Chapter 30: The Divorce Papers, for You

“Thank you for waiting! One karaage set meal!”

Saying so, I placed the tray in front of Adolphus.

“So this is karaage…”

Adolphus stared intently at the pile of fried chicken heaped in the center of the large plate.

Freshly fried, the karaage was a rich golden brown.

It glistened and crackled, giving off a savory aroma that made my stomach almost growl.

Accompanying the main dish were shredded cabbage with a crisp texture, bright red slices of ripe tomato, and smooth, creamy mashed potatoes.

Along with that came a generous serving of white rice and the soup of the day.

Since many of our customers—like adventurers and craftsmen—eat heartily, the portions at the Lycoris Tavern are quite substantial.

After a moment, Adolphus picked up his knife and fork, neatly cut a piece of karaage, and brought it to his mouth.

The moment he bit into it, his blue eyes widened slightly.

He chewed slowly, then swallowed, and a quiet murmur escaped his lips.

“…Delicious.”

Watching him nervously, I let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m glad it suits your taste.”

“I’m truly surprised by how good it is. It’s completely different in both shape and flavor from fried chicken.”

“The cooking method is different. The fried chicken commonly eaten around here is seasoned on the coating, but karaage is seasoned directly into the chicken itself. And instead of breadcrumbs, the coating is a mix of flour and potato starch.”

“I see… Perhaps because of its rounded shape, it feels like the flavor of the meat comes through more clearly.”

“Yes! Exactly!”

I felt delighted that he noticed.

Adolphus ate another piece of karaage, then took a bite of the cabbage, and then the mashed potatoes—

And suddenly stopped.

His blue eyes lifted to meet mine.

“…Could it be that this potato was made by you?”

Caught off guard, I blinked.

“Um… yes, I did make the mashed potatoes… but how did you know?”

The batch we had prepared before opening had run out midway, so I had quickly made more using reheating magic.

I wondered if maybe the taste wasn’t quite right, but—

“I could sense it, just faintly… your magic.”

“What? You can tell something like that!?”

I certainly couldn’t tell at all…

Nathaniel also tilted his head after tasting the mashed potatoes, so he probably couldn’t sense it.

“I can. It had a gentle flavor… the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had.”

“Th-thank you…”

I quietly averted my gaze from Adolphus’s smile.

(Please don’t praise me with such a gentle expression… it weakens my resolve…)

Before that resolve could falter, I had to do what needed to be done.

“Um… after this, I can make a little time. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about as well…”

When I said that, Adolphus set down his knife and fork and nodded solemnly.

“I understand.”

After he finished eating, I guided Adolphus to the back garden of the Lycoris Tavern.

Here, we could talk without worrying about other customers.

Nathaniel said, “I’ll wait here,” and kept a short distance from us.

On the clothesline in the backyard, towels and sheets fluttered in the wind alongside Lowell’s small shirts and trousers.

Adolphus seemed to be looking in that direction absentmindedly, but when I called, “General Duar,” he turned his gaze toward me.

“…Won’t you call me by my name?”

“I can’t do that… I can’t let others know about our relationship.”

Besides, we would soon be divorced and become strangers.

Even without Lilliana’s warning, I had no intention of calling him by his name.

“…Is that what you wanted to ask me?”

“No. That is… about the proposal…”

“Eh…?”

The word “proposal,” spoken hesitantly, made my heart jump.

“Bigamy is not permitted. Do you understand that?”

Adolphus looked at me with a sharp, almost accusing gaze.

(Oh… I see. So that’s what this is…)

He was finally planning to propose to Lilliana.

But in order to marry her, his existing marriage to me would be an obstacle.

“…I understand. That’s why… this…”

I took out a folded piece of paper from my pocket.

Before coming to the backyard, I had rushed back to my room to retrieve it.

“These are the divorce papers. You said you threw them away, so I wrote them again.”

It was the divorce document I had written the night before, after putting Lowell to bed, under the dim light of a lamp.

For some reason, unlike three years ago, I couldn’t write it smoothly.

I had rewritten it five times.

All that remained was for Adolphus to sign it.

“Please submit it to the royal palace when you return to the capital. Then you’ll be able to remarry.”

Keeping my eyes lowered, I held out the opened document.

Above me, I heard Adolphus take a small breath.

“…So you truly mean it…”

I nodded silently, still looking down.

I didn’t know what expression he was making right now.

And it was better that I didn’t know.

No matter what kind of face he had, if I saw it up close, my emotions would surely spiral out of control again like yesterday.

“…Understood. I’ll take this.”

After a moment of silence, Adolphus’s large hand reached out.

With a slight pull, the paper slipped from my grasp with a soft rustle.

“…Then I’ll see you at the garrison.”

“Yes.”

Adolphus turned on his heel.

After the sound of his footsteps fading across the grass disappeared, I finally lifted my head.

His retreating figure had already grown small, and soon vanished behind the building.

(Thank goodness… now I can truly exit…)

I repeated to myself over and over, Thank goodness, thank goodness.

And yet, the feeling of relief was strangely similar to loneliness.