The Son-In-Law Of A Prestigious Household Wants A Divorce-Chapter 3: Helmonts Family Head

Mornings at Helmont started early.

Everyone woke up at dawn to do their morning exercises, either in the training ground, the garden, or even the roads.

After their exercises were over, the family breakfast started.

It was the only time of the day when the entire family gathered together.

The family head, Arandel Helmont, considered this an extremely important time.

“...”

Today’s breakfast was like any other day.

Four sons, one daughter, all took their seats.

As they sat down, an empty seat caught their attention.

The eldest daughter’s seat.

“Where’s Rianna?”

The moment the eldest son—Lohengrin—asked that, mockery poured out of everyone’s mouth, as if they had been waiting for this very moment.

“She didn’t participate in morning training either.”

“Hahaha, is she finally trying to be a good wife now? To the point that she’s skipping meals?”

“Last night must’ve been quite passionate if she isn’t even coming to breakfast.”

“For someone who looks so frail, Isaac must’ve put in some effort, hm?”

“...”

Everyone—except for Alois—were mocking Rianna and Isaac. But at that moment...

“The family head has arrived.”

The servant’s words fell, followed by silence.

A large man entered the dining room.

There was tension in his eyes, as if he was walking into a battlefield.

His red mane-like hair and beard flowed. He sat at the head of the table, his heavy steps echoed. This man was none other than Arandel Helmont.

Seeing the seat of his elder daughter empty, a frown appeared in Arandel’s face.

“Where’s Rianna?”

“She hasn’t come out. She didn’t participate in morning training either.”

Hearing Lohengrin’s quick response, his brows twitched.

One could see this as a mere breakfast, and attending it could be seen as a light rule, but it was still a rule that the family head had set up.

Creak!

At that moment, the door opened again. Rianna Helmont entered.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

She bowed her head before taking her seat.

The servants quickly served their food, but everyone sat still in the same posture, waiting for the family head to pick up his utensils.

But he didn’t, and instead, he asked his eldest daughter.

“Why are you late?”

It wasn’t a rebuke.

The eldest daughter he knew wouldn’t create such an easy flaw to be picked at.

He believed that there must be a reason behind it.

Rianna—dark circles decorating her eyes, courtesy of lack of night sleep—unusually hesitated before answering.

She knew that once she said it, that was it, there would be no turning back anymore.

But it was a fact that even after she stayed up all night worrying, she still couldn’t see a way to resolve this situation.

“Isaac...”

So, she closed her eyes tightly, letting her words out with a bitter tone.

“Is asking for a divorce.”

*   *   *“Huh? Wow, this is no joke.”

Breakfast time at Helmont.

Although Isaac bore the Helmont name, he wasn’t allowed to attend the family’s breakfast.

The family head had judged him as incompetent.

As a result, he often ate breakfast alone.

“Haha, crazy, this is amazing!”

Currently, he was eating in front of the kitchen, his cheeks puffed up with food.

As he stuffed the seasoned shrimps directly into his mouth, he let out his sincere praises.

“So tasty...!”

While he was doing that, the cooks—who were on a short break as their masters were still eating—were watching him intently.

“You know...”

He said, waving the shrimp he was holding.

“I didn’t miss anything in this place except for one thing. The food. Nothing beats the food in this place!”

“Missed? But you ate here yesterday too.”

The one who replied to him was Milly, a woman of the same age as him with striking tanned skin.

Though she was the youngest in the kitchen, her skills were no joke.

Due to them being of similar age, she and Isaac constantly chatted with each other.

“Ah, I misspoke. I meant, I’ll miss the food here.”

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Isaac brushed his words off as a mistake and started eating other foods.

In his eyes, having meat for breakfast was a luxury.

Although for Helmont, a knight family that was known for their swordsmanship, meat wasn’t something that they could leave out in their meals.

“Seriously, this is so tasty.”

“I grilled that one.”

“As expected of you, Milly.”

“You know, yesterday, you just ate quietly and left, but today, you’re eating so heartily. It feels like you’ve become a different person.”

“No, I just realized how precious these foods are. They’re right, you’d only realize how precious something is when you lose them.”

“That aside, what do you mean you’re going to miss the food? Are you going somewhere? Come to think of it, I did hear something about the Malidean Wall...”

“I’m getting divorced.”

“What?!”

Not just Milly, even the cooks who were watching him eat heartily were shocked.

