After that, the clerk who had been assisting Asti hurriedly took his leave, and soon after, Commander Zain returned to the Knights’ headquarters.
Daggart remained behind, saying he wanted to speak with Leon a little. Perhaps it was because Asti had brought him here and he meant to wait for him, or perhaps he was simply looking for a place to stay for the night.
Karl and Amelie, for their part, said, “We’ll see you again,” and left the house with me.
Leon had been flinching at my every movement, which was pathetic enough to be almost impressive. Still, with Amelie’s glare pinning him in place the entire time, he never once tried to stop us. When Leon shifted as if to follow, Daggart restrained him. Realizing he had done so for my sake as well, I bowed in gratitude.
“Thank you, Amelie. And Karl, too.”
Once we were a little distance from the house, I lowered my head.
Because Amelie had raged on my behalf, I was able to stay calm. Because they were with me, I never felt alone. Amelie answered by throwing her arms around me in a sudden, fierce embrace.
“You did so well. You really did, Sheila. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”
“That isn’t true,” I said, returning her hold gently. “I was happy you said what you did. If I’d been by myself, I don’t think I could’ve stayed composed. Having you there made me feel so much stronger. Thank you.”
Amelie tightened her arms again.
I’d almost forgotten, but another person’s warmth really was warm. More so when it belonged to someone who cared for you.
When she finally let go, she sniffled hard.
“I… I married Karl, and then you ended up with that trash, and it makes me feel guilty and angry at the same time.”
“That has nothing to do with it.”
“But if you hadn’t met him back then, you wouldn’t have to feel this awful now…!”
Her emotions were a blessing, but charging straight ahead was one of Amelie’s bad habits. Come to think of it, even when we used to take quests together, her recklessness had put me through a lot.
I was beginning to drift into nostalgia when Karl flicked her lightly on the forehead.
“So you’re saying marrying me was a mistake?”
“That’s not what I meant—”
“Then were the kids a mistake, too?”
“Of course not! The kids could never be a mistake! They’re all absolutely right!”
Karl looked at his wife, who was crying and shouting in the same breath, with a softened gaze, then gave a wry smile.
It was obvious how deeply he loved her and their children.
It made me ache with envy, and yet I also found myself thinking, quietly but sincerely, that I was glad my closest friend had married a man like Karl.
“Amelie,” I said, “take good care of Karl.”
As if she’d sensed something in my expression, Amelie stopped crying for a heartbeat, then promptly burst into tears again.
“I wanted to hold your baby, Sheila. I wanted us to complain about parenting and husbands together. I wanted our kids to play together. I wanted to watch yours when you were out on quests. I wanted us to be the kind of families that visit each other and grow old together!”
And then she began to sob in earnest.
Maybe pregnancy did make emotions swell more readily, I thought, as I stroked her hair.
“We can’t right now,” I murmured, “but someday we can.”
Karl’s face had twisted as though he’d realized something, and he looked as if he’d bitten down on something bitter.
“Come back,” Amelie cried. “Promise you’ll come back. We’ll be waiting.”
I couldn’t make that promise.
All I could do was keep my hand on her head and stroke it, over and over, until her breathing steadied.
Afterward, I went to the Guild and submitted the divorce papers.
For nobles, it could take time, tangled in family ties, but we were commoners. The Guild accepted it, and just like that, we became strangers.
“Sheila, do you have somewhere to go?” Nina asked. “If you’re staying at an inn for a while, I can write you a letter of introduction.”
I chose to accept her kindness. With an introduction from the Guild, lodging fees could be reduced.
I still hadn’t decided where I would move. There was no urgent worry about money, thanks to quests and potion sales. I would stay somewhere quiet for a while and think carefully about my next steps.
When we left the Guild, Amelie declared, “We’re eating and drinking tonight!” and dragged us to a tavern near the inn where I planned to stay.
“Drink” was more of a battle cry than reality, considering both Amelie and I were pregnant.
The moment Karl realized I was pregnant too, he went silent.
Then he put his head in his hands and sighed.
“I’m… truly sorry, Sheila. I worked internal affairs. Saying I didn’t notice is just an excuse. I should’ve pressed him harder.”
He nursed his ale in small sips, shoulders slumped. Perhaps he was the sort who grew sentimental when he drank. He probably also felt responsible, since I’d begun dating Leon around the same time he and Amelie became a couple.
“Please don’t blame yourselves,” I said. “I don’t regret marrying. There were happy times. And besides… the person who came into my life because of Leon is also precious to me.”
My hand drifted to my belly.
A life I had not yet seen, and yet already cherished.
Even if the father was a man who betrayed me, this child carried no sin.
It had to be Leon, and only Leon, for this child to exist at all. I would not curse that truth.
The circumstances were bitter, but the fact that this life had come to me was still something I could be grateful for.
“But I don’t plan to tell Leon,” I said quietly. “I don’t want him to use the baby as a reason to hold me back. I can’t be with him anymore, not after everything.”
“Sheila…” Karl’s voice roughened.
“Taking a father away from my child is my selfishness.”
“That’s not true,” Amelie snapped, eyes flashing. “If your kid ends up without a father, that’s the father’s fault. If Leon had been honest, none of this would’ve happened. Wanting to keep both women like a backup plan was never going to work.”
She was right.
There was no world where his double life could continue forever. Lilia was considered illegitimate, and while Asti said there were relief systems, no one knew how far those protections would extend.
Leon’s pay alone would never be enough. If debt piled up and everything collapsed, it would be the children who suffered.
Adults did what they wanted, chasing pleasure without thought, and then handed the bill to innocent lives that had never asked to be born. Such cruelty should never be permitted.
“I think this was the right choice,” I said. “So I’m going to love this child with everything I have.”
Amelie nodded fiercely. “Of course. Your baby will understand. Your baby is yours.”
Hearing her say it made something inside me loosen, just a little.
Beside us, Karl wore a troubled expression, arms crossed.
“…You might be better off leaving the capital, Sheila,” he said at last. “If Leon finds out about the baby, he may chase you.”
I frowned.
I was already considering leaving the capital precisely because I didn’t want Leon to know. But if he did know, would he really pursue me? The question rose purely, almost naïvely.
And yet, during the discussion, and when we left the house, I had seen his face.
That desperate, clinging expression was one I had never seen on him before.
He’d said he never planned to divorce.
If he learned about this child, could he try to drag me back?
A chill slid down my spine, sharp as a draft through a crack in the window.
“I’ll leave as soon as I can,” I said.
Amelie looked stricken, but Karl soothed her, rubbing her back.
After that, we spent the rest of the evening together, laughing more than I expected we could.
Amelie kept insisting it wasn’t goodbye, and in the end, she wore me down until I promised, clearly, that we would meet again.
When I returned to the inn, I presented Nina’s introduction, completed the paperwork, and went up to my room.
So much had happened, and yet the nausea had stayed quiet, allowing me to get through everything without collapsing.
After a quick bath, I slipped into bed.
My first night as an unmarried woman again passed with a gentle, restful sleep.
