I want a divorce! (3)

Fwip

As Siegfried read the documents, a visible change occurred on his face. His forehead creased deeply, tension gathered in his jaw, and veins bulged on his neck.

‘Wh-what?’ Leyla was a little puzzled by the obvious signs of anger on his face.

It was a reaction she hadn’t anticipated at all. And it didn’t stop there.

“…What is this?”

His voice, chilling and sharp like a honed blade, pierced Leyla with its intensity. It wasn’t like he was asking because he genuinely didn’t know, but Leyla stammered out a response.

“It’s just as you see…”

Those words made Siegfried’s solid body tense even more. Not only were his arm muscles visible through his shirt, but his hand was clenched tightly as if about to tear the divorce papers apart.

“Gasp!”

As Leyla gasped, Siegfried tried to compose himself with a few measured breaths and spoke.

“…It seems like you’ve brought the wrong documents.”

“Pardon? Oh, I didn’t. Aren’t these the divorce papers?”

“….”

At those words, Siegfried sealed his lips again, barely holding down the urge to say a lot. His unexpected reaction puzzled her.

‘What on earth is wrong with this man?’

Leyla had expected her husband to be pleased upon receiving the divorce papers.

After all, Siegfried, the hero who defeated the evil dragon and brought peace to the kingdom, was known for being a righteous person. Initially, he might try to dissuade her from getting a divorce, though she thought that if she earnestly expressed her desire, he would eventually agree without much hesitation.

‘He doesn’t care about me anyway. I’m just a wife that he had no choice but to keep by his side. He might regret it later, thinking he could have found a better partner if he had the opportunity.’

Thus, Leyla decided to create that opportunity.

The divorce papers she presented were beneficial for both of them. She would finally escape from this suffocating place, and Siegfried would have the opportunity to find a better wife.

However, his reaction was far from what she had anticipated.

‘This is not the reaction I expected at all,’ Leyla thought, observing the strange behavior of her husband.

The stoic expression on Siegfried’s face, which Leyla thought would remain unchanged even if an explosive went off in front of him, was greatly contorted. Just looking into the eyes, which were frowning as if in agony, made her feel anxious.

“Why this…” he muttered, struggling to speak properly.

“Siegfried?”

At the slightest call, he immediately gazed up at her. The sunken, sunset-like eyes, which usually appeared intimidating, now seemed pitiable.

‘Huh? Pitiable? How—what am I thinking?!’

Amid her astonishment at her thoughts, Siegfried once again put on his usual iron-like expressionless face.

Then, he firmly declared,

“Absolutely not.”

This unexpected response left Leyla momentarily shocked.

“…Why?”

Leyla’s frustration burst forth—how could he reject her in a heartbeat when it took her a great deal of courage to bring those papers after careful consideration?

Forgetting her previous fear, she vehemently protested in front of her husband, who was the opposite of her in every way.

“Divorce me!”

“….”

Biting her lips and glaring fiercely at him, she expressed her anger with her entire body.

Siegfried was unfamiliar with Leyla’s strong emotions. Because of this, he was at a loss for how to respond.

“We were going to divorce eventually anyway! Please, let it happen sooner!”

Nevertheless, he couldn’t let such words pass.

“What did you just say?”

“…Yes?”

“The thought that we would eventually get divorced. Was that what you were thinking, wife?”

Somehow, the roles had reversed, and now she was the one being pressed down.

Disheartened, she cowered again, offering feeble explanations in front of her husband’s sharp gaze.

“It-it’s not just me; everyone thinks so.”

One of Siegfried’s eyebrows rose at her words. Feeling like she needed to justify herself, Leyla hurriedly added,

“Well, you see, the reason you married me was because of my grandfather. He provided financial support to the Vezer family. But, um, there’s no need for that anymore, and it has become a burden. Moreover, my grandfather has passed away, so there’s no need to maintain this alliance. So—”

“So,” Siegfried interjected without any tact, cutting off Leyla’s rambling. With a sigh, he spoke in a suppressed voice.

“Do you think I was forced to marry you for money?”

“It isn’t like that?”

Leyla asked, feeling truly curious.

“It’s not.”

Siegfried, who answered firmly, ground his teeth in frustration. Veins stood out on his tightly clenched jaw.

Even the most oblivious person on earth could sense that something was wrong at this point.

“But…”

She slurred her words and bit her lips, utterly confused.

Anyone in the country knew that Siegfried, who had a promising future ahead of him, was held back by a wife like her due to debt. Although no one spoke out loud because it was dishonorable, it did not stop people from whispering behind their backs.

‘Why deny something even a three-year-old would know?’

Frustrated, Leyla pressed her fingers into her chest, and out of habit, she grasped the pendant.

The collar she had worn since receiving it as a gift from Siegfried had become a source of comfort for her troubled heart.

When her mother-in-law ignored her, people pointed fingers at her, and employees whispered behind her back. When she was frightened and about to cry, Leyla held onto her pendant, and the cool, smooth feeling comforted her and calmed her turmoil.

So it had become a habit for Leyla to wear the pendant wherever she went, clasping it like a talisman, especially when she felt frustrated.

Even now, she found herself attempting to soothe her troubled heart, clinging to the pendant as if transferring her body temperature onto its cool surface.

After a while, the feverish thoughts in her head slightly calmed down.

Leyla glanced at Siegfried across from her.

With his interlocked hands on his knees, he stared silently into the air with an expressionless face, showing his blunt character as usual.

‘What could he be thinking?’ Leyla pondered. Actually, she always felt curious. What could her husband be thinking? What did he think of her?

‘I want to know.’

If he disliked her, it would be heartbreaking, and knowing the bitter truth was frightening, yet—

‘I still want to know.’

That was Leyla’s genuine desire.

‘I’m curious about you.’ This was what Leyla really wanted to say.

Last winter—when she couldn’t endure it any longer and sought legal advice—during the secret preparations for divorce, she was curious about Siegfried’s inner thoughts.

How did he feel about their marriage? Did he regret it? Did he dislike having to take her as his wife? Did he still feel the same way? What did he want for the future?

If only she knew the answers to these questions, she wouldn’t have to feel so frustrated, tired, and alone.

…But sometimes, not answering was an answer in itself. Leyla considered Siegfried’s lack of interaction with her a polite but firm rejection.

It was an expression of disinterest in developing their relationship beyond that of a superficial couple. However, she was still curious about his true feelings. If she had heard the expected words, it might have been easier for her to give up.

‘But there’s no way to know that. How can I understand what he’s thinking? If only I had that ability…’

But then,

Click—

A sound came from the pendant before white light started emanating from it.

“Uh?”

She jolted, startled. As the light grew bigger, as if it were about to engulf her, fear filled her large, emerald eyes.

“Aaak!”

Reflexively, she raised her arms to cover her face, shutting her eyes tightly.

“Wife!”

Following the urgent voice calling her, a strong hand grasped her shoulders.

“What’s the matter?!”

The white light faded as Leyla blinked, revealing Siegfried’s worried expression in front of her.

“What? There was light that came fro—oh?”

“Light? What do you mea—”

“Wait a moment. What’s that above your head?”

Leyla stared blankly at the top of Siegfried’s head.

In the air, where there should be nothing, a long, rectangular, translucent window appeared… and there was something strange inside the window that didn’t look like characters or drawings.

〈 Σ(ﾟﾛ､ﾟ; z 〉

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