The Returned Husband Refuses to Divorce - Chapter 9

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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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But there was no answer to her call.
Of course there wouldn’t be.
This Separate Building was, for all intents and purposes, abandoned. Since Selena was the very person who had sent Ines here five years ago, she knew this fact better than anyone.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Selena screamed and crumpled to the floor.
‘This can’t be real. This has to be a dream.’
How on earth had it come to this?
Everything had been prepared perfectly. Though her relationship with Jecad wasn’t particularly warm, five years had surely passed long enough for her to make up lost ground.
But to be cast out to this Separate Building before she could even lift a finger!
Jecad hadn’t said anything explicit, but she understood perfectly. It was as good as being told to go die quietly.
Exactly as she had done to Ines.
‘This is all that woman’s fault.’
Selena ground her teeth together.
In truth, Selena’s expulsion had come immediately after Ines vanished from the Banquet Hall.
The moment Ines disappeared, Jecad’s expression hardened completely, and he abruptly barked an order to the knights.
“Throw them all out.”
After that, Selena was hurled outside along with the servants before she could even protest—a humiliation she’d never experienced, not even during her days as the previous lord’s mistress.
Quick-witted as she was, Selena grasped the situation instantly.
This accursed stepson had already fallen completely for his wife.
‘When on earth did those two become that close?’
It was peculiar. Five years ago, they hadn’t been intimately connected.
Nor had anything significant happened between them in those five years. Not a single letter had passed between them.
So why had Jecad suddenly begun looking at her with such fervent eyes?
What made it even more maddening was that it seemed to be entirely one-sided on Jecad’s part.
Ines, for her part, appeared oblivious to the whole affair and had simply fled with her usual vacant expression—leaving Jecad alone to take out his frustration on poor Selena instead.
‘Who knew he’d start digging into the ledgers the moment he arrived?’
After being driven from the Banquet Hall, Selena had spent the entire night being interrogated by Jecad’s adjutant, only to be released this morning and locked away in the Separate Building.
She hadn’t expected Jecad to return so quickly, and her falsified ledgers were nowhere near finished. So far, she’d managed, but at this rate, it was only a matter of time before the embezzled funds she’d hidden were discovered.
‘I have to think of something fast. No matter what it takes…!’
She was in the midst of wracking her brain when—
“It is an order from the Lord.”
A stern-faced knight arrived and relayed Jecad’s message to her.
The knights who had suffered through battle needed to be commended, and a grand celebration was necessary to commemorate the victory. Since you were already preparing the banquet, finish it ‘properly’ and ‘well’ of your own accord.
For a moment, hope flickered in Selena’s eyes at what seemed like a return of her authority.
“However, you should know that all your actions from now on will be under watch. Do not attempt anything foolish, the Lord said.”
The knight added this coldly and departed.
Left alone once more, Selena let out a bitter, hollow laugh.
“Ha.”
There were limits to how much one could be insulted.
Wasn’t this exactly what it meant to use someone as a ‘tool’ before discarding them?
Selena trembled with shame and indignation.
But then her eyes snapped open.
‘No—this is an opportunity.’
No matter how closely she was watched, there would inevitably be gaps in the surveillance.
As the one in charge, she had endless opportunities to siphon money from the banquet budget. And she could surely find ways to make contact with the outside world without the watchers noticing.
For that stepson to hand her such an important position, he truly was underestimating her.
So this is how it’s going to play out? Fine. I’ll make you regret it.
Selena smiled thinly, picturing Jecad and Ines’s faces.
* * *
Ines had indeed eaten with Jecad.
‘He was far stranger than I expected.’
Though they’d only shared a meal, she was completely drained. Ines let out a long, heavy sigh.
The sudden flurry of events had stolen her appetite, so she’d only picked at her food—a fact that alarmed Jecad so much he nearly dismissed the Chef on the spot.
“No, I’ll eat well, I promise!”
