Kairos was speechless when he saw the gold box and the letter that had arrived at the Viscount Edith mansion about ten days ago. It was a few days after Hazel had disappeared from the capital. She had written a letter saying she was sorry and to take care, but her writing was utterly indifferent, devoid of any affection.

A fortnight had passed since then, and Kairos felt as if time had stopped the day Hazel had vanished.

Work piled up, people spoke to him, but all his senses were focused on finding her. He had spent days and nights searching for a lead, but it was like chasing a phantom. What he had hoped would be a simple incident had spiraled out of control. His patience was wearing thin.

If only he hadn’t read that one sentence in her letter, Kairos wouldn’t have been this angry.

Please grant me a divorce. The moment he read that sentence, Hazel’s voice echoed in his head as if he were hearing an auditory hallucination.

Grant me a divorce.
Grant me a divorce.
Grant me a divorce.

Divorce.

How could she even utter those words? Was that a word that could exist between them? Were those the words that should have come out of Hazel’s mouth? She shouldn’t have said that, of all things.

How dare she leave him?

Her audacious declaration that she wanted to sever their bond infuriated him—a divorce, of all things, as if he would ever grant it.

Then, she shouldn’t have acted so lovingly.

What did she mean by saying she loved him with that pretty mouth of hers?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. This time, if he caught her, he would lock her up in a room and never let her escape. The only way to stop a bird from flying away is to cage it. And that was what he would do.

He would make her look only at him for the rest of her life.

* * *

“Edmond found a job. It’s a regular job, where he goes to work in the morning and comes back before dinner.” Ginger came to visit me in the morning. She seemed to be in a good mood, and she had come to brag about it.

I smiled.

“That’s great.”

“I never knew that living an ordinary life could be so good. Why did I ever care about money?”

“So, you don’t like money anymore? What about gold bars?”

“Oh, no! Not that…”

I burst out laughing at her words.

“Give me that bowl. I have some of Annie’s pie left from yesterday. Should I fry or scramble some eggs to go with it?”

“Oh, you have some of Miss Annie’s egg dishes left?”

“No, I’m going to make it now.”

Ginger’s face turned pale.

“Oh, no. That’s okay. The pie is enough.”

Ginger took only the pie on the plate and headed to the dining table.

Why was it that everyone was fine with me buying the ingredients but acted disgusted when I offered to cook? I knew my cooking skills weren’t the best, but it wasn’t like it was inedible. It was just… not to my taste or yours.

“Boss, are you going to keep living here? I think the pursuit has stopped now.”

Ginger had already taken a bite of her pie with her fork.

Annie had brought me some more news recently. The pursuit that had been going on in each region had stopped, and no one in the capital was asking about me either.

“Do you think so? Isn’t it nice here?”

“Yes, it is. I want to settle down here and live happily ever after.”

“Me too.”

I took a piece of pie and sat down across from Ginger. The dining room had a large window that overlooked the garden outside. The pursuit had stopped sooner than I expected. Maybe the money I sent had some effect.

Once I get a divorce, we would be complete strangers.

“Is there anything you need me to do these days?” Ginger asked, her eyes sparkling. She had already finished her pie.

Ginger was both my secretary and errand girl. She was as capable as Annie, and she always came back with a solution to whatever I asked her to do.

When I escaped from the Ferrarium, I erased only some traces and took what was left in the vault, but Ginger had packed up everything and brought it with her, which made me laugh. She had brought everything that could even remotely raise suspicion.

I felt sorry for her, thinking that she had carried all that while we were running away.

“Well, once we’re settled in here, I’m thinking of starting a business again. This time, I’ll run a small trading company instead of a guild.”

Maybe I could do it again, like when I lived off bread for three meals and ran around the Ferrarium. Ironic that I ended up working so hard when I had gone to the Ferrarium to avoid overwork.

“Do you regret following me?”

“Not at all. I’ve already earned a year’s worth of wages. Why would I regret it? It’s not like the slave arena was without its dangers.”

