Chapter : 9
After returning to her room, Electra lay sprawled on the bed with a perfectly clear mind.
‘They say it happens when two adults are alone together late at night.’
Young Electra used all the knowledge she had gathered so far and let her imagination run wild.
‘Could I have interrupted them?’
I-I heard that if you interrupt them in the middle, it won’t happen!
Electra had secretly taken a liking to the Grand Duke, and deep down, she hoped that the relationship between Patron and Clitaim would continue.
Because he was the person who had protected her mother from her father.
‘I ruined everything.’
Just when the atmosphere was getting good, I barged in without realizing what was going on…!
Electra opened her eyes wide and kicked the blanket repeatedly with her feet.
Then she abruptly sat up, grabbed the innocent blanket tightly, and muttered as though she had made up her mind.
“I’ll make it up somehow.”
“……”
The room was unbearably cold and empty after the storm had passed.
Clitaim, having lost sight of her daughter, blankly stared at the corridor where Electra had disappeared before returning.
She firmly closed the door and stood still for a moment with unfocused eyes before covering her face with both hands.
In an instant, embarrassment and shame came rushing over her.
Of all people, Electra had seen her like this.
For the first time, she fully understood why her mother and father in her previous life had been so embarrassed.
‘I’m sorry, Mom and Dad!’
It felt as though she had received three years’ worth of embarrassment all at once.
At least she had not actually been doing anything. She supposed that was something to be thankful for.
While Clitaim was suffering through all sorts of thoughts, Patron calmly muttered.
“I told you. If you had simply listened to me, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“……How can you say that right now—!”
She was about to snap at him, but she forcibly held herself back and let out a deep sigh filled with all her emotions.
“In any case, my position hasn’t changed. Stop doing pointless things and go back.”
I want to be alone.
Even though she had clearly expressed her desire to be alone, Patron acted as though he had neither heard nor understood her and remained seated on the floor without moving.
Clitaim muttered with as much irritation as she could muster.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“There’s still something I haven’t taken.”
He pointed with his chin toward the fruit knife Clitaim was holding.
Clitaim was so dumbfounded that she let out a hollow laugh before speaking.
“Where exactly did you hear what I just said?”
“Isn’t there any other way?”
“If we fabricate evidence, the priests will find out. You know that.”
She had also considered asking the servants at the Baron’s residence to testify, but there was no way that could happen.
What lunatic would report their own employer?
Without testimony or a recording stone, there was no other method besides the wounds from the assault.
She had happened to meet Hailey at the banquet earlier as well, so the circumstances were sufficient.
“If I can’t get a divorce, none of this means anything.”
You only have to deal with your ex-wife, but I don’t.
I die and regress.
Does this man know how maddening it is to regress endlessly without knowing where it will end?
That vague pain of being neither alive nor dead.
Clitaim swallowed down everything she wanted to say and tightened her grip around the knife handle.
“If you’re not going to lend me your sword, then get out.”
After the brief warning, she slashed her arm with the fruit knife without hesitation.
A sharp sting ran through her as a cut appeared and blood began to trickle down.
It had been quite some time since she had felt pain like this, and Clitaim twitched her brow before raising the knife once more.
“Stop.”
Patron took the knife away rather forcefully.
It seemed he truly had not expected her to actually do it.
“Then why didn’t you leave?”
Clitaim sneered and grabbed his arm.
She tried to take the knife back by force, but there was no way she could overpower Patron.
“Fine. Just take it today.”
There was still time before the trial.
She was not going to hurt anyone else, and it was easier to hide an injury she inflicted on herself.
She could do it next time.
Just as she gave up and turned away, Patron muttered almost as if speaking to himself.
“You must think I’m easy to take advantage of because I’ve been cooperating with you so obediently.”
Do you really think it would be difficult for me to keep an eye on just you?
Despite Patron’s threat, Clitaim did not even blink. She calmly replied.
“Then keep living like this with your ex-wife.”
The two remained silent for a long while, glaring at each other.
The standoff that seemed as though it would never end surprisingly ended anticlimactically when Patron backed down.
He left the room with the knife in his hand, and Clitaim, who had been staring at him, bit her lip and turned toward the bed.
After returning to his room, Patron placed the knife inside his drawer and lay down on the bed.
The soft texture of the blanket could be felt against his skin.
His body was tired, but his mind was wide awake. Patron blinked several times before clicking his tongue softly.
It was because of the confrontation he had just had with Clitaim.
—“Then keep living like this with your ex-wife.”
Ever since their first meeting, she had exhausted him by bringing up his ex-wife and her lover, and even now, she was threatening him after discovering one of his weaknesses.
Annoying.
He had thought that if he simply played along with her and helped her get a divorce, that would be enough.
Then he would not be hated by Calix any further, and he would also be completely separated from Nestra.
That was what he had thought.
But—
‘It bothers me.’
Seeing her do something like that right in front of him was the reason.
Around the time Calix was born, Patron had been called to countless battlefields and distinguished himself in war.
He was someone who had been as close to death as anyone could be, yet he had never grown accustomed to harming himself.
—“Stop, Mother!”
Enough to make anyone’s heart drop.
“……”
As an uncomfortable feeling arose inside him, Patron avoided it and forcibly lowered his eyelids.
I hope this night passes quickly.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he would put someone on guard duty over her.
Somehow, he had to prevent her from doing that again.
‘Then what should I do about the trial?’
Should he bribe a priest?
If he wanted to prevent Clitaim from fabricating evidence and ensure that she won the divorce case—
For Patron, who was the Grand Duke, bribing a priest from the capital’s central temple was an enormous burden.
