I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 8
Episode 8
“What is this…!”
Elisa, who was right next to Ansel, looked around in surprise.
But the only one surprised was Elisa.
Ju Sang, who poured the juice, bowed his head apologetically to Ansel.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Christian, who was watching the situation, approached and slapped Ju Sang’s cheek.
“I clearly told you to be careful, didn’t I? You useless fool.”
Christian pushed Ju Sang aside and bent down to Ansel, checking his condition.
At first glance, he seemed genuinely concerned.
“Sorry, sorry. This guy here let his hands shake a bit. Kid, sorry, what should we do?”
But laughter that Christian couldn’t hold back burst out from his mouth as he seemed genuinely worried about Ansel.
“Hoo… Hey, but you know, the purple hair suits you better. How about going around with grape juice in your hair from now on?”
“Ahaha!”
In response to Christian’s words, Princess Mikaela burst into laughter.
Then, other children awkwardly followed suit. Many of them laughed reluctantly, even when it wasn’t funny.
Among them, Elisa, Richard, and Ansel were the only ones not laughing.
“Is this guy for real?”
Watching the situation as if it were absurd, Elisa took a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to Ansel.
“Wipe yourself with this.”
Ansel looked at Elisa in surprise.
It wasn’t just Ansel who was surprised by Elisa’s kindness. Christian also stared at Elisa with a surprised expression.
Unable to accept Elisa’s handkerchief, Ansel’s face was wiped by Elisa herself.
At that moment, Christian’s expression subtly twisted, but soon he burst into laughter.
“Lady Viscountess has a kind heart.”
Christian had Ju Sang bring grape juice and an empty glass to pour it.
“We should offer a glass to Lady Viscountess too.”
And just as Christian was about to move to pour grape juice over Elisa’s head.
“Eek!”
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew, overturning the sunshade. It was a gust strong enough to make even people stagger for a moment.
Caught by the wind, Christian stumbled and spilled the grape juice on his clothes.
Belatedly shaking off his clothes, they were already stained purple.
“This is insane!”
Cursing, Christian grabbed the glass and the bottle of grape juice and threw them carelessly.
Then, grabbing Richard’s collar, who was holding Elisa’s feathered hat to prevent it from flying away, Christian lifted him up.
“Is this what you’re doing?”
Richard, with indifferent eyes, just stared at Christian without saying anything. If left alone, Christian seemed like he might hit Richard.
Christian, with a quick temper, often wielded a dagger when even the slightest thing displeased him.
Knowing Christian’s temperament well, Ju Sang grabbed him to stop him.
“Sir, calm down. Wouldn’t it be better to change your clothes first?”
“Not letting go?”
Unable to defeat Christian, the resentful Ju Sang slapped the cheek of his detested master. However, Ju Sang did not yield and desperately tried to restrain him.
No matter how much of a prince Christian was, it wouldn’t be good to mess with Richard, the rival of Duke Rubelin.
In the end, Christian was dragged away by Ju Sang and disappeared as if he were vanishing. Mikaela, who was standing at a distance, chased after him a beat late.
“Oh, Your Highness!”
As the troublemaker vanished, the dining table fell silent.
The bewildered gazes of the children were directed towards Ansel, Elisa, and Richard.
Ignoring those gazes, Richard turned abruptly and walked away.
Elisa, who was about to follow him, was stopped by Ansel’s voice.
“T-Thank you.”
“No, it’s nothing to be thankful for.”
With a graceful face, Elisa accepted the gratitude and immediately went after Richard, holding two delicious sandwiches on the table.
“Richard.”
Elisa called Richard, but he didn’t stop walking. However, she could catch up with him soon.
“Thanks. For helping me.”
“…You’re from Rubelin. That’s the only reason I helped.”
“I know. Anyway, you helped me.”
With a slight smile, Elisa handed one of the sandwiches she brought to Richard.
“Thanks, my husband.”
Richard, who was walking indifferently, abruptly stopped his steps.
Elisa looked up at Richard with a puzzled look as he accepted the sandwich.
After a moment of stiffness, Richard turned around, took the sandwich, and walked away.
‘Why is he acting like that?’
Without seeing Richard’s blushing ear tips, Elisa smirked.
The nobles, the emperor, and the crown prince, who had finished their meal, entered the forest to start hunting.
Among the group were quite a few tall boys, including Richard and Christian.
Although it was time for Elisa and Ann to enjoy tea with other noble ladies and young girls, Elisa used the excuse of wiping off the grape juice that splashed on her dress to leave the table.
As Elisa and Ann attempted to enter the forest, a knight who guarded the entrance accompanied them.
