Divorce Begins with Remarriage - Chapter 25

“Yes. I think the meeting went smoother because Berenice was there.”

“Ahem. For you to praise me like that…”

Berenice coughed softly, and her eyes darted around. It was a surprisingly cute sight.

“Good. Since I’ve received such praise. I’ll pay for dinner on our next date. I have a lot of money. And I’ll have even more in the future.”

Perhaps because of her excitement, her words came out jumbled.

But she was in a good mood, so it didn’t matter.

Berenice smiled brightly and urged Roberto.

“Do you have something you want to eat? Anything is fine; just tell me.”

“I want to eat whatever Berenice likes. I’m not picky.”

“What’s the popular restaurant these days? Let’s go there and order the most expensive course. I’ll treat you to celebrate my successful debut.”

Roberto nodded at Berenice’s words.

He wanted to go along with Berenice’s good mood.

But before that.

Roberto had a matter to discuss. His smile faded completely as he called Berenice.

“Before that, Berenice.”

“Yes?”

Berenice replied.

“I actually have a favor to ask. It’s purely personal, so feel free to refuse.”

“Oh, what is it?”

Well.

It would be unusual for someone as busy as Roberto to come in person for a trivial matter, especially not during work hours. Considering how diligent Roberto is, it was even more unlikely. A sense of disappointment washed over her, but she quickly shook it off.

It wasn’t something for Berenice to feel upset about.

She shouldn’t bring personal feelings into this business relationship anymore.

She scolded herself.

Of course, Roberto had a knack for dispelling Berenice’s disappointment immediately with his words.

“I hope you don’t misunderstand, Berenice. Please don’t think I came to the trading company to ask for a personal favor. I came up here to see you, not to ask you a favor.”

What.

‘It’s like you can read other people’s minds.’

But Berenice couldn’t help but feel a pang of relief at those words.

Berenice lowered her head.

“No, you misunderstood.”

It was a lie, but Roberto wouldn’t know.

“Thank goodness.”

“So, what’s your personal request?”

Berenice lightened the mood. It seemed really dangerous otherwise.

“Ah.”

Roberto let out a low sigh.

“If it’s something I can do, I’ll help.”

“…I’m looking for someone.”

“What kind of person are you looking for?”

Finding a person wasn’t difficult. Valencia’s Merchantry had branches throughout the entire Raivan Empire, and with orders from the merchantry, hiring people was easy.

Roberto let out a quiet sigh at Berenice’s question.

“His name is Therion, with dark gray hair and green eyes. He’s thirty years old and went missing seven years ago. A few years ago, we received a tip about someone resembling him, but we still haven’t found him.”

Berenice, who has been writing down Roberto’s words, casually asked,

“What’s your relationship with him?”

But he made no immediate answer.

When Berenice raised her head in confusion, Roberto hesitated, looking reluctant.

‘Is it a secret?’

It could be.

But today, for some reason, Berenice kept feeling uneasy.

‘To the point where you can’t tell me?’

Berenice bowed her head to hide her emotions.

In truth, Berenice didn’t need to know all the details Roberto was sharing. It hasn’t been that long since Roberto and Berenice met…

Even though she was clearly aware of this fact, she couldn’t help but feel hurt.

But she shouldn’t reveal that emotion.

It’s a contractual relationship.

A clear contractual relationship with tasks to be done and gains to be made.

Putting emotions into it would be a violation of the rules.

If she took out her frustration here, if she became emotionally drained, it would be her fault. Berenice quickly spoke up.

“With this information, we should be able to find him. Since gray hair is distinctive, I’ll pass it on to the branch at the merchantry to look into it. If we find him, I’ll let you know, Roberto, alright?”

“…Yes. Thank you, Berenice.”

Roberto murmured in a deep voice.

“Now that the matter seems to be settled… Well, must be busy, right? I should get going now…”

Just as Berenice was about to leave quickly, Roberto held her back.

“Just a moment, Berenice.”

Roberto locked eyes with Berenice.

The reason he hesitated to answer Berenice’s question was because he didn’t know where to start.

Therion and Roberto had a long and complicated relationship.

And Roberto was worried about how much Berenice would understand from his explanation.

