The Son-In-Law Of A Prestigious Household Wants A Divorce-Chapter 55: The Sword Dance Festival (2)

The next morning.

Isaac was absentmindedly eating in the servants’ dining hall.

The Sword Dance Festival would start in the evening, so he had to have a good meal before competing.

But, his dejected expression as he chewed his bread listlessly made him look quite down.

“Are you okay? You don’t look well.”

At that moment, Milly, the commoner cook who was the same age as him, cautiously approached him.

Her complexion didn’t look any better than him; probably because the Sword Dance Festival had been keeping her busy.

“Ah... Yeah.”

Isaac could only let out a sigh in reply.

Get a grip... I came here prepared, didn’t I?

That’s why I continuously sparred with Jonathan, Sharen, and even Rianna, so that I could break down Helmont’s swordsmanship somehow...

But still, Silverna...? Really...?

Was the matchmaking rigged? ...No, there’s no way.

Arandel Helmont isn’t the type to do such a thing.

Whatever, I’ll just have to try my best to win somehow.

Though he resolved himself as such, Silverna hadn’t seemed to arrive yet.

Would she even make it today?

I swear, it has been one thing after another with this Sword Dance Festival...

He had to find the Helmont who was in contact with the Transcendent Race quickly.

And he also wanted to test himself during the Sword Dance Festival.

“Milly, did anything strange happen while I was gone?”

“S-Sorry?”

For some reason, she was taken aback by that question.

This startled reaction of hers made Isaac bewildered in turn.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing... Right, there is indeed something strange...”

Milly then quietly moved other dishes on the table in front of Isaac.

“It’s that you’re not eating, Sir Isaac. Stop being picky and eat a lot! You need all your strength for today, no?”

“...”

“Does the food not taste good?”

“Of course it does. It’s the best, in fact.”

A warm table.

Although he couldn’t join the table for distinguished guests and was eating at the humble table for the cooks...

For him, this was his most comfortable time in the Helmont Mansion.

“Milly, watch me in the Sword Dance Festival today.”

“Sorry?”

“I’ll show you how much I’ve changed.”

Perhaps because of this, he boasted himself like a child to Milly—something that he rarely did in the first place.

Seeing that, she just let out a bitter smile as she poured some water into his cup.

“Don’t overdo it. The most important thing is to not get hurt!”

“Yes, but I’m not the Isaac you remember. I’ll show you how much I’ve grown in the North.”

He wanted to show her that she no longer needed to worry about him.

So that when he left the mansion, she would be able to keep her smile, as warm as sunshine, as always.

And so that she wouldn’t be concerned towards him.

He wanted to show her how trustworthy he had become.

I’m sorry, Silverna.

Today, I just can’t afford to lose.

*   *   *[Walkover: Isaac Helmont]

“...”

Evening. When the sun was about to set.

Staring at the tournament bracket result that was proudly displayed, Isaac blinked dumbfoundedly.

“That idiot...”

He clenched his fist.

Due to Silverna not being here for some reason, he advanced to the next round without even drawing his sword.

Because of this, there was an uproar with people saying Cardias had disrespected Helmont.

Even Arandel Helmont looked displeased by this.

After all, this was practically an insult to him, to the Sword Dance Festival itself as an event held by Helmont.

“Congratulations on the walkover!”

Oblivious to this, Sharen congratulated him, bouncing up and down beside him.

He lightly pinched the cheek of the tactless girl as she chirped without a care in the world.

“Why are you doing that?! Isn’t this a good thing for you?!”

“Haa... Yes, yes, it’s a good thing...”

Earlier today, he had spoken so confidently to Milly, but now he had advanced with a walkover. He didn’t even want to imagine what she would think about this.

Hell, he didn’t even have the face to meet her now.

“But, you’ll probably be eliminated tomorrow.”

Sharen pointed at the tournament bracket with regret.

Following her finger, Isaac shrugged his shoulders and let out a hollow laugh.

He hadn’t expected to meet him so quickly.

[Isaac Helmont vs Lohengrin Helmont]

“Isaac, just remember one thing. Don’t get cocky and get beaten up!”

“What’s with that advice, huh?”

Isaac grabbed Sharen’s head again and shook it back and forth, making her scream.

