I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 62

Chapter 62

As the owner’s hand was about to reach toward Elisa, a knight from Rubellin, who had been waiting at the door, quickly approached and grabbed his wrist.

In a low voice, the knight warned him.

“How dare you act so recklessly in a place of safety. Do not be so rash.”

Only then did the owner notice the emblem embroidered on the knight’s uniform, and he was taken aback.

It was the crest of the Duke of Rubellin.

Seeing that, the owner’s previously volatile demeanor quickly cooled.

He awkwardly lowered his hand.

“Ah, there are so many scoundrels around that I momentarily lost my temper… I ended up showing a poor display in front of the lady. I apologize.”

The owner, as if it never happened, wiped his hands clean and bowed to Elisa.

However, his gaze towards the child in Elisa’s arms remained cold.

“But you shouldn’t protect such a person. If you show kindness, they’ll just do it again next time. They need to be taught a lesson and chased away.”

The child, even while in Elisa’s arms, seemed to feel the bookstore owner’s gaze, curling up and trembling.

Noticing this, Elisa tightly embraced the child as if to protect them from the owner.

“I’ll buy this book. How much is it?”

“Oh my, this is… If this person does something like this again, it will be a loss for me, madam.”

Though the owner bowed repeatedly, his expression was troubled. His eyes glinted with greed.

Nobles were not hesitant to spend large amounts of money, and often showed off their wealth by spending more than necessary.

The owner intended to take advantage of the situation to make a hefty profit.

‘Since they come from such a wealthy family, they’ll probably give more to avoid trouble.’

He was salivating at the thought of the money, but Elisa said something completely unexpected.

“A loss… isn’t it actually a gain?”

“What?”

“The owner was doing something else in the back. If I hadn’t stopped this child, wouldn’t you have just lost a book?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“If this child had succeeded in stealing today, they might have succeeded again next time and caused you to lose several books.”

Elisa’s words pointedly criticized the owner’s attempt to shift the blame for his own lack of vigilance and exploit the situation for profit.

The owner, who had anticipated that Elisa would willingly pay extra to settle the matter, was caught off guard by her sharp observation.

He quickly backpedaled, his previous demeanor forgotten.

“W-Well, now that you mention it, that’s true.

It seems you’ve helped me, madam!”

“I will handle the discipline for this child. Please calculate the amount.”

“You are as kind-hearted as you are beautiful.”

Ignoring the owner’s flattery, Elisa signaled to Anne.

Anne, carrying a pouch of gold coins, approached the register.

The owner, still showing signs of reluctance, accepted only the exact amount for the book.

“Then please come by again, madam.”

Elisa left the bookstore with the child without looking back at the bowing owner.

As soon as they exited the bookstore, the child tried to run away with the book in hand. However, the knight swiftly apprehended the child.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Elisa crouched down to meet the child’s eyes and asked,

“Who told you to take the book?”

The child had attempted to take the book while the owner wasn’t looking.

A child no more than four or five years old likely wouldn’t have come up with the idea to steal on their own.

Someone must have directed the child to steal.

While books weren’t expensive for nobles, they were a luxury item that poor commoners would need to work for a month to afford.

The child remained silent, refusing to answer.

Instead, a growl from the child’s stomach provided the answer.

Seeing the child’s pitiful, hungry state, Elisa felt sympathy.

Elisa turned to Anne and said,

“Anne, can you go to the nearby bakery and buy some bread?”

“Sure.”

The bakery wasn’t far.

Anne returned with soft, easy-to-eat bread and milk.

“Here, have some.”

Elisa handed a piece of bread to the child.

The child, clearly hungry, eagerly took the bread and began to eat, forgetting the earlier apprehension.

‘How long must this child have gone without food?’

The sight of the child who seemed to have been hungry for days was heart-wrenching to Elisa.

Elisa held up the remaining bread in front of the child and tried to engage them in conversation.

“Child, what’s your name?”

The child, munching on the bread, glanced at the remaining bread in Elisa’s hand and answered in a small voice,

“…Leon.”

Hearing that name made Elisa’s gaze waver.

Leon Kairoth.

