I'm Sorry
p>It was truly sorry
p>Maintaining composure in any and every situation was one of the basic virtues required of a mage. Evelyn had always been aware of this and had striven to keep her heart steady as a landmark and a milepost. She had made notable progress.
p>In high-pressure situations like battlefields, most mages barely displayed half their true strength. Evelyn, however, always moved with flawless skill. People evaluated her as possessing an ice-cold disposition.
p>She truly was that kind of woman.
p>“What?”
p>But this time, she could not remain calm.
p>‘What is she saying?’
p>Evelyn had judged her marriage to Zach to be perfectly rational. Even at the time of the wedding, the conditions had aligned, and Zach was a fairly rational person.
p>Their conversations had flowed exactly as she anticipated.
p>The fact that she could not comprehend this situation now stemmed from precisely that.
p>‘He wants a divorce?’
p>This was the research institute.
p>Even if he were the director’s wife, the space for discussing personal matters was not appropriate. But her rage had triumphed over reason.
p>“Are you out of your mind? Is that something you’d say to me?”
p>“I’m sorry. But I don’t know what else to do.”
p>“What kind of nonsense is that? We got married out of love? No, did we even love each other enough to marry? Are you crazy? You never loved me. It was just a marriage of necessity. Then what are you talking about? Did you suddenly fall for that whore yesterday? Are you insane?”
p>“I’ll accept anything.”
p>Zach lowered his head and said this. His eyes were cast down. The emotionless expression was close to resignation.
p>Evelyn’s blood surged even hotter.
p>Who exactly was that whore yesterday? What could she possibly have for him? Why was he doing this?
p>“You’ll accept anything…”
p>“Yes.”
p>“Anything? Even if I demand your house, your research institute, your wealth, every bit of this place as well?”
p>Evelyn opened her mouth wide, tongue flicking without a thought. She simply spoke as the mood struck her.
p>She had no intention of actually demanding all of it. Instead, she wanted to test how far Zach would go for that whore.
p>“Yes.”
p>And Zach answered that he would.
p>‘Just for that one whore!’
p>Crunch.
p>Unconsciously, her fist clenched. The nails she had let grow long without care dug into her palm. Blood welled on the nails and dripped from her fist.
p>‘I know you never loved me.’
p>The reason he had married her was the pressure from the surroundings and the duty to continue the family name as lord.
p>She had never expected to be loved in return.
p>But at least she had maintained marital loyalty. She had strictly distinguished what she should give and what she should not. Trust and loyalty had grown over that time.
p>They were not as close as other couples with honeyed affection dripping from every word, but at least they were each other’s dependable person.
p>It was small, but steady.
p>It had been.
p>Evelyn bit her lip. Her teeth crushed it. Blood trickled down her chin.
p>‘Aah! Aah!’
p>Evelyn had never been betrayed by anyone. That was why she had never trusted people. Since she did not expect anything from them, betrayal was impossible.
p>This time was different.
p>Zach was merely a flawed husband, but not bad.
p>During their cohabitation, she had felt him care for her in many ways, and she had realized he was different from the other nobles she had met.
p>‘Yes. This has been the case since magic school.’
p>From his student days, he had always valued her as a skilled mage rather than a commoner.
p>If a noble title were needed, there had been other men. Among them, she had chosen Zach for a second marriage because he was a decent human being.
p>Over five years of marriage, he had proven himself. The reason he had married her was only for the second child, and he had postponed even creating one for her sake.
p>There had been far too much evidence that Zach was a good human. She had made a mistake. She had trusted him and expected him to fulfill her wishes until the end while upholding marital loyalty.
p>If that had been the case.
p>If her wishes had truly come true and they had continued living like this for a few more years, their relationship would have changed. Evelyn herself becoming a grand mage, pregnant, giving birth, and still living with him exactly as before.
p>Like an ordinary wife, she might have loved Zach normally. Evelyn had devoted everything to magic, yet she had often fallen into such fantasies.
p>Now the future was shattered.
