The two who stepped out of the patriarch’s office wore contrasting expressions.
Isaac had a faint smile, while Lianna’s face was completely stiff.
Isaac noticed but chose not to acknowledge it.
‘Glad the conversation went well.’
The discussion with Arandel had gone smoothly.
They also agreed to receive separate financial and material support to leave as early as tomorrow.
The amount was substantial, essentially hush money to prevent the details of the divorce from leaking.
‘How silly, I’m actually a little excited.’
Unlike his past life, where he fled in fear, stepping forward confidently made Isaac’s heart race.
‘It was written that he likes bold people, even if they’re rude. It was true.’
Facing Arandel Helmunth, the autobiography-slash-will he read in his past life came in handy.
Since Arandel wasn’t one to spout nonsense, trusting his autobiography was a good call.
‘Divorce is the best.’
The miracle of one becoming two.
A symbol of freedom.
Even a hefty divorce settlement.
Someone once said, you only realize the value of something after losing it.
Now, having realized the value of bachelorhood after marriage, Isaac was ready for another regression.
A regression to bachelorhood, that is.
“Isaac.”
Lianna called out to Isaac, who was quickly descending the stairs, as they were set to leave tomorrow.
“Hmm?”
“Do you know what it means to go to the frontlines of Malridan? It’s the frontlines.”
“I know. What was thought to be a simple monster nest turned out to be a major one.”
Monster nests are places where monsters gather, but Hazards are different.
They’re larger than dens, and if led by an intelligent boss-level monster, they’re called ‘major nests.’
“It hasn’t been confirmed as a major nest yet.”
‘Ah, was that so?’
It wasn’t confirmed at this point in time, but Isaac knew it was a major nest.
“And the problem isn’t the monsters. You know, the frontlines of Malridan are guarded by the Caldias family.”
“Yeah, I know. I also know they’re very hostile towards Helmunth.”
Frenemies.
Helmunth and Caldias, rivals by name.
That’s the biggest reason Arandel didn’t want to send his sons to the frontlines.
It’d be like leaving a Helmunth son alone with the Caldias family, who are practically enemies.
“Who knows what treatment you’ll get. Especially if you can’t even handle swordsmanship properly like Isaac—”
“Lianna.”
A hollow laugh escaped.
“No matter what Caldias does.”
A faint sense of contempt in Isaac’s gaze pierced through Lianna.
“It’ll be better than Helmunth.”
She wanted to say, what do you know about Caldias?
But Lianna couldn’t speak.
It was because of Isaac’s attitude, as if he trusted Caldias more than Helmunth.
Isaac continued down the stairs.
Listening to his footsteps, Lianna mustered her courage again.
“You’re leaving tomorrow, right?”
A sigh was heard.
Lianna’s heart sank, but Isaac stopped and answered.
“Yeah, I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“How about having dinner together?”
“Dinner?”
“Yeah, we were… once married.”
It was rare.
Lianna being the one to suggest a meeting.
But.
“Sorry, I have plans for dinner tonight.”
“It’s the last time.”
“Can’t help it. I already made plans.”
Isaac planned to eat the food prepared by the chef and Millie tonight.
Having Lianna there would be too awkward.
“Then how about drinks?”
Today, Lianna was a bit persistent.
A question that even let go of some pride.
“Haha, drinks are even more out of the question.”
Isaac smiled softly and retorted.
“……”
“Let’s not make mistakes, Lianna. Save the champagne for your next husband.”
“You’re still my husband now.”
“For now.”
“……”
“Then, excuse me. I’m a bit busy.”
He had preparations to make for leaving.
With that, Isaac headed to the first floor.
* * *
Arandel Helmunth, left alone in the office, closed his eyes and sank into thought.
The image of his son-in-law, who boldly brought up divorce and even negotiated, was quite impressive.
‘Is there a side to him I didn’t know?’
The Isaac he knew was ordinary.
Decent looks, and he thought he had some charm since he charmed his daughter.
But he was a man who didn’t fit Helmunth at all.
Also, his timid, herbivore-like fear of Arandel made him not interfere much.
‘Unexpected.’
They lived in the same mansion for four years, but he never knew Isaac had this side to him.
The Isaac Arandel imagined wasn’t someone who’d speak so boldly in front of him.
People who didn’t cower before him were rare.
“If only my kids showed even half of what he just did…”
Arandel let out an uncharacteristically faint sigh.
If his eldest son, Loengreen, had shown even that much spirit, he would’ve handed over the succession long ago.
Thinking of his children, always crushed under his shadow, Arandel felt nothing but pity.
Helmunth was a family that overcame, dominated, and crushed everyone.
Even if that someone was their own father.
“I wish they’d learn a thing or two.”
He never thought he’d say his son-in-law was someone to learn from.
That’s how much his opinion of Isaac had risen, and it intrigued him.
“……”
Honestly, at first, he thought the divorce was Lianna’s scheme.
He had decided to pass the succession to Loengreen, even if he was lacking as a swordsman.
So he told his eldest daughter, Lianna, to freely have children and take charge of the family’s internal affairs.
But she didn’t want that, so he thought she was divorcing to seize an opportunity to become the family head.
“That wasn’t it.”
Instead, the reluctance dripping from Lianna’s eyes was pitiful even for a father to see.
“Sigh.”
Enough.
Arandel decided not to concern himself with Isaac and Lianna anymore.
After all, what interested him were the strong.
