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Chapter 34
In truth, Lady Aurelian was exactly the sort of person who would make such a decisive choice without raising her voice even once.
With a guilty conscience, the Emperor desperately poured out excuses to justify himself.
“Th-there’s no emperor in the world who keeps only one empress! The late Emperor filled ten palaces with concubines—!”
“So?”
Naturally, such excuses did not work on Lady Aurelian at all. Just because others did wrong did not make his wrongdoing justifiable.
When his attempt at self-justification failed, the Emperor began shifting the blame.
“It’s b-because you’ve never been affectionate and always looked down on me! Do you really think there’s anyone in this world who likes a fierce woman like you?”
That, too, was nonsense better left unsaid.
And who do you think made you Emperor in the first place?
With a blank expression, Lady Aurelian looked at the man she had loved enough to follow from her kingdom to the Empire.
The fourth prince, far removed from the throne. A man with weak maternal relatives and no real power—she had chosen him as her husband simply because she liked him.
“Let’s live happily together, just the two of us.”
He had said that, offering her a modest bouquet of wildflowers mixed with wood sorrel, and that confession had stirred her heart.
That very man was now holding another woman in his arms and, instead, blaming her.
So the heart that said it loved me can change this easily.
The man who once said he liked her because she was strong, confident, and seemed able to protect him now snarled that there was no one who liked such a woman.
At least he seems to know he’s in the wrong.
The sight of the man trembling before her was almost cute. After all, she had decided to marry him because even such a pathetic side of him had seemed lovable.
But that did not mean his actions were forgivable.
—Bang!
Lady Aurelian ruthlessly kicked aside the chair blocking her path. As it rolled away like a clump of dust, the Emperor clutched his chest as if an angina attack had struck him.
“H-huhhk!!”
“You betray me, I tell you to explain yourself, and now you’re blaming me?”
“P-please, forgive me….”
Frightened that he might be beaten, the Emperor dropped to his knees at once. What fell upon him then was an unexpected declaration.
“Divorce me.”
“What did you say?”
Lady Aurelian slid the sword she had drawn back into its sheath at her side and said,
“A petty man like you—I don’t want you either. I’m asking for a divorce.”
The Emperor, who had never imagined such words, asked in a trembling voice,
“A-are you out of your mind? You’re the Empress. You’re going to abandon that position?”
“I will abandon it and return to my homeland. I feel sorry for the children, but I won’t do what you’re afraid of—so sign the papers and put your mind at ease.”
“Th-that’s… I mean….”
Lady Aurelian knew better than anyone what the Emperor was worried about.
The reason he, once an insignificant prince, had become Emperor was because during the civil war that erupted after the late Emperor’s death, Lady Aurelian had stood on the battlefield more bravely than any man.
The people deeply adored her valiant figure. If she were to divorce the Emperor and leave—
And what if she then declared that she would place one of her children on the throne?
“I won’t do anything like that, and I won’t return to the Empire from my homeland either, so stop overthinking it.”
“H-hk!”
Having his thoughts completely read, the Emperor stiffened, his shoulders tensing.
Lady Aurelian looked down at him with pity. Realizing that she truly intended to divorce him and leave, the Emperor reached out to her without thinking.
“Stay by my side.”
“What a shameless man.”
He wanted to cheat, to keep pretty women as lovers, yet still wanted to lean on his lawful wife?
Faced with such shallow selfishness—wanting only what benefited him—she let out a bitter laugh and reached for her sword again.
“If you don’t stamp the divorce papers, I’ll smash everything and walk out. So sign it quietly.”
“Alright! I said alright!”
Knowing that when Aurelian said she would break things, she truly would, the Emperor shrieked.
Thus, the divorce was finalized smoothly enough—but Lady Aurelian’s heart was not completely settled.
What a wretched man. You’re the one who changed, not me.
Affection for her inadequate husband still lingered in her heart.
You’re the one who betrayed me. I am proud of myself.
And as a symbol of that pride, she had brought with her that single agave plant.
As I fidgeted, not knowing what to do, the old lady lord spoke in a firm tone.