Although, her voice as she screamed sounded really excited, as if she was actually having fun.

When he stopped, Sharen expressed her genuine worry for him, even though she still felt a little dizzy.

“You know, Isaac, Lohengrin never goes easy on his opponents. The knight who faced him this time came out looking like a bloody pulp.

“Especially since you’ve already been beaten up by him several times. That guy won’t feel even a twinge of conscience.

“You know how he got beaten by Sister once, right? After that, it’s obvious that he’ll beat you up to vent his anger on you!”

As he listened, Isaac suddenly had a question.

“You know, I noticed that you called Rianna ‘sister’, but why are you referring to him as ‘that guy’?”

“Hm? What else should I call him? ‘Brother’? No way. I don’t acknowledge any of these guys as my brothers.”

“...”

Right, she’s always been like this, huh?

“Anyway, I hope you won’t get hurt, Isaac! Especially not by those idiots!”

“Heh.”

The Helmont Mansion.

Along with Milly, it seemed like he had found one more place where he could be at ease a little.

Perhaps that was why...

“Alright, it’s time. Come with me. Milly said she’d prepare a nice dinner for me today because I’ve worked hard.”

For today’s banquet...

Milly had said she’d take special care of Isaac, so it would be best if he were to go there early.

This was a precious time for him, but...

He felt like he could share it with the current Sharen.

“Okay!”

Sharen followed. Then, with a smile, she...

“But what kind of hard work did Isaac do today?”

“...”

*   *   *Rianna was staring at the flower in the vase.

One of the roses looked like it could wither at any moment, but Rianna didn’t seem inclined to replace it.

Though the Sword Dance Festival had already started, she wasn’t allowed to step forward.

Usually, it wasn’t a good thing for the eldest daughter not to show her face at such an event.

But, this just showed how angry Arandel was with Rianna that he chose not to allow her to show her face in the festival.

Bang!

At that moment, the door opened roughly.

Rianna slowly turned her gaze on it. There was Lohengrin, glaring at her while breathing heavily.

“I won’t waste any words. I’ll become the family head, Rianna.”

From the way he looked feverish, as if he had caught a cold...

It was clear that something must have happened to him.

“...”

Still, Rianna didn’t bother to open her mouth.

She resolved herself to become the family head, but she didn’t feel the need to tell him that.

But, it was because of that Lohengrin was able to get a sentence in.

“Tomorrow, that fucker Isaac will face me in a duel.”

“...!”

Rianna’s eyes trembled for a moment.

That didn’t escape Lohengrin’s notice. He raised the corners of his mouth and continued.

“I don’t care what you’re gonna say, I’m going to turn that bastard into a half-cripple.”

“Lohengrin!”

That was when Rianna finally stood up.

Crimson Essence began to writhe at her feet, as if about to rise.

However, Lohengrin didn’t back down at all.

“Tomorrow will be an example, Rianna. If Father even shows a hint to announce you as the new family head, I...”

He gritted his teeth before taking a step forward, then continued with a growl.

“It won’t end with just tomorrow. Try to become the family head, and see if you can keep him by your side for life.”

Lohengrin pushed past Rianna and went outside.

In her mind, the voices of two people overlapped.

[Become the family head, Rianna.]

[That’s the only way you can protect him.]

Her mother had said with a gentle smile.

[Try to become the family head.]

[See if you can keep him by your side for life.]

Lohengrin had warned her openly while baring his teeth.

Both people wanted different things from her, but the content of their threat was the same.

From her perspective, it felt like a knife was being thrust into her throat, but...

That didn’t matter. This was the moment when she had to resolve herself and take a step forward.

Right...

Rianna steeled herself.

Tonight...

I will kill Lohengrin—

-Knock knock knock.

But at that moment, the door was suddenly knocked. She didn’t answer, but the other person had already opened the door.

At this point, with all these visitors one might wonder if she really was under house arrest, but...

The thing was the woman who had just barged in had enough authority to ignore such things.

“Ahem. Hello?”

The woman smiled brightly and waved her hand lightly in greeting. Rianna hurriedly knelt on one knee.

“Princess Clarisse.”

“I heard you were under house arrest, but you don’t look too good.”

Smiling faintly, Clarisse placed her hand on Rianna’s shoulder.