And Isaac hadn’t even reached the rank of a swordsman yet.
But.
‘Interesting.’
The boldness of his son-in-law, despite not being a swordsman, left a lasting impression on Arandel.
* * *
Dinnertime.
“Did you enjoy the meal?”
The chef approached with a soft smile, filling the cup with black tea.
The clean taste matched today’s meal perfectly.
The conclusion of the matter is neatly tied up.
“Thank you so much. You’ve made Helmunth’s last night so enchanting. The food was so delicious, I almost didn’t want to leave.”
“Haha! If Sir Isaac stays, we’d be more than grateful!”
It wasn’t just lip service.
The chef genuinely wanted Isaac to stay.
No one in the mansion had ever made cooking feel so rewarding.
Not just as a chef, but as a cook, it made him feel proud. Isaac didn’t hide the fact that his efforts weren’t in vain.
After years of dealing with stoic owners who only ate the food, pointed out flaws, or were picky eaters.
Seeing Isaac genuinely enjoy the food made comparisons inevitable.
“It would’ve been nice if you were this honest from the start.”
Isaac also felt regret.
That he could only say these things to them at the very end.
“Sir Isaac.”
“Millie!”
The tanned, same-aged cook.
In her hands was a tightly wrapped lunchbox.
“I made sandwiches for you, Sir Isaac. The lunchbox has a warming spell, so you can still enjoy them tomorrow when you leave.”
“Millie, thank you so much.”
To Isaac, Millie was a benefactor from a past life.
He wanted to take her with him, but realistically, it was impossible.
He would miss her cooking for a long time.
“Millie, do you know why I like sandwiches?”
So Isaac blurted out something trivial.
In his past life, Millie’s eyes were filled with sorrow and concern as she watched him leave.
“Huh? Is there a special reason?”
“Because you can eat sandwiches while playing card games. That’s why I like them.”
“Pfft, what a silly reason.”
“…I like it.”
Now, Millie was smiling as they said goodbye.
Isaac liked that.
That he wasn’t a source of worry for her.
It made him incredibly happy.
“So, if I make a lot of money playing card games, you’ll be my personal chef, right?”
“Huh?”
“My taste buds are already held captive by your cooking. So, I’ll come back for you later.”
Isaac laughed playfully.
Millie smiled back.
“My salary is quite high, you know? I’m not at Helmunth for nothing.”
“But since we’re friends, you’ll give me a discount, right?”
“No way.”
It was a lighthearted conversation.
Isaac pulled out a drawing from his bag.
“Here, Millie. A gift for all the delicious food and for listening to me.”
“Did you… draw me? You’re amazing!”
“Wow, I had no idea you were this talented!”
Isaac had drawn Millie himself.
Both Millie and the chef were astonished by his skill.
‘Back then, I couldn’t draw like this.’
In his past life, he was known as the “Silent Sword” and had compiled numerous manuals. His drawing skills were also top-notch.
Since some parts of the manuals couldn’t be explained with just text, he started drawing.
And thanks to his natural talent in that area, he improved quickly.
The two exchanged drawings and lunchboxes.
Feeling the weight of Millie’s lunchbox, Isaac smiled softly.
“Thank you, Millie.”
“Thank you so much. Be happy, Sir Isaac.”
“Yeah, but let’s stop this now. The chef looks like he doesn’t know what to do.”
The chef, standing awkwardly between them, scratched the back of his head.
“I thought I was witnessing a secret rendezvous.”
It was a dangerous thing to say, but since it was just us, it didn’t matter.
“…”
Suddenly, Riana Helmunth appeared behind the chef.
In her pajamas, she held a bottle of wine.
“Chef.”
“R-Riana?!”
The chef, startled, turned his heavy body around and immediately prostrated himself.
“Ah, my lady! This fool has spoken out of turn! I was just carried away by the mood—!”
“Enough.”
Her expression showed she didn’t want to hear excuses.
She glanced at Millie and issued a flat command.
“Take everyone and leave.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
The chef and the cooks who had prepared the dinner exchanged glances, bowed, and left.
The chef seemed to have been preparing drinks for the finale, but it was a shame it ended this way.
*Thud.*
Riana sat down beside him and placed the wine bottle on the table.
Her face was flushed red, clearly having had a few drinks.
It had been so long since he’d seen her drunk, he had to dig through old memories to recall it.
“How many have you had?”
He tried to scold her and take the bottle, but Riana’s grip was too strong.
“I didn’t want to show you my drunk side.”
“…”
Her gaze seemed to be waiting for him to ask “why.”
But Isaac wasn’t curious, so he didn’t ask.
“How did we end up like this?”
“You said you didn’t want to show me your drunk side. Then keep it that way.”
“Isaac.”
“Enough, Riana.”
A long sigh escaped him.
“It’s already over. Don’t do things that make it seem like you still have lingering feelings.”
It was a truly meaningless act.
He couldn’t stop himself from leaving, nor could he burden his conscience.
In many ways, their relationship was already broken.
“Don’t make excuses and just stay. The Riana Helmunth I remember is a woman who doesn’t regret her actions.”
“…”
“She was a woman I disliked.”
But.
“Let her be remembered by me as a woman who held her own beliefs.”
“…”
Riana, having set the bottle down, slumped over, resting her chin on her hand and covering her eyes.
After a brief pause.
“Isaac.”
In a voice as restrained as possible.
“Take care.”
She said goodbye.