“Riena, you should leave.”
“Pardon?”
Startled, I widened my eyes. The old lady repeated herself, her voice unwavering.
“I’ll handle things here. You leave. The same goes for Kamin and Susan. Don’t get dragged into this—go, now.”
“I can’t do that. This is my problem.”
I was grateful for her consideration, but I couldn’t let her suffer harm because of me.
Still, she remained resolute.
“He broke my agave. That makes it my problem now, not yours. I cannot forgive Duke Pond.”
“B-but—”
As I hesitated, unable to decide either way, Kamin pulled me back.
“For now, step back, Riena.”
No sooner had I taken a step back with him than the old lady strode back into the castle.
Watching her retreating figure, panic seized me and I grabbed Kamin’s sleeve.
We can’t let Grandma face Duke Pond alone!
She’s still an elderly lady!
It wasn’t disrespect—it was genuine worry.
Kamin held my shoulders firmly with both hands.
“Calm down, Riena.”
“How am I supposed to calm down?!”
Too many things had come crashing down at once for me to stay composed. Kamin spoke gently.
“You might not believe it, but Grandma is terrifyingly strong. In a case like this, it’s hard to say who’s actually in danger. So you don’t need to worry too much.”
“That’s ridiculous—”
Kamin said she was strong, and honestly, she had looked incredibly formidable earlier, but I still couldn’t quite believe it.
Then Susan nodded vigorously in agreement.
“My brother’s right, sister-in-law. When our grandma was young, she broke swords with her bare hands.”
“…What?”
Is she even human?
—It’s true, Master. Back in the day, whenever Aurelian went on a rampage, everyone scrambled to hide under desks. A walking natural disaster, you could say. Of course, she still couldn’t compare to me.
Louis even confirmed it.
She really was insanely strong.
I’d thought she wasn’t ordinary, but that past was hard to imagine from her current gentle, elegant 모습.
Even so, I can’t just leave Grandma to handle this alone.
I gripped Louis tightly. Whenever I needed courage, I always needed Louis.
“Even if that’s true, I can’t leave it to Grandma. The one who broke her agave is my father, and he’s come to capture me.”
“That rude soldier earlier—was he from your family?” Susan asked carefully.
She might have guessed from hearing my scuffle with the soldier earlier, but I calmly explained the situation.
After hearing why I had left home, Susan became visibly agitated.
“You were thrown out because your engagement was broken? They erased your name from the family entirely?”
“My nanny took pity on me and brought me to her hometown, which was Fostin. Since I received no support at all, I dug up and sold sweet potatoes here to earn money.”
“Then why would a father who cast you out so heartlessly come back now with soldiers to take you?”
It was a perfectly reasonable question.
I let out a deep sigh before answering.
“My former fiancé apparently wants to marry me again, now.”
“What?”
Susan blinked, then let out a hollow laugh.
“Wow, that’s so ridiculous it makes me laugh. Sister-in-law, you should go back right now and slap the mouth that said that—your father’s and that fiancé’s!”
Ah… I’d love to, but neither my father nor my former fiancé are ordinary people.
I can’t burden these people any more than I already have.
If there’s to be a final confrontation, it has to be me. It’s my problem!
With Louis-Louis by my side, I can win.
Even as I steeled my resolve, part of my heart still crumbled.
This is just too cruel. A man who calls himself my father….
When I only managed an awkward smile instead of answering, Susan narrowed her eyes.
“Don’t tell me you still have lingering feelings? That you’re thinking of pushing my brother away and going back…?”
Oh no, that would be disastrous!
“That’s all in the past! I have no feelings for him at all. It would’ve been better if he’d lived happily and never looked for me again. Unfortunately, it seems he didn’t manage to be happy with her.”
“With her? Don’t tell me he cheated?!”
I had meant to draw a clear line, but instead I seemed to have poured oil on Susan’s anger. Her eyes gleamed coldly as she held out her hand to Kamin.
“Brother, lend me your sword. I need to send someone to hell today.”
Uh… for some reason, I feel like I’m seeing Grandma in her right now.
