“Flora, I’m sorry…”
Elliott, my husband who had just returned from the battlefield, spoke with a voice that seemed to spit out something bitter, as if he could hardly share in the joy of his survival.
Behind him stood several of his subordinates, who had fought alongside him, and further back, a delicate-looking woman. The knights, clad in their formal attire, looked at me with serious expressions, their smiles vanished.
It felt as though I was being glared at, a sensation that made me question my own mind.
Elliott, a junior knight in the Royal Knights Order, had received the order to confront the Undead Beasts that had attacked the northern part of the kingdom about a week before our planned wedding. The situation in the north was dire, with many displaced and casualties mounting, casting a shadow of anxiety over the Royal Capital. It was clear that a wedding was not something that could be celebrated in such troubled times.
We had settled for a minimal ceremony at the church, attended only by the priest, as I sent my husband off to fulfill his important mission.
In the days that followed, I devoted most of my limited finances to donations for the relief efforts, living as simply as possible while praying to the goddess for Elliott’s safety.
I was born into a modest viscountcy in the southern rural areas, the niece of Viscount Cadira, who had arranged for me to come to the Royal Capital for my studies three years ago. It was there that I met Elliott, the second son of a baronial family, also from the south, at the Royal Academy.
When we first met, Elliott was handsome but unassuming, a diligent and earnest man who remained unaffected by the frivolous atmosphere of the city. Our relationship blossomed gently, and when he established himself as a knight, he proposed to me.
Though I was a commoner, related to a viscount, I worked as a seamstress in the Royal Capital after graduating from the academy. I saved my earnings to buy fabric, eagerly sewing a wedding dress to adorn myself on our special day.
It was during those days that the news of the massive influx of Undead Beasts in the northern kingdom spread like wildfire.
And so, it was a year and eight months until my husband returned safely.
“Flora, are you listening?”
When I looked up at the somewhat reproachful tone, I met Elliott’s gaze, his brow furrowed in a way I had never seen since we first met, a look of deep concern etched on his face.
“…Yes.”
I struggled to respond without my voice trembling, the effort exhausting. After a moment of awkward silence filled the room, one of Elliott’s subordinates stepped forward.
“Elliott, if you’d like, I can try to persuade her.”
Indeed, the junior knight who had left for battle was now back as a Holy Knight, having received the goddess’s blessing and wielding a Holy Sword. In less than a year, he had risen to the position of vice-captain of the Royal Knights Order.
From what I had heard, Elliott’s exploits on the front lines since becoming a Holy Knight were nothing short of legendary, and he was now hailed as a national hero.
“…No, I will handle this.”
Elliott shook his head, stopping the subordinate from stepping forward. He turned back to me and placed a scroll he had been holding since entering our home onto the table.
If I wasn’t mistaken, the seal was that of the royal family.
Without a word, Elliott broke the seal and unfurled the document before me.
“As you can see, this is a royal decree… However, at the same time, it reflects my true feelings.”
I kept my gaze down, trying to hide the tears that threatened to spill, focusing intently on the paper laid before me.
There were two sheets. One was the divorce papers, already signed by Elliott, and the other was the royal decree bearing the king’s name and seal.
“Following the procedural divorce, the marriage to Flora Cadira shall be retroactively nullified, and the marriage between Holy Knight Elliott Wolf Tris and Holy Maiden Emily shall be recognized.”
Having once sworn an oath before the goddess in the church, I understood that the divorce papers were necessary. Yet, to retroactively erase our marriage—how cruel the king could be.
As I read the document, a sense of detachment washed over me, as if this were someone else’s story. Perhaps I still hadn’t fully accepted that this was my reality.