The knight who had followed them for a while stopped walking. Since Elisa might undress while trying to remove the dress, the knight decided not to accompany them.
Although Elisa was still young, it was considered rude to see the figure of a lady wearing only a petticoat.
“The valley is just a little further if you turn left. You will easily find the way with yellow ribbons tied to the trees.”
“Yes.”
“The imperial hunting ground is safe as we guard it, but if anything happens, please call us. We’ll be nearby.”
“Thank you.”
Elisa and Ann went a little further into the forest after the knight. As the knight had said, the valley was not far away.
Elisa took off the dress with a rustle.
It wasn’t that difficult to undress since it was a dress for a little girl.
“Um, it’s not coming off easily.”
Ann cautiously touched the hem of the dress soaked in water, but the grape juice, once stained, didn’t come off easily.
Elisa had the same result.
“It was beautiful, but there’s nothing we can do.”
Disappointed, Elisa put on the partially stained dress again.
At that moment, they heard horse sounds not far away.
“Be careful.”
‘Where is the sound coming from?’ Elisa and Ann, who met eyes, approached where the sound was coming from.
The sound of horses came from below the valley, about twice the height of an adult person, on a small cliff.
There were three men dressed in black. There were no imperial or family symbols on their clothes.
‘What is this? How can people like them be in the imperial hunting ground…’
She had an uneasy feeling.
Elisa lay flat on the ground.
Ann, who was beside her, also lay down.
Fortunately, the men seemed oblivious to the miraculous encounter of the two hidden beneath the sounds of a small waterfall leading to the cliff.
A man with a scar on one eyebrow took the lead and spoke, “Remember, our target is Viscount Rubelin.”
“….!”
Elisa and Ann suppressed the gasps that almost escaped their mouths.
The men quickly entered the depths of the forest, concealing their tracks.
Elisa, who had been holding her breath, finally rose from her seat.
‘Richard is in danger!’
She couldn’t discern the details, but something ominous was happening to Richard.
She couldn’t handle this on her own; she needed to inform someone urgently.
Elisa and Ann hurriedly made their way to the valley entrance, where the knight was waiting.
“Hey! Something’s happening in the hunting grounds…!”
“What’s the matter?”
Elisa, out of breath, was about to tell the knight about the suspicious people when she stopped herself.
‘If… those suspicious individuals were sent by the emperor?’
If that were the case, she couldn’t inform the palace knights.
“Ah, it’s nothing. Let’s go back quickly.”
Elisa nonchalantly smiled, nodding to the knight, and quickly left the forest with him.
‘I need to find the Duke.’
Even if he didn’t genuinely care for Richard, there was no one else here who would prioritize Reichard’s safety.
However, when they exited the forest, the nobles who had gone for the hunt had not yet returned. Neither had Albert nor Richard.
“What should we do now, madam?”
Ann asked, rolling her foot anxiously.
After a moment of contemplation, Elisa, as if remembering something, headed towards the location where Duke Rubelin’s carriage was parked.
There, Albert, along with Duke Rubelin’s knights, was present. Some she recognized, and some were unfamiliar faces.
The knights were chatting and joking among themselves when they noticed Elisa approaching with a serious expression.
“What’s going on, little lady?”
“Richard Rubelin is in danger. We need the help of your knights.”
“What?”
“Hurry into the forest and find Richard Rubelin. Provide him with protection.”
The knights reacted with surprised expressions to Elisa’s words. Then, laughter broke out.
“In the imperial hunting grounds guarded by the best imperial knights? This isn’t a dream, is it?”
“No, it’s not a dream. I saw it too.”
As the knights ridiculed Elisa, Ann, standing beside her, spoke up in a small voice.
However, the knights didn’t seem inclined to follow Elisa’s orders.
“Enough of your daydreaming. Go back and enjoy your tea time.”
Ignoring the knight who tried to dismiss her, Elisa stepped forward. There was a determination in her expression.
“Of course, my story might be a dream. In that case, it’s a relief. But what if my story is true? So, what if something happens to Richard Rubelin?”
“….”
“Do you think the Duke will just stand by and watch?”
With that, Elisa’s voice became chilly. Her expression was equally cold.
Caught off guard by her determination, the knights flinched.
“You haven’t sworn allegiance to me, so you have no reason to follow my orders. However.”
“….”
“You’ve pledged your lives in service to Rubelin. Keep that oath.”
Elisa’s words hung in the air, and the knights seemed to hesitate.
“Whatever it is, we’re going. Let’s find Richard Rubellin.”
The knights, prompted by Albert, finally started to move.
Elisa and Ann followed them, relieved that the knights were willing to take action.