🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter: 16
16: A Married Couple’s Fight
“Can’t you trust me and wait? The things you’re worried about will never happen. With time, everything will be resolved.”
Waiting.
When that dreadful word left the Grand Duke’s lips, Aile’s eyelids trembled.
Yes—she had endured three years alone.
Waiting, and waiting, and waiting again. Hoping that someday he would finally look at her.
Not even knowing why she had been ignored, she endlessly chewed over her sorrow. Gerd had been the one to comfort her—and yet he took even that child away. And now he was telling her to wait again?
Aile sharply turned her head away. Seeing her small lips twitch as if she were about to speak, the Grand Duke hurried toward her. This time, his hands didn’t shake pathetically. That alone showed how desperate he was.
“Aile.”
“……”
“Aile. When the time comes, I will entrust the punishment of that maid entirely to you. Can’t we settle it like this? I promise.”
He spoke as though he had made a tremendous concession, but her reply immediately stole his breath.
“Grand Duke.”
“Grand Duke? Aile, why do you insist on calling me that?”
She answered as if it were obvious.
“Because you are the Grand Duke.”
That’s not it! I’m your husband! You’ve been calling me ‘Grand Duke’ ever since before you threw that ridiculous divorce document at me. You even did it at the beginning of our marriage!
To him, life with Aile still felt fresh, as though they had just married. In reality, aside from sharing meals once or twice a week, they hardly interacted at all—so it was only natural.
Just imagining what he would do with her once everything was over made him happy. And yet—Grand Duke?
At her innocent reply, Rupelion pressed his fingers to his temple.
“Well, yes—no. Aile. There’s no reason for you to call me ‘Grand Duke.’ Darling, my love, Rupelion—there are plenty of things you could call me. Pick anything. Just not ‘Grand Duke.’”
At those shameless words, Aile’s cheeks flushed bright red.
“D‑darling…?!”
“You can call me by my name too.”
Lu…
She couldn’t bring herself to casually say the nickname she had chosen in front of him. If she had been that easygoing, their marriage wouldn’t have deteriorated this badly.
This was too much to handle. As Aile tried to quietly slip away from her seat, he stepped closer and grabbed the back of her chair to stop her.
“Aile, if you struggle any more, the chair will tip over.”
“Ah…!”
“I can’t bear to see you get hurt. And this hotel, too… ha. I don’t like it.”
“I’ll just say this. I didn’t ask for a divorce because I hate the island.”
Those words were nowhere near enough to cool the anger and heat rising from him.
The man opened his mouth.
“I’ll say just one thing as well. Withdraw the divorce.”
“N‑no. I… I made this decision after steeling myself. Can’t you just leave me alone, like I don’t exist?”
As Aile let out a shrill cry, he sighed.
“And what will you do if I refuse to sign, no matter what?”
“Either way, I’m not going back.”
“You keep repeating yourself. In that case, shall we talk about something else?”
“About what?”
At her reflexive question, the Grand Duke tilted his head slightly.
“Why did you write such pointless nonsense in the letter about paying the money back… Hah. Then tell me. What exactly were you planning to do to earn money?”
Just as she had prepared, Aile answered smoothly.
“I was going to register with an employment agency here in Salmon Province.”
“…What did you say?”
He had received no such report from Sir Bay. Chasing after her by ship had been the priority, and they hadn’t had time for detailed communication.
If he had known, he would have ordered every employment agency roof in Salmon Province torn off.
She laid out her plan with surprising practicality.
“I worked in the capital before coming to the island. The pay wasn’t great, but it was manageable. Teaching young, still‑learning lower nobles was rewarding, too…”
“…You are my wife. I wouldn’t oppose you working if it were done properly, but is there really any need for that?”
Aile widened her eyes.
“Why not? Even noblewomen in the capital work all the time! It’s fine to teach imperial family members or highborn ladies, but not people of lower rank? Then who gets to learn at all?”
“That’s not what I meant. And this place is even more closed‑minded than the island.”
“I don’t think it’s that different. Salmon Province may be conservative since it’s at the edge of the continent, but things will change gradually.”
She was always timid in front of him, yet once their opinions clashed, she became even more stubborn instead of backing down.
Unable to hold it in any longer, the Grand Duke revealed his true feelings.