“I said, I’m getting divorced. You know how they’re treating me here, Milly.”

“That’s...”

“The fact that they aren’t even letting me join the family’s breakfast meant that they don’t recognize me as family.”

No one there could deny it.

In fact, he had been treated worse than even the servants—all actions against him were justified under the guise of ‘being a family’.

‘Because we are family.’

For the past four years, those words had choked him countless times.

And all the people here had seen that happen firsthand.

“Ahem.”

A plump man approached Isaac, wiping his hands with a wet towel.

The head chef.

His thick hands were politely folded.

“For tonight’s dinner...is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“Are you trying to comfort me right now, Head Chef?”

“A-Ahem.”

Hearing that, the awkward head chef just tried to avoid eye contact.

“I didn’t know you had this side to you, Head Chef. Anyway, I’d love to eat my fill of meat. It’ll be hard to get them once I leave this place, after all.”

“I’ll do the best I can, Sir Isaac Helmont.”

“Honestly, I was thinking of leaving today if possible, but I guess I should at least eat dinner before I go.”

Isaac stood up, politely offering a handshake to the head chef.

“Even after years pass, I won’t be able to forget these meals.”

He wasn’t exaggerating.

“It’ll be the only reason I’ll ever miss Helmont.”

Because he really hadn’t forgotten it in his previous life.

However, the head chef and other cooks didn’t know this. His words touched them, and they struggled to hold back their emotions.

“I-It was, a-ahem! An honor to serve you.”

As the head chef took Isaac’s hand, comfort and encouragement from the cook burst forth.

“Man, you look even more handsome than before!”

“We didn’t know you thought of our cooking that way!”

“Congratulations on becoming a bachelor again!”

“Don’t worry, with that kind of face, you’ll find another good woman quickly!”

“Hahaha, you people...”

Wiping his nose, Isaac felt a strange sense of emotion.

In his previous life, except for Milly, he didn’t even have the courage to talk to these people.

Seeing how the people he hadn’t paid attention to the first time he ran away cheering him on like this made him puff his chest in pride.

Clang!

If only Rianna didn’t open the door and entered the place, this flow of emotions would have continued.

The moment they saw her, the cooks’ eyes widened.

As the atmosphere suddenly turned cold—as if someone had thrown water on it—Rianna approached Isaac.

“Father is calling for you.”

“Oh? That’s quick.”

She had delivered the message. Normally, she’d just leave, but this time, she stood there.

Her presence was like a thorn stuck in the cooks’ throat, making it hard to breathe.

The enveloping silence only added to the pressure she exuded.

“What about you? You’re coming too, right? There’s no way he’d want to speak with me alone.”

“Ah, yes, I’ll accompany you.”

“Then, let’s hurry. We don’t want to make the family head wait for long, do we?”

“You can finish your meal first. I’ll wait.”

For Rianna to wait for Isaac to finish his meal...

This was something unimaginable, but everyone there didn’t have the time to even be shocked by this.

“...”

Because Rianna was staring at them with her arms crossed.

‘She heard us.’

‘Definitely. A hundred percent.’

‘Ah, I shouldn’t have said anything.’

‘Mother, I’m sorry. Your son’s life is coming to an end.’

‘What did I say earlier?’

All sorts of worries swirled in the cooks’ heads.

This was when they found out that the great Helmont’s physique included good hearing. She had clearly heard them talking from outside.

“...”

If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be glaring at them so ominously.

“No need. I’m already full.”

But that torture didn’t last long.

Because Isaac left his plate and started walking.

“...Alright.”

Although Rianna looked dissatisfied, she just followed Isaac outside without making any fuss.

Before the door closed, Isaac gave a thumbs up behind his back, telling the cooks not to worry.

Thud!

And so, the door was closed.

Looking at Isaac’s plate, who had eaten so heartily, yet left some food for them, the head chef clenched his fist.

“Tonight, we’re going to prepare a luxurious dinner for him!!”

“Understood!”

Among the cooks, who were moving busily...

Only Milly watched the door Isaac had left through with concern.

*   *   *The family head’s office.

Located on the highest floor of the Helmont Mansion, this place smelled strongly of iron despite it being filled with so many books.

Helmont’s family head, Arandel, with his arms resting on a massive wooden desk—fitting his size—was staring at Isaac.

Although, Isaac personally thought that his father-in-law was the least suited person in the world to sit in such a neat desk and chair.

“It’s been a while, Father-in-law.”

