22 – The Divorce Ceremony 1

[You killed them.]

[If you had only made the right choice… no one would have died.]

Must this be what it is to drown in a swamp where there is no way to escape?

Elicia writhed against the hallucinations, only to feel her condition worsening.

Now, she stared at the hallucinations and voices that had become clearer to the point that she could no longer tell the difference between it and reality and pressed down on her head with force.

‘…’

Intense, sharp pain and mental fatigue.

The mind had long since reached its limits… enduring each day was becoming more arduous.

But too much rested on her shoulders to simply stop now.

‘Focus yourself.’

Though the throbbing headache and weariness clouded her judgment,

she bit her lip hard, thinking, ‘I can still bear this much.’

‘I met Damian only once before the engagement.’

It was at a party hosted by her father, the head of the family, seeking influence in the central political circles, where their eyes first met.

He was far from a man of reason, as she observed him at the party.

‘Ruffian’ felt like an apt description – violent, disrespectful, with overly coarse manners.

Witnessing this, she dismissed the possibility of their paths ever crossing.

[He wishes to be your fiancé.]

Not long after, Raikrick Wintraven, her father and the family head,

forcibly tied Damian to her with a thread of fate that would not have naturally formed.

It was all in the past now, making it a less critical tale.

Yet, she recalled it specifically because his attraction stemmed solely from her appearance.

Not that she was raising it as a point of contention, of course.

Considering that the love people so often proclaimed encompassed both spiritual and physical affection,

it was simply a natural human instinct.

In any case, the key point was that the North secured an opportunity to advance into the central political arena.

And she could remain in the North, free from being pawned off to some distant territory.

In essence, her appearance was a commodity of considerable value to Damian.

‘So I must sell it, and seize the opportunity.’

Until now, she had constantly rejected him, trying to drive him away.

But now, she would play the docile woman, feign remorse for her past behavior,

and present herself as yearning for his love. He would be compelled to accept her, albeit reluctantly.

‘Humans, when offered what they so desperately desire…’

Even if their initial interest has waned, they cannot help but be drawn back in.

‘Though whether that interest lasts is another matter entirely.’

As long as she could successfully invalidate the engagement during that fleeting infatuation, nothing else mattered.

‘I’ve not done this often… but feigning lovesickness is familiar; it shouldn’t be too difficult.’

So, by using this to reverse the annulment, and then using Damian to draw in warmth…

Unlike now, she would be able to wield a powerful influence over the North, making it a deal not so bad.

…Besides, if she didn’t reclaim the warmth, the very existence of the North would be imperiled, making it imperative to bring him back.

Thus, she was pondering what method would be most effective, when.

Someone knocked on her office door and spoke.

“Grand Duchess Elyssia. A reply has arrived from the Karsaril family.”

It seemed the response to her letter, the one proposing to undo the annulment, had finally come.

Upon reading the letter, she found, as expected, that it contained a rejection of her offer.

This was the natural course of things. They had carried out such a drastic and irreversible annulment; there was no way they would agree to reverse it now.

Even so, she had sent the letter to express her regret and remorse, in the hope that she could use it as a foundation to initiate a conversation when they met at the annulment ceremony.

Thus, recalling that the real opportunity lay in the moment they faced each other at the ceremony, she closed her eyes.

* * * * *

I sat on a park bench, listening to Lilia-noona explain the procedures of the annulment ceremony.

“You move to a location near the central political circles to be officially recognized and separate.”

“However, annulment isn’t recognized as soon as you arrive. You have to stay for several days and engage in mutual agreement…”

“So, you’ll have to stay there for quite some time.”

Somewhat puzzled by this, I asked why the agreement process was so long, even though it wasn’t a divorce.

Lilia-noona seemed to hesitate for a moment before telling me.

“Usually, between families of this stature, there are all sorts of contracts involved when they engage each other. Um… yes, it’s better to explain it this way.”

“The annulment ceremony isn’t to declare the separation of two people, but to understand it as a place where families gather to reach a suitable compromise regarding the termination of contracts.”

In short, they were gathering to unravel the numerous collaborations and contracts that had arisen from becoming in-law relations.

