RHRD Ch 4

There was plenty of room for trouble, especially considering that the Saint was Ines’s biological younger sister.

I need to clear up this misunderstanding before things get any worse.

She needed to make it clear that she had absolutely no interest in being his wife and would willingly sign the divorce papers.

Ines had intended to leave first anyway, even if Elise had never existed.

Rather than risk being hit with a divorce settlement because of some ridiculous misunderstanding, it would be better to make her position clear from the outset and reach an amicable divorce agreement.

That was Ines’s conclusion.

After walking briskly for some time, Ines finally reached her destination.

…Oh.

Without realizing it, she found herself staring blankly at the enormous door at the far end of the corridor.

In truth, she had already been overwhelmed from the moment she entered the main building.

The place she currently occupied was a tiny, shabby room tucked away in a corner of the annex.

For the past five years, she had barely set foot inside the main building because of Selena.

The only reason she had managed to get this far without incident was sheer luck.

If all the servants hadn’t been in the hall preparing for the banquet, she would have been stopped on the first floor.

Come to think of it, Jekard should be back in his room by now, shouldn’t he?

She recalled Selena holding Jekard back in the hall.

However, an entire hour had already passed since then. Even Selena couldn’t possibly keep someone who had just returned from such a long journey occupied indefinitely.

Besides, the two of them had never been particularly close.

As far as Ines remembered, Jekard hadn’t been especially affectionate toward his stepmother five years ago. Considering their relationship, that was hardly surprising.

All right. Let’s do this.

After swallowing nervously, Ines cautiously took a step forward.

But just then—

“His Grace is currently resting.”

The Duke’s chambers.

Just as she was about to knock on the magnificent door, a voice spoke from behind her.

Ines stopped and turned around.

The face was unfamiliar, yet somehow recognizable.

I’ve seen him before.

More precisely, he was the man who had stood directly behind Jekard in the banquet hall. Someone that close to him was probably his adjutant.

Ines did her best to adopt a gentle tone.

“I’d like to see His Grace.”

The response she received was curt.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve been ordered not to let anyone in.”

“There is something important I need to tell him. Please.”

“Please come back another time.”

Ines hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“It won’t be a long conversation, and I won’t disturb his rest for long. If I can’t even knock, could you at least ask him once on my behalf? If His Grace says no, I’ll leave immediately.”

“That’s impossible.”

The adjutant answered without the slightest hesitation, causing Ines’s expression to stiffen a little.

He doesn’t even intend to ask.

This was quite a predicament.

If she missed her chance today, she had no idea when another opportunity would arise.

Of course, Ines understood that this might inconvenience Jekard.

As serious as this matter was to her, to him, who had yet to recover from the exhaustion of his journey, it was probably nothing more than an annoying little chore.

But she was too desperate to back down so easily.

There was another problem, too.

It seems the rumors about me have already spread to the knights.

The adjutant’s behavior was rather rude for someone addressing his master’s wife.

Judging by the way he spoke to her so formally, he had clearly recognized her identity, yet he hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself.

And if the adjutant knew about her, there was a good chance Jekard had heard the rumors about Ines as well.

I really do need to speak with him before it’s too late. Preferably today.

In that case…

“What if I could help His Grace with his ‘purification’?”

The moment he heard the word purification, the adjutant’s eyes changed.

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

Instead of answering, Ines took something out.

It was a blade of grass that had withered and turned black after being corrupted by demonic energy.

I brought it just in case, but I never thought I’d actually have to use it.

Suppressing a bitter smile, Ines channeled her holy power into the hand holding the grass.

Vmmm.

“……What is this?!”

Before long, the purified grass revealed its fresh, vibrant green color.

Ines held it out to the adjutant.

“Is this enough to prove it?”

This world was locked in an endless battle against an evil god.

Terminus.

In the region known by another name, the End of the World, monsters serving the evil god endlessly invaded human lands.

Terminus was where Jekard had gone to war.

They said he had brought an absolute end to the monster wave that had continued for no less than ten years.

The temple had officially announced that, thanks to his extraordinary achievement, humanity would not need to worry about monster invasions for at least the next hundred years.

Jekard was undeniably a savior of humanity.

However…

He spent five years in Terminus. Even if he’d undergone purification once in the capital before leaving, he’d still need it again.

The more purification he received, the better.

Moreover, the concentration of demonic energy in the North was exceptionally high compared to other regions. That was precisely why Ines had been able to find corrupted grass so easily.

Apparently, even the ability to purify corrupted objects wasn’t something the adjutant could simply dismiss. He hesitated.

“But you clearly…”

Ines smiled bitterly to herself.

He was probably about to point out that she had failed to become a Saint because she couldn’t manifest her holy power.

“I’m nowhere near as capable as the Saint, but it’s not as though I can’t use holy power at all. I’m a member of the Chartier family, too.”

In reality, she could use a tiny amount of what was considered ordinary holy power.

There was also something else unique to Ines, but there was no need to mention that. He wasn’t someone she could trust.

“So, what are you going to do?”

The adjutant pressed his lips together, his expression grave as he seemed to wrestle with the decision.

At last, he made up his mind and spoke firmly.

“Even so, I cannot allow it. Please come back another time, and then…”

Just then—

“Ines?”

A voice suddenly came from behind the adjutant.

Both he and Ines turned around at the same time.

…Huh?

The door that had been firmly shut was now open.

A massive shadow emerged through the gap.

The moment Ines recognized the owner of the voice, she couldn’t help but startle.

“So it really is Ines.”

Standing there was her husband, Jekard Evernhart.

He had apparently already changed his clothes, as he was dressed much more casually than he had been earlier.

Good heavens.

Taken completely by surprise by his sudden appearance, Ines froze.

Jekard gazed intently at her face.

His stare was so blatantly direct that it was almost rude, leaving Ines flustered.

Is there something on my face?

She instinctively resisted the urge to raise her hand and touch her face.

But Jekard continued to stare at her without looking away.

A considerable amount of time passed before he finally spoke.

“I’m pretty sure I told you not to turn Ines away if she came looking for me.”

His voice was calm, but the adjutant flinched violently at his words.

“Well… Your Grace seemed to finally be getting some proper rest, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Disturb me…”

Jekard cast the man a brief, indifferent glance.

“Was that your decision to make?”

His voice held no anger. If anything, it sounded almost languid.

Yet the adjutant looked even more frightened than he would have been if Jekard had openly reprimanded him. The man stood frozen, his face pale and his lips pressed tightly together.

Without sparing him another glance, Jekard said,

“Please, come in. It’s all right.”

Now that Jekard himself had given permission, the adjutant had no grounds to stop her any longer.

The stiff-backed man stepped aside.

Still bewildered and darting her eyes around in confusion, Ines hesitated briefly before entering the room.

…Well, at least that went well.

The Duke’s chambers were enormous and lavishly decorated.

Naturally, they were the finest rooms in the entire castle.

Ines looked around with renewed curiosity.

“I believe I heard you had something to tell me. Is that right?”

At the sound of his voice, Ines emerged from her thoughts.

When their eyes met, Jekard smiled pleasantly.

His demeanor was quite different from the one he had displayed in the banquet hall.

Earlier, he had seemed incredibly sharp and on edge, but for some reason, he appeared gentle now. Perhaps it was because he had managed to get a little rest?

“Yes, that’s right.”

After studying him calmly for a moment, Ines nodded.

“There is something important I need to tell you. I’ve been waiting for you to return.”

At that, Jekard’s expression softened even further.

His unexpectedly friendly attitude put Ines at ease.

Could he already have guessed what I want to talk about?

If so, that would actually be a relief. It would make things move along much faster.