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Chapter 3
“ Aunt?”
Her aunt cried out, her face drained of color.
“Ariel, something terrible has happened!”
“What is it?”
“The Imperial Palace knights have arrived!”
“What?”
Imperial Palace… knights?
Ariel’s eyes shook with shock.
Not even a full day had passed since the funeral ended.
Ariel was not yet ready to face the problems of her family, but it seemed God thought otherwise.
Still, she could not avoid it.
No, she had no way to avoid it.
Soon, Ariel headed toward the mansion with her aunt, her face stiff.
In the lobby stood rows of Imperial Palace knights wearing uniforms embroidered with golden cords.
And standing before them was a knight whose uniform carried more insignias than any other.
Ash-gray hair.
Blue eyes.
It was Storfel Tyder, commander of the First Imperial Knight Order and the man known as the Emperor’s Sword.
The moment Tyder saw Ariel, he approached as if he had been waiting for her.
Without even greeting her, he spoke immediately.
“Lady Blante. I have come to deliver His Majesty’s command.”
“…Yes.”
His rigid expression and cold eyes.
Ariel had a feeling that whatever he was about to say would not be good news.
As tension chilled her fingertips, the knight opened his mouth.
“Although Marquis Blante has died, evidence capable of proving his crimes has been discovered. Therefore, the investigation cannot be stopped. Since the crimes are grave, every offense committed by the Marquis will be thoroughly uncovered and made an example to the Empire. Accordingly, the Marquis House will be sealed off while the investigation proceeds.”
Sealed off.
It meant that no one would be allowed to leave the Marquis estate.
In other words, they were being told to wait for death.
Her aunt immediately understood the meaning and staggered in shock.
As Ariel caught her trembling arm, Storfel gave an order to the knights.
“Bring all documents from the office and find the hidden vault.”
The knights mercilessly began tearing through the mansion.
Ariel bit her lip as her father’s honor fell to the floor before her eyes.
She wanted to scream at them to stop.
But she could not.
The moment she stepped forward, not only she but everyone here could die.
Ariel had to endure it.
“Lady Blante. As the Marquis’s sole heir, you will be detained at Tregard Castle in place of the Marquis. We ask for your cooperation until the investigation is concluded.”
“Tregard Castle?!”
Her aunt cried out in horror.
The place was called a castle, but in truth it was a prison for criminal nobles.
“What crime has Ariel committed?! Sir Tyder, Ariel is not only the sole heir of House Blante but also the fiancée of Grand Duke Seyard! How can you do this?!”
Her aunt grabbed Ariel’s hand and protested, but Tyder answered emotionlessly.
“It is His Majesty’s order. Please step back.”
Tyder stared at her aunt with threatening eyes, clearly warning her not to interfere further.
“Aunt… I’m fine. Everything will be fine.”
Ariel forced a smile and tried to calm her aunt before things escalated.
Just then, the sound of approaching horses came from outside the mansion.
At first she thought more Imperial knights had arrived.
But Tyder’s reaction was strange.
As if faced with something unexpected, he frowned and turned toward the entrance.
Soon the horses stopped, and several knights dismounted.
They wore black uniforms of the North.
The Black Lion Knights of the Grand Duke’s House.
Knights of Kailance.
“Kail…?”
Seeing the man entering the lobby, Ariel’s eyes widened.
But a voice she did not expect quickly brought her back to reality.
“Lady Blante.”
The man standing before her was not Kailance.
Had she imagined him because part of her wished he would come?
Suppressing her bitter feelings, Ariel looked at Daryl Rouse, commander of the Grand Duke’s knights.
“Sir Rouse.”
“My lady. I have something important to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“It must be discussed somewhere private. It is a message from His Grace the Grand Duke.”
She could feel everyone’s eyes turning toward her.
At that moment, Tyder spoke.
“My lady must leave for Tregard Castle immediately.”
Daryl met Tyder’s gaze directly.
“It is the Grand Duke’s order. Are you saying you cannot spare even a moment?”
Tyder stared at Daryl with persistent eyes before finally stepping aside.
“It must not take long.”
“My lady. This way.”
Ignoring Tyder, Daryl walked straight to Ariel.
She could feel Tyder’s gaze sharpening, but she deliberately ignored it and followed Daryl to the drawing room.
Click.
Daryl closed the door.
The noise outside was completely shut out.
Ariel sat down first.
“Please sit, Sir Daryl.”
“No. I will deliver His Grace’s message immediately.”
Daryl pulled a letter from the inner pocket of his uniform and placed it on the table.
“What… is this?”
“A divorce agreement.”
“…A divorce agreement.”
Looking down at the white envelope bearing the Grand Duke’s seal, Ariel let out a faint, bitter laugh.
So this is how it ends.
She was not particularly shocked.
The moment she decided to attend her father’s funeral, she had felt that everything between them had already ended.
And her ominous premonitions were never wrong.
Though she had not expected the divorce papers to arrive this quickly.
Considering the speed, they must have been prepared in advance.
Kailance was a meticulous man.
With sunken emerald eyes, Ariel stared at the agreement.
Watching her, Daryl spoke heavily.
“His Grace instructed me to tell you this. If you quietly agree to the divorce, the blockade of House Blante and your detention at Tregard will be lifted.”
“But my detention was already decided by His Majesty. How could he possibly—”
Before she could finish, Daryl produced another envelope.
This one bore the Imperial seal.
“An imperial decree ordering the release of House Blante and the cancellation of your detention. Once you sign the divorce agreement, this decree will be handed to you.”
She already knew how thorough he was.
But being on the receiving end of it made her feel utterly powerless.
There was no room for counterattack.
“…What if I refuse?”
“If you refuse, His Grace instructed me to tell you this: Lady Ariel is not currently in a position to cling to her pride. He asks that you make the decision that is best for House Blante.”
After speaking, Daryl lowered his head awkwardly.
This could not be easy for him.
Back when her relationship with Kailance had been good, Daryl had even served as her escort.
How could it be easy to say such words to someone he had once protected?
Anger surged within her at Kailance’s merciless message.
Yet bitterly enough, he was right.
The Emperor was so enraged that he had ordered the investigation to continue even after her father’s death.
And she was the sole heir of House Blante.
If she allowed herself to be imprisoned and remained trapped within the estate, House Blante would likely be destroyed under the Emperor’s wrath.
For the countless people belonging to House Blante.
For her father.
For the family honor her father had been willing to sacrifice his life to protect.
She could not simply sit back and be detained.
But understanding the situation did not mean she could immediately sort out the emotions flooding her heart.
She was angry at Kailance for ending their engagement this way.
And she was heartbroken that the man she had loved so deeply would leave her in such a miserable fashion.
Was I truly so terrible to you that you had to be this cruel?
If I had at least mistreated you once, perhaps I could have convinced myself this ending made sense.
She truly could not understand.
Nor did she want to.
But all such thoughts were meaningless now.
The reality before her—the divorce agreement lying on the table—would not change.
The answer she would give had already been decided.
“…Sir Rouse, do you have a pen?”
Ariel asked calmly.
She did not want to vent her disappointment with Kailance onto Daryl.
Daryl had done nothing wrong.
“…Here it is, my lady.”
Daryl placed a pen into her hand.
Ariel opened the envelope and took out the agreement.
Then, without hesitation, she signed it.
The love they had once shared so desperately and deeply had ended with nothing more than a single sheet of paper.
It was such a pitifully insignificant ending.