The Chef here was one of the precious few people who had shown kindness to Ines over the past five years. Had the warmhearted Chef not slipped her decent food while avoiding Selena’s notice, Ines would have starved long ago.
By the time Jecad began cutting meat with his own knife to feed her, Ines had no choice but to eat with her own hands—and as a result, she’d managed to fill her stomach for once.
‘I wonder if Selena really is in that place?’
After returning to her new room, Ines glanced out at the grounds below.
The shabby Separate Building.
The thought that her and Selena’s positions had been reversed overnight left her with an inexplicable feeling.
During the meal, Jecad explained in brief what had happened the day before.
“It seems she’s been skimming the Domain’s budget for some time. Once I’ve gathered all the evidence, I intend to punish her and have her removed.”
Embezzlement was a grave crime that could not be overlooked, regardless of whether she had been the previous lord’s wife.
And since she was not Jecad’s actual mother, he had no reason to show her mercy.
The problem, however, was that Selena still had work to do.
“Outwardly, I plan to continue entrusting her with the banquet preparations.”
“But my aide Fin Delain will oversee all budgets, personnel, and procurement. Selena will have no authority beyond organizing the existing vendors and guest list.”
It seemed his intent was to give her enough leeway to draw out any remaining conspirators who might try to contact Selena, then arrest them all at once.
On the surface, it was a reasonable plan.
‘Still, it would be wise not to let our guard down.’
Having experienced Selena’s cruelty firsthand, Ines knew just how tenacious and relentless she could become.
Which meant, inevitably…
‘Selena will definitely cause trouble. I need to stop her before she does.’
Ironically, within these castle walls, the person who understood Selena best was Ines.
Five years of direct suffering had allowed her to observe her from the closest vantage point.
Ines’s gaze, fixed on the Separate Building, grew still and resolute.
This would be more than just a gesture of gratitude toward Jecad—it would be her revenge against Selena.
‘…I need to stop thinking about this. Let me focus on something else.’
No matter how vicious Selena might be, her ruin was now assured.
Ines had only to sit back and watch as Selena dug her own grave.
Now it was time to seriously consider Jecad’s proposal.
Extension of the Contractual Marriage.
‘Could there be some hidden motive behind this?’
Yet, frankly speaking, Ines was not worth deceiving. In plain terms, there was nothing to exploit from her.
Perhaps her Holy Power, at most?
But the story of Ines failing to become a Saint was well known. Yes, she had revealed yesterday that she could use a “modest” amount of Holy Power, but everyone knew that hardly counted for anything meaningful.
“I have great expectations for you, Ines.”
Suddenly, Ines recalled a voice buried deep in her memory.
Warm and gentle.
It belonged to the Pope.
On the day she first went to the Temple for her baptism, he had stroked the head of young Ines and spoken those very words.
And the moment it became clear that Ines could never become a Saint.
The Pope’s eyes turned cold in an instant.
‘…That was only natural, I suppose.’
Ines smiled bitterly.
Yes, she did not know what Jecad’s true intentions were, but eventually he too would realize her uselessness and discard her.
He might seem this way now, but once he safely completed his Title Succession, who knew how he might change.
‘I can’t rely on anyone else. Only I can protect myself.’
Ines needed to build a foundation sturdy enough to support herself even if she were cast out right now.
But power and martial skill were not things she could obtain immediately.
So for now, it had to be money.
There was only one problem.
‘Realistically, it’s difficult for me to move about freely.’
Though she had not yet stated her decision clearly, Ines had already resolved to agree to the extension of the Contractual Marriage.
If she did, she would have to spend the next year living as an impeccable Duchess, which would severely restrict her freedom of action.
‘Is there someone trustworthy who could move about on my behalf?’
Just then, Ines caught sight of something outside the window.
Her gaze immediately fixed on one spot.
A group of knights and servants had surrounded a young boy and were threatening him with harsh words. The atmosphere was ominous and troubling.
‘Perhaps…’
After a moment’s consideration, Ines rose from her seat without hesitation.

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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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