Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

”Huff...”

Sevrin stepped out of the bathroom, a towel draped around his shoulders and his hair still damp. He walked to his bed and reached for the hair dryer. However, before he could turn it on, he noticed a new message notification on his phone. He frowned and picked it up.

[Aldric: My Lord, please call when you’re free.]

Sevrin stared at the message for a moment. Aldric knew better than to bother him at this hour unless something important had come up.

He tapped the call button and waited.

”...My Lord,” Aldric’s voice came through after two rings. ”I apologize for disturbing you at this hour.”

”It’s fine. What is the matter?”

”It would be better if we spoke in person, My Lord. I’ve discovered something important... related to him.”

Sevrin raised a brow. ”Him?”

”Yes. I would rather not say more over the phone.”

Sevrin paused, then nodded. ”Alright. Come to my room in ten minutes.”

”Understood.”

The call ended. Sevrin stared at the phone for a moment, then set it down and picked up the hair dryer. Whatever Aldric had found, it was enough to make him cautious. That alone was worth paying attention to.

Ten minutes later.

Sevrin sat on the sofa in the living area of his suite, a glass of wine in his hand. Aldric stood before him, posture straight, expression neutral as always.

”Speak,” Sevrin muttered, taking a sip.

Aldric reached into his coat and pulled out a small tablet. He tapped the screen twice and held it out for Sevrin to see.

”Please look at this, My Lord.”

The screen displayed two headlines. The first read: ”Bagdad’s Savior: The Mysterious Chef Who Turned the Tide.” The second read: ”Golden Ladle Champion: The Dark Horse of Bagdad.”

Sevrin frowned.

”Hmm?”

The face in the photo didn’t ring any bells at first. But as he kept looking, a strange sense of familiarity crept in. Something about the eyes, or the shape of the jaw, reminded him of someone he knew. Someone he hadn’t seen in a long time.

’He reminds me of...!’ His eyes widened, and he straightened on the sofa, nearly spilling his wine. He looked at Aldric, then back at the photo, then back at Aldric again.

”...Is this Soren?” he asked, his voice doubtful.

Aldric hesitated before replying. ”The person’s name is indeed Soren, My Lord. However... his surname is Everly.”

”Everly?” Sevrin frowned deeper. ”Is this his new surname?”

”...I’m not sure,” Aldric replied. ”As you ordered before, we withdrew surveillance on him after the wedding. Since he was expelled from the family, you said he was no longer our concern.”

Sevrin’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

”I tried contacting our people in Kalmira, but they couldn’t provide anything useful,” Aldric continued. ”And... I did some research on this person. He seems to be from Bagdad City since he represented it in the Golden Ladle Championship during the Empire’s annual Harvest Festival...” Aldric explained everything he had managed to uncover. And stopped at him winning the championship.

Sevrin listened in silence, his eyes narrowing.

”...An expert-level magic chef? And he won the championship?” He muttered the words slowly, as if tasting them. ”That doesn’t sound like the Soren I remember.”

Aldric nodded in agreement. ”...He was unawakened when I went to deliver the disownment notice. And even if he somehow awakened, it would be impossible for him to change this much in just three months, let alone become an Expert Magic Chef capable of defeating Senior Magic Chefs and winning the championship.”

”So... Are they different people then or not?” Sevran asked with growing irritation. ”Didn’t you investigate this guy’s background?”

”We tried to, but we couldn’t,” Aldric replied, taking on a solemn expression. ”His records are sealed. Someone with significant authority has restricted access to his information. Every time we tried to dig deeper, we hit a wall. The only thing we managed to confirm is that he is now seriously injured due to the incident and will take at least three months to recover.”

Aldric tapped the tablet and switched to another message posted by the Bagdad City’s personal channel.

”...Injured, huh?” Sevrin chuckled mockingly as he read the post. ”Since it’s the official channel that posted this, it must be true. And since he won the championship representing their city, it’s likely they’re the ones protecting his information.”

Aldric nodded in agreement. ”What should we do then, My Lord?”

Sevrin pondered for a moment, his fingers tapping against the armrest. ”While they seem like different people, we still need to be sure. Send more people to probe and investigate. Increase the watch on the academy as well. I want a record of everyone who enters and leaves, no exceptions. And send someone capable to Kalmira. I want a full report on his situation, dead or alive.”

”Understood, My Lord.” Aldric bowed slightly and, after a pause, added. ”Should I cancel the trip back home?”

Sevrin paused, then shook his head. ”No. Work is already piling up, and I can’t stay here any longer. But...” He glanced toward the other bedroom door. ”Just in case, Melina stays here.”

”Understood.” Aldric bowed once more. ”Then I will take my leave.”

Sevrin waved a hand dismissively and picked up his wine glass. However, he froze as if recalling something important. ”W-Wait!”

”Postpone sending people to Kalmira for now,” Sevrin said, his tone shifting. ”I’ll give you further instructions myself later.”

”Understood. I will await your orders.”

”Good. You may go.”

Aldric bowed and took his leave, gently closing the door behind him. Sevrin stared at the closed door for a long moment, his wine glass still in hand. Then he let out a slow breath and leaned back on the sofa.

He then put the glass down and picked up his phone again. After hesitating for a moment, he typed ’Lord Darius’ into the search bar. His finger hovered over the call button, trembling slightly. He pressed it before he could change his mind.

The line rang five times before connecting.

Sevrin immediately straightened in his seat and spoke with uncharacteristic respect. ”Lord Darius, I apologize for disturbing you at this hour. This is Sevrin, Sevrin Valmere.”

A brief pause followed on the other end before a friendly voice replied.

”Ah, Mr. Valmere. It’s been a while...”