The cost itself was not an issue, but he was a member of the Imperial Family.
The reason the Imperial Family had been able to strengthen its imperial authority to such an extent was because the temple had lent its support.
And now he was going to dare make a personal request?
For Clitaim, a fake Saintess, no less.
If things went wrong, it could become an act that insulted the Imperial Family.
But—
‘That is the one thing I have to stop.’
Patron disliked the thought of Clitaim doing such a thing even more, so he decided to take the risk.
“Apparently, high society is in an uproar these days over the divorce trial of Baron and Baroness Schultz.”
The Great Temple of the Serdia Empire, located in the capital.
Despite the early hour, everyone from bishops to cardinals had gathered for a meeting.
The very first matter on the agenda was Clitaim and Hailey’s divorce trial.
More precisely, it was the love triangle involving the three of them, including Patron.
The rumor had started among priests who pretended not to care while secretly enjoying listening to scandalous gossip. Before long, it had reached the ears of the high-ranking priests.
Since the temple wielded enormous influence over the empire, it had to be cautious about every action it took.
In other words, they normally would not have cared about something as trivial as the scandal surrounding Baron and Baroness Schultz.
Unfortunately, Patron was involved in the rumor.
The Grand Duke, a member of the Imperial Family and the most powerful person in the empire apart from the Emperor.
The Great Temple maintained a close relationship with the Imperial Family, existing in a symbiotic relationship in which both sides helped each other.
The current Emperor cherished his younger brother, the Grand Duke, very much, so he certainly would not want Patron to become the subject of such a disgraceful rumor.
“It would be one thing if this were merely an ordinary divorce trial between nobles, but since the Grand Duke is involved, shouldn’t we resolve it as quickly as possible?”
“Indeed. If we leave things as they are, we will incur His Majesty the Emperor’s wrath.”
“Why on earth did he have a scandal with a woman like that?”
As they clicked their tongues disapprovingly, everyone became excited and added this and that to the conversation.
“The Baron’s mistress says that woman is as stiff as a log in bed.”
Most of the bishops and cardinals either snickered at the lewd remark or, even if they did not, condemned her as a fake Saintess.
Only one person, Bishop Roberts, remained silent without making any comment about her.
One of the bishops addressed him, trying to draw him into the conversation.
“What do you think, Bishop Roberts?”
To prevent him from pretending not to hear, the bishop deliberately said the name ‘Roberts’ clearly and looked directly at him.
Roberts then began speaking with a calm expression.
“There are plenty of rumors that Baron Hailey beat her.”
Even if she did insult God, please refrain from making comments that cross the line.
His cold tone was so uncomfortable that even the person listening felt embarrassed.
The bishop who had addressed him cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Ahem. Anyway, let’s stop the idle chatter. When is the divorce trial?”
“There are approximately two weeks remaining.”
Cardinal Mirtin pondered for a moment after hearing the timeframe, then opened his mouth.
“I intend to move it forward to three days from now. Will that be acceptable?”
At the words “three days,” the atmosphere in the meeting room became chaotic once again.
“Three days from now?!”
“Isn’t that far too unreasonable? There is so much work to be done at the temple…”
“Then what do you suggest we do? Should we simply sit back and watch this matter continue to be the subject of gossip?”
If it were merely a matter between the Baron and Baroness, we would not be doing this.
But a member of the Imperial Family is involved. A member of the Imperial Family!
If something went wrong and even the slightest crack appeared in Patron’s reputation, the Imperial Family might sever its ties with the temple.
At the Cardinal’s furious words, those who had risen in protest quietly shut their mouths.
“Then consider it decided and all of you may leave.”
There was no turning back now.
Thus, Clitaim and Hailey’s divorce trial was moved forward to three days later.
“An order to appear?”
“Yes. We received a message from the Great Temple.”
Becky, whom Clitaim had brought with her when she left the Baron’s residence, handed her an envelope.
It bore a seal engraved with a morning glory, the symbol of the temple.
‘Another summons… Surely not?’
Clitaim had received a summons before when she was still at the Schultz residence, so she hurriedly tore open the envelope.
[By order of the Great Temple of the Serdia Empire.
Clitaim Schultz of the Schultz family is hereby required to attend the trial.
Date of Trial: April 24, Imperial Year 980]
The brief message was an order for her to appear at the trial.
Everything was fine.
Except—
“Three days from now?”
She had held banquets at the Grand Duke’s residence and attended all sorts of parties in order to speed up the divorce.
But she had never expected the results to be this effective.
‘Previously, even filing the trial was difficult.’
Every time she regressed, Hailey and the Duke had diligently interfered with Clitaim for their own respective reasons.
One was afraid that his disgrace would be exposed, while the other did not want to become the father of a daughter who was a divorcee.
Because of that, even submitting the documents through the temple had been an uphill battle.
And yet, simply making one contract with the Grand Duke had made everything proceed so smoothly.
It was wonderful, yet at the same time, strangely empty.
This country truly was obsessed with social status and power.
Then again, it was only natural in this pseudo-medieval era.
“……The wound.”
Three days was far too little time to create a wound.
Clitaim was about to call Becky and give her instructions, but stopped herself.
One Becky would have been manageable, but there was no way she could manipulate the knight Patron had assigned to her as well.
Dereret Calvats.
He was the guard Patron had assigned to Clitaim after what had happened a few days ago.
Though he was called a guard, he was practically a watcher.
She had to create the wound while somehow getting rid of this man, who possessed not even the slightest bit of flexibility.
