5. How to deal with an ex after meeting them again

The three-day vacation passed without further incident. Rublier returned to work at the Holy Knights and stopped by the Papal Palace to report. Kirion, who was acting on behalf of the elderly pope, welcomed him.

“How have you been, Rublier? How was your time with your wife?”

At the subtly loaded question, Rublier paused for a moment. Kirion was a close friend who knew him well from their school days.

During his vacation, Satin had played hide-and-seek with him. It wasn’t until he visited her bedroom at the end that they properly faced each other, but she had looked so frightened that he had to retreat. Rublier responded nonchalantly.

“Nothing special. Three days is too short for anything significant to happen.”

Even though he tried to be evasive, he couldn’t fool Kirion’s intuition when it came to matters of romance. Kirion openly expressed his disappointment.

“You’re not a twelve-year-old kid anymore, playing house? Aren’t you acting a bit immature for your age? Even when I was much younger than you, I wasn’t like that.”

Rublier suddenly recalled Kirion at fourteen. Two years older than him, Kirion had already been surrounded by rumors of romantic escapades.

Kirion, with his authority, honor, and fame, was an object of admiration among female students. He enjoyed the admiration and reverence directed at him. His cheerful and outgoing personality contributed to this. Coupled with the background of being the pope’s descendant, Kirion had nothing to fear.

“Anyway, both you and your wife may look grown-up on the outside, but you’re still immature inside. I’ve overestimated you. Three days was always enough for me. If it weren’t for the strange report you brought back from your trip, I would have extended it to a week.”

The ‘demonic activity’ report Rublier brought back was the culprit that shortened his vacation. Rublier remembered Kirion’s face turning strange as soon as he finished his report.

Kirion continued with a smile.

“If someone else had reported demonic activity to me, I would have laughed it off. Or gotten angry and told them not to talk nonsense. But it had to be you who brought the news. And the timing was peculiar, just before the founding anniversary, which made me uneasy.”

“I wish it were a joke, but it’s not. I was also worried about leaving the Holy Knights for too long, so even if you had given me more time off, I wouldn’t have been able to rest.”

Rublier sat in the chair Kirion offered. The table was cluttered with documents Kirion had been reviewing. At a glance, there were dozens of issues he was handling simultaneously.

Kirion, who used to work hard and rest well, had become a workaholic due to the pope’s declining health, in which most of the responsibilities had been transferred to him.

“Kirion. It’s good to work hard, but you don’t have to shoulder all the responsibilities of the country alone.”

“I know. But what can I do when there’s no one else I can fully trust? You’re the only one I can trust completely, but you’re not suited for paperwork. By the way, Rublier, how are things with Gjorn Sel Wio lately?”

Gjorn’s name came up out of nowhere. Rublier raised an eyebrow.

“Gjorn? I’m grateful to him.”

It was a sarcastic remark that had nothing to do with the content.

“Because he let go of Satin.”

On the surface, their relationship was neither good nor bad. Since settling the wedding expenses, Rublier hadn’t contacted the Sel Wio family. However, it was vague to say they had completely severed ties, as the Sel Wio family had relied on Rublier’s help to wrap up the wedding.

For now, they were cautiously keeping their distance from each other. But they wouldn’t return to being friends as they were before. Nor did they intend to. Eventually, they would drift apart, given that their paths seldom crossed.

The person who had truly crossed an irreparable line with Gjorn was Satin. She had been so angry with Gjorn that she had overturned their ongoing wedding. Rublier, who had seized the golden opportunity, felt like he owed Gjorn a great debt but never showed it to Satin.

“Why bring up Gjorn all of a sudden?”

At Rublier’s question, Kirion pointed to the documents.

“Invitation letters have been sent to each family for the National Foundation Day. All members of the guardian families are invited, including you, your wife, and Gjorn Sel Wio. Since the event is hosted by the Papal Palace, no one would refuse. Putting aside my personal feelings, the Papal Palace must remain neutral among the five guardian families. Given the commotion at the wedding, our relationship is not what it used to be, so consider this my concern as a friend.”

