12 - My Husband is My Favorite, But I Think I'm Going to Get Divorced
Chapter 12
“Melissa, is there something you want to tell me?”
“Pardon? Ah!”
I only asked because Melissa seemed to be watching me closely today.
Melissa, startled, dropped the teacup she was holding.
As a result, the tea ran down the table and onto my dress.
“Oh, what should I do!”
Melissa, flustered, jumped up.
“It’s okay, I can do it. It didn’t get that wet.”
Since Ann was no longer my lady-in-waiting, I took Melissa’s handkerchief and wiped the water off the hem of my dress myself.
Melissa’s face turned into a crying expression as she watched.
“I’m so sorry…”
Melissa was usually nervous when she was with me, but today she seemed especially so.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at Melissa, then asked.
“Melissa, are you uncomfortable because you rejected the marriage proposal from the Imperial Family? Or is it because of me?”
“Pardon?”
“There’s no need to be so surprised. I heard it from Father.”
I calmly explained to the shocked Melissa.
I told her that the Duke had told me everything about Melissa rejecting the marriage proposal sent by the Imperial Family, and that he had politely conveyed her intentions to the Imperial Family.
At the time, the Duke had even hinted that he would send a marriage proposal to the Ludion Ducal Family, testing whether there was any change in my feelings.
He probably wanted to see if I was really thinking of getting married willingly even though Melissa had rejected the marriage proposal, but my mind would never change.
Rather, because I was able to obtain this information, even if I wanted to keep a proper distance from Evgenia’s family, I couldn’t just block their visits.
‘There’s no helping it until the wedding.’
In any case, Melissa’s rejection was the same flow as in the original story, so I didn’t take it seriously.
But looking at her reaction now, I was worried that Melissa was still concerned about me, despite my request.
“As I said last time, I’ve given up all feelings for His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince now. Do you remember?”
“Yes? Yes, I remember.”
“So there’s no need to worry about me at all. Not in the future either.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than Melissa shouted in a shrill voice.
“No! As I said then, I only met him a few times by chance when he was a commoner. I didn’t even know he was His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince, and frankly, I don’t know why he sent me a marriage proposal. I really have no feelings for His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince.”
I knew it. Melissa must be in the middle of a forbidden first love.
“I also remember well what you said about not needing to be forcibly swayed by the Imperial Family for the sake of the family. So rejecting the marriage proposal from the Imperial Family is definitely my intention.”
I nodded to mean I understood.
“Then why are you so conscious of me today?”
“Ah…”
“Is there something you want to tell me?”
Melissa, as if stung to the quick, hesitated and slowly nodded.
“Yes, actually, there’s something I want to ask. I also have to ask for your forgiveness, Sister.”
Forgiveness? Could the heroine have done something wrong to the villainess?
While I was bewildered, Melissa opened her mouth with a determined face, as if she had made up her mind.
“Actually, while looking around the mansion, I happened to enter your annex, Sister.”
“……”
“I knew I shouldn’t, but I don’t know what I was possessed by, I set foot in the basement. And there…”
“Melissa.”
At the sound of my name, Melissa flinched. She seemed to think I was angry.
But not at all.
It’s not like I didn’t know in the first place, I was just…
‘I didn’t expect Melissa to bring up Richard’s story first.’
I was just a little flustered and surprised.
Although it had been somewhat rushed, I thought that my relationship with Richard had come to an end when I sent him out of the Duke’s residence.
No, maybe I wanted to believe that, but anyway, I never thought I would bring up Richard again.
After taking a moment to sort out my thoughts, I said to Melissa.
“Melissa, forget everything you saw and heard there.”
“……Pardon?”
“I’m telling you that I knew you were going in and out of there, but I pretended not to know.”
“Ah.”
Only then did Melissa’s face freeze as she realized that I had known but pretended not to know.
I thought this was enough of a warning and whispered softly.
“Don’t worry about him. I sent him to a good place.”
“Yes? A, a good place?”
Melissa was startled and widened her eyes.
Hey, heroine? If you’re so surprised there, won’t this villainess feel unpleasant?
I frowned slightly and said bluntly.
“I mean I set him free. I sent him off with plenty of travel expenses, so he’ll be fine on his own.”
“Ah…”
I ended up laughing when I heard Melissa’s sigh of relief.
“So forget everything about him. No, forget about going to the annex too. Then there’s nothing to remember, so you don’t need to ask me for forgiveness either. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand!”
Melissa, whose face brightened at the news that he would be fine, answered cheerfully, probably because she had been very worried about Richard’s whereabouts after seeing the empty annex.
Of course, if Richard comes looking for her in the future, Melissa won’t end up pretending not to know…
Still, I felt a little relieved after hearing her answer.
Feeling more relaxed, I asked.
“How is it living in the Ducal House?”
“It’s so nice. The things I’m learning are fun too.”
“Isn’t it stifling?”
Life must have been freer when she was a commoner, but she wouldn’t be able to do that after coming to the Ducal House. And there must be people she wants to meet outside.
“Just a little…”
As expected, there was regret in her answer.
“If you want to go out, tell Father. You’ll have to take a knight with you, but he’ll allow it if it’s a safe place.”
For example, a temple, I hinted, and Melissa’s face brightened.
But that was only for a moment, and Melissa said glumly.
“The temple seems to be too busy with prayer meetings these days.”
“Prayer meetings?”
I thought that she must have already looked around to visit the temple even if it wasn’t for me, and I asked casually.
“Yes. His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is about to go to war.”
I couldn’t just pass by the words that came one after another.
“Go to war?”
Melissa glanced at me and nodded.
Ah, I see.
I heard that the Crown Prince had passed by without much reaction even though Melissa had rejected the marriage proposal.
I thought it was because it wasn’t the time for the relationship with the Crown Prince to deepen in terms of the story progression, and his feelings for Melissa were only a light curiosity, but it seems there was a background of going to war.
“The war with the Lavigne Kingdom hasn’t ended for long, but another war… It’s so scary.”
I agreed and nodded at Melissa’s sigh-like words.
Then Melissa, knowing that we were the only two in the garden, looked around and asked carefully.
“Sister, is His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince really a warmonger as the rumors say?”
At first, she was even uncomfortable mentioning the Crown Prince to me.
Perhaps because I had firmly given up my feelings, she now asked without much fear.
I blinked slowly and replied.
“Well. After all, the founding Emperor who founded the Elios Empire was also a strong warrior who unified the continent by defeating the evil dragon that caused disasters while devastating the area at the time, so wouldn’t His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince, his descendant, also have a warlike personality?”
Actually, I didn’t know because I wasn’t very interested in the Crown Prince, but suddenly I remembered the Imperial myth that had been mentioned a few times in the original story, and Melissa nodded as if she understood at once.
“Indeed, His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is said to have inherited the blood of His Majesty the founding Emperor most strongly among the Imperial Family of all time.”
That’s also why he became the youngest Sword Master.
Melissa, who said that, sighed deeply, saying that even if this war ended, another war might start soon.
Looking at her, I also felt strangely sentimental.
Ann hurriedly entered the garden and reported.
“My lady! His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince has come to the mansion.”
…Huh? Speak of the devil, and he appears, and at this time of all times?