They lived in the same mansion, but it had indeed been a very long time since Isaac had been at the end of Arandel’s gaze.

“I heard...you want a divorce.”

Not even bothering with pleasantries, he got straight to the point.

To that, Isaac nodded slightly.

“Yes, I do.”

“Denied.”

That was an answer Isaac had already expected.

“I think you might have a slight misunderstanding, Father-in-law.”

Placing a hand on his chest, Isaac gently corrected the misunderstanding.

“I’m not asking for your permission.”

In contrast to his well-mannered gesture, the words that came out of his mouth irritated Arandel.

“This matter is already decided. Our marital relationship isn’t harmonious. It would be beneficial for both of us to find new partners.”

“...”

“Fortunately—though you might think otherwise—we married young. Even if we’re getting a divorce now, it won’t be too late for her to find a new spouse.”

“...”

“I know how uncomfortable you were when you first accepted me, a commoner, as your son-in-law. And now, I realize that you weren’t wrong. Just think of this as me finally knowing my place.”

Isaac didn’t mind belittling himself like that.

If that was what it would take for him to leave this place, then it wouldn’t matter.

Arandel turned his gaze to Rianna.

His gaze, seemingly questioning what she had in mind about this. Rianna answered in a small voice.

“I’ll follow Isaac’s decision.”

“Haa.”

A short sigh.

There was a hint of sorrow in his gaze as he stared at his daughter.

Now, there should be no reason for him to deny the divorce.

Or so Isaac thought.

“Denied.”

Arandel gave the same answer.

“The Sword Dance Festival is coming up.”

The Sword Dance Festival. A traditional event, a celebration of Helmont.

It was a massive event attended not only by nearby villagers, but also nobles and royalties that had close ties with Helmont.

“This year’s Sword Dance Festival is a special occasion, as it would also serve as a place where Helmont’s successor will be announced. There would be more people than usual visiting Helmont.”

Of course, those people wouldn’t just come to celebrate the occasion. Rather, most of them came to see the capabilities of Helmont’s successor.

In other words, it was an opportunity for Helmont to show off.

To show off their confidence and pride to the world.

“If I accept your divorce, it would become the talk of the festival.”

In other words, Helmont would become a laughingstock.

Not a problem for me.

But, Isaac didn’t think it was a big deal.

After all, the one who’d become a laughingstock wasn’t him, but them.

“So, I can have the divorce after the Sword Dance Festival is over?”

“Yes. After that, if both of you still wish the same, you can do as you please.”

This basically meant that the family head had agreed to the divorce. But, the problem here was, Isaac wanted to leave the mansion tomorrow.

“I’m sorry, but I wish for a divorce right away. So, I’ll make a different proposal.”

“You wish to negotiate with me?”

‘Negotiations should be between equals.’

That question was filled with such a meaning, prompting Isaac to let out a smile.

“From what I heard, due to the demonic beasts attacks’ frequency that has been increasing, the Malidean Wall has requested support from various influential nobles of the kingdom.”

“...”

“Isaac?”

Resting his chin on the armrest, Arandel looked at him with interest.

Meanwhile, Rianna called from behind. Her tone was in clear disbelief.

He ignored her and continued.

“I’ll go. Since I also bear the Helmont name, if I go, you could proclaim with ease that Helmont has lent them a hand.”

In reality, he was just a nobody who couldn’t even swing a sword.

But, since he bore the Helmont name, his going meant that Helmont had faithfully fulfilled their duty to this support request.

“You wish for the direct lines to stay here and prepare for the Sword Dance Festival, don’t you?”

The Sword Dance Festival, where numerous noble guests would attend.

There, Helmont’s children would have the chance to showcase their overwhelming martial prowess.

“If you dispatch any of the direct lines, they’d be covered in demonic beast’s blood on the frontlines instead. So, I can go on behalf of them.”

Isaac wasn’t asking for anything grand.

He just wanted to leave this house.

But he didn’t want to wait until the Sword Dance Festival was over.

Hence, until that time came, he decided that he’d take on this troublesome dispatch instead.

“Hm.”

A smile formed on Isaac’s lips.

A sly smile, a knowing smile. He knew what answer would come out of Arandel’s mouth.

I didn’t know he had this side to him.

Inwardly, Arandel acknowledged that his son-in-law had much more backbone than he had expected.

“Very well.”

And so, he nodded, permitting Isaac to leave Helmont.