p>Zach had betrayed her expectations. In front of others he acted indifferent and lacked lust, but behind her back he had met that whore. And he had even brought that whore into their home while she was away.
p>Moreover, he seemed to love her. He even declared he wanted a future with that whore, even sacrificing everything he had.
p>‘Not me, but that whore.’
p>Emotional disturbance shook a mage’s mana. An unstable mage was like a bomb with a lit fuse. Evelyn was no exception now.
p>“Hyaa! Hyaa! You bastard!”
p>She slapped his cheek with all her strength. Because her mana quality was different from others’, her physical power far surpassed that of an ordinary adult man.
p>The shock twisted Zach’s face, and the inside of his mouth tore, blood pouring out.
p>“How could you do this to me? How could you betray me?”
p>“I’m truly sorry.”
p>Zach felt the depth of Evelyn’s anger.
p>She was the most efficient human he had ever known. If they had struck with equal force, she would have known slapping the face was inefficient. To inflict pain, she should have struck the liver; to cause injury, there were better vital points.
p>Yet she had slapped his face, which meant she was simply too furious to think clearly.
p>All kinds of feelings swept through Zach’s mind.
p>‘She feels betrayed by me. She believed in me all this time.’
p>He was inwardly stunned. The Evelyn Zach knew was closer to a superhuman than anyone. She remained unshaken in any situation and acted according to reason. It surprised him that she had expected something from him.
p>And he realized.
p>‘I hurt her.’
p>Oddly enough, he thought a stupid thought.
p>Evelyn, who he had thought was superhuman, was also hurt by people.
p>He had clenched his teeth and sworn.
p>‘I’ll sever this completely.’
p>Zach’s heart was already set on only one thing.
p>Yuria.
p>Even before she died, she had been the most precious in his life, and after losing her to illness, the weight he felt was even clearer. She occupied almost his entire existence.
p>There might be future events that could separate them again. A vague anxiety bloomed, and he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible within the day.
p>From the moment he prayed for her resurrection, he had prayed to be with her no matter what price he paid.
p>If it came true, he could give her everything.
p>The house, the research institute, the wealth.
p>Even if he gave all of it, as long as he could be with Yuria, it would be fine.
p>‘Evelyn is a strong person.’
p>She would stand up after stepping on the wounds he had given her. What she needed was a clear, clean severance. So he resolved to cut the relationship cleanly.
p>“Aah?”
p>Zach groaned.
p>‘What is this?’
p>The furious Evelyn might slap his cheek again or scream loud enough for the whole institute to hear.
p>She sat down.
p>Splat. She hit the hard floor on her butt and covered her face with both hands, sobbing like a child.
p>“Uwaaaaa…”
p>Zach froze. He knew the path Evelyn had walked. She had entered magic school as a commoner and graduated at the top.
p>If she had stopped there, it would have been fine. But in school competitions she had crushed other nobles and senior students. If anyone had badmouthed her, she had gone straight to the source and wrecked them.
p>A commoner with a filthy temper and no manners.
p>That was the reputation of Evelyn.
p>Not only students but most professors had avoided or hated her. She had endured every glance and never lost the top spot at magic school.
p>A stronger, firmer human than anyone.
p>He had never imagined she would sob like this.
p>“I’m sorry.”
p>The voice of Zach, who had spoken those words, trembled.
p>He had not asked for a divorce because he hated Evelyn. Their dry marriage had been fine. At least they had been decent companions. This research institute’s profits had skyrocketed recently thanks to her.
p>She had no love for him, but perhaps he could call her a friend. If she failed, he could comfort her; if something sad happened, he could cry with her.
p>But this time was not the case.
p>“I’m truly sorry.”
p>He could not reach out or pat her back.
p>‘Yuria is more important to me.’
p>Inside the room, only the sound of Evelyn sobbing remained. Everyone except Zach slipped out one by one, checking the surroundings. Lena gave Zach a last look and left at a brisk pace.
p>Only the two of them remained.
p>Zach felt awkward looking down at Evelyn like this and pressed his head to the floor.
p>“I’m sorry.”
p>Evelyn answered with nothing but tears.