I walked through the town in the early morning, when the streets were still dim.
The noisy, cluttered liveliness I had seen during the day had been replaced by silence, and the clear air filled my lungs.
How long had Leon been coming to this town?
Had he been coming even before he married me?
When had he met that mother and child?
How many nights had he spent with them?
What had he felt when he learned of the pregnancy?
—And when he came home and saw me, what kind of feelings had he held as we spoke?
As I looked up at the sky, questions kept rising one after another, then fading away with my breath.
When was it that Leon stopped looking at me?
No matter how much I thought back, it seemed to have started around a year, maybe a year and a half after our marriage.
Before that, when he returned from expeditions and I said “Welcome home,” he would reply “I’m back,” with a look of relief.
At some point, “I’m back” turned into “Yeah” or “Mm.” Then into “I’m tired. I’ll eat and sleep.” Real conversations disappeared.
Even at meals, he ate in silence.
When I spoke to him, he looked bothered.
Had his love for me faded once he met that woman?
“Chiara, was it…?”
Of all names, why did it have to be so similar to mine?
And the child’s name, too—
“If we ever have a child, what kind of name would you want?”
“Hm, it’s still far off, but I’d like to use either ‘Ri’ or ‘On’ in the name.”
“Then how about Lili or On?”
“Pfft—what kind of sense is that?”
“I was just throwing ideas out there.”
When I puffed out my cheeks, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.
“I love you, Sheila.”
He had looked at me so seriously, kissed me deeply, cherished me, loved me with passion.
A drop fell from my cheek.
Was the time when he loved only me a lie?
When he came home and I worried over him, his mind had been elsewhere. When I talked about wanting a child, he wouldn’t even listen properly.
When did Marseize become the place Leon returned to?
What, then, was the home I had been protecting?
Even though I didn’t want to think, questions kept spinning endlessly in my head.
From when had it all been a lie? Had there ever been any truth at all?
I took a deep breath in, then let it out.
I remembered Asti from earlier and closed my eyes.
“Ms. Sheila, it’s okay. Slowly breathe out.”
I felt like I heard his voice and slowly exhaled.
“Good. Now slowly breathe in. That’s right. You’re doing great.”
A small laugh escaped me. All I had done was breathe, and yet “you’re doing great” was a bit much.
Still, having Asti clearly tell me what needed to be done made things easier.
“Alright. I have to do my best.”
I lightly slapped my cheeks to steel myself.
I wasn’t crying anymore.
“Ms. Sheila, over here.”
As we neared the house, Asti’s voice called out. He was sitting in an empty lot a short distance away, watching the front door.
“Did you remove the surveillance magic?”
“Not yet. They’re still sleeping, I think. Oh, sit here. You shouldn’t get cold, so I put a warming magic circle down. Mornings get chilly.”
He patted the spot, where a cushion had been placed. Only my seat had one; Asti was sitting directly on a mat.
The warmth seeped in gently when I sat down.
“Put this on, too. Do you need glasses to see far away? I also have tea if you get thirsty.”
Watching him pull out item after item from spatial magic, it felt less like investigating an affair and more like a picnic.
The tension I had worked up eased a little.
“Asti, thank you. I’m really glad you’re here.”
How many times had I thanked him now?
I might not have been able to do this alone.
Having someone by your side when things hurt makes all the difference.
If Amelie were here, she’d probably charge in angrily instead.
“I’m glad I can help.”
When he smiled brightly, he really did look like a dog, and before I could stop myself, I patted his head.
I came back to my senses and quickly pulled my hand away.
“Sorry, I just—”
I wasn’t sure why my hand moved. Maybe it really was the same instinct as petting a dog.
I rubbed my hand awkwardly.
“No, it’s fine—really. Um—right, the mirror. You want to see it, right? Just a moment—ah.”
“Huh?”
At that moment, a piercing alarm rang out, shrill enough to hurt the ears.
It sounded like it was coming from the house.
Neighbors stepped outside, looking around in confusion. Leon rushed out in his nightclothes, glancing around as well.
“I accidentally set off the alarm.”
“What?”
Asti twirled his finger and muttered something, and the sound stopped instantly.
The neighbors scolded Leon briefly, then returned to their homes.
Watching Leon bow repeatedly, clearly confused, made my shoulders shake with laughter.
“That was you, Asti?”
“I’m sorry. I layered an alarm spell onto the surveillance magic and triggered it by mistake.”
Layering spells like that must drain mana quickly, yet Asti didn’t look tired at all.
And thanks to his mistake, I got to see Leon being glared at and lectured by the neighbors.
“What was that noise just now?”
“I don’t know. It sounded like it came from this house.”
“What? Why? Did you bring something strange in?”
“I didn’t bring anything like that.”
“Then why did it make that sound?”
“How should I know? I’m hardly ever at this house anyway.”
“…Hardly ever here? Then when are you getting divorced? Lilia’s waiting. You haven’t actually told her yet, have you?”
“That’s not true. I’ve talked to her. She feels bad for Lilia, but she refuses to divorce me. Says she won’t let me go. That’s why it’s taking time.”
I frowned.
Leon had never once said anything like that to me.
If he had before, maybe I would have struggled to accept it. But now, knowing the truth, I wouldn’t stop him. I would gladly sign the papers.
“You really don’t love your wife, do you?”
“No. There’s no love left. The only one I love is you, Chiara.”
“Really…?”
“Do you think I’m lying?”
His low, sweet voice turned into the sound of a kiss. It seemed they had no intention of holding back, even in the morning.
“Leon, not here…”
“I know. Let’s go to the bedroom.”
Clutching my aching chest, I took a deep breath.
“Asti, is this being recorded?”
“It is. Perfectly.”
“Still… recording inside someone else’s house is illegal, isn’t it…”
It was clear proof of infidelity, but footage from inside a private home might not be usable.
“Well, I also placed other surveillance spells, so the audio should be recorded. For example, outside the bedroom.”
“…What?”
“Even if we can’t use the footage from inside, the recording outside only captured scenery. If some inappropriate sounds happened to be picked up, that would just be an accident.”
The way he casually revealed even more spells made my face stiffen.
He noticed and panicked.
“I—I do this kind of work sometimes. Like an investigator. I wanted to do things perfectly, so I developed the magic, and then I kept getting those kinds of jobs…”
That explained it. He was used to this.
“So that’s why you mostly work solo…”
“Yes. It was supposed to be short-term, but word spread.”
He really must have been that good.
Once again, I realized how capable Asti was.
“Then I’ll officially ask you. Please investigate my husband. I’ll pay you—”
“No need. I’m doing this because I want to help. I don’t usually keep surveillance running this long. I’m much quicker.”
“But—”
“Then, after the divorce, let’s go out to eat together. I want to try something called a date.”
His shy tone made my heart jump slightly.
“…Alright.”
I turned my focus back to the house.
Not yet. I had to stay steady.
Silence fell between us, long and heavy.
Then the door of the house opened.
Leon stepped out—along with the woman, and the little girl.
