Chapter 3: The Wicked Wife Makes Her Exit! ②

‘If it weren’t like that, the story wouldn’t work properly…’

An obstacle meant to heighten the romance between the heroine and the hero.
A stepping stone.
That was Rosalind’s role in Beloved Flower of the Black Wolf General.

And that wasn’t all.
As long as Adolphus was married to Rosalind, no matter how cold their relationship was, his romance with the heroine would still be considered an affair.
For the heroine and the hero to be united with the blessings of those around them—and the readers—the wife had to exit the stage for reasons that left the hero blameless.
That was the purpose of the wicked wife setting.

Having calmly grasped that situation, I reached a decision after thinking it over for a night.
I would immediately divorce Adolphus and fade out of the story.

It was true that I was a fan of the original novel, and that Adolphus was my favorite.
I didn’t want to ruin a story I loved, and I wanted my favorite to be happy with the heroine.
But there was no way I could faithfully play the role of the stepping stone.
Now that my memories and values as a Japanese person from my previous life had resurfaced, acting as the original wicked wife was honestly far too much.

‘…No, seriously, it’s impossible.
Blowing money might barely be manageable, but parading a different lover around every day!?
Hurling abuse at my favorite and the heroine!?
And on top of that, burning servants and kicking them out—there’s no way I could do something that awful!’

Besides, if I followed the original plot faithfully, Rosalind would eventually try to kill the heroine out of jealousy, be stopped by Adolphus, divorced, and then executed.
No matter how much of a fan I was, no matter if it was for my favorite’s happiness, execution was absolutely not acceptable.
In that case, the best thing I could do for Adolphus was to divorce him as quickly as possible and return him to single status.

‘The biggest obstacle disappearing might be a problem, but if their love is strong enough, they’ll manage somehow.
No, seriously—please manage somehow!’

And so, I hastily made my preparations, and while Adolphus was away on duty for several days, I left the mansion after placing a signed divorce agreement behind.
In the notes I left for both my husband and my father the king, I wrote, “I’ve grown tired of my husband, so I’m divorcing him. I’ll be going on a trip for a while, so please don’t concern yourselves with me.”
It would be processed as a divorce caused by my selfishness.
It wouldn’t damage his reputation, and if anything, people would surely pity him as someone unfortunate enough to be toyed with by a willful princess.

Thus, only five days after the wedding, I found myself divorced and heading toward the border town of Diud, transferring between shared carriages along the way.
Returning to the royal palace was never an option I considered.
Even without Adolphus’s sarcastic words, I knew there was no place for me there.
Among the king’s thirteen children, I was the only princess who hadn’t inherited golden hair.
My magical aptitude was below the noble average, and I couldn’t use holy magic, which commonly manifested in royalty.
My father had no interest in such a defective daughter, and my mother—the king’s mistress—treated me with thinly veiled disdain.
My relationships with my half-siblings were the worst.

It wasn’t as though I had any connections waiting for me in Diud.
One reason was simply that I wanted to be far away from the royal capital.

‘Getting too involved with the novel’s characters seems like a bad idea…’

I had no intention of acting like a villain, but there was no telling what might cause the role of antagonist to be forced on me.
Sadly, Rosalind was a hated princess with a terrible reputation.
She didn’t have a single trustworthy ally.

‘I absolutely have to avoid execution…!’

Besides, even though Diud lay on the frontier, it was said to be one of the five most prosperous towns in the kingdom.
In a large town like that, I figured even a woman alone with no local ties could somehow make a living.
Fortunately, I had memories from my previous life as a Japanese person.
I could handle basic household chores, and I had no resistance to living as a commoner.

‘Honestly, it sounds more fun than that stiff noble world anyway.’

For the time being, I secured living expenses by selling off the jewelry I had brought with me when I married.
To avoid raising suspicions about running away, I played up a spoiled, arrogant act, saying, “I refuse to reuse accessories I’ve already worn.”
I sold every piece of jewelry that could fetch a price.
All except one.

‘This one… I couldn’t bring myself to sell it.’

A simple silver necklace.
I touched the ring threaded through it with my fingertips.
Set with a small blue gemstone reminiscent of Adolphus’s eyes, the silver ring had been made to fit my left ring finger.
Our wedding rings, exchanged at the ceremony.
This alone, I hesitated to part with.

‘I probably should have left it behind with the divorce papers…
But still, I wanted at least one keepsake—one piece of merch from my favorite, you know!?’

After stroking the blue gemstone with my fingertips, I tucked it gently beneath my clothes.
Then, to switch gears, I lightly slapped my cheeks with both hands to psych myself up.

‘I may not be amazing, but I can use fire magic, and I reincarnated into a fantasy world after all.
The wicked wife role is over, and from here on out, I’m going to enjoy a slow life on the frontier!’

With excitement, I let my thoughts drift toward my new life.
However, the peaceful frontier slow life I envisioned would soon be forced into a major course correction.

Because it was discovered that I was pregnant.