“Aile, I can’t stand the thought of you offering up your fragile body for mere scraps of money. Do you know how many bad men there are in this world? Someone might try to lure you somewhere secluded.”
“I won’t fall for it. I know how to judge people. I’ve never told you this, but life in the capital wasn’t easy.”
Her stubbornness was almost endearing to him. How could he break it? Without much thought, he spoke.
“Hm. Would you like to see my knights lining up in front of every employment agency in Salmon Province? If so, I’ll allow it.”
If that happened, her plan would be completely ruined.
“T‑that’s cruel!”
“In any case, I won’t sign those papers. Hm, the lawyer’s name was Yurman, was it? I’ve never heard of him on the island, so he must be here.”
Ah!
A chill ran down her spine as she protested.
“The lawyer hasn’t done anything wrong! He didn’t even know who I was—he just took the money and handed over the documents!”
“I didn’t say I’d do anything to him.”
Rupelion prided himself on behaving quite like a gentleman in front of her.
A nastier husband would have refused the divorce outright, sweet‑talked his wife, then had servants lock her away or threaten her without hesitation.
No—this was unbearable. Aile felt like stamping her feet in frustration like Serena.
She had tried so hard not to cause harm to anyone. If the lawyer suffered unjustly just for delivering legitimate documents—and on top of that, if the Grand Duke targeted the employment agencies too—
And yet, Aile was not the type to yield easily. Their equally frustrating personalities were unfortunately alike in that regard.
“This… this won’t do. I’m not going back to the Grand Ducal estate!”
“Nor to the island?”
He frowned.
Even if she were simply sick of the estate or wanted a different lifestyle, he would have been willing to accommodate her.
He owned many villas and empty houses on Plana Island. He could order the lazy servants to serve her devotedly as a final chance.
But she truly seemed intent on settling down here in unfamiliar Salmon Province.
Why? Could it be…?
He spoke seriously.
“…Working at a salmon fishery is too harsh. Many men can’t endure it, let alone you. I’ll allow sightseeing, but nothing more.”
“What?”
“No matter how much you love salmon, I can’t approve of that.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, Grand Duke.”
“Stop calling me Grand Duke!”
Rupelion felt a headache coming on.
She was someone delicate in both body and mind, showing her feelings only halfway. Her stubbornness, of all things, was unnecessarily strong. If she got frightened and retreated into her shell, that would be disastrous—so he couldn’t even fight her sincerely.
Focus too much on the small things, and you lose the big ones.
Seeing the deep turbulence in his eyes, she murmured,
“…Why do you keep looking at me like that? We’re talking about separating—you can’t suddenly act like a husband now.”
It wasn’t just his persistent dark gaze.
The closeness, his scent, the strange atmosphere enveloping them both—what Aile feared most was returning to the days when she loved him desperately.
Even his pleasant, resonant voice when he spoke was a problem.
She couldn’t keep her fingers still—clenching her fists, wanting to scratch at anything. If he embraced her here, whispering their wedding‑night words, could she really escape? She wasn’t confident.
Rupelion spoke gravely.
“Our conversation isn’t moving forward. Very well. You want a divorce, and I have no intention of granting it. That’s our respective positions.”
“Yes.”
She barely managed to answer.
“I want to stay here until you agree to return to the island—butve, but would that make you sad?”
“…What?!”
Aile was horrified at his absurd statement.
She had thought she had finally made her stance clear—what? He was saying he would stay here until she gave in?
Impossible. The Grand Duke abandoning the island entirely just to stay by her side—when he barely visited Salmon Province even once a year!
Aile shook her head.
“That… that won’t do. No matter what, you’re the Grand Duke…”
“Before that, I am your husband. Would it make sense for a ruler to govern his land while not knowing his own wife’s whereabouts?”
“……”
“Fine. Then we will officially be separated. Know this—I cannot divorce you, even if the sky falls and the earth splits.”
Separation.
Not quite divorce, but still a cold word. Even the Imperial Code of Law that Serena had brought said that prolonged separation could become grounds for divorce.
Aile couldn’t bring herself to ask why he so adamantly refused to divorce her.
If he says to endure it until Serena’s birthday, I think I’d be heartbroken.
Weakly, she said,
“I want to stop this conversation…”
“…I admit that you’re exhausted. I was too indifferent. I reflect on that. But even if I say I’ll change from now on, you still won’t come back to the island with me, will you?
