Don’T Get Caught By Your Husband! [EN]: Chapter 54

#54. Fragile, Soft, and Easily Broken Relationships

2024.04.23.

Knock. Knock.

“……”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A rhythmic sound of water droplets echoed.

Awakening, Belladonna furrowed her brow and lifted her eyelids.

Where am I…? She slowly looked around.

Just moments ago, she was in a cold and filthy cave, but now it felt like she was in an entirely new space.

{Are you awake?}

A low, gentle voice flowed into her mind.

Belladonna was startled and turned her head.

But the surroundings were just a blue space, empty except for the rhythmic sound of water droplets.

What is this…? What is it…?

As she was getting confused, someone appeared before her.

{How have you been?}

Belladonna turned her gaze to the figure that appeared and took a step back in surprise.

A woman with sparkling silver hair and blue eyes was sitting on the back of a large bear, smiling.

Is that me…? No, wait, Saint Belladonna?

{Pfft… ‘Me,’ you say. It seems you’ve adapted to Belladonna’s life quite a bit?}

The Saintess, sitting demurely on the large bear, covered her mouth with the back of her hand and chuckled.

Belladonna stared at her with a bewildered look, the Saintess sitting leisurely on the threatening bear that had attacked her just moments ago.

{How is it? Is it bearable?}

The Saintess asked, ceasing her laughter.

Hearing her question, Belladonna immediately shook her head.

“What is this? Are you really the Saintess? Why are you doing this to me?”

{Oh my, a demanding tone as soon as we meet? What’s wrong?}

“Why did you… Why did you make me be reborn? And in the Saintess’s form, no less!”

{Hmm? You wanted it, didn’t you? Are you blaming me?}

I wanted it…?

Belladonna inhaled sharply. But I never did…

The Saintess, tilting her head slightly, looked at Belladonna and opened her mouth.

{It seems Belladonna’s life hasn’t been easy either?}

“……”

{Hmm, that’s a shame. I was hoping you’d be happier.}

At the Saintess’s words, Belladonna slumped down on the spot and said in a self-deprecating voice.

“If you’re going to kill me, just do it quickly.”

{Oh my, why are you saying such things? You’ve become quite rough since I last saw you?}

“I’ve ruined everything. I don’t know what you wanted from me, but I’ve ruined it all.”

The Saintess, who had been sitting on the docile bear, jumped down to the floor.

She approached Belladonna and crouched down in front of her.

{What did you ruin?}

“Everything’s gone wrong. I listened to the Pope and entered into a contract marriage with Escalion. Living with him, I realized what I wanted, and I thought I could find a way to be happy on my own, but in the end, it backfired, and I was manipulated by the Pope and became a liar.”

{Hmm…}

“Then I was caught by some bad guys and almost had my eyes gouged out.”

{Oh my.}

“And in the end, a bear… Yes! That bear! It tried to eat me.”

{Could that be?}

Belladonna pointed to the bear standing blankly behind her, and the Saintess tilted her head and smiled.

{Don’t you remember? Where you saw that bear.}

“Why would I ever see a bear in my life…”

{Oh, I’d be sad.}

The Saintess turned her head back to look at the bear and spoke.

The bear lowered its head slightly as if it were truly disappointed, and slowly blinked its eyes.

Watching the scene, Belladonna frowned without realizing it. Wait a minute…

She had seen that bear before.

What is it? Where…? Where did I see that bear?

Something was vaguely coming back to her.

“……”

But with the memory still tangled and faint like a skein of yarn, Belladonna turned to the Saintess and asked.

“…When did I meet that bear?”

{I don’t know? Why would you ever see a bear?}

The Saintess said playfully.

Belladonna sighed and shook her head.

“Haa… That’s not important. Anyway, I’ve ruined everything. Take my life if you want. I can’t do this anymore.”

{She keeps saying scary things.}

The Saintess, smiling sweetly, got up from her seat.

{You haven’t ruined anything.}

“……”

{But since you keep blaming yourself, I’ll give you a little help.}

“Help?”

{Yeah! What should I say… I’ll make the situation a little more dramatic? That’ll be fun.}

Dramatically…? Fun?

It sounded somehow disconnected from the word ‘help,’ but there was no time to ask what she meant.

As soon as the Saintess finished speaking, the blue space began to distort from the outside.

“Uh oh…?”

Startled, Belladonna awkwardly stood up.

{Just hang in there a little longer. It won’t be long. When the time comes, I’ll be back.}

The Saintess said in a carefree voice to Belladonna, who was startled and frozen.

“What? What does that mean… N, no, that’s not it, what’s happening…! Kyaa!”

The space, which had been distorting little by little, quickly approached Belladonna and the Saintess, and soon swallowed them completely.

