Chapter 8: Electra’s Misgivings

Upon receiving news about Harid, Electra made a decision.

She chose to believe that prophetic dream.

Like a warning bell, the contents of that dream had never left her mind.

If she had not seen that dream, she would have married without even holding a proper wedding ceremony and offered her purity to Harid on their wedding night.

Then, while praying for her husband’s safety as he departed for the battlefield the next day, she would have believed in his return and supported the baronial household.

And in the end, she would have been unjustly presented with divorce papers by the husband who returned.

…Surely, at that moment, she would have fallen into despair.

Unable to understand, she might have cried and asked, “Why?”

Or perhaps she would have been consumed by fierce anger at the sheer humiliation.

It was utterly unforgivable.
She thought it beyond reason.

Was it because he risked his life on the battlefield that his passion had flared?

No matter the reason, it was nothing but a lack of sincerity.

“…Huu.”

But she had to calm herself.

At present, the only thing indicating Harid’s infidelity was the report from the battlefield.

There was no definitive proof, and it could be said to be nothing more than rumor.

That was why it would not be wise to immediately divorce him and leave the manor.

If the baroness who had been acting in place of the lord suddenly disappeared, it would be the people of the territory and the servants who would suffer.

They bore no fault.
Electra had no intention of causing them pain.

Therefore, the decision Electra made was to be prepared for the certainty that her husband would demand a divorce when he returned.

And to act solely with that in mind.

It would be better to be liked by the people of the territory and the servants.

She had no intention of becoming so emotionally invested that it drove her to the brink, but… if she could make them think, ‘Life under Lady Electra’s governance was satisfying,’ she could make them her allies afterward.

She did not need bonds that extended far into the future.
Her presence here was only temporary.

Yes.
It would be enough to grasp their hearts in the short term.
That much was possible.

And so, Electra set her objective and began to act.

More than a year had passed since Harid’s deployment, and still there was no clear prospect of his return.

During that time, reports from the battlefield arrived one after another, but…

“…Hey, Said, and Saria.”

“Y-yes, my lady…”

Electra called out to the head steward Said and the head maid Saria.

She did so while reviewing the contents of a report.

The two of them already knew exactly what it contained.

It was fine for their master to be praised as a ‘hero.’
But to add that he had ‘someone he loved’ at his side.

That was not something that should be attached to a married man.

And they knew that his wife Electra would not find it amusing.

“Don’t you find it strange?”

“Huh?”

The two had braced themselves, expecting Electra to fly into a rage over her husband’s infidelity and berate them.

But instead, she continued in a calm tone.

“Praising my husband is one thing.
But why go out of the way to add that he has someone he loves?
If they looked into it, they should be able to tell he’s married…
Well, he’s only a baron, and we didn’t hold a wedding ceremony, so maybe they didn’t know…”

Electra was beginning to feel a growing sense of unease.

This report seemed determined to spread Harid’s infidelity in a positive light.

For what purpose?
Because it was propaganda for a hero?

The other party was a female cleric-soldier.
A young woman who went around healing knights with healing magic.

It felt as though they were excessively trying to praise her as well.

“This is being reported in the royal capital too, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that should be the case.”

“…So in public opinion, they’re being celebrated as a ‘hero’ and a ‘saint,’ then.”

In other words, it was not only Harid they wanted to elevate.

They also wanted to brand the female cleric-soldier named Livia as a ‘saint.’

This was clearly something someone intended.

They wanted to widely publicize a romance between a hero and a saint born on the battlefield.

“The royal family, or perhaps the church?
Or maybe someone close to one of them… if that’s the case…”

“My lady?”

“…Listen, both of you.
From now on, there may be people who spread bad rumors about ‘me.’”

“What?”

“If that happens, this barony may be harassed.”

“M-my lady?
What do you mean by that…?”

Reports that praised an unfaithful husband and his partner.

If those were intentionally crafted by someone, then one more thing would be necessary.

That would be ‘spreading bad rumors about Electra.’

…After all, she would undoubtedly be an ‘obstacle’ to the romance between the hero and the saint.

No matter how Harid chose to act.

She had long wondered why she had seen that prophetic dream.

Why would the gods bother showing her a mere case of infidelity?

If it was not something that would end as ‘just infidelity,’ but part of a much larger scheme.

If the gods pitied her fate of being exposed to such injustice.

“I will inform the House of Vent as well.
That there may be unsavory individuals with improper intentions who could appear in our territories.
They should be on their guard.”

As it turned out, Electra’s concerns were well founded.

Before long, a shameless individual claiming to be ‘the hero’s wife’ appeared in both the Carlson and Vent territories.

That person reportedly behaved in a way clearly meant to paint an image of a ‘vicious wife.’

The intent of someone trying to tarnish Electra’s reputation was unmistakable.