You Promised To Divorce Me - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

A group of workers was plowing up the flower beds on one side of the garden.

“Why are you plucking out all the intact flowers?” I asked the attendant, unable to contain my curiosity.

He replied with a smile,

“Normal flowers wither quickly, so we’re trying to replace them with improved ones that last longer.”

“Improved?” As soon as I heard that familiar word, I felt suffocation from my throat.

“Yes. The flowers are bigger and more desirable. Not to mention, the flowering period is also longer, so there is no reason not to change them. As the Lady knows, improved flowers are popular all over the continent these days.”

“…I see.” Despite the logical reason, the uneasy feeling did not go away. I guessed Ash read my worries when he spoke in my head.

-I checked earlier. It’s just a normal improvement that has increased the size and lifespan of these flowers. I sense no sleeping effect or poison in them, so you can rest assured.

‐I told you not to eat it so carelessly.

Knowing how he could find the potency of flowers, I lightly rebuked him. Anyways, I was glad that it was an ordinary flower.

-By the way, did you receive the Crown Prince’s seal?

-Lennox did, rather than us receiving it.

-That’s the same thing. A couple is said to have one mind and one body.

-I know, right.

I chuckled at Ash’s words, but suddenly stopped walking with a sense of incongruity that crossed my mind. A pair of shoes stopped, and the attendant turned his head back at me.

“My Lady?”

In no time, we were almost at the destination. I saw the Duke’s carriage, which had been parked in the distance. The knight, who spotted it, straightened his posture and bowed.

“Thank you for your hard work. You can go back now.”

“Watch your steps, My Lady.” Having sent the attendant, I got into the carriage. And as soon as the carriage door was closed, my expression turned terrifying. Ash, aware that there was something off, looked restless. I silently leaned against the back of the seat.

[Olivia?]

“You,” the little guy flinched as I pressed my eyes. “Where did you hear that?”

[W-What are you talking about?]

“That a couple usually has one mind and one body. Is there such an expression in the Empire?”

[Gasp!]

Only then did the guy notice his mistake in his breath. His black eyes—resembling watermelon seeds—shook as he began to flap his wings.

“Where are you trying to run away?”

Thud. The window of the carriage was firmly closed with a snap. As a result, his escape route was completely blocked.

“If you don’t answer honestly from now on, it won’t be fun for you.”

[W-What’s wrong with you…?]

“Don’t be rude.”

Ash’s face was flushed with embarrassment when it was clear that he wasn’t here to look after me.

“Who the hell are you, really?”

His beak snapped closed, a gesture clearly showing his stubbornness not to say anything. I decided to speak first.

“You know I’m from another world, don’t you?”

“…”

“The day we first met, you were definitely like that. You said that you were struggling with returning it. What did you mean by ‘returning?’”

“…”

“Aren’t you going to tell me?”

His head, with his beak sealed, moved from one side to another. Ha!

“Ash.”

“…”

After this, it was only a meaningless war of attrition. Contemplating for a while, I made a decision. With a click, I opened the window again. “Okay. If you don’t want to say it, then don’t.”

His eyes widened at me. Looking into the bird’s eyes with dim hopes, I calmly uttered what I had to say. “Instead, don’t show up in front of me again. I can’t live with someone who deceives me.”

[Olivia!]

The white-feathered bastard screamed at me, but I turned away coldly. Not knowing what to do, he stomped his feet and came up on my leg, begging desperately. [I didn’t mean to deceive you. It was because of the circumstances that I had to do it. Please don’t kick me out. Please?]

“So what was the circumstance?”

[T-That…] He hesitated again. However, unlike before, he was shaking rather than retreating.

“You know Carinne Brienne is a sorceress, don’t you?”

[Umm…]

As expected, there was a reason for this phenomenon.

“I can’t reveal to others that Carinne is a practitioner of black magic. But there are no restrictions on telling you about her.” I was offended by this, since I couldn’t tell Lennox.

“I think I have a plausible reason for it.” Those last words took courage to speak. The bird turned his anxious gaze towards me.

“Perhaps you brought me here.”

Ash closed his eyes tightly. That confirmed my suspicions more than necessary.

“Why did you do that?”

[Olivia…] He suddenly dropped his head. [Sorry.]

I let out a long sigh. “I’m not resenting you. I don’t regret coming here.” After all, I had no regrets in my previous life. It was close to just surviving day after day, without having any attachments to anyone or anything precious.

“I just want to know how I got here,” I tried to persuade him.

[I really shouldn’t say it…]

Instead of rushing, I waited quietly.

[Did you ever think in your previous life that things never worked out your way?]

That was true. I had an elaborate story, to the point that had me wondering what kind of life this could be.

[It’s because your body and soul didn’t match. They didn’t fit together.]

“What do you mean?”

[This is the world you were supposed to be in.]

It took me a while to understand. It wasn’t because I didn’t know what he was talking about, but because I was refusing to accept it.

“…What?”

Ash sighed. [Olivia and you were supposed to be born at the same time on the same day in your respective worlds. But due to the mistake of the one in charge…]

“Mistake?”

[The souls fell into opposite worlds.]

My head was pounding at the contents of the information. “So, you mean, if it was the original, I would have been the real Olivia?”

[Yes.]

“Oh my God…” Stunned, I grabbed my head.

[When an unauthorized soul enters a different world from which they’re supposed to be in, a rift is formed between the two worlds.]

“That’s why you brought me here and the previous Olivia to where she should have been?”

[Right.]

“And Olivia’s soul went into my body in my past life?” Ash nodded his head apologetically.

‘So I didn’t enter the world of a book?’

“For now, let’s say I am here. What about Olivia?”

Would she be able to accept a modern life after being a noble lady in the Balkan Empire? It was already proven to be a miserable life for me.

[Don’t worry about that. I’m sure the former Olivia is just as well adapted as you.]

“How do you know that?”

[You also saw this world reflecting in your dreams. It was the same with her.]

‘It wasn’t a dream, it was a novel I read.’ Since I used to sleep dreamlessly, the memories seemed to have been delivered in the form of a novel.

“If you’re going to return a soul to its place, you should do it when it’s young. Have you ever wondered how embarrassing it would be for someone to come here like this?”

[I wanted to do that as well!] He cried out, ashamed. [But there was a condition to bring you back.]

“What condition?”

[The transfer could not be established if both of you did not want to return to your original world.]

“Olivia wanted to go to the world I was in?”

[Yes. She even made a wish for a year before you made up your mind.]

“But I never wanted this.”

[No way. If you had not wished for it, magic would not have been established according to the laws of the composition of the universe.]

“But I really–”

I stopped when I suddenly remembered my past. After reading the ending of “Reversed Lady”, didn’t I leave a comment full of anger?

[Author. Wasn’t that too much for Olivia? It even makes me want to take revenge for her by entering the book.]

Have I come to this place just because of that one comment?

“Ha, haha…” It was so ridiculous, I couldn’t even get angry.

“One question. Are you the one responsible for committing that mistake?”

Ash wavered his eyes and nodded. [Sorry.]

“You mean you’ve been keeping your mouth shut even after doing something like that?” Of course, what he did was disgraceful, but I didn’t like it when I saw him discouraged.

‘What should I do?’

As my gaze softened, Ash quickly climbed onto my palm. I was quick to catch on. I stroked his back, and his tiny body froze, as if he was very nervous.

[Sorry, Olivia.]

“If you’re really sorry, you should compensate me for your mistakes.” He tilted his head to my joke.

[Haven’t you already received the compensation?]