But his hesitation was brief.

Berenice is soon to become a person of Cyrilov. And Roberto couldn’t say anything to such a person. Since Cyrilov’s affairs are something Berenice should also be aware of.

That was what Roberto considered marriage to be.

Sharing all aspects of life.

Berenice sat back in her chair.

“What’s wrong?”

“…I have something to tell you. I hesitated because I needed to organize my thoughts on where to start.”

Hearing Roberto’s words, any lingering discomfort she had vanished, as if they all melted away.

‘Why do you do this, Berenice.’

Berenice chastised herself and leaned back against the backrest. She needed some time to reflect and sort out her emotions.

Seeing Berenice’s readiness to listen, Roberto spoke up.

“I’ve been thinking that this is something you should know about someday. So, will you listen to my story, Berenice?”

It was he who asked if Berenice would listen.

‘How could you be so kind to other people…’

Any lingering discomfort disappeared, like it never existed.

“Go ahead.”

“This is a very old story, Berenice.”

“Old…?”

“Do you know about the founding myth of the Raivan Empire? It’s a story about a child raised in the embrace of a silver wolf, who ended the war on the surface with the wolf and led the people to become a king.”

“That… isn’t that a story known to all citizens of the Empire?”

The founding myth had passed through people’s mouths, disguised as an old story, spreading among the people. As a result, Berenice also knew about the silver wolf.

“But why bring up that story?”

“…Do you also know that the silver wolf is a symbol of Cyrilov?”

“All citizens of the empire know that too.”

It was the same reason they all knew the story of the silver wolf. After he finished telling the story of the silver wolf, Cyrilov followed. Cyrilov, who protected the Raivan Empire for a long time, still guarded the imperial family.

That was the value and meaning Cyrilov held.

People couldn’t even imagine the Raivan Empire without Cyrilov.

Carefully adding to Berenice’s words, Roberto said,

“Actually… I’m talking about our clan.”

Clan? Is that how one usually refers to a family?

Whether Roberto knew Berenice’s doubts or not, he quickly added,

“Cyrilov has been a clan of werewolves through generations. The silver wolf is the origin of Cyrilov.”

Berenice’s lips parted in surprise.

Watching Berenice struggle to find words, Roberto chuckled.

“If… this poses a problem for our deal…”

“No! It’s just an unexpected story, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Can I elaborate on this story later? Right now, it seems more important to talk about Therion.”

Berenice nodded.

She was surprised by the unexpected story, but Berenice thought it wasn’t a very important issue. After all, even though Livio was born as a normal human, he doesn’t act like one…….

In fact, she didn’t live like an ordinary human being born as Livio…

On the contrary, Roberto seemed more human.

Maybe it was because her ex-husband was such a beast-like person, but even though it was unfamiliar to her, it didn’t bother her.

Simply knowing an ancient secret of the Raivan Empire was fascinating.

“…Therion is from the same clan that disappeared during the Duke’s tragedy.”

“Ah.”

“That’s why his hair is gray, like mine. Though my hair is lighter in color, so it’s closer to silver than gray.”

“May I ask why you’re looking for that man?”

After hearing such an incredible story, she felt cautious to ask questions.

“…I’m looking for him to confirm. I believe Therion would have returned if he were alive. He was a man of great responsibility and faith. But if he hasn’t returned so far…”

“Are you suggesting he might be dead?”

“That’s what I suspected. But given the occasional reported sightings, there’s also a high possibility that he’s alive.”

“Why he hasn’t returned? Is that what you’re trying to confirm?”

Roberto nodded heavily.

In truth, it was too difficult to openly suspect Therion of betrayal and escape. Once he speaks it aloud, it could become an established fact.

He wanted to keep his suspicions about Therion betraying the clan and fleeing as a last resort.

“The Therion I know…”

Roberto paused.

“He was a man willing to sacrifice his life for the clan.”

That was the end of Roberto’s story.

There were hidden stories beyond that, but Roberto couldn’t bring himself to share them. It was both to protect the clan and because…

Roberto carefully observed Berenice’s expression.

He feared that once she knew everything, Berenice might leave him.

An inexplicable fear held him back.