After crying for a while and finally calming down, I wiped my tears away firmly.
“Ms. Sheila, you’ll hurt your eyes if you rub them like that.”
“It’s fine. Even if they get hurt now, no one will be troubled by it.”
“I will be. Right now, the only person I can truly care about is Ms. Sheila, so please take good care of yourself.”
He said something confusing again, leaving me at a loss. Before I realized it, I laughed out loud. I had been crying so badly just moments ago, yet now I was laughing. I had never felt my emotions swing so wildly before.
Still, thanks to that, I felt like I could pull myself together faster instead of wallowing.
“Thank you, Asti. After seeing that footage earlier, I don’t think I can go on like this anymore. I’ll talk to Leon with divorce in mind.”
“Leon and divorce…”
He muttered it under his breath, and for some reason, it struck me as funny. I laughed out loud.
“Honestly… what are you even saying?”
“I’m sorry…”
He was an all-purpose sage who could use magic freely and handle quests alone, yet he never acted arrogant. If anything, he felt easy to talk to.
“Oh, but if you’re divorcing him, you should make sure it’s his fault. If one side is at fault, there’s compensation involved. If he cheated during the marriage and even has a child, that’s serious. With proper proof of his betrayal, it should work. For the sake of the child you’re carrying, having money will help, right? Let’s gather solid evidence and corner him so he can’t say a word.”
Despite his strange nature, he was surprisingly level-headed.
He lacked tact at times, but right now, that bluntness was helping me.
“With my surveillance magic, plus projection and recording spells, we can store everything in a magic device. What we saw earlier is already recorded. I’m very useful. So let’s present clear proof of his infidelity.”
He grabbed my hand firmly, and I nodded without thinking.
But Asti frowned and gently opened my hand. My nails had dug into my palm so deeply that blood had seeped out.
“That must have hurt. This is… a wound from your heart, isn’t it?”
He looked at it so sadly that I wanted to pull my hand back, but I couldn’t break free.
His lips moved softly, murmuring a spell. A gentle light spilled from his hand and wrapped around mine, and before I knew it, the wound had closed.
“Right now, I can only heal your physical wounds. But someday, I’ll be able to heal your heart too.”
“Asti…”
Being betrayed by my husband should have hurt more. But maybe because Asti was here, the pain wasn’t overwhelming.
It was a strange thought, but for now, it helped.
“Thank you.”
When I said that, he smiled.
I hadn’t noticed before, but when he smiled, he reminded me a little of a dog.
After making me promise to get proper rest, Asti returned to his own room.
The night was still long.
I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes, placing a hand over my stomach.
“I’m sorry. I might make you grow up without a father. Please forgive me…”
Perhaps it would be easier to pretend I knew nothing, to ignore Leon’s betrayal and raise the child as his wife.
But Leon had already built another family.
There was someone here he cared about enough to neglect me.
That little girl had looked so happy to see her father.
She already knew Leon as her father and adored him.
I couldn’t bring myself to take him away from her.
Even if that meant my own child would grow up without a father, I could love them twice as much instead.
And I didn’t want my child to see how Leon treated me now.
People don’t change so easily.
I didn’t believe Leon would change just because I was pregnant.
When I closed my eyes and opened them again, the sky outside the window was already beginning to lighten.
It seemed I had slept deeply. Maybe I was tougher than I thought.
Stretching, I got out of bed and noticed something on the table.
“To Ms. Sheila,
You might feel nauseous when you wake up, so I left some food you might be able to eat.
Apparently, it’s an early pregnancy symptom called morning sickness.
I’m heading to that house first.
There’s a chance your husband might return to the garrison at dawn.”
“You’ve got to be kidding!”
I shouted, and just as predicted, nausea hit me. After throwing up a little and calming down, I gratefully ate what he had left.
He had chosen things that were easy to eat. I couldn’t help but be thankful.
After quickly getting ready, I left my room and ran into the leader.
“Sheila, how are you feeling?”
“I’m sorry for worrying you, Leader.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re heading back today, but the quest is done. Take your time, get better, and come back when you’re ready. I’ll leave your reward with the guild.”
“Thank you. I heard one of the women helped me change clothes.”
“Ah, that was probably Lamuria. She’s still asleep.”
He glanced toward a door. Through the gap, I could see several women’s legs. I quickly looked away.
“Please thank Lamuria for me.”
“Will do!”
The leader grinned.
I thought that if someone could love women equally, and if those women could share one man, maybe the world would be peaceful in its own way.
“Sheila, you don’t have to force yourself to understand things you can’t accept. Go until you’re satisfied.”
He smiled gently, as if he saw through me.
He must be cherished by his harem because he truly respects and values them.
I knew from working with him that he cared deeply for his companions.
Once he accepted someone, he would see things through to the end. He was a leader by nature.
“Thank you.”
“If things get rough, come to me. I’ll see it through with you.”
I laughed off his joke and turned away. Being treated normally was far better than being pitied.
Asti had already gone ahead to that house.
I needed to go too.
Facing the truth with my own eyes was frightening.
But it was something I had to do for the future.
I placed a hand over my stomach.
“It’s okay. You’re on my side.”
Just knowing I had an ally changed everything.
I lifted my face and took a step forward.