It was the name of the rival to Hannes and the male protagonist in this novel, *Bird Cage*.

At the same time, Elisa recalled the imperial knights she had seen in the square on her way to the bookstore.

‘Now that I think about it, there was a part in the original story where Leon was chased by mercenaries sent by Roze when he was young.’

A troubled past for the male protagonist is a common trope in romance fantasy novels.

Leon’s troubled past was particularly detailed because it left him with severe trauma.

‘When Leon, being chased by mercenaries trying to kill him, reached a dead end, his abilities manifested uncontrollably, burning down an entire village.’

As a result, the imperial family discovered his abilities and took him in, while Roze’s plans failed. However, isolated in the unfamiliar imperial palace, Leon grew up as a prince devoid of humanity, tormented by guilt over the lives he had taken and threats of assassination from all sides.

Recalling Leon’s lonely childhood, another person came to mind.

“Richard had a similar experience…”

Richard, too, had been threatened with assassination by Albert from a young age and had joined a guild, growing up in harsh conditions to survive.

The child’s situation seemed to overlap with Richard’s past, making Elisa’s heart ache more.

“I’ll give you this too, since you answered well.”

Elisa handed the bread bag to Leon, as a reward for his response.

The child, receiving the bread, eagerly devoured it with a mix of fear and hunger.

Elisa waited for Leon to finish the bread to ensure he wouldn’t be startled and choked, lost in thought.

‘I can’t just leave Leon behind like this.’

At this time, Leon’s birth mother had died, and Leon was surviving alone on the streets.

If she left Leon, he would be chased by Roze’s mercenaries and burn down another village, just as in the original story.

Elisa couldn’t allow that to happen, for Leon’s sake and for the innocent villagers.

‘But I can’t take him to the Duke’s residence…’

There was no justification for taking him there and explaining why he needed to be raised. Moreover, if the imperial family found out, it would cause trouble for her.

‘I can’t send Leon to another region either.’

The story begins in the city of Acaroa. If Leon left Acaroa, there was no telling what kind of variables might arise.

‘Hmm, what to do… Oh!’

As Elisa pondered how to alter the future, a suitable place came to mind.

A place where he could avoid mercenaries without leaving Acaroa.

A sanctuary protected by imperial law that even the emperor could not invade.

And a single person with the ability to control Leon’s powers.

Elisa extended her hand to the child.

“Leon, would you like to come with me?”

Leon’s wary eyes returned, and he backed away slowly, mumbling,

“Mommy said not to go with strangers…”

At such a young age, the child’s caution was both pitiable and admirable.

‘It’s a miracle that such a cute child was born to a Christian.’

Elisa, looking into the bright eyes of the child, thought of a way to gain his trust.

“You’re very smart, Leon. Just like your mother.”

“My mommy?”

“Yes. I was friends with Leon’s mother. Her name was Seira, right?”

Although Elisa had never met Seira, she remembered the name of the male protagonist’s mother. This was something Elisa knew from reading the original story.

“Really, a friend of Mommy’s…?”

As expected, Leon visibly relaxed when he heard his mother’s name.

Elisa seized the opportunity and extended her hand to the child once more.

“Yes. And I want to take you to a nice place. There, you won’t have to do any bad errands, you’ll get clean clothes, and have delicious meals.”

“Okay.”

“Would you like to come with me?”

Leon stared at Elisa’s gently smiling face and outstretched hand.

Although Leon did not see his mother in Elisa’s face, there was something about Elisa that conveyed a warmth and nostalgia reminiscent of his mother.

Slowly, Leon placed his small hand on Elisa’s.

Elisa beamed with happiness and lightly embraced him.

“You made a good choice, Leon.”

Leon, embraced by Elisa, blinked in surprise.

It was the first time he had been held since his mother’s death.

The adults he had encountered so far had either scolded him or threatened to hit him.

The warmth of another person felt comforting after so long. Leon, with a shy smile, hugged Elisa’s neck, sensing a pleasant scent he had never smelled before.

“Sir Sert, please help the child into the carriage.”

Elisa commanded the knight beside her.

She then informed the coachman and the Rubellin knight of their destination.

“We’ll stop by the temple on the way.”