An Ode to Divorce - Chapter 42

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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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#42

‘Is being related to Linos the problem? Does Linos’s behavior reinforce prejudice against me?’

The possibility was quite high.

It was utterly unfair, but even if I wanted to explain my innocence, there was no one to explain it to, so there was nothing I could do.

Anyway, I had achieved my goal by driving away the princess without making a promise to stay away from Gert.

‘But it would be troublesome if she comes to her senses and returns.’

She seemed to be thoroughly mistaken about something right now, but it would be problematic if Lairinne came back and urged me again to swear not to meet Gert privately. I hurriedly headed out to the garden where Gert would be waiting.

***

“What kind of woman is that, really?”

Lairinne walked down the corridor fuming. Her face was burning hot, so she fanned herself with her hand, but the heat wouldn’t subside easily.

‘Does she really think she’ll let go of Brother Gert if I take her to social circles? No way… She was just teasing me.’

But she had heard stories that minstrels seduce both men and women indiscriminately. So there was a high possibility that Orphea’s words were somewhat sincere too.

Lairinne got angry all by herself for no reason.

“Does she think I’ll fall for such tricks? Does she think she can seduce me just because she’s somewhat pretty?”

As soon as she recalled Orphea’s face that had briefly shown when she caught her from falling backward, her heart began pounding even louder.

‘She’s stronger than I thought!’

Unlike her slender appearance, she seemed to handle my weight as if it was nothing, which was unexpected.

Indeed, even if an expedition member lacks combat ability, they should be at least that capable…

How long had she been grumbling like that?

Lairinne’s gaze happened to sweep past the window. Her reflection in the window was completely flushed and her expression was uncontrolled.

Only then realizing she had been undignified, Lairinne cleared her throat and quickly composed her face.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Even if it was an empty corridor, she had been too emotional.

Lairinne quickly returned to her usual appearance. But inside, she was still boiling with anger.

‘How did I get today’s opportunity!’

Somehow she had bewitched her brother, because whenever she tried to say even a little criticism about Orphea, Brother Gert’s expression would darken.

Moreover, since they were always together, it wasn’t easy to find an opportunity to be alone with him.

Thinking it would be better to separate Orphea, Lairinne had invited Orphea to the royal castle. She intended to meet with Orphea alone and give her a stern warning.

But Orphea ignored that invitation. Using the ridiculous excuse of a cold!

‘A cold in midsummer, what nonsense!’

If she kept inviting her, she would surely avoid it with this excuse and that excuse.

So Lairinne had arranged this auction. She thought that if Gert participated in the auction, Orphea would somehow follow along.

And her prediction was right.

If it were up to her heart, she would want to persuade Brother Gert rather than come to warn Orphea, but…

‘Just inviting Brother Gert to the royal palace was already adventure enough.’

His Majesty detested Lairinne getting involved with Gert. So in the royal palace, she had no choice but to keep her distance from Gert as much as possible.

Lairinne arranging this situation using the auction as an excuse and inviting Gert meant enduring even her father’s wrath.

But to think that after going that far, she would spend time futilely without getting any definite answer from Orphea. Gloom settled on Lairinne’s face.

‘…That woman can marry Gert or divorce him. She’s free to do anything, how nice for her.’

Even now after the divorce, wasn’t she monopolizing Gert?

When Lairinne asked her to let go of Gert, she acted as if she had no lingering feelings for Gert and could let him go anytime.

That point irritated Lairinne.

Lairinne liked Gert, but at most she could only pretend to admire him.

Without Helena’s help, it would have been impossible even to investigate which social gatherings Gert attended.

‘Even those brief meetings will probably be impossible now…’

Lairinne sighed.

She had attended those investigated gatherings pretending it was coincidence, but it seemed she couldn’t completely fool her father’s eyes.

After persuading her father to invite Gert, the warning her father had given her still remained vivid.

“But you know… I’ve been hearing that you’ve been frequently encountering Alkides at outside gatherings recently.”

“That’s…”

“I know. I know. For you, it must have been coincidence.”

Her father’s eyes glinted ominously as he spoke of coincidence. Lairinne noticed that her father suspected her.

But as if he didn’t want to reveal Lairinne’s intentions, her father pretended to know nothing and put all the blame on Gert.

“But for that guy, it might not be coincidence. His divorce timing to match when you became an adult doesn’t look good either.”

“…”

“So refrain from going out for a while. Understood? My Lairinne.”

Her father believed without doubt that if he showed even the slightest opening, Alkides would steal everything from him.

Lairinne couldn’t bring herself to tell such a father that she liked Gert. After all, her father loved her more than anyone else in the world.

‘…I have no intention of ending up with Brother Gert. But as Brother Gert’s partner, I cannot tolerate such a greedy minstrel. An outstanding hero like Brother deserves to be happy with a more suitable partner…’

Thinking of Gert, she couldn’t back down like this. To Lairinne, Gert was a hero, a savior, and someone who had saved her life. Lairinne clenched her fists.

‘Right. I can’t just back down after taking one hit like this. To somehow separate that woman from Brother, I too must not be picky about means and methods!’

Just as Lairinne was steeling her resolve.

A figure suddenly popped out from the corner leading to the corridor to the King’s Audience Chamber.

Though he wore a hood, Lairinne immediately recognized who it was. Lairinne called out happily.

“Brother Eurich!”

“…Princess Lairinne.”

The Previous Queen was Gert and Eurich’s aunt. So both were practically Lairinne’s cousins.

Moreover, Eurich was always kind and gentle to Lairinne. So apart from her admiration for Gert, she was quite close to Eurich. In some ways, she was closer to Eurich than to her half-brother Dietrich.

Because of that closeness, she couldn’t help but be concerned about the recent discord between Eurich and Gert.

“Brother, you’ve been having a hard time lately.”

“Not at all. I just hope Gert escapes from that woman’s clutches and opens his eyes as soon as possible.”

Recently, as Gert stayed close to Orphea, the rumors about Orphea’s affair that had spread through social circles had largely died down.

But Lairinne, who was close to Eurich, still believed Eurich’s claim that Orphea had seduced him.

“Are you on your way to see His Majesty?”

“Yes. Though I’ve been cast out from the household, thanks to His Majesty still keeping me close, I’m not in despair.”

“It must be frustrating, but please hang in there a little longer.”

Eurich’s complexion visible under the hood looked haggard and pitiful. Seeing Eurich’s appearance, showing he had suffered considerable mental anguish, made Lairinne resent Orphea, who had created this situation, even more.

“Yes. Princess, if you ever have any dealings with that woman, please avoid her as much as possible. She’s a woman who manipulates even the great Gert at will and tears apart long friendships in an instant. If you get entangled with her wrongly, your reputation will be in danger too.”

“Do you think I’d be intimidated by such a petty person’s behavior?”

She had just been outmaneuvered by Orphea. Lairinne’s pride was stung by Eurich’s attempt to dissuade her, and she flared up.

Eurich hurriedly waved his hands to calm Lairinne down.

“I was just worried about you, Princess… It’s enough that I alone get cast out by Gert. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

At the kind words of Eurich, who worried about Lairinne despite being in a dangerous situation himself, tears welled up in Lairinne’s blue eyes.

Eurich, watching such Lairinne, sneered inwardly.

‘How stupid.’

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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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