The Returned Husband Refuses to Divorce - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Are you feeling unwell?”
Ines snapped back to attention.
“Pardon?”
She’d been staring blankly at nothing, bread and Butter Knife clutched in both hands long enough to alarm him.
“No, it’s nothing…”
But the moment her eyes met Eckard’s concerned gaze, the words dried up in her throat.
“…Really, it’s nothing at all.”
She managed to finish, though unease still prickled at the back of her mind.
‘That dream keeps coming back to me.’
It had been unnaturally vivid—unsettlingly so.
The setting, the bitter cold, even the landscape—all of it matched the Northern Region exactly as she’d seen it year after year.
But the problem was…
‘…I’m not like that.’
Being framed for the Holy Maiden’s poisoning was plausible enough.
Selena had already tried to fabricate accusations against her before; the false charge in the dream followed the same pattern. Yet Ines couldn’t make sense of one thing about the dream-self’s reaction.
‘Why was I so despondent?’
Of course, if she found herself in such a situation now, she’d fight tooth and nail to proclaim her innocence.
But that would stem from indignation at the false charge itself, not…
…not from sorrow that he didn’t believe her.
Eckard.
She let her gaze drift upward, studying the man seated across from her.
“Ines?”
His face was still clouded with concern.
The fact that this accomplished man was her husband—even if only for a year’s contract—struck her as oddly surreal.
“I didn’t sleep well last night. I think I need to rest a bit later.”
Eckard’s expression remained serious, but since she’d volunteered to lie down, he didn’t press further and steered the conversation elsewhere.
“Several important guests are expected at the Victory Banquet.”
“Guests?”
“Envoys from the Imperial Household and the Temple.”
“Ah, I see.”
Catching the flicker of discomfort across her face, Eckard continued.
“It won’t be a large gathering, so there’s no need to feel burdened. After all, the banquet is simply the Evanhardt Knights celebrating our victory.”
He added that the state-sponsored official victory ceremony would be held separately in the Capital a few months hence.
But Ines’s mind had latched onto something else entirely.
‘The Temple…’
Perhaps because of that dream yesterday?
She asked impulsively.
“Will Elise be part of the Temple’s envoy?”
At her words, Eckard went completely still.
‘Oh.’
Ines flinched involuntarily.
The sudden break in his composure jarred sharply against the easy flow of their meal-time conversation.
“…Are you hoping to see her?”
“What?”
When Eckard finally spoke, his question caught her off guard.
‘Hoping to see? Me? Elise?’
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
She bore no deep resentment toward her sister anymore, yet nor was she at peace enough to meet her gaze without discomfort.
“That’s not it… I simply heard they were very close during the war, and I thought I should ask.”
Eckard’s brow twitched.
Sensing danger by instinct, Ines hurried to add,
“Of course, I could never tell the Holy Maiden to come or go. If she’s a guest, I should simply receive her with proper courtesy. I was merely thinking ahead about what might need attention.”
He hadn’t committed infidelity during their marriage—that much she was certain of—but that didn’t rule out what might happen after the divorce.
Couldn’t Elise become the next Countess of Evanhardt?
Ines swallowed the thought before it could reach her lips.
But Eckard would certainly grasp what lay beneath her words.
A terrible silence stretched between them.
Eckard gripped the knife in his hand so tightly it seemed it might buckle, then smiled.
“…I see.”
His smile didn’t reach his eyes. A cold chill ran through the room.
He chewed his words as though pressing down on something, holding it back.
“I hadn’t realized you felt that way.”
Ines’s eyes widened.
‘……I should never have asked.’
Now that she thought about it, the last time Elise’s name came up, Eckard’s expression had hardened too.
It was understandable that he’d take offense when some woman he barely knew spoke carelessly of his beloved.
‘If not for that strange dream yesterday, I never would have asked him directly.’
Ines offered an apology, though belatedly regretful.
“On second thought, I realize I overstepped. I’m sorry. Please forget what I said.”
Ines reached for the bell, intent on ending the conversation gracefully. She meant to summon a servant.
But before her hand could move, Eckard spoke.
“That woman will never come to this castle.”
His voice was resolute.
“Never.”
Eckard’s blue eyes fixed on Ines with piercing clarity.
In that instant, she felt overwhelmed.
“Ah…… I see.”
There was something unsettling about moments like these.
‘Why does he look at her that way?’
She couldn’t say precisely what it meant, but the complex emotions contained within that gaze seemed to reach even her.
Eckard sighed as he watched Ines flinch.
“……I believe I mentioned this before, but my meaning clearly didn’t come across. The Holy Maiden and I share no connection whatsoever.”
His voice was firm.
“It’s true that she assisted me on the battlefield, but there is no personal relationship between us. And there never was.”
Ines’s cheeks flushed slightly.
“That wasn’t what I meant by my question.”
Though in truth, it was.
Eckard gave a bitter smile before continuing.
“I’ll send you a detailed list of the envoys later. Should any questions arise, you’re welcome to ask me at any time.”
She felt strangely guilty.
‘Here I am, believing rumors just like everyone else……’
Ines, who had suffered more misunderstandings from baseless gossip than anyone in this world, was now doing exactly what she despised—judging someone else on hearsay alone.
“I apologize. I won’t make excuses. It’s my fault.”
But Eckard’s response was not what she expected.
“Don’t apologize.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Whatever occurs, you have no need to apologize to me, madam.”
Ines, who had begun to protest, fell silent upon seeing his expression.
For some reason, his face looked bitterly weary.
* * *
After breakfast with Eckard, Ines returned to her chambers.
‘Something feels off.’
Lately, the servants’ gazes had grown increasingly hostile.
They had been replaced and things had been quiet for a while, but now it was nearly as bad as before.
‘Why has the Dark Energy suddenly become so thick?’
The maids she encountered on her way back from breakfast made no effort to hide the malice in their eyes. She didn’t even need to sense their Dark Energy deliberately—it was that obvious.
‘Could it be because I scolded the servants last time?’
It was possible, but something about it seemed insufficient.
‘I’ll need to stay cautious for a while.’
Especially since that unsettling dream yesterday had left her uneasy.
Just then, May entered Ines’s chamber.
“The master sent this for you.”
May set down medicinal tea and light refreshments.
‘He’s busy, yet he still thinks to send these.’
Ines marveled at Eckard’s attentiveness.
If he was this considerate even to a wife bound to him by contract alone, the woman fortunate enough to receive his love must be truly blessed.
A feeling of envy stirred within her.
‘……Someone who cherishes me.’
It was a word that had never existed in Ines’s life.
‘But such things don’t really matter anyway.’
“I’ll remain here. Please tell me if you need anything.”
May, who had poured the tea at some point, bowed politely.
‘Come to think of it…….’
Unlike the other servants, May’s Dark Energy was noticeably fainter.
‘Perhaps my help with the Pendant mattered after all.’
As she recalled that incident, several things began to nag at her.
After wrestling with the thought, Ines finally spoke.
“May.”
“Yes, madam.”
“I’d like to hear about your home village.”
At that, May flinched visibly.

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