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Chapter 1
Silence settled over the Duke of Graham’s office, which currently stood without its owner.
Seated on a sofa placed to one side of the room, I kept my lips tightly shut as I waited for Duke Ains Graham to return.
Anxiety and unease wrapped around me. I had to meet him today—Ains Graham, the Duke of Graham. There was something I absolutely had to tell him.
Time had always felt slow to me, but never had it dragged on as painfully as it did today.
After waiting tensely for dozens of minutes—
Click.
The sound of the doorknob turning broke the long silence.
I had been staring down at my hands, but at that sound, I rose to my feet. The door soon opened, and a tall, well-built man entered.
It was Ains Graham.
“…You’re back.”
At my voice, he seemed to notice my presence belatedly and turned his head toward me.
“Why are you here?”
His voice was ice-cold. I flinched instinctively, shrinking my shoulders.
“I told you not to enter my office.”
He began walking toward me slowly. Step by step, his footsteps echoed through the room, and without realizing it, I took a half-step back.
After noticing my reaction, he stopped where he stood and frowned.
“So, what brings you here?”
There was still no emotion in his voice. I opened my mouth, then closed it again.
All the words I had prepared—rehearsed over and over while waiting for him—refused to come out easily.
But I had to say it today. I had to.
“I came because I have something to tell you.”
“Something to tell me?”
“…Please divorce me.”
At my sudden words, Ains froze.
“…What brought this on all of a sudden?”
“It’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it?”
Once I started speaking, the words I had long prepared began to flow.
“I’m tired now. Waiting for you to love me. You’ll never love me anyway, so this waiting was meaningless from the start.”
As I finished, something surged up from deep inside me, but I forced it down, holding my breath to suppress it.
“I’ll give you the divorce you want.”
When I finished, Ains looked at me with suspicion.
But he couldn’t deny it. Ever since our marriage, he had been the one who wanted a divorce.
I had refused his requests, hoping that perhaps—just maybe—he might come to love me. So it must seem strange that I was now the one asking for it.
But I could no longer wait for his love.
More than anything, I had a reason why I had no choice but to choose divorce.
“However, I have a condition.”
Ains let out a hollow laugh. It almost sounded like mockery.
“A condition? Don’t tell me you’re going to say something like ‘let’s do it in a few years.’”
I shook my head calmly at his sarcastic remark.
“No.”
“Then?”
“…I’d like a large alimony payment.”
“Alimony?”
At his incredulous tone, I nodded.
“Yes. This divorce is something you wanted from the beginning. If you think about it, you’re at fault. You’ve never fulfilled your duties as a husband.”
Even as I spoke, my heart pounded rapidly. My fingertips turned cold, and I had to swallow dryly.
What if he refuses to give me the money?
“How much do you want?”
“One million gold.”
It was a figure I had calculated countless times in my head.
“What? How much?”
Ains frowned deeply upon hearing the amount.
I knew it too. One million gold was not an easy sum to pay, even for him—the man who ran the Graham Merchant Guild, one of the empire’s top two.
But it wasn’t an entirely unrealistic amount either.
If he truly wanted to, he could manage it.
As if proving that point, Ains touched his lips and smirked.
“Did you think that if you asked for a million gold, I’d try to stop you?”
He seemed to think my demand for alimony was just a tactic to hold onto him.
But I truly needed the money.
“No. I really want a divorce. So if you prepare that amount, I’ll agree immediately.”
Ains stared at me for a long moment, his narrowed eyes sharp as if trying to discern whether I was telling the truth.
His gaze felt as though he were looking at a stranger, and my heart sank. Still, I had enough composure to meet his eyes without showing it.
That composure was something I had gained from knowing him for nearly ten years… Perhaps I should be grateful for that.
“Fine. I’ll have it ready by tomorrow.”
After a long silence, Ains nodded readily.
“We’ll handle the divorce papers once the payment is made, so…”
He trailed off awkwardly.
Wondering why, I looked at him, and he jerked his chin toward the door.
“I’d like you to leave my office now.”
“…”
It was a clear dismissal. I stood frozen for a moment before lowering my head. My tightly clasped hands had turned pale and were trembling faintly.
Only then did the last lingering illusion shatter completely.
