MHHASCD 9

I am watching Leon speak with the commander through a mirror in my room at the inn.

The reason I can see this, apparently, is thanks to Asti’s surveillance magic.

I did wonder if this man had ever heard the phrase “respect for privacy.” Still, when I thought about it more carefully, I couldn’t exactly tell him not to use it either.

“All done for legitimate reasons, so it’s fine.”

He said that with a bright smile, but I couldn’t simply nod and accept it. What I did understand, that everything that’s in this man’s hands, could be laid bare. I quietly vowed never to make him my enemy.

But Leon… he truly hadn’t even considered divorcing me.

He couldn’t possibly be ignorant of this country’s laws.

“Asti, the laws here are harsh toward children born from infidelity, aren’t they? Even though children bear no guilt at all…”

Children cannot choose their parents.

It feels cruel that their entire lives can be decided the moment they are born.

“There was a time when broken engagements among royalty and nobles happened one after another,” Asti said calmly. “Many fathers had mistresses, some even hidden children, and inheritance disputes threw noble society into chaos.

“The situation became serious enough that the queen and noblewomen of the time worked together to establish the law.

“Infidelity destroys everything. Environments, hearts, everything. Not just those living now, but even those yet to be born are robbed of a bright future.”

If I hadn’t learned of Leon’s betrayal, would I have continued living with him in a cold marriage, raising our child?

Or would he have raised a child with me and never returned to that other girl?

There was no way to go back to ignorance now. My resolve to divorce only hardened.

And when I thought of that child’s future, I couldn’t help but wish she would have even a slightly better one.

“…If I divorce, what happens to this child?”

I rubbed my belly as unease crept in.

Legitimate children born within marriage receive many benefits. But what about women who divorce and raise their children alone? Or those who choose to give birth without marriage? Or, heaven forbid, those who give birth after unwanted pregnancies?

I didn’t want my child to suffer unnecessary hardship.

“There are investigative institutions for that, so don’t worry,” Asti replied. “If someone divorces and raises a child alone, like you plan to, they can still receive support. Even children born from infidelity have relief measures.”

“They do?”

“Of course. A child has nothing to do with a parent’s wrongdoing. Closing off a child’s future because of their parents would be wrong. There are conditions, of course, but the systems exist.”

I felt a small sense of relief.

Children don’t choose their parents. If they could, no one would choose to be born from betrayal.

“So, Sheila, don’t decide to divorce for the child’s sake. Decide based on what you want. Even if you choose reconciliation, I can introduce systems that support the mother and child.”

His words made my heart jump.

I had been thinking, at least in part, about divorcing for the child’s sake.

“See things with your own eyes, and decide for yourself.”

“…I understand. I’ll decide after considering Leon’s actions and my own feelings.”

In truth, my heart was already leaning toward divorce.

The difference in how he treated me and how he treated that woman. Nearly three years of betrayal. Being told not to speak of wanting children because it was depressing.

That alone said everything.

He wanted neither divorce nor a child with me.

Then Leon had no place in my life.

Being treated out of obligation brought no joy. Such a man was unfit to be a father as well.

He should become a family with that mother and child.

“That’s what I think.”

“…Still, I have no intention of divorcing my wife.”

“Which wife is that?”

Those words echoed from the mirror, and I frowned. The commander sighed, clearly exasperated.

“Either way, you’ll repay the improperly received housing subsidy. You claimed you lived with your wife, but if the wife registered with the guild isn’t Chiara, she’s merely a cohabitant. If you continue living there with her, you’ll receive single-status support.”

“Yes… I’m sorry…”

“…That child, Lilia. She is yours, isn’t she?”

“…Yes.”

The commander let out a heavy sigh, his face troubled.

“What did your wife lack… no, that’s not something I should pry into. But if I had to guess, your wife—Sheila—probably already knows about the child.”

“…No way.”

More surprised than Leon’s pale face was the fact that the commander guessed it correctly. He seemed acquainted with Asti—what sort of connection did they have?

“He’s sharp,” Asti murmured. “I met him during a scouting mission once. He’s got a broad perspective. Suited to be a commander.”

“I see.”

I nodded, intrigued. Scouting missions like that existed? The mystery surrounding Asti only deepened.

“Sheila said she happened to be nearby, but she was accompanied by a man entrusted with royal reconnaissance.”

“…Don’t tell me Sheila is cheating too…”

A sharp crack echoed—both from the mirror and beside me. Asti’s expression darkened, cold air spreading through the room. In the mirror, frost gathered around the commander as well.

“Sorry.”

With a quick wave of Asti’s hand, the ice in the room vanished, though the commander’s surroundings remained cold.

“Watch your mouth. You’re the perfect example of how cheaters suspect others. You’re trash.”

“I—I’m sorry…”

“The man she was with is someone I trust.”

Leon lowered his head, drenched in cold sweat.

Between a man who fraudulently claimed another woman as his wife and Asti, the choice of whom to trust was obvious.

“Still… the potions your wife brought were exceptional. I doubt there will be a second delivery.”

Leon’s shoulders slumped in despair.

“What dissatisfied you?”

“Nothing… I just got carried away…”

“You could only get carried away because of Sheila’s devotion. Even that sword belt of yours is packed with blessings. When it wears out, your true worth will be tested.”

Leon looked confused as the commander gazed at him with open disappointment.

I understood perfectly.

I would never give Leon anything again.

When that sword belt finally failed, that would be the end. I would no longer pray for his safety.

That role would belong to that mother and child.

And when the buffs vanished, his true strength would finally be revealed.

“What a fool…”

The voice overlapped—both from the mirror and beside me.

The commander looked weary. Asti looked at Leon with pity. Leon himself looked uncertain, anxious about what lay ahead.

I silently observed them all.

Leon may lose far more than I ever imagined.

If everything I once gave him disappears, his reputation, his power as a knight, even his position could crumble.

For a moment, guilt stirred. Perhaps I had given him too much.

But power alone doesn’t corrupt—pride does.

He drowned in it. Grew arrogant. Lost humility.

“That isn’t your fault,” Asti said gently. “This is the result of mistaking borrowed strength for one’s own.”

The tension drained from me.

He spoke as if reading my thoughts.

Like an old sage. Then again… he was a sage.

“Thank you. I was feeling a little down, thinking I should’ve supported him better.”

“Your support borders on divine. And when someone dares to wield divine power as their own, punishment follows. Besides, no one else ever became arrogant from your support, did they?”

When he put it that way… no one ever did. They were always grateful.

“People should never forget gratitude.”

Somewhere along the way, Leon must have started seeing my efforts as a given.

“Nothing anyone does for you is ever ‘only natural’…”

For Leon, what comes next will be his greatest trial.

There was a part of me that still thought maybe, depending on what he did, something could be salvaged.

But watching all this, I realized quietly—

Rebuilding my trust in him was impossible.