* * *

The sound of snow collapsing under thick, heavy boots echoed.

Escalion continued to move, climbing the snow-covered mountains again and again.

“……”

When he needed to sort out his thoughts, he preferred to exhaust himself like this.

In the past, to clear his head, he would grab a passing mercenary and spar with them, hunt like crazy, or throw himself into dangerous battlefields without a second thought.

Now, none of that was possible, so he was just climbing the mountain behind the village.

“Damn it…”

But climbing such a low mountain wasn’t helping.

He should have grabbed Graham and asked him to swing a sword at him.

The more he climbed a mountain that didn’t even make him breathless, the more Belladonna’s thoughts deepened, which he didn’t like at all.

The small figure trembling and spitting out excuses came to mind.

In reality, there was nothing she could explain.

He couldn’t possibly fail to recognize the Pope’s handwriting, which occasionally sent obvious blessings and greetings, let alone her soft handwriting that he had deliberately ingrained in his mind.

Everything was as it seemed.

But at least…

He didn’t expect her to think it was terrible.

He thought it would be difficult for the Saintess of Astanya to live in this cold place.

He also knew that meeting someone who was the opposite of him in every way wouldn’t be easy.

But to think she felt that way.

Putting aside her wicked plan to take his dowry and run, the fact that she considered the two months or so of married life with him to be terrible felt like a sharp knife was being driven into his heart.

‘It did seem like she was barely holding on.’

Escalion’s pace, which had been climbing the slope, gradually slowed.

He didn’t feel particularly sad about the married life that had been distorted in just two months.

In the first place, she was someone who didn’t suit him, and it was an incompatible relationship.

Should he be thankful that he didn’t have much expectation from the start, so the disappointment wasn’t great either?

He usually hated lying, going back on his word, and, even worse, betraying him, but strangely, her actions didn’t make him terribly angry.

‘Maybe… I had a feeling this would happen someday.’

Family was like that.

A very fragile, soft, and easily broken relationship.

A relationship that could disappear quickly if someone suddenly died, ran away, or changed their mind and hid.

“…It’s a luxury for someone like me.”

Even the fact that he had invited Scarlett to the castle to try to improve their relationship and had a ridiculous time felt futile.

From the beginning, he felt that the life of wandering the battlefield, beheading enemies, riding a horse endlessly, getting off anywhere to eat and drink to his heart’s content, and then getting up and wandering again was the most suitable for him.

He even thought it was fortunate that he hadn’t been with her for a longer time.

Otherwise, surely… Leaving the castle would have been much heavier.

‘Griblatta is…’

He impulsively thought that he should just give up the troublesome territory.

After all, he wasn’t someone who was suited to staying in one place for a long time.

Griblatta was a pity, but they could find a better lord. It was good land.

Escalion moved his feet again, which had already stopped completely.

The higher he went, the deeper the snow became, and with each step, white snow sank to his calves.

‘For Belladonna.’

It seemed better to give her what she wanted.

It would be a lie to say that he didn’t resent her at all for secretly harboring other intentions behind his back, but he could do that much without any particular intention, since they had lived together for a while.

‘When I get back, I should tell her that I’ll give her a divorce as she wishes. If necessary, I could donate more to the Vatican. Money is meaningless to me anyway.’

Escalion cut off the leaves blocking his view and moved his feet.

Once they were divorced.

‘…Then I won’t be able to see her again.’

Suddenly, he felt something burning inside, and he kicked the innocent tree trunk next to him hard.

He was used to a wandering life, so parting with someone wasn’t special.

Just… just.

‘I might miss not seeing that innocent smile again.’

Soon, he shook his head and turned around.

The thinking was over.

There was no point in doing more.

Since being together would only be toxic to each other, he was going to have Volf bring the divorce papers immediately without delay.

Escalion moved down the steep slope at a much faster pace than when he came up.

It was when he was riding the horse he had tied to the foot of the mountain and was almost back to Griblatta Castle that he noticed something was wrong.

Because it was winter, the days were short, so it was already getting dark, but only the area around the castle was brightly lit as if it were on fire.

He had left the castle last night and returned in the evening after spending a full day outside, so he hadn’t been away for very long.

So, they wouldn’t have lit the lights like this to find him…

He lowered the reins and increased his speed, passing through the castle gates, and the servants who were outside with torches turned to him and shouted.

“Lord…!”

“Lord! Something terrible has happened!”

“What’s going on?”

Escalion landed lightly from the large horse.

He immediately turned his head to look for Volf.

“Where is Volf?”

“Lord!”

Volf, who was running around with a torch as if looking for something, found him and ran straight to him.

The old face covered in tears and sweat was unfamiliar.

Soon, he slumped to the ground and opened his mouth.

“The Lady… The Lady has disappeared…!”