Right… Ains had always been this kind of person.
Ten years ago, when I first arrived at this estate, I had fallen for his kindness and warmth, carrying feelings for him alone for seven years.
And for the three years of our marriage, I had only longed for his attention—but he never once looked back at me.
Not even once, in all that time.
To him, I was nothing more than a burden, someone he wished to cast out every day.
If not for his grandfather—the former Duke of Graham—I might have been driven out the moment Ains inherited the title.
And yet, I had believed that someday he would understand my feelings… and I had kept waiting for him to turn toward me.
And now, it had come to this.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you. I’ll be going now.”
I fled from his office as if escaping.
The door shut behind me with a thud, and only after I was completely separated from him did I lean against the wall and slowly collapse to the floor.
I had imagined this moment—parting with him—countless times. Each time, I thought I would be a mess, my face soaked with tears.
But surprisingly, no tears came.
Instead, all that filled me was self-doubt and emptiness.
“Milady, are you alright?”
As I sat there weakly, the head maid, Rachel, asked.
I lifted my gaze to her and nodded.
“I’m fine. Could you help me up?”
“…Yes, I’ll escort you to your room.”
“No, before that, I think I should visit Grandfather.”
“…Understood.”
Avoiding Rachel’s worried gaze, I accepted her support and stood. Then we headed toward the room of Damon Graham—the former Duke of Graham and Ains’s grandfather.
“Wouldn’t it be better to tell the master the truth?”
After walking for some time, Rachel spoke with difficulty.
I had seen her hesitate several times, opening and closing her mouth, so I knew how hard it was for her to say this.
“…No matter how cold he is, if he knew you were ill, wouldn’t he try to find medicine for you?”
I shook my head.
“No. You know how Ains sees me. Even if I told him the truth, he wouldn’t bat an eye.”
His cold gaze from earlier still lingered vividly in my mind.
Would he really change if he knew I was sick?
I had imagined it before—but no matter how many times I tried, the Ains in my imagination never changed.
If anything, I’d be lucky if he didn’t mock me.
And if I heard that mockery… I might truly lose the will to live.
“To him, I’m just a bothersome pebble. But to me… he’s my entire life.”
“…Then it’s better to end things like this. If I receive enough alimony, I can at least buy the medicine myself.”
“….”
Even Rachel could not argue anymore.
She had watched us for ten years as well—she knew I wasn’t wrong.
“I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn.”
Her voice was weak.
Still, I smiled at her, grateful for her concern.
“No, thank you for worrying about me. Ah—we’re here. Could you tell Grandfather I’ve arrived?”
“Yes.”
Rachel knocked lightly on the wooden door. A clear sound rang out three times.
“Cecil? Come in.”
Before she could speak, his voice came from inside.
Rachel smiled awkwardly and looked at me. I nodded.
The door opened, revealing the room. On the bed at the far left lay my grandfather.
“I’m here, Grandfather. Are you feeling alright today?”
As I approached, he extended his hand. I sat beside him and clasped it with both of mine.
“I’m always the same.”
“You need to stay healthy.”
He chuckled softly, as if even my small concern pleased him.
“So, you’ve come at an unusual time today. That must mean you have something to tell me.”
“…Yes.”
“What is it?”
His wrinkled eyes curved gently.
He was a kind, good man. That was why, ten years ago—after my parents died in an accident—he had taken in a fourteen-year-old girl like me.
He was my greatest benefactor.
That was why I wanted to tell him personally that I would be leaving this house.
“I’ve decided to divorce Ains tomorrow.”
“….”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to see you again, so I came to tell you.”
“So… it’s come to divorce after all.”
“Yes… I’m sorry.”
He held my hand tightly and shook his head.
“What do you have to be sorry for? If anything, I’m sorry for forcing this marriage on you and Ains. It must have hurt you greatly.”
“No. It was something I wanted too.”
I smiled to reassure him, but he looked at me with a bitter expression.
“I’m sorry that I’m too old to do anything for you now.”
He kept apologizing.
After comforting him for a while, I noticed a servant bringing in his snacks, so I stood up.
I had said my farewells to the person I was most grateful to.
Now… it was truly time to prepare to leave.