“Have all the invitations been sent out already?”

“Of course. This time, we’ve expanded the scale and invited several actors to perform. I thought it was finally an opportunity to officially watch the much-rumored prima donna.”

Rublier frowned slightly. Kirion had previously shown private interest in the prima donna.

Noticing Rublier’s attitude, Kirion shrugged it off.

“…But I withdrew it for your sake. It seems I really have no fate with that prima donna. You just need to focus on Gjorn. How about it?”

Gjorn.

Rublier nodded.

Given the nature of the family, he knew such a day would come. In fact, meeting again after three months felt a bit late. Starting with the National Foundation Day, they would see each other more frequently in the future.

“That sounds interesting.”

Kirion showed relief at Rublier’s composure.

“Good. Then see you that day. I’ll finally meet your much-talked-about wife.”

* * *

Satin was disheartened upon receiving the invitation for the National Foundation Day.

She didn’t want to go.

If possible, she really didn’t want to go.

To be honest, she sincerely didn’t want to go.

The Papal Palace sent invitations to the five guardian families and various domestic nobles and influential figures. Married people were to bring their spouses, and unmarried people could bring partners.

It was already a stiff place. With the host being the Pope, the organizer the Papal Palace, and all the guests being nobles, it was naturally a formal and solemn event.

However, Caldeblanca was a country born with the founding legend evidenced by the five pieces of the holy relic, and the National Foundation Day was a place to reflect on that legend, so those invited were forced to accept it as an honor.

Thus, Satin was forcibly dragged to the National Foundation Day event every year. As a member of the family that was a pillar of Caldeblanca, there was no way he could not attend an event wishing for the eternal greatness of Caldeblanca.

The same was true for other nobles. In other words, most of the guests who attended the wedding would be gathered there.

Of course, Gjorn would also come.

“…Should I go abroad instead of the countryside if I get divorced?”

If Rublier, he, and Gjorn were all together, people would naturally remember the wedding. It was likely to become an event that rekindled the fading scandal. She wanted to decline, but it wasn’t as easy as her heart wished.

Still, she received significant help from her marriage with Rublier. Satin, who had ostensibly allied with Sir Ka Dillon, couldn’t be openly checked by Sel Wio. Moreover, with the three of them together, Gjorn, being alone, would feel more uncomfortable. He would face his school friends who became a married couple and his former fiancée.

The image of Gjorn, who would be scowling upon receiving the invitation, was vividly drawn. It was easy to predict because they were long-time friends. One side was a newlywed couple, and the other was the ex-fiancé of that wife, so superficially, Satin had the upper hand.

“But what’s the point if it only looks good on the outside?”

The aftermath was a mess on both sides. In some ways, their situation might be better. They don’t have to pretend to be a newlywed couple. Gjorn and Delilah’s feelings for each other were genuine.

But Satin was different. Unlike Delilah, who had experience acting in a role, Satin found his current situation burdensome, akin to being on stage.

That wasn’t the only thing.

‘I am willing to try. Very much so.’

“Ah!”

Satin screamed as memories popped up without giving him time to prepare mentally.

“Madam, what’s wrong?”

Larie came running.

“…Nothing, nothing at all,”

Nothing? That couldn’t be true.

Rublier’s face, which had approached him with only a few words apart, was still vivid. Even though he lightly held her face and made her look at him, he didn’t suppress her with force, yet Satin couldn’t move.

For the first time, she experienced what it felt like to be overwhelmed by a man’s gaze, momentum, and atmosphere. It was a completely different vibe from Gjorn.

Did Rublier have such a side?

She had always thought of him as a pesky guy she teased and found annoying.

‘I want to touch and feel you. Is it strange for a husband to desire his wife? Do you think it’s wrong?’

Satin unconsciously brought her thumb to her lips.

As she bit his lip out of tension, Rublier stopped him from doing so. He realized this much later when he looked in the mirror. His lower lip was slightly stained with blood.