Still, the man gave off an aura of hostility, as though a rage was simmering away underneath the surface. It was like he was suppressing his distaste at something that displeased him.
The hair on Byletta’s arms stood on end.
Be on your guard, her body was telling her. She’d get the same feeling when she had a troublesome customer at work or when her father-in-law harassed her with additional duties.
“I was told that this bedroom belonged only to me and my husband. Who else would dare to waltz in so boldly as I slept? But when did you get back?”
When Byletta had first married into House Swangan, she’d learned the history of the bedroom she’d been given. It had belonged to her husband’s mother, but since it was sandwiched between Arnald’s room and the room designated for Byletta, it had been turned into a shared bedroom for the two of them. All three rooms were connected, with the central room for sleeping.
“I only just arrived here.”
Despite that, her husband was wearing a simple shirt and slacks. It seemed strange to Byletta that he would be in civilian clothing rather than his uniform. Not to mention, for someone who had just returned from the front lines, he was awfully calm… Byletta decided to forgo mentioning that and instead attempted to placate him.
“Thank you for all your service these past few years. Please enjoy a nice rest.”
“It is certainly my intention to do so, but before that, I have something that I must discuss with you.”
He held up a letter. It was the notice of divorce that Byletta had sent to the southern front a month earlier. It had apparently found its destination, but she was far from relieved to discover this.
What did his actions mean? She had originally anticipated that they would be in agreement and a divorce would soon follow, but that wasn’t the impression she was getting now.
Byletta spoke deliberately and slowly, ignoring the cold sweat trickling down her back. “And what could that be at this hour?”
“Certainly nothing as outlandish as talk of divorce the second the war has ended.”
He was angry.
Furious, perhaps.
But his quiet voice was calm. It was so calm that it seemed almost upbeat, but somehow still had a bitter edge to it.
Byletta could have kicked herself. She’d never wanted to meet her husband. That’s why she had planned to leave him after only sending a letter. She’d never anticipated that the man himself would act to stop her—she’d always assumed that he would be more than happy to oblige.
It seemed that she had miscalculated. Now she would need to actually get to know her husband better to understand what was going on in his head.
“My apologies, dear husband. I only wished to reduce the burden on a man so busy he had to head to the front without even meeting his wife. I presume that you will remain busy with work now that you have returned, and I hope not to trouble you further.”
“You’re right. I do have a lot of work and very limited amounts of free time. Although I must admit, I was quite excited to receive a letter from my wife for the first time since I left for the battlefield. Imagine my shock to realize that it contained a request for divorce. I was quite nonplussed.”
Arnald spoke in a quiet tone that didn’t sound nonplussed at all. He paused for a moment, then forged ahead.
“Do you still wish to divorce me?”
“Yes…of course.”
“If your desire for a divorce was solely fueled by the fact that we had never met, then this discussion we’re having right now, face-to-face, renders that reason invalid. Is there another reason you do not wish to remain married?”
“I think being ignored for eight years is more than enough grounds for a divorce.”
“I see. But our homeland was at war. Many other couples found themselves in the same situation, did they not? How little you must appreciate a husband who went to battle to broach the subject of a divorce as soon as the conflict is over.”
Byletta was, of course, grateful for her husband’s sacrifices for the war effort, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder why she needed to be the one to comfort him. With his famous good looks, she was sure that many other women would gladly fill that role. Even in the dark of the bedroom, it was obvious that her husband was just as handsome as the rumors suggested. The numerous women who wished Byletta gone so they could marry him instead had ensured she was subjected to considerable envy and pointed gossip in polite society. Was it really so bad for her to want to leave the comforting to them—to the people who actually wanted to do it?
Why did it have to be her?
“And why would you need a wife you’ve never even seen?”
“It’s generally better for a man in my position to be married. Having my wife accompany me to military functions could help to diffuse needlessly volatile situations.”
Byletta breathed an internal sigh of relief. So that was what he wanted.
With a wife on his arm, it would likely make his work environment a little easier to deal with. But in that case, he should let someone who wanted to do that take up the task. It wasn’t Byletta’s job.
In fact, the very knowledge that she would be expected to play such a role had driven her to devise a way out of the situation before he could return. Since he has no interest in me, why wouldn’t he agree to a divorce and just marry someone else? she’d thought. But the reality she was now being confronted with was far different from what she had envisioned.
How could I be so careless…?
He was basically telling her that he didn’t want to sacrifice his time looking for a new wife.
Byletta hadn’t heard that he was so lazy.
“That said, it is true that I never sent you any letters. Nor did I ever come and see you at any point during the past eight years. That’s why I cannot simply reject your divorce proposal out of hand. So why don’t we make a wager?”
Byletta knew that he was being snide about the divorce letter, but this new suggestion seemed totally outlandish.