The Returned Husband Refuses to Divorce - Chapter 36

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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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‘There’s nothing to be nervous about.’
The man repeated it to himself over and over.
‘Just do what you always do.’
Yet his fingers kept fidgeting with the hem of his jacket.
Loïs Gelang, the Capital’s finest jeweler.
Few among the nobility were unfamiliar with his shop.
There was even a saying that if you wanted to know what jewels were fashionable in the royal court, you need only look at his display cases.
Loïs had dealt with countless high-ranking aristocrats, and he never blinked at any title.
And yet here he was.
‘I’ve come all the way to the North for this!’
The landscape visible through the window felt utterly foreign.
Unlike the brilliant Capital, the North was rough and desolate wherever you looked—which was precisely why he’d never thought he’d have reason to visit.
But here he was anyway.
All the way to Evanhardt, this distant place.
And all because of one person.
“I’d like to purchase some jewelry.”
A month ago.
Zecarde Evanhardt.
The hero who saved the nation.
The man who ended a five-year war.
That radiant name had walked into Loïs’s shop.
‘Good heavens, what brought him here?’
The mere news that the Duke of Evanhardt had returned to the Capital after his victory had thrown society into upheaval for weeks.
Though in truth he’d remained in the Capital for barely two days, the people there had followed his every movement.
And this man had entered his shop?
Naturally, Loïs’s mind had raced with calculation.
‘This is my chance.’
No one in his industry dared challenge his position anymore.
But if word spread that Zecarde Evanhardt had chosen his jewels, everything would change.
He wouldn’t merely be the best—he’d be undeniably supreme!
“Of course. Please, choose whatever you like.”
The jeweler had deployed the smile he’d spent a lifetime perfecting.
“Might I ask—who will be receiving this gift?”
Zecarde paused to consider.
“Pale blonde hair, skin remarkably fair and beautiful.”
‘As I thought.’
Loïs silently congratulated himself.
The rumors were true, it seemed.
Saint Elise Chartier.
It was common knowledge in the Capital that Zecarde Evanhardt had grown particularly close to the Saint during the war.
Pale blonde hair? Fair, immaculate skin?
Anyone hearing that description would think of the Saint.
“Ah yes, I understand perfectly. I know just what would suit someone of her station.”
Loïs eagerly pulled out gem after gem.
Zecarde examined each one without comment.
Whenever he found something that pleased him, he smiled ever so slightly.
Watching him, Loïs felt a quiet admiration stir.
‘He’s utterly smitten.’
Here was a man who looked stern and unapproachable, selecting jewelry while thinking of a woman—an unexpectedly devoted lover.
But then came the complication.
After completing the purchase, Zecarde suddenly asked him:
“Would you be willing to come to the North later?”
“I beg your pardon?”
Loïs blinked.
“The North? Why would—”
“I want her to choose directly. For my wife.”
“…….”
He still couldn’t forget the shock of that moment.
“Ah—you mean for your wife, my lord?”
That was when it had struck him.
Zecarde Evanhardt already had a wife.
Ines Chartier.
The Saint’s elder sister.
Now that he thought about it, they did say the sisters bore a striking resemblance to one another.
But.
‘So that’s the woman they call a shrew.’
Obsessive over her husband, jealous of her saintly younger sister, notorious for all manner of wickedness in the North—wasn’t that the very woman in question?
As Loïs Gelang stood there looking vacant, Zecarde’s eyes narrowed.
“Why. Do you dislike it?”
“No, no, not at all!”
Loïs Gelang immediately bowed at the waist.
“I shall go without fail!”
Only then did Zecarde smile with satisfaction.
And without haggling, he paid the full price in gold coins.
‘Just how much money does he have?’
But that wasn’t all that astonished him.
After purchasing the jewels, Zecarde didn’t set foot in the Temple at all and departed the Capital at once.
It was at that moment the jeweler understood.
‘He meant to give it all to his wife from the start.’
And not long after.
As promised, a formal invitation arrived from Evanhardt.
To be honest, he hadn’t given it no thought.
The North was distant, treacherous, and miserably cold.
Above all, he was reluctant to leave the Capital unattended for so long.
Yet in the end, he set out.
‘I need to see for myself.’