“Let’s have a little chat, shall we?”

*   *   *Where did the princess go?

At the evening banquet.

Isaac had been looking all over for Princess Clarisse, but he couldn’t find her anywhere.

She said that she was going to look for more information about that mole again today, so he was curious if she had found out anything.

“Wow, there really is no one around you, Isaac.”

The one who muttered as such while circling around him was Sharen, now dressed in a gown.

Every Sword Dance Festival participant was surrounded by crowds of nobles, all absorbed in their conversations.

But Isaac, the only one who won with a walkover today, didn’t receive much attention.

His status as a commoner son-in-law didn’t help his case either.

If Rianna had been here, it might have been a different case, but she wasn’t here.

“Sir Isaac.”

At that moment, Milly approached him cautiously.

Her cooking uniform, much cleaner than usual, showed how determined she was about the meal she was about to offer him.

“Over there.”

“Ah, alright.”

Thanks to her...

Isaac was able to quietly savor the stew that she had prepared separately for him.

“Can I eat too?”

Sharen said as she followed suit.

For a moment, Milly’s expression darkened, but she didn’t say anything.

The table they went to was somewhere further away from the rest of the tables.

On it was a simple stew that looked pale in comparison to other food in the room, but seeing it was enough to make a satisfied form on Isaac’s lips.

A savory aroma wafted up as he sat down.

The food exactly suited his taste.

He had always preferred commoner foods. With high-quality ingredients added to it, it was pretty much a gourmet meal for him.

Especially with this many meat chunks inside it.

“Is this all? I thought the food’s gonna be something amazing or what!”

“I’m sorry, young lady.”

“Huh? No, it’s not something you should be sorry about. If anything, you made this because Isaac just has a cheap taste, no?”

“No, I’m really sorry.”

Sharen, who had been pouting and complaining, became rather embarrassed at Milly’s repeated apology.

Isaac didn’t respond to her though, as he knew that she’d change her mind the moment she tasted the stew.

“The consistency is just right, and there’s a lot of meat inside. As expected, Milly, you know my food preferences well.”

Isaac praised Milly with a smile, prompting her to bow her head and place other dishes on the table.

Though it looked modest, each dish was clearly made with care for Isaac.

Seeing all these foods made Isaac feel a little sorry.

“Sorry, I didn’t end up showing anything today...”

“No need to, I’m making all these so you can do your best tomorrow, Sir Isaac.”

A faint smile rose up on her lips.

“Haa... Are you sure you don’t want to be my personal cook, Milly? Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to get enough money to pay you.”

At Isaac’s offer, Milly just kept the same smile as before.

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Just as he was about to take the first spoonful...

“Sir Isaac.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve changed a lot. You could even sit together with Lady Sharen like this now.”

At that, Isaac glanced at Sharen.

She was eagerly eating the stew while praising its taste. It was clear that she didn’t hear their conversation.

“Well, yeah, I have. That’s why I wanted to show you everything.”

His battle with Lohengrin tomorrow.

He really hoped that she’d come to watch.

“...If only I can see that.”

“...Is something the matter, Milly?”

Isaac put down his spoon and asked calmly. At this point, he noticed that Milly was acting stranger than usual, and a wave of unease crept into his heart.

“Please eat quickly. The stew is getting cold.”

“...”

Isaac slowly scooped up the stew.

The warmth in the spoon slowly touched his tongue and slid down his throat.

“Wow—“

A sigh of exclamation escaped his lips.

He was genuinely amazed by its taste.

It was beyond even his wildest expectations.

“Milly, this is—!”

He was about to praise her, but his words were cut short.

Because Milly had collapsed right there on the spot.

“...Milly?”

For a moment, Isaac didn’t know what was happening.

When he saw blood pouring from Milly’s mouth as she fell, his mind seemed to go numb, and a throbbing headache rose.

“Milly!”

Just as he hurriedly stood up to tend to Milly.

“Kuuuugh!”

A commotion broke out in another part of the room, starting with a scream.

Sharen, who had been startled by Milly’s collapse, was now running in the opposite direction.

“Mother!”

Galenia Helmont.

She was in the middle of her meal when she clutched her throat with both hands, her eyes bloodshot, writhing in agony.