Chapter 84
Divorce (10)
“W-What do you mean…?”
When I said that I found her “irritating,” Daphne looked quite flustered.
“You clearly said that you would help me get divorced…”
“That’s right. I’ll make sure you and my father divorce, and then I’ll bring you and Meursault together. I have no intention of breaking that promise.”
“But didn’t you just say that you found us… i-irritating?”
“That’s also true. What I mean is that the two of you shouldn’t just sit around quietly waiting for a happy ending. You asked whether I really had to go this far…”
I deliberately continued with a mocking smile.
“If I hadn’t gone this far, the two of you would have remained stuck in place forever. Just like how you were pushed into marrying my father. And just like how Meursault merely stood by and watched you marry another man.”
Daphne quickly realized what I was trying to say, and her face soon turned red with embarrassment.
Until now, I had thought of them as nothing more than NPCs, so I had never found it irritating that they had left their divorce entirely in my hands.
After all, players were supposed to complete the quests given to them by NPCs.
But Luna Moon had been my mother.
And once I began thinking that Safe Zone was a game recreating everything my mother had seen and heard, these people started to look different.
I was slowly beginning to think of them as living human beings.
That meant both Daphne and Meursault deserved to feel ashamed.
Perhaps it was because of their passivity that my mother had died inside this game.
I stared at Daphne for a moment before speaking.
“The fortunate part is that at least one of you has taken a step forward. I think you already know this, but Meursault isn’t the sort of man who would do something like that just because I ordered him to.”
That much was true.
Meursault had initially protested that it was madness, but after realizing his own “irritating” behavior, he had prepared the proposal entirely on his own.
I had not expected him to set up something like a candle heart after being left to his own devices, but…
At the very least, I had never ordered him to kneel in the rain.
Daphne no longer looked at me resentfully.
“You seem to understand now, so I’ll ask again. What should I do? Shall I send Meursault away?”
“……”
Instead of answering, Daphne rose from her seat and walked outside.
Rather than follow her, I leaned against the window and looked down.
***
“Meursault…”
At first, Meursault thought he had misheard.
He had never imagined that the noblewoman he admired would step out into the rain without an umbrella, stand before him, and call his name.
He had remained there only because he believed it was something he had to do.
He had never genuinely expected Daphne to come out in response to his proposal.
“L-Lady Daphne…!”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Naturally, the first words out of Daphne’s mouth were not an acceptance.
“No matter how much Haydam wanted this… you should have followed the proper order.”
“The proper order…”
Meursault rose and held his palm above Daphne’s head to shield her from the rain.
It did not actually prevent her from getting wet since they were still standing in the rain, but he simply wanted to do it.
“Is there really any need to follow the proper order?”
“What?”
“Do I have to wait until after the divorce to propose? Couldn’t I propose first and then have you divorce afterward?”
“What kind of…”
Perhaps she had expected a sensible answer from Meursault, because Daphne stood there blankly for a moment before frowning.
“Why are even you acting like this, Meursault? Don’t say something so insane!”
“I said the same thing at first. But I was told that marriage is inherently an act of insanity.”
“No…!”
“So, forgive me, Daphne.”
Meursault held out the ring he had been carrying in his other hand.
“Would you be willing to join me in this madness?”
“…You aren’t seriously calling that a proposal, are you?”
“Wouldn’t the surname Pendleton sound cuter than Goodman?”
“That may be the worst proposal I’ve ever heard…”
“My apologies.”
“What gives you the confidence to propose so shamelessly? Did Haydam tell you that I would accept if you proposed?”
“But Lady Daphne, you walked all the way through this rain and came to stand before me.”
Meursault smiled faintly.
“Seeing you here makes me think that perhaps madness isn’t entirely unpleasant. What about you, Lady Daphne? As you walked here, didn’t you feel at least a little anticipation?”
“……”
Daphne simply stared at him without answering.
Meursault flinched and his face reddened.
“Ah, o-of course, since it’s raining, you may have merely felt damp and uncomfortable—”
“Do you know something, Meursault?”
“W-What is it, Lady Daphne?”
“It isn’t raining behind you.”
“…Pardon?”
Only then did Meursault look behind himself and freeze in shock.
The sky behind him was completely clear.
If he had taken even a single step backward—or simply turned around once—he would not have needed to spend dozens of minutes standing in the rain.
Meursault muttered in a hollow voice,
“The recent abnormal weather must have caused this phenom—urk?!”
He failed to finish his sentence when Daphne suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him.
“L-Lady Daphne! What if people see us…?!”
“That’s a strange thing to say for a man who proposed in front of everyone.”
“That is true, but…”
Daphne watched the flustered Meursault from close enough that the tips of their noses nearly touched.
His ears had turned bright red.
She muttered,
“Right. This is why you were my favorite.”
“…Pardon?”
Daphne released him and began straightening her wet hair.
“I need to go see Hayden now, so you should return as well.”
“Ah… then…”
Believing her words to be a rejection, Meursault was about to lower his head.
Daphne continued.
“I don’t agree that Pendleton sounds cuter, but I can’t keep using the same surname as Hayden, so Pendleton will have to do.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m going to get divorced. No matter how it turns out.”
“D-Does that mean you’re accepting my proposal…?!”
