Do Not Lay a Hand on Anyone
I did not raise a hand to anyone.
Evelyn checked the calendar on the wall.
November 18th.
When something important was scheduled, she would mark it in red or blue. Today, however, the date was simply black.
But she had known exactly what day it was.
The day Yuria died.
Yuria.
The first wife of her husband Zach Jeremiah.
They had attended the same magic academy and even met a few times.
She had even attended their wedding.
To secure her position as director of the Magic Crystal Research Institute.
That was why she had deliberately set the out-of-town trip for today.
It was out of consideration for Zach.
They had only married for convenience and conditions, yet as spouses they had at least maintained basic courtesy and consideration.
She had deliberately emptied the house.
If she stayed home, Zach would have felt awkward paying respects to Yuria.
But the scheduled trip had been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.
When she returned home, something felt off.
A cool floral scent drifted from the house.
Zach always used plain products; he found the scent of shampoo or soap unbearable.
This was the scent of her shampoo.
It made her uneasy.
When she had used the bathroom, moisture still lingered, yet a single worn rag lay on the floor.
The bathroom door stood wide open.
Zach had always closed it afterward.
The wardrobe where she kept her dressing gown also looked disturbed, as if someone had touched it.
Doubts piled on doubts.
Today she would not enter the bedroom. Instead, she visited Zach’s room to see him.
To her surprise, he sat with a glass of liquor he rarely touched and listened to music.
His expression suggested he had never expected her to return.
The surprise was plain on his face.
Doubts lingered everywhere.
And beneath the blanket came the faint scent of her shampoo.
She lifted the blanket.
The woman who emerged took her breath away.
She was an uncommon beauty, yet that was not the point.
Yuria?
That familiar face appeared.
Of course she knew it was not Yuria herself.
Yuria was already dead.
That was why she had been able to marry Zach.
She knew they merely resembled each other.
Yet the exhaustion she had felt moments ago vanished.
How could she resemble Yuria so perfectly? How was this even possible?
It was exactly the same as the last time she had seen Yuria.
Not a single day older.
Disgusting.
Evelyn checked the calendar once more and recalled the worn rag from the bathroom.
It was so old she had not even recognized it as cloth.
Did even a penniless prostitute wear rags like that?
November 18th.
The day Yuria died.
In short, Zach had been so moved by memories of Yuria that he had brought a woman who resembled her into his own home.
She was stunned and furious.
Evelyn stared at her and said,
“Exactly. Let’s be honest. We did not marry out of love. We married because of conditions. But this? This is not the same. If all you’re doing is bringing a whore from the red-light district into the house, I could understand.”
She accused him in a sharp tone.
Holding the moral high ground while pressuring others was her specialty.
“What is this then? A whore in my house? Are you out of your mind?”
Evelyn reached out and pointed at Yuria.
“Yes! Just look at the clothes she’s wearing. She’s not a real lover. How could you find a single whore who looks just like her and use her to scratch your itch once? It’s better than keeping a mistress or lover and spending money on her, but if you need to satisfy your lust, do it at the brothel and come home. This is a shared space. We should show consideration for each other.”
Yuria trembled violently at the words.
She came from gentry stock and had entered the magic academy. She had taken notice of several nobles yet never once experienced such humiliation.
Not long after starting school she had begun dating Zach Jeremiah. Her status in the academy was on par with the nobles’.
She had been respected even if not flattered.
At her words, Evelyn’s hand flew toward her, but Zach moved first.
“Stop!”
It was only one syllable. He had tensed his neck, yet he had not raised his voice.
Evelyn was stunned. She had never heard him speak that way before.
A marriage of convenience meant they were rationally compatible. Everything was resolved through conversation. High voices had never crossed their lips.
No, Zach had always been the same. Dry and indifferent. After Yuria’s death he had lost all energy and cared nothing for anyone.
She found it bewildering.
How could he shout at her now, his own wife, in a situation involving infidelity?
“Are you joking? What good thing have you done to deserve that shout?”
Evelyn’s tongue moved again.
“Do you know what situation you’re in right now? Why? Bringing a whore into your home is nothing worth gossiping about? Even if it were, you committed adultery. You should apologize to me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“But you yell at me because of this whore? How can you speak to me like that? Just because of a single whore!”
Whore.
Whore.
Whore.
That word kept pounding in Yuria’s ears.
She understood Evelyn’s fury. If the situation had been reversed, she could imagine the torrent of words.
Yet enduring these insults was a different matter.
“Watch your tongue!”
“Don’t talk down to me, you whore.”
Yuria’s voice rose, and instantly Evelyn slapped her across the cheek. Yuria’s head snapped sideways.
Zach moved. He seized Evelyn’s wrist.
“Do not lay a hand on anyone.”
Evelyn immediately tried to shake off his grip. The hand refused to let go. She frowned. The pressure at her wrist felt unfamiliar. This was the first time Zach had ever used such force on her.
“Heh heh heh!”
Evelyn laughed, shaking her shoulders.
“What? You can’t satisfy yourself with just one whore, so you keep siding with this whore?”
“That’s not it.”
“No, that’s exactly it. Look at what happened today. You told me you would be out all day, and now you’ve come home unexpectedly. It’s your fault. How many times has it been? When did you first bring a whore into this house?”
“I’ve never done anything like that.”
“Heh! So today is the first time? That’s right. My husband, the famous sunflower, is saying that now. Believe it. But it’s so distasteful. Why don’t you go out of the house today? Of course, take that whore with you. I have things to do tomorrow, and if I stay here it’s going to be a real mess.”
Zach stared blankly. Evelyn smiled coldly.
“Why? You want us both gone? Go rent a cheap room somewhere and have your fun. I’m imagining it and it makes me sick. But if I try to stop it, nothing good will come of it. Just listen. I’ll understand. Don’t bring that whore into this house.”
#
It turned out she had spoken the truth.
After being driven from the house, I took Yuria to a nearby inn.
The nearby inns were all cheap, but we chose the largest one.
“Is this okay?”
Evelyn had always spoken in a harsh tone. Was it because I was her husband? Or because I had never provoked her temper? I had never been the target of her abuse, yet I had often heard it from her servants at the institute.
Angering her meant losing your soul.
I had definitely felt those fragments.
Yuria heard those words. Did they hurt her? I watched her face.
“I’m fine. In a way, I even wanted you to be unfaithful. I’m worried about you, but are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You committed adultery.”
“Adultery is—”
“Isn’t that what Evelyn is upset about?”
“I don’t think so. She married me because of the name Jeremiah. Criticizing me is criticizing that name. She’ll probably calm down soon.”
“That’s good.”
I pulled Yuria onto the bed and embraced her.
There had been many events during the night, but holding her in my arms felt good.
I held her close to my chest and stroked her back.
Sleepiness came again. I resisted closing eyelids and enjoyed the drowsiness.
“I never thought I would be happy again after you died. If you weren’t here, I don’t think happiness would ever return to my life.”
“Hehe. That sounds nice. Do more.”
“I love you. I truly love you. Stay by my side forever.”
Yuria burrowed deeper into my arms.