Chapter 297: (Gossip) Pumilla’s Fiancé and His Store 6

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I headed to the guard station to ask what happened to my wife. They had apparently thrown my wife into jail, and once the paralysis came off, she had started to raise hell, bitching around and all that.

I was told that she wouldn’t be released until she calmed down and that her punishment would follow afterwards. The punishment allowed for her to be bought free for a fine if someone were to guarantee her identity, but she’d never be allowed to enter the capital again and she’d always be carefully examined at the gate whenever entering another town.

I thought that it was quite a heavy punishment, but many nobles were visiting the capital, so it was only natural for the guards to crack down on commoners.

…To be honest, I wanted the officials to get rid of her as a crime slave without having to pay the fine. The fine covered most of the reparation money both of our stores had prepared as an apology. I wondered whether I should really use that money for a woman like her, but Baroque’s sarcastic line still lingered in my ears.

――Your beloved wife whom you chose while even going as far as discarding Pumilla.

Not a single day passed without me regretting the choice I made back then, but even so, if I abandoned my wife here, I would stop knowing why I’ve put up with all those hardships until now.

With feelings of pure bitterness I paid the fine and waited for my wife to calm down and come out.

Seven days later she was finally released. Just when they thought she’d become docile, she’d start to kick up a fuss again. Apparently that repetition delayed her release. However, that seemed to be a fairly common story.

“This fatty here seems to be so lively that it’s actually astonishing,” a guard said with a fed-up voice, and tossed Pid out of the station.

My wife was filthy and ugly. It caused me to reflexively draw back from her.

“Leave the capital at once. If there’s no record of you having left the city through the gate after a few hours, we’ll give you the genuine criminal slave course the next time we catch you. The same fate will await all those sheltering you.”

All blood left my face when I heard that frosty warning. I grabbed my wife’s arm in panic, and hurried to the coach station.

“…Wait a sec! Why didn’t you come to save me right away!? Beat up all those shitheads who trash talked me! Your wife was treated terribly, you know!? Beat up the woman from that store as well! You’re my husband, aren’t you!?”

Ignoring my screaming wife, I dragged her along to the coach station. Once we arrived there, I found the coach heading to our town and threw my wife in front of it.

“…What are you doing!?”

I explained it in a simple way while getting pissed off by my wife who hadn’t even thanked me for paying her fine.

“Get on that coach and leave this city right away. If you don’t, you’ll end up as a criminal slave once they catch you again.”

My wife scowled at me.

I glared back, thrust my finger at her and thundered, “Listen, because you caused a scene and got arrested, I had to use up all the consolation money for Benjamin, which your and my families prepared, to pay your fine! …And even though I’m telling you all that, you probably won’t spare a single thanks anyway. I’ve got no money to spend on you anymore! Either way, there won’t be a next time! If they arrest you one more time, you’ll become a slave. Then you’ll spend your days tolling like a horse while being whipped by people who laugh at you. …If you get it, get on that coach and go back home!”

While still glaring at me, my wife shouted, “…Seriously, marrying you was the worst mistake in my life! You’re terrible!”

After blurting out that parting insult, she climbed onto the coach. I glared at her back while hissing, “…That’s my line!”

You’re terrible!

＊

My wife will probably go straight back to her family. Even if she returns to my store, my parents likely won’t let her into the house, and even before any of that, it’s questionable whether she’ll be able to enter the town now that she’s become a criminal.

The one coming back would be my wife alone, and on top of that as a criminal; there’s no way the townsfolk would allow her into the town. In such a case, she should go back to her family.

That settles our divorce.

My wife’s family should have understood that this marriage was a mistake, and they’ll likely stop my wife with sheer force from trying to go back to my store ever again. After all, I’m going to marry Pumilla. The graceful Pumilla who has become such a beauty.

＊

――Oh right, I’ll leave my family’s store to my father while I’ll work at Benjamin’s store together with Pumilla.

It’ll be aggravating to work under Benjamin, but I’ll endure if he gives me the authority of a deputy shopkeeper. And as atonement for him having slandered my store, I’ll just get Benjamin to work hard in order to rebuild my store to its former glory.

I went back to my inn and wrote a letter. It said, 『I broke up with my wife and want to start over with you. If you wish, I will also work at that store』.

――――――I got no reply.

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