An Ode to Divorce - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#16

“Damn it, what’s the problem?”

Unable to believe that fact, I clutched my head.

What frustrated me most was that the content of the heroic poem, the melody—nothing seemed lacking.

To the point where I wasn’t confident I could write it better even if I rewrote it.

But something felt displeasing and unsatisfactory.

In my frustration, I tore at my hair countless times. But that didn’t make the song I disliked become likeable.

Why did the beginning part, which I had considered perfect just a month ago, suddenly become displeasing?

After agonizing for days on end, I was finally able to grasp a clue.

“…The ending.”

When I first began writing the work, I never thought Gert would die.

Of course not. Who would dare predict Gert’s death?

So throughout the work, I praised his demigod-like strength and eternal immortality.

But now I know that Gert can die too.

Naturally, this made me think about his death, and the atmosphere of the work I had initially started writing began to feel somehow discordant.

In this case, I had two options.

‘Either adjust Gert’s future to match the heroic poem I wrote, or adjust my heroic poem to match Gert’s future…!’

There was no room for deliberation.

If there had been any possibility of saving Gert in the first place, I wouldn’t have made divorce my top priority.

‘I need to know how he died before I can decide whether to save him or not.’

So naturally, only the latter option remained for me—revising my heroic poem.

But revising the heroic poem wasn’t exactly easy.

The reason I thought I could complete the work in a year was because I believed I only needed to finish the latter part.

If I had to completely rewrite it from the beginning…

The thought of overturning three years’ worth of writing that I had poured my heart and soul into within one year made me break out in cold sweat.

Even if I could revise it, there was another problem.

‘The absence of an ending.’

The original ending was planned to have Gert defeat hundreds of monsters despite the curse, and eventually be recognized as a demigod by the gods beyond the heavens and ascend.

“Isn’t that too childish? Obviously, an ending where Gert faces his final battle or fate and meets death would be the best.”

When Linos heard that story, he replied indifferently, but I didn’t think so.

I believed that a true heroic poem should overcome all adversities, reach a happy ending, and provide catharsis—an ending where the protagonist dies after continuous suffering would be too futile.

“Do that in lyric poetry that expresses personal emotions! Don’t do such things in a long heroic epic!”

“You’re the one writing such a flattering ending because you’re scared of Gert—what kind of bard is that? A true bard should…”

“Be quiet, you personality-disordered person who only writes tragedies all the time!”

Back then I had snapped at Linos like that, but to think I would end up seriously considering such an ending!

‘…No. No matter what, I can’t change course to a tragic ending.’

It wasn’t because my pride was hurt by following Linos’s words, nor was it because of my personal taste as a bard who disliked tragedies.

It was because Gert was an extreme tragedy-hater.

Of course, after Gert dies, there would be nothing he could do whether I wrote tragedies or anything else, but the problem was that recently, Gert seemed to be showing interest in his heroic poem.

If I changed course to a tragedy and Gert decided to do a mid-way check…

“What is this? You’re trying to end my story as a tragedy? You wanted to write my epic with such an ending in mind?”

“Haaaaah…”

Just thinking about Gert glaring at me made my whole body shiver and my heart pound.

Just as I was stuck in this impossible situation, holed up at home, concentrating on my work and tearing at my hair.

“A guest has come to see you.”

“A guest?”

Only Hilias and Gert knew I lived here. But if either of them had come, Berta wouldn’t have referred to them as a guest.

Who could it be?

My puzzlement was brief.

“Orphea!”

“Tamar?”

I widened my eyes at the identity of the unexpected guest.

The visitor was none other than the prophet who had given the prophecy that Gert needed to marry to break his curse, and the princess of Okrolandi, Tamar Bagrationi.

How did she know I had moved here? Flustered by Tamar’s unexpected surprise visit, I stammered.

“How did you know I was here…”

But before I could finish my words, Tamar came running over, her long brown curls flying. Then she hugged me tightly and exclaimed.

“You got divorced! How could you not tell me?”

***

Tamar, who was guided to the drawing room, looked around the manor and clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

“To kick you out to such a shabby manor—I was completely wrong about that bastard Gerhardt!”

“This isn’t shabby, it’s called cozy.”

I defended Gert in disbelief. I had been flustered when Gert readily gave me this manor, but Tamar was even disparaging this manor as shabby!

I could never get used to nobles’ sense of economics.

Tamar snorted at my rebuttal.

“It’s shabby for you, the former wife of Gerhardt, the only Grand Duke and great hero of the Petalien Kingdom, to live in!”

Though Tamar’s reaction was excessive, she was ultimately saying this out of concern for me.

Tamar was one of the few friends I had.

But she didn’t get along well with Gert. Perhaps because they were both the type who thought they were the best in the world, they didn’t hide their displeasure whenever they clashed.

So I always tried to avoid having the two of them meet. That’s why I never invited Tamar to birthday banquets and would arrange separate meetings instead.

But this year, I had been too preoccupied and forgot to make plans with Tamar.

While I had gone radio silent, news of my divorce had spread as rumors, so it must have been quite shocking for Tamar.

“I had to shake down Hilias to find out where you were. Do you know how worried I was?”

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Well, you must have been busy too.”

Tamar’s trailing gaze fell on my work materials piled up here and there in the drawing room. Recently, I had been moving around different spots in the house to work for a change of atmosphere, so the drawing room was also full of my work.

Tamar’s eyes narrowed.

“No time to contact me, but time to work? Geez.”

“Hehe.”

“I should say that’s just like you…”

Tamar sighed at my sheepish smile as I scratched the back of my neck, then leaned toward me and asked.

“By the way, how did you end up getting divorced? Your contract was supposed to last until next year.”

As the one who had made the prophecy, Tamar knew that my marriage with Gert had been a contract.

Secretly curious about the outside rumors, I asked casually.

“What are people saying?”

“That when you divorced, Eurich was also kicked out of the household. Because of that, everyone’s whispering that you and Eurich must have had an affair.”

“Ugh.”

I shouldn’t have asked.

I grimaced and pretended to retch several times. Of all people to be linked with, why Eurich?

Rumors really couldn’t be trusted.

“Honestly. So that makes Gert the one who got cheated on? That’s pretty funny too. If Gert knew about this, he’d be quite angry—aren’t they scared?”

“Funny! How can you be so nonchalant and sarcastic about it?”

It seemed like the rumors circulating in high society were about me, but Tamar appeared more indignant than I was.

“But it’s a bit awkward to get angry about it. I had expected Lübenhartz to spread rumors like that anyway.”

As proud nobles, they probably couldn’t bear to admit that a commoner-born Grand Duchess had abandoned their precious household like an old shoe.

So they twisted the story to make it seem like I was at fault. It wasn’t surprising.

However, Tamar couldn’t accept it at all and fumed with anger.

“What do you mean guess? Anyone watching would think you’re a follower of the goddess Hecate who sees the future and makes prophecies.”

‘…I can’t make prophecies, but I did regress.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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