back, seemed like a better option. The only reason he was concerned about Elisa’s well-being was just that.
Richard put on an outing robe and went out to the balcony. He then concentrated.
As the wind gradually gathered around Richard, it embraced his body and lifted him into the air.
As he moved away from the ground, the cold wind penetrated Reinhardt’s lungs, filling his body. It felt as if he had become one with the wind, and he enjoyed the sensation.
Reaching about halfway to the height of the castle, Richard planned to move towards the shopping district.
Suddenly, he anxiously scanned the surroundings of the castle.
‘None.’
Fortunately, there was no one observing him.
Albert strongly disliked Richard using flight magic. Flight magic required intense concentration, and any moment of distraction could lead to a fatal fall. However, Richaed had secretly practiced flight magic during the past year at the estate, away from Albert’s watchful eyes. Now, he was quite proficient at using flight magic.
Richard, once again confirming that there were no onlookers, headed towards the shopping district of the estate.
*
“Give me these too.”
Elisa, who had entered the grocery store in the village square, was purchasing various ingredients for cookies and snacks.
One of the businesses Elisa had conceived after her divorce was a bakery.
However, Albert and Richard, the owners of Rubillin Castle, never ate cookies.
As a result, Rubellin Castle lacked ingredients for making cookies or snacks. Hence, Elisa decided to buy a bunch now.
Elisa finished her purchases and left the store with a satisfied expression.
Even though she had only bought ingredients, she felt as if she had completed the first step of her business.
Following Elisa, Ann and the servant carrying the items were also excited.
However, unlike a little while ago, the sky had darkened significantly. It seemed like rain was imminent.
The servants who had been waiting in front of the carriage expressed concern. “Young Miss, it seems the weather is unusual, and it looks like it’s about to rain heavily. How about returning home for today?”
“The spring rain in the north is colder than the spring rain you’ve experienced in the south, my lady.”
“I see. Well, it’s better to return quickly then. Let’s go.”
Since they had already bought most of the items they needed, Elisa and Ann got on the carriage.
The carriage carrying Elisa’s group exited through the west gate of the village.
Originally, Rubellin Castle was to the north of the village, so going through the north gate was faster.
However, due to ongoing construction for maintenance, the north gate was controlled, and they had to go back to the west gate.
As the carriage exited through the west gate, after a little more travel, the well-paved road gave way to gravel. The carriage jolted as it began to travel on gravel.
Just when Elisa thought the jolting seemed to be increasing, an urgent voice reached her ears.
“M-Monsters! Monsters have appeared!”
Simultaneously, the carriage came to a sudden stop.
Due to the recoil, Elisa almost fell off her seat. However, the situation outside the carriage was a bigger problem.
‘Monsters?’
Just as Elisa, surprised, tried to look out the window, a servant opened a small window leading to the coachman’s seat and shouted into the carriage.
“Lady! Crouch down on the floor!”
Elisa and Ann, taken aback, followed the servant’s instructions and crouched down on the floor.
Outside, there were sounds of men yelling and rough noises as if something was colliding. Soon after, it seemed like multiple people were collaborating, making the commotion even louder.
It seemed like the knights of Rubellin and the villagers were fighting together against the monsters.
“It’s okay. Nothing will happen.”
Elisa whispered to a startled Ann while embracing her. It was also a way to reassure herself.
The two children anxiously waited for this situation to pass.
However, just as they managed to calm their minds…
Bang!
An unknown force violently thrust the carriage.
“Kyah!”
Elisa and Ann, along with the tilting carriage, fell backward together. The impact of their bodies hitting the carriage wall caused pain, and Elisa felt dizzy.
Elisa managed to hold onto her consciousness and surveyed the surroundings.
The carriage had toppled, and Elisa and Ann were stuck to the carriage’s left side, near the window. However, they couldn’t go out through that window because it was blocked by the ground.
Elisa glanced up at the opposite window.
“..!”
There, a monster in the form of a giant gnome was drooling, looking down at Elisa and Ann.
The moment their eyes met, Elisa felt a horrifying fear she had never experienced before. Goosebumps spread across her body, and she began to shiver.
“Mi-Lady….”
Frightened Ann clung to Elisa, and Elisa, despite being scared, did not avert her eyes from the monster.
‘What happened to the Rubellin knights? The servants?’
Elisa, holding onto Ann, looked at the gnome. Despite her fear, she didn’t avoid the monster’s gaze.
‘I don’t want to die like this…!’
The gnome, who had been peering through the small window gap at Elisa and Ann, raised its snout to smash the window.
Elisa, anticipating the imminent impact, crouched down and closed her eyes.
That was when it happened.
Strong wind pushed the gnome away, provoking it.
Soon after, a quite familiar voice reached them.
“I am your opponent.”