Fourth Wedding Anniversary: "I've Returned"
Four years of marriage. 'I've returned.' Where should I start? My memories are crystal clear, at least. A few days after laying Lianna's body to rest. The transcendents launched their all-out assault. The kingdom fell. And I died at the hands of their legions. That was the story up to now.
"Brother-in-law? Are you feeling ill? What's wrong with you?"
Alois was calling out to me. Exactly as he had eleven years ago. At this point, I had to accept it. 'I've really come back.' Vitality surged through my body. My legs felt strong. And yet, instinct born of memory instinctively marked Alois as an enemy.
"Brother-in-law?"
I couldn't ignore him forever, so I decided to test the waters. "Alois, where are the bouquet and cake I prepared?"
"Ah, finally awake, are we? The maids have the bouquet ready, and the cake is set to arrive for dinner."
Then Alois clutched his head and pleaded. "Please, hurry and go cheer up my sister. She's in a real state right now."
"Got it, Alois."
I wanted to beat the red-haired man in front of me to death right then and there. My fist clenched on impulse, but I held back. He was a Helmont, after all. Their innate overwhelming physical prowess was beyond a commoner like me. For now.
So I brushed past him. 'Bouquet, cake, and chandelier.' A lot was going to happen today. The bouquet hid a blade. The cake contained a drug to induce stomach cramps. And the chandelier would crash down from above, crippling my right leg. It wouldn't just ruin today—it would shatter my entire future. A truly horrific day.
'All of this... your plan, Alois.' The one who had ruined my life was the third son of the Helmonts standing before me: Alois Helmont.
This time, I wouldn't fall for it.
As I passed, I noticed the pendant hanging around Alois's neck. It was a gift from my wife, Lianna, to her little brother when they were young—a keepsake he always carried. Inside was a letter she'd written as a child. That's why he ruined my life.
'Twisted pervert.' He was a madman who lusted after his own sister. He'd always acted friendly toward me, but deep down, he hated me more than anyone. So he schemed to make me even more helpless, engineering that accident on purpose. But his own end wasn't pretty either. At this point in time, three years from now, Alois would fail to hide his feelings and be exiled from the family in tragedy.
Stepping outside, the grand central hall of Helmont Mansion greeted me. The staircase to the second floor faced the front entrance directly, and the spacious, stately interior was impeccably maintained, as always. The weapons adorning the walls hinted at the family's deep martial heritage.
And right at the foot of those stairs to the second floor stood a red-haired woman, hands clasped together.
"Lianna..."
My wife, whom I'd buried myself. The kingdom's pride who fought the transcendents to the bitter end. Helmont's Blood Rose, Lianna Helmont.
"Isaac."
At my call, she slowly turned her head to look at me. Her jewel-like crimson eyes, carved by a master artisan, reproached me.
"One of Father's iron rules is that family members eat breakfast together."
Her usual stoic expression felt familiar even after ten years. For the record, I wasn't counted among the family members at breakfast. Even as the eldest daughter's husband. These little details revealed exactly how the Helmonts viewed me.
"But today, I skipped breakfast. I got Father's permission in advance."
"Because of me?"
"Yes. I told him you were preparing breakfast for our fourth anniversary."
But in the end, I'd stood her up. "......"
Suddenly, my eyes caught the ring on her left ring finger. And mine too. The sensation of the ring on my own left ring finger felt strangely unfamiliar after so long.
Lianna. Why had you kept the ring from your fugitive husband?
The question lingered, but there was still no one to answer it.
"A bit late, but breakfast."
Lianna followed me to the dining room without a word at my escort. A table for two was set with utensils—likely something yesterday's me had arranged in this world.
As we sat, servants swiftly brought soup. Among them was a familiar, welcome face. Milli. The youngest chef in the Helmont kitchens. My peer with striking tanned skin, Milli.
We used to talk often back then. As a fellow commoner and same age, she listened to my woes, offering comfort and delicious food to soothe my loneliness.
'Seeing her like this, I'm genuinely glad.' I'd lost track of her after fleeing the Helmonts.
"Milli."
"Yes, Lord Isaac."
I'd called her out of fondness, but she seemed to think it was the signal from our plan yesterday. She brought bread and sandwich fixings, setting them before me. Rough ingredients rarely seen in the Helmont household.
'Ah, right. This was the plan.' It hit me the moment I saw them. To commemorate our anniversary, recreating the first meal I'd made for her—a little event.
"......"
Back then, I'd botched it, intimidated by her stoic face. 'But looking now...'
With composure, I noticed a subtle anticipation beneath her expressionless mask.
The servants withdrew. I made the sandwich for Lianna. Slicing the bread, adding cheese, cutting bacon to size. A few pickled slices for veggies. Finally, topping with salted mashed potatoes.
"Here."
"......"
Lianna stared at the sandwich I offered, then took it carefully with both hands. Our first meeting—she'd refused to eat with her hands, citing etiquette. I'd struggled to convince her back then.
As I prepared mine, I caught sight of her delicately biting into hers. A slight smile escaped me. 'Memories flooding back.'
When I was a ferryman, this was staple food. Portable even on river crossings.
Suddenly, watching her chew made me feel how much had changed. On that little boat over the blue river, sharing sandwiches—we'd laughed over trivial worries like sunburn.
'Never imagined this future back then.'
I glanced at Lianna munching away. Surprisingly, in my memories where everything had changed, she alone remained the same.
Time passed to evening. In the Helmont Mansion's banquet hall, Isaac gazed up at the starry sky from the balcony. Beside him, his elegantly dressed wife looked at the same view.
Hair cascading to her waist, porcelain skin accentuating her crimson hue, rose-like tresses framing eyes burning with different fire. She was the kingdom's famed beauty, Helmont's Rose.
Today had been busy. A new bouquet. Not a lavish external cake, but a simple one from Milli. The chandelier fell as Alois planned, but Isaac, forewarned, dodged cleanly.
Thus, after roughly ten years, he'd circled back to this moment.
'Last life, it crushed me, and I blacked out.'
A breeze turned his head slightly. Beside him, Lianna. Her frozen stoic face betrayed no emotion. The chill in her crimson eyes always made him wary.
"Lianna."
"......"
She didn't respond to his call, staring at the sky as if waiting for something.
"Today, I prepared quite diligently."
To Isaac, it was an event fourteen years in the making. And now, the finale. The empty Helmont rose garden glowed under moonlight.
Isaac gently drew Lianna's left hand to him. "We've been through so much."
"......"
"But as husband and wife, we've managed well enough."
Even her stoic face showed faint surprise at that, staring blankly at him.
"I've agonized over it many times. What's the best path for us?"
He cradled her left hand in both of his. "Lianna."
Then, carefully removing the wedding ring from her left ring finger, he declared softly. "Let's divorce."
A rose-scented wind blew in.
"What?"
For the first time today, Lianna's stoic mask cracked.