The Returned Husband Refuses to Divorce - Chapter 28

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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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……Why?
Ines blinked, bewildered.
After staring down at her in silence for a long moment, Jecad finally spoke.
“Why did you do it?”
His jaw was clenched so tightly his teeth ached. He was holding back his anger with visible effort.
“I’m asking why you did something like this.”
Why.
‘Because I wanted to help you…….’
She’d seen Ash reporting separately to Jecad earlier.
By now, Jecad surely knew that Ines had orchestrated this incident from the beginning.
‘Then he should understand why I did it.’
It hurt somehow, that he didn’t seem to grasp her intentions.
But in the next moment, Ines found herself unable to speak at all.
He was clearly angry.
Yet strangely, the emotion swimming in his eyes was something altogether different from rage.
‘That can’t be right.’
Anger would have made sense, at least. She’d acted dangerously without consulting him.
But there was no reason for him to look at her like that.
“……I thought it was something that would happen eventually.”
Ines moved her lips softly.
“It was certain that some crisis would erupt sooner or later. But if we stopped this one, I couldn’t predict what she’d attempt next. So I thought it would be better to control the variables by triggering something predictable…….”
“That’s not what I’m asking you right now!”
Jecad’s voice rose sharply.
As Ines flinched, his expression hardened.
“……I’m sorry.”
He swept his hand through his hair and exhaled heavily.
A brief silence fell between them.
“Ines.”
Finally, Jecad spoke again, his voice low.
“I was asking why you didn’t entrust this to me.”
That much should have been obvious.
“How could I have done that?”
Ines answered calmly.
“It’s my problem. People are after me in the end, so I have to be the one to resolve it.”
If she’d acted on her own authority, she could bear the full weight of failure herself. At least no one could suspect Jecad had ordered it.
“I’m sorry for pushing ahead despite knowing you’d object. But I believed this would be better for everyone.”
……Above all, if she’d told him beforehand, he never would have agreed in the first place.
Ines swallowed those words.
“In the end, everything turned out well. Those who were stirring up unrest in the city won’t dare move recklessly for some time.”
That Yulia was connected to Selena was already obvious.
Now the work that remained was uncovering how far the two of them had planned.
“If we keep investigating, we should be able to find the others connected to Selena too. We might even be able to root out all the hidden factions at once.”
If that was the case, they’d already achieved most of what they wanted.
After finishing, Ines paused briefly before adding quietly.
“……But thinking about it again, I was reckless. That much is true.”
She truly hadn’t known what measures Hans had prepared.
If circumstances had shifted even slightly, something far worse might have happened.
“I won’t make such a major decision alone next time. I promise.”
Ines apologized sincerely.
“I’m truly sorry.”
Now that she thought about it, there had been another reason why Ines had acted so independently.
She hadn’t fully trusted Jecad.
She’d had no certainty that he would help her, no confidence that he would believe her if things went wrong.
But.
‘He believed in me back then.’
Without a moment’s doubt.
If that was the case, then going forward, she should at least consult with him.
“If I’ve upset you, I’ll apologize again. For whatever part I got wrong, I’ll take any responsibility…….”
But the moment she saw Jecad’s face, Ines couldn’t continue.
‘Why…….’
Why was he wearing such an expression?
The anger he’d barely suppressed moments before had vanished from his face entirely.
He simply gazed at Ines quietly.
Bitterness and solitude.
Meeting those two eyes, so calmly settled, something in her chest grew tight and uncomfortable.
It would have been better if he’d raged at her instead.
If he’d demanded to know why she’d acted on her own, what she’d intended to do if things had gone wrong—her mind would have been easier then.
‘That’s what I’m used to, at least.’
But why—
“……Ines.”
After a long silence, Jecad finally spoke.
“I’m sorry for losing my temper.”
Ines spoke hurriedly.
“No. You don’t owe me an apology. What you did just now was only natural…….”
Yet Jecad didn’t let her finish.
Instead, without a word, he unwound his Cloak and draped it across her shoulders.
The warmth still lingering in the fabric transferred to her completely.
“The hour grows late.”
His voice had settled into a low tone.
“I’ll see to the rest. Get some rest tonight. Ash will escort you.”
“Jecad…….”
He didn’t answer.
Soon she saw his figure turning away.
Ines found herself stepping forward reflexively, then stopped.
She didn’t know what to say.
For some reason.
She couldn’t reach out to hold him back.
* * *
In the end, that day’s events were left at that.
“It doesn’t seem like word of what happened has spread through the castle.”
Late in the morning, May spoke as she attended to Ines.
“I hear the Vice Commander is personally ensuring discretion. It’s probably because the guests are still staying in the castle, I’d imagine?”
Ines, who had been thinking it over, asked a question.
“Did you hear how the banquet ended last night?”
“Ah, yes. Apparently nothing of great importance happened. Since it was so late, it was nearly over anyway by then.”
“What explanation did they give for my absence?”
“The House Master told them you’d retired early because you weren’t feeling well.”
Her absence, fortunately, seemed to have been accepted readily enough.
Yet something in Ines’s chest remained unsettled.
‘……Could he be avoiding me?’
Truth be told, something had felt off since morning.
Until she’d washed and changed into fresh clothes after waking, Ines hadn’t thought anything amiss.
But when May brought breakfast, she’d found herself gazing absently out the door.
“……?”
May tilted her head in confusion.
“Is something wrong, madam?”
“It’s nothing.”
Even as she answered, Ines glanced down at the table.
Only one person’s place setting.
Then it struck her.
For the past few days, there had always been someone sitting across from her.
A man who nagged her about eating properly, who served food onto her plate, who unnecessarily asked how she was feeling today.
‘……It’s quiet.’
She’d grown accustomed to eating alone.
For five years, it had always been that way.
Yet strangely, today the table seemed uncommonly vast.
She’d thought such meals mattered little.
‘Why does it feel so empty?’
Ines fiddled absently with her teacup and gazed out the window.
Rationally, she understood his absence was only natural.
The incident had erupted just last night.
Jecad had urged Ines to remain in her room, citing the need for rest and recovery.
Besides, as House Master, he had the obligation to attend to his guests properly. It was a matter that affected his reputation.
Given how pressed he was for time, missing a single meal together was hardly worth dwelling on.
Yes, that was surely how it had to be……
Then it came.
Knock, knock.
The sound of knuckles on the door pulled Ines from her thoughts.
May hurried toward the entrance.
“Who is it?”
A maid’s voice answered from beyond the threshold.
“You have a visitor, madam.”
At this hour?
Ines asked in bewilderment.
“Who?”
After a brief pause, the reply came.
“It is Helienn Bron.”
……
Ines gripped the hem of her skirt without thinking, her knuckles whitening.

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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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