What sort of woman could make Zecarde Evanhardt behave this way?
And now.
Loïs Gelang was waiting for her.
‘Will she live up to the rumors?’
His legs trembled with nerves.
Creak.
The door opened.
Loïs Gelang rose from his seat at once.
‘At last!’
A maidservant entered first.
And following in her wake, a woman came into view.
Pale golden hair.
Fair, flawless skin.
Eyes of a serene blue.
A beauty so striking it stole one’s breath away.
‘Ah.’
He knew at once.
This was the woman Zecarde had described.
“Have you been waiting long?”
Loïs Gelang hurried to bow.
“Not at all! It is an honor to meet you, madam.”
“You’ve had a long journey. That must have been taxing.”
“This was nothing to speak of.”
A lie. In truth, it had been exhausting.
“The Commander has matters to attend to and will be somewhat delayed. Allow me to examine these alone for now.”
“Of course.”
As Loïs Gelang opened the boxes one by one, glittering jewels appeared in succession.
Ines examined the items with surprising seriousness.
‘Unexpected.’
She was nothing like the woman he’d heard described up until now.
Not haughty, nor did she quibble needlessly.
Unlike the aristocrats one usually encountered, who simply swept things away without even asking the price, she did no such thing.
“Do you have anything else?”
“Of course.”
Loïs Gelang found himself growing animated without quite meaning to.
Showing fine jewelry to a customer who truly appreciated such things was always a pleasure for a merchant.
‘Is this woman really as dreadful as they say?’
Of course, it was too early to judge.
Among the nobility, there were those who smiled with elegant grace in public, then turned around and beat their servants senseless.
‘Still, this first impression is rather pleasant.’
Perhaps for that reason, Loïs hesitated only briefly before producing another box—one he would not normally have removed.
“This isn’t for sale, you understand.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s rather unusual, and I thought perhaps you might find it interesting.”
He opened the small box.
Inside lay a silver necklace with a large, deep crimson jewel set at its center.
But then—
……
Ines Chartier went very still.
Loïs noticed at once.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Yet Ines did not answer, only gazed intently at the necklace.
“……What is this?”
“Ah, it has quite a remarkable history.”
“History?”
“Well, they call it the Cursed Necklace.”
Ines’s eyes sharpened.
“Cursed?”
“Indeed.”
Loïs lowered his voice.
“It originally came down through a rather ancient noble family, but strangely enough, the recent owners have all died in succession.”
“How so?”
“Some by accident, some by illness. Each death had a different cause, or so I’m told.”
That’s how it earned the name: the Cursed Necklace.
Loïs laughed dismissively.
“Of course, there’s no such thing in the world, is there? Pure coincidence, naturally.”
But Ines did not laugh.
Her gaze remained fixed upon the necklace.
More precisely, upon the dark aura that shrouded it.
‘Magical Energy.’
Ines’s eyes narrowed.
Quite dense, too.
Comparable even to the Pendant that May had brought.
“Wait.”
Ines lifted her head.
“Where did you acquire this?”
Loïs’s eyes gleamed.
‘Ah, there we are.’
She was genuinely interested.
With luck, he might even sell something else unexpected!
“I obtained it on the way up to the North.”
“Where exactly?”
“Near Berton.”
“Berton?”
Ines’s expression hardened for just a moment.
Loïs, oblivious to her reaction, pressed on enthusiastically.
“A nobleman I met there sold it to me. For quite a pittance, actually.”
“Who was it?”
“That is……”
Loïs paused to think.
“I’d need to check my ledger for the exact name. The transaction was rather hurried.”
“Hurried?”
“Yes. He looked quite frightened, truth be told.”
He chuckled good-naturedly.
“He was acting as though I should remove it from his sight at once. I was fortunate enough to oblige.”
“…….”
“But tell me—where in this world does a true curse actually exist?”
Loïs Gelang waved a hand dismissively.
“Even if something did exist, one visit to the Temple for a Purification and the matter would be settled.”
Ines Chartier’s gaze grew cold, but Loïs Gelang failed to notice.
It was at that very moment.
“Are you watching carefully?”
At the low, familiar voice, Ines turned her head.
Zecarde Evanhardt had arrived unannounced and was now stepping into the room.

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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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