Even though the divorce was done, I could not afford to relax.
I had resolved to leave the capital and set about it at once, but I was still carrying a child, and the nausea was at its worst.
Perhaps the moment I felt safe, my body gave way. The instant I stepped into my room at the inn, the sickness would not stop.
I had only just eaten, too. Irritated by symptoms as fickle as the weather, I only wanted to lie down, so I spent the time rolling weakly on the bed.
Then someone knocked.
“Yeees?”
I had no desire to invite anyone in, yet ignoring it felt unkind, so I answered.
“Lady Sheila, it’s me. Asti. I’m sorry, but something urgent came up.”
His voice sounded strained. Frowning, I opened the door.
The relief in his expression struck me as faintly strange, but I let him inside.
“Are you all right? I need to speak with you for a moment. If it’s too much, please lie down.”
“I’m fine. Just a bit queasy.”
Even divorced and alone, I could not quite bring myself to lie down before a man I was not intimate with. I seated Asti and began to prepare tea.
“Oh, I’ll be leaving right away, so please don’t trouble yourself. About the matter at hand, Lady Sheila, it may be best for you to leave the capital immediately.”
My hand, holding the tea caddy, froze before I could lift the lid.
It was true I intended to leave the capital soon, but I had not planned to rush as though fleeing that very day. I knit my brows, half offended. Was he, like Karl, trying to chase me out?
Then Asti said something I could scarcely believe.
“Leon might come after you. He seemed… unsteady. Like he’d latched onto the idea that if there was a child, you might come back.”
A chill ran through me.
My breath caught as my hand flew to my belly.
“I think you’re safe tonight. I sent him to Marseilles with Daggart.”
Only then did the air return to my lungs.
“I think you’ll be safe for about a week. He’s in Marseilles, and the commander there should restrain him. Still, the sooner you leave, the better.”
“Wait. I did mean to leave the capital, but I don’t even have a destination yet. I haven’t decided anything…”
I had meant to look calmly, choose carefully.
To leave without direction, while pregnant and alone, was dangerous. Anything could happen.
And yet, the thought of Leon chasing me was beyond anything I had anticipated.
“If you truly have nowhere to go, then… my family home, perhaps?”
Asti offered it hesitantly, then looked away as if embarrassed when our eyes met.
“Your… hometown?”
“It’s far from the capital. Leon probably doesn’t even know it exists. It’s safe, and there’s a physician nearby. The house is empty right now. If no one lives there, it will deteriorate, so… until things settle, would you consider staying as a caretaker? Something like that.”
A place far away was difficult to imagine.
But I had no clear destination, and perhaps it would be wise to accept help, at least for now.
“It’s a generous offer, but… would it truly be all right for me to use it?”
“I think it would be fine, if it’s you. I stop by there from time to time, and there’s a Guild branch as well. There’s a forest behind the house with plenty of medicinal materials. If you make recovery potions and sell them, you should be able to earn a living.”
It was an alluring proposal.
With my condition, I would not be going on quests. Being able to live by brewing and selling potions would be a great comfort.
There was no reason to refuse.
“May I impose on you, then?”
“O-of course! If you use it, even the house will be pleased.”
“The house will be pleased,” I repeated, and a small laugh escaped me.
“Then I’ll depart tomorrow. Where is it?”
“Let’s go together. What time should I come for you? You’ll need to submit your transfer at the Guild, won’t you?”
To leave a city, one had to file a transfer notice with the Guild. I would submit it first thing in the morning, then purchase the necessities of daily life, then find transport toward his hometown.
“I’ll go to the Guild in the morning, buy a few essentials, and then… perhaps around noon?”
“Understood. I’ll wait for you at the Guild at midday.”
Asti smiled and left the room.
In the midst of divorce and upheaval, it was a relief to have a destination.
Once I arrived, I would finally see a physician.
In truth, I had not received a formal confirmation in the capital, partly because I feared gossip. If word leaked from somewhere, it would become troublesome.
“Now that I think of it, the nausea has eased.”
It was unpleasant when it came, yet I also felt uneasy when it did not.
I stroked the still-flat curve of my belly once, then bathed and went to bed.
The next day, after a light breakfast, I checked out and headed for the Guild.
Though it was morning, the capital’s streets were lively as ever. If this was truly the last time I would see them for a while, it felt strangely poignant.
As I tried to burn the scenery into my memory, a voice called out.
“Lady Sheila?”
“Karl.”
He looked as though he was on his way to work.
“Good morning, Karl.”
“Good morning. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Perfectly well.”
When I said it with a smile, Karl’s face softened with visible relief.
“After we got home, Amelie cried a great deal. She knows it can’t be helped, but…”
Karl had been the one to tell me I should leave quickly, too. I had no desire to be dragged back by Leon.
“I’m leaving the capital today. I’m on my way to file my transfer now.”
“…Today already. Amelie will be lonely.”
“Karl, please take care of her for me.”
His eyes, when he thought of Amelie, were gentle.
He nodded firmly, and I felt, as I always did, that he would be all right.
“We’ll investigate the knights properly as well. Please, take care of yourself.”
“And you too.”
We shook hands and parted.
I wanted to see Amelie once more. After filing the transfer, I should have time, so I would stop by her home.
“Lady Sheila, you’re leaving so soon?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll miss you…”
Nina worked swiftly through the paperwork, but her expression was dark. It was embarrassing, and oddly moving, to realize how many people had come to care for me.
“Once things settle, please come back.”
When she handed me the transfer document, she looked up at me with tearful eyes.
A trace of guilt stirred, but it could not be helped. I was doing this to escape Leon, and that necessity outweighed sentiment.
Afterward, I went to Amelie’s home to say goodbye.
I hugged each of her children, played with them briefly, and tried to fix their faces in my heart. Nina had said, “once things settle,” but I did not know when I would be able to return.
“If I learn teleportation, do you think I could come visit you?”
“I’ve heard it’s difficult. I couldn’t do it. I never understood the principle.”
Asti used it as though it were nothing. Perhaps there was a trick to it.
At his family home, I might have time, and it could be pleasant to learn at a slower pace.
“I should go soon.”
“…Sheila.”
After saying goodbye to the children, I hugged Amelie.
“I want to see you again. And your baby, too.”
“Yes. I want to meet your third, Amelie.”
The days we had traveled together as quest partners rose behind my eyes, one after another.
“So… see you again.”
We parted, and I hurried toward my meeting place with Asti.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes. I’m counting on you.”
I took the hand he offered.
The spell activated with a soft sound, and the world lurched.
…Huh?
“This is my family home.”
…What?
“It’s a bit overgrown, but if you can tend it, I’d appreciate it.”
Had I not imagined a journey by carriage, taking days upon days?
“…Lady Sheila?”
It was nothing like I had pictured.
And yet, that was how my second life began.