“….”

Ginger rested her chin on her hand and glanced at the garden scenery.

“And I can be with Edmond here. That alone makes me so happy. I can save him.”

“Yes, that’s fortunate.”

“Boss.”

“Hmm?”

“I know it’s a bit too soon to say this, but I believe you’ll find a good match here, too. Please find happiness here, boss.”

“Happiness…”

“It’s a bit funny for me to say this, but there are just as many good guys as there are bad guys. Just like how half the world is male, and the other half is female. Who knows, you might find… someone else…”

“What?”

The words involuntarily popped out of my mouth. Ginger giggled.

It wasn’t entirely accurate, though it was definitely time for me to start preparing for a new business. The name, Levian Nishitar, was starting to sound familiar. Soon, I wouldn’t even turn my head if I heard a name similar to Hazel’s.

It seemed like it would be better to find something that could be sold everywhere, as trying something with the nobles would quickly become a trend, and going all the way to the capital would be dangerous.

Come to think of it, I wonder if the chaos in the capital has been resolved. The investigation should be almost over by now, but I stopped looking into it in case I accidentally fanned the flames.

The number of demons continued to increase. By now, the number of demons appearing in northern Sergal must have increased significantly. Since more large-scale demons appear there during the winter, Kairos wouldn’t be able to leave the capital.

At the thought, I quickly dismissed the thought. No, it was none of my business.

“Ginger, do you want some more?”

“Please stay seated. I’ll bring it to you!”

I turned my head back to the garden. The leaves were especially lush today.

* * *

I headed back to the Lulu Lala house, carrying a paper bag full of things in my arms. It had been a month since I ran away. My life here was so fulfilling that it felt like a distant memory that I had lived at Edith’s estate.

The cost of living was significantly lower than in the capital. It was even cheaper than Ferrarium. There was an abundance of quality food, and I could see the ocean whenever I wanted.

Of course, Ferrarium was better in terms of its consistency and stability, so it was a much more comfortable place to live, but this place was much more satisfying than I had expected. The only downside was that demons appeared quite often, but there were soldiers stationed in every village, so they would quickly appear and resolve the situation whenever the bell rang.

That meant I didn’t have to rely on mercenaries like in Ferrarium or run out there myself.

Once, when a demon appeared, the restaurant owner was so quick to close the shutters and grab an ax that I was taken aback.

His forearms, which he used to wield the ax, were surprisingly muscular, and after he returned from taking care of the demon, he apologized to me and gave me free food as a service while introducing himself as a former mercenary who had been quite famous in the past.

Anyway, the most important thing was that I was happy.

Every day was so enjoyable that my worries about the future seemed insignificant. I had thought that I would die without my husband, but I was able to endure it once I couldn’t see his face anymore. Maybe it was because I had completely shaken him off when I ran away.

That’s why I decided to throw a party today and invite Ginger, Edmond, and Annie. Annie was leaving soon.

Annie, who had taken a one-month vacation while considering retirement, decided to return to her job, saying that she still had the desire to work. Instead, she said that she would visit from time to time, so she asked me to keep her room for her, and she planned to leave tomorrow morning.

Nevertheless, that didn’t mean that Annie and I would completely lose contact. She was still collecting purification stones, so we could contact each other if we wanted to, so I wasn’t too worried.

I wanted to do something for her today, so I bought a bunch of things and was heading back when I saw Annie in front of me.

I smiled brightly and greeted her.

“Oh, Annie. Guess what I bought today…”

I said in a loud voice as I waved my hand.

At that moment, Annie’s mouth, which was about twenty steps away, was opened wide and then grew even wider.

…Huh? What?

“Huh? What? Wh…what?”

Her mouth opened again.

I had a lot of luggage, so I had to squint to focus on her lips.

What was she saying? I stopped in my tracks and narrowed my eyes at her, still holding the paper bag in my arms.

Annie’s lips opened again, urgently.

Run.

Away.

—