#18
Since that day, I helped Martin with his work. He had me in charge of preparing for the celebration banquet.
Martin handled the difficult tasks, but he always made sure to keep me by his side and teach me how to do things.
It felt strange, almost like I was being passed on the job.
With the Emperor’s return date confirmed, the whole family became even busier. Of course, young Ruslan still just ate, slept, and played, as usual.
I had headaches just deciding on the flowers, banners, food, and drinks for the banquet.
More importantly, Martin took care of writing the invitation list, the order of the ceremony, and arranging the servants.
He worked effortlessly, without showing any signs of stress.
As time passed, the day before the Emperor’s return came.
Martin invited everyone to a dinner to thank those who had worked hard.
Although he didn’t say it, I had a feeling this would be the last meal we would have together like this.
The table was filled with food that Ruslan and I liked, with him and Danilo sitting together.
“I’ll eat well, Father!”
Ruslan grinned and poked at the meat with his fork.
The dinner time was full of warmth. Everyone seemed unaware that, once the Emperor returned, Martin would have to leave the castle soon.
‘Maybe because we lived together before.’
This was probably what their daily life had been like—knowing only what they experienced. I was the only outsider who could see the bigger picture.
Melisa smiled as she watched Ruslan eat, but sighed quietly.
Ever since Ruslan started learning magic, he became even closer to Martin. He would surely be hurt deeply when Martin left again.
I hid my sympathy and gave my pudding to Ruslan for dessert.
After the meal, Ruslan went to bed, and Danilo went back to the study to finish up some unfinished work.
I wanted to check the banquet hall one last time, so I took Nana and headed there. The hall, with its marble walls and glass ceiling that let in natural light, seemed like a mysterious place, even to someone like me who had lived in modern society.
As I walked, checking the layout and placement, I saw Martin sitting alone.
Usually, he would have noticed me right away, but today he was staring out the window, lost in thought.
I purposely made some noise and called out to him.
“Count?”
“Ah.”
Surprised, he stood up and asked,
“What brings you here?”
“I came to check one last time. What about you?”
“Same here.”
He paused for a moment, then spoke quietly.
“You’ve probably noticed, but I will soon be leaving the royal palace.”
Living with my ex-husband in this world, where society had such strict views, felt like too much for even someone as progressive as me.
“When do you plan to leave?”
“I’d like to leave as soon as Hestia returns, but seeing Ruslan, I can’t bring myself to leave yet.”
Seeing him in such a sorrowful state, I sighed quietly. I could imagine how much an impact the divorce had on Ruslan.
Even with all the love from his parents, a child could still feel that it wasn’t enough. And Ruslan’s mother, being of special status, didn’t have enough time to care for him.
Although I knew it wouldn’t help, I still spoke up.
“If you stay by his side, everyone would feel more secure.”
Of course, both sides would need to let go of their pride. For me, who had returned from death twice, nothing was more valuable than life. But the Emperor or Count Orleans would probably see pride as more important than anything else.
Remembering the disastrous first meeting, I knew they must have fought a lot during the divorce.
The Count, hiding his bitterness, said,
“People say I couldn’t stand this suffocating life in the palace and asked for the divorce first.”
Was that really the case?
I thought, like the Count said, that the reason for the divorce was because of the suffocating palace life.
Living in the royal palace meant I didn’t have to worry about basic needs, but seeing the same people and scenes every day was extremely boring.
Had I not lived in a monastery for a few years in my past life, I might have suffocated here.
“Hestia asked for the divorce. If I wanted to stay, I couldn’t.”
I stayed silent and just quietly sat there, not knowing what to say to comfort him.
“What about Ruslan’s lessons?”
“That’s something I need to think about. I know it’s best if I teach him, but Hestia might not agree.”
“If you stay in the capital, Ruslan can go out to study. That way, you two might not have to meet.”
If he stayed in the capital and taught Ruslan, it would help him emotionally.
The Count nodded slightly and said,
“I’ll think about it.”
The fact that he said this much meant there was more than a 50% chance he would stay in the capital.
I exhaled in relief. The Count then smiled in disbelief and took a small ring out of his pocket. It was a simple platinum ring with small purple gemstones.
“Please take care of Ruslan. Hestia and Danilo will look after him too, but they’re both so busy. That’s probably why his personality is so unruly. He’s still young, but I’ve tried to help shape him. But as time goes on, he’ll likely revert to his old ways. If there’s something you need to praise him for, praise him, and if you need to scold him, do that too. If anything happens, contact me with this.”
He handed me a magical item, one of the few in this world. I didn’t know how to respond since I didn’t expect him to give me something so valuable.
“Take it. I couldn’t give you a wedding gift, so think of this as my gift to you.”
After hearing this, I couldn’t refuse.
This ring was one of the most precious wedding gifts I had received, and much more valuable than any gift my real father would have given.
“Try it on.”
Urged by the Count, I bowed my head in thanks and quietly slipped the ring onto my finger.
It felt a little big at first, but then it glowed softly and shrank to fit perfectly.
It seemed that magical items were truly different.
“Let’s go back. Tomorrow we’ll be busy from the morning.”
The two of us left the banquet hall and went to our respective rooms.
Hestia’s army appeared near the capital around 10 a.m.
As the Emperor and his knights rode through the main gate and along the street, the citizens who came to watch clapped and cheered.
There was no sign of the fear that had gripped everyone when the war first started.
Danilo and Ruslan, dressed in white silk robes, stood in front of the castle to wait for the Emperor.
I stood behind them, wearing a simple off-white dress with a blue ribbon at my waist.
Martin wasn’t here. Since he was divorced, it wasn’t appropriate for him to show himself publicly.
‘They say you never know what’s gone until it’s gone. Martin will surely feel lonely when he leaves.’
Thinking about it, Martin had taken better care of me than my real father.
I felt deeply regretful about parting with him.
As my head filled with complicated thoughts, I finally saw the procession, led by the Emperor, in the distance.
‘Who is that?’
A middle-aged man with deep red hair and sharp eyes stood next to the Emperor.
When our eyes met, I suddenly remembered.
‘Duke Valdeck.’
He was the final villain from the original story.