“So, you probably won’t have much to do, the person you. So don’t worry about it too much and have fun while you’re there. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Aigoo, our youngest has grown up so much that he’s even having an annulment, egu, he’s all grown up, all grown up.”

…?

The direction of the praise was a little strange, but I decided not to pay much attention to it and turned my gaze away.

* * *

Several days after that day.

I was aboard something that looked like a train, heading to carry out the annulment ceremony.

‘Actually, it’s not a train but a golem, though.’

It resembled a train not only in form, but in its interior as well, so I decided to just call it a train and gazed upon the two rascals sitting across from me.

“… A mobile golem, this is my first time. It’s amazing.”

Seiren, it seemed, was genuinely thrilled to be riding the train (mobile golem), looking around restlessly, unable to hide his excitement.

Lorraine, however, seemed somewhat accustomed to such golems, showing no particular reaction as she continued to savor the tea I had poured for her, clearly enjoying it.

“As always, the young master’s tea is the best.”

I chuckled softly at such praise.

‘It *is* awfully luxurious, though.’

For context, this golem was owned by Elysia.

The head butler, acting as the representative of the family head, and the knights tasked with escorting us were all aboard, there for my annulment ceremony.

‘And, in addition to all that…’

Damian’s mother was in the front compartment.

Unfortunately, Damian’s father, brother, and sister couldn’t make it due to scheduling conflicts.

Even so, this much should be sufficient, so I was simply eager to proceed with the annulment ceremony and then carry out my assignment.

Thus, as I was wishing for the schedule to be over quickly, the spirit nestled in my arms slipped out and began bickering with Seiren.

“Myaang! Myaang!”

“Not a chance.”

Why do those two always fight whenever they see each other?

I pondered, unable to discern the reason, and blankly watched them for a moment.

Then, the sight of them sitting together amicably, munching on cookies, entered my vision.

‘… I don’t know if they’re friends or not.’

Regardless, finding them impossible to understand, I spoke to Lorraine, who was sipping her tea beside me.

“Speaking of which, Lorraine, about that romance novel…”

“Pfft!”

Judging by the fact that Lorraine had spluttered out the tea she loved so much, she was quite taken aback.

Thinking I shouldn’t have asked, I began dabbing at the spill with a cloth.

Seiren, sitting beside me, tilted his head and questioned Lorraine.

“Romance novel? What’s that?”

Lorraine, clearly not expecting Seiren to ask such a question, stammered out a hasty reply.

“I-it’s, well, it’s something.”

“I want to see it too. I’m curious. Am I not allowed to know?”

Lorraine, perhaps knowing the extent of the cruelties Syren had suffered, found it hard to refuse outright, struggling with herself.

Finally, she squeezed her eyes shut and nodded slowly.

“I’ll… tell you later.”

“Okay, thank you. Sounds fun.”

“Yes… terribly fun.”

Watching Lorraine, pale and utterly deflated, I was left with the feeling that, well, she had been used for a long time when the mobile golem signaled its departure.

With a shuddering lurch, the scenery outside began to blur faster and faster.

‘…If only I knew a year ago that things would turn out like this.’

I had thought I could win Alicia back, and even be a source of strength for her.

But far from achieving any of that, I was barreling headlong towards a breakup, a truly ironic situation.

Still, no regrets.

There was no room for regret, having already poured every emotion into how I treated her, having sacrificed everything.

Therefore, even if we met, I figured I wouldn’t feel much, and blankly stared at the passing scenery before closing my eyes.

*

How much time passed, I couldn’t say, but a great stretch it must have been.

The first thing I saw was a tunnel, dark beyond dark.

Pausing, dazed, as I took it in, the surroundings gradually brightened, and in the distance, I could make out a structure that resembled a train station.

It seemed we were nearly there, so I stretched and prepared to disembark, when a familiar figure caught my eye.

Pale, snow-white skin connecting to snow-white hair.

In stark contrast, a woman with deep, dark circles under her eyes stood inside the building, her face devoid of expression.

‘…Alicia.’

At the sight of her, I unconsciously frowned.

Suddenly, Syren covered my eyes with her palm and said,

“It’s bad to look at bright lights suddenly. I read it in a book.”