Meursault’s expression brightened for a moment, but then he abruptly realized something and asked anxiously,
“You aren’t saying that you’re going to ask His Excellency for a divorce right now, are you? I actually abandoned my post without permission, so—”
“I never said I’d be the one facing the consequences.”
“W-Wait, Lady Daphne!”
As he watched Daphne sprint toward the Commander’s residence with surprisingly stable form, Meursault thought that today might become the anniversary of his death.
Although the story had suddenly turned into a romance fantasy, the Commander surprisingly agreed to the divorce without hesitation when Daphne demanded it.
He did, however, hold Meursault responsible for leaving his post without permission.
‘Was Daphne’s heart really the only thing that mattered to him?’
In the end, the divorce would have been easy if Daphne had asked for it first.
The reason Daphne had been so afraid of divorce was that she believed losing her power would also mean losing Meursault’s affection.
She had thought Meursault wanted her status and background.
‘Considering he always said his dream was to marry the noblest woman in the zone, it makes sense that she would think that.’
But Meursault had proposed outside Daphne’s mansion despite knowing that the status he had painstakingly built could collapse.
He had done so even though it could incur Commander Hayden’s wrath.
That was what moved Daphne’s heart.
Of course, the candle-heart event was atrocious enough to extinguish even a thousand years of love…
But the rain happened to arrive at the perfect moment and put out every candle, making the whole scene look even more pitiful.
Perhaps seeing the normally cautious Meursault make such an irrational decision without even thinking to escape the rain was enough for Daphne to feel his sincerity.
‘In any case, I’ve probably angered the Commander with this incident, so I should behave myself for a while.’
With that thought, I reached for the handle of the Commander’s office door, intending to cheer him up as usual.
“Never imagined Daphne had feelings for you too.”
The Commander’s languid voice drifted from inside.
“How many children do you plan to have?”
‘Huh?’
My hand slowly slipped away from the doorknob.
Meursault’s voice came from inside, sounding just as bewildered as I felt.
“Pardon? C-Children…?”
“You don’t intend to have none, do you? A child who resembles both you and Daphne would undoubtedly be exceptional.”
‘Is he seriously…’
Was he asking Meursault how many children he planned to have with the wife who had just divorced him?
“W-We haven’t even held an official wedding ceremony yet. N-No, more importantly, children aren’t something I can decide on my own. Of course, any child of Lady Daphne’s would undoubtedly be exceptional in every respect, but…!”
Meursault appeared to be rambling in his confusion.
‘Is this some kind of harassment?’
But the Commander was not the sort of man to remain bitter once he had made the decision to divorce.
His calm voice continued.
“Of course, it’s something you should decide after discussing it with Daphne. But surely you have an ideal number of children in mind.”
“U-Umm…”
Meursault seemed to think for a moment before answering cautiously.
“I… think perhaps one child.”
“One? That’s unexpected. I thought you liked children.”
“Me?”
“You get along well with Haydam.”
“Ah… By that standard, I don’t think I like children very much.”
‘Excuse me?’
The Commander’s low laughter came from inside, followed by another question.
“One child, then. Would you prefer a son or a daughter?”
‘Now that I listen to it, this almost sounds like an older relative asking awkward questions during a holiday…’
There was nothing malicious in the Commander’s voice, only genuine curiosity.
Meursault seemed to relax as well, and his answers came more quickly.
“I would like a daughter who resembles Lady Daphne.”
“Good. An excellent answer.”
I had no idea why the Commander was so pleased, but he spoke with obvious satisfaction.
“You’ve made a promise, Meursault.”
“A promise?”
Meursault asked in confusion.
“My apologies, but… what promise are you referring to?”
“That once you’re married, you’ll have only one daughter who resembles Daphne.”
Unlike before, the Commander’s voice turned cold.
“I will not permit any more than that.”
‘So that’s why he kept asking so persistently about children…’
It seemed he was worried that Daphne and Meursault’s future children might threaten my position.
It was a perfectly understandable warning for a commander to give, but…
‘Hearing it directly doesn’t feel very pleasant.’
Despite the discomfort I felt, Meursault showed no particular displeasure and answered calmly.
“I understand what you mean. You need not worry. I have already pledged my loyalty to you, and I intend to remain loyal to Lord Haydam as well.”
‘Meursault…’
He might be a madman who ultimately married his superior’s wife, but he really was loyal.
I thought the conversation would end on that heartwarming note, but then an unexpected subject left the Commander’s mouth.
“Come to think of it, I heard you promised to find Haydam a partner.”
“You knew about that?”
Of all things, that story had reached the Commander’s ears.
“With your permission, I would like to find Lord Haydam a suitable marriage candidate.”
“I trust that you will find a child worthy of Haydam. Of course…”
The Commander continued in a warm voice.
“I would also welcome a child of yours and Daphne’s. Your child would hardly be a stranger to me.”
“Your Excellency…”
‘…Wait. What?’
Why was the conversation going in that direction?
‘Absolutely not!’
If I did not stop them now, I would become the protagonist of Your Girlfriend Hasn’t Been Born Yet.
I was about to fling open the office door despite revealing that I had been eavesdropping when—
“Absolutely not.”
Meursault’s firm voice struck like lightning.
“…What did you say?”
“Why would I give my daughter to a cold-blooded man like Lord Haydam? Why should I?”
…This bastard Meursault?