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Chapter 09
Yulician almost laughed at himself, forgetting for a moment that this wasn’t even his own body.
‘I can’t believe I’m hearing my brother’s confession with my own two ears.’
He already knew Kildean had been attempting assassination attempts against him for some time.
But this was the first time he had heard it directly from his own mouth.
It felt strange.
Not exactly betrayal.
Not quite that.
Shyte signaled him with his eyes to continue.
He roughly understood where this was going. But with so many ears around, he didn’t say it out loud.
He had no intention of revealing everything so honestly without even knowing Shyte’s intent.
“It’s your money. You can do what you want with it. You gave it to me to spend privately in the first place. I don’t see why I should interfere.”
“Then I suppose you also don’t know where the 5 billion bern dowry went.”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm…”
“Is that all you were curious about?”
“…As a wife, you must have had better marriage prospects than the House of Baron Honeyzwald. Why did you choose me?”
It was a ridiculous question.
‘Because Prince Kildean told his subordinate to choose a marriage partner and interfered with my wedding, obviously!’
Well, setting that aside.
“Because you’re someone with no ambition, no drive, and no desire for power. For someone like me who just wants to waste inheritance money and live comfortably, you’re perfect.”
Shyte looked as if he couldn’t understand.
So she added a more detailed explanation.
“If I married a high-ranking noble, I’d have to manage estates, handle family affairs, attend all kinds of events, and constantly watch the elders’ moods. Not to mention politics. Ugh. Just imagining it gives me a headache.”
Politics and labor were both utterly intolerable.
It was her sincere feeling—but also a warning to Shyte.
No matter his reasons for revealing his true nature, he should not expect her cooperation.
Don’t drag her into troublesome affairs.
‘Did he understand?’
She looked at him with expectation.
Shyte wore a subtle expression.
He looked like he was seeing a spoiled child… or perhaps the most hopeless idle aristocrat in the world.
Wait, a hopeless idle aristocrat?
He was looking at her like that?
“Madam.”
And yet his voice when calling her was warm like spring sunlight.
She got goosebumps at the unfamiliar tone.
Rubbing her arm, she watched as Shyte smiled gently.
Then, out of nowhere—
“I think we should divorce.”
He dropped a ridiculous statement.
“…What did you say?”
“Divorce.”
Was he joking?
Maybe losing his memory also meant losing his sense of humor, some useless setting like that?
Or maybe he was just making a bad joke.
‘Ignore it.’
She turned away as if she hadn’t heard him. But Shyte stood up.
He placed a hand on the table and leaned toward her.
At a distance too close to ignore, he spoke again.
“You need to divorce me, Madam.”
That was the beginning.
Shyte’s daily routine remained largely the same.
Meaning he mostly stayed locked in his room.
However, whenever he came out, he always sought her out. And he would stick beside her and whisper.
“The palace will open soon. Shall we go request approval for the divorce together?”
“I won’t.”
“Let’s divorce.”
“No.”
“Divorce…”
“No!”
She jumped up and moved seats.
But wherever she went, Shyte followed. To others, it apparently looked rather affectionate, and strange rumors began to spread.
“You two have been spending a lot of time together lately.”
“Right? The madam used to wander around everywhere like a drifter, but now she stays home all the time.”
“Could they be dating?”
“But they’re married already.”
“Hey, noble romances usually start after marriage. It’s all arranged anyway.”
“Oh my, then that means… oh my, oh my!”
The maids giggled and smacked each other.
She watched them with a drained expression.
Hearing such absurd rumors made her head spin.
The reason she rarely left the house was because she feared Shyte might secretly file for divorce while she was away.
She avoided traveling for the same reason.
What if he initiated divorce proceedings while she was gone?
Without a child, things would clearly turn against her.
They had never even slept together despite the obligation to produce an heir.
And usually, legal disputes favored the party who attended court.
If she casually went abroad or traveled to some distant estate and got hit with a surprise divorce trial, what then?
Her assets would turn to dust.
So where was she supposed to go?
But romance? Romance?!
He was chasing her around asking for divorce—how was that romance? It was harassment!
She couldn’t take it anymore. She decided she would expose Shyte’s true nature.
Steeling herself, she strode toward the maids.
They hadn’t noticed her presence and continued talking.
“I honestly thought the madam was too good for a man like that. But he dresses neatly now, and the baron actually looks quite decent, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah. He doesn’t stutter anymore, and he’s become so polite lately.”
“I just hope the madam accepts his feelings soon.”
“Don’t worry about that. I saw something with my own two eyes a few days ago.”
“What? What is it? Tell me quickly!”
“Well…”
The maid whispered.
“Oh my god! I heard that rumor too, so it was true? What do we do! Did they already spend their first night together?!”
“Shh, shh!”
The maid hurriedly covered the other’s mouth—but she had already heard it.
‘First night?!’
She froze, startled.
At that moment, she felt a presence behind her, and a chin dropped onto her shoulder.
“Are you considering divorce?”
“Eek, you scared me!”
She grabbed her chest and stepped away from Shyte.
“Make some noise when you walk!”
She kept her voice low so the maids wouldn’t hear—but apparently they had.
“H-Huh?! Madam!”
The maids noticed them and quickly turned pale, pressing themselves against the wall and bowing their heads.
They exchanged anxious glances.
They were probably terrified.
Spreading rumors about their masters’ private life and getting caught usually led to punishment or dismissal.
She smiled as if to reassure them and turned away.
As she walked, she casually grabbed Shyte’s arm and pulled him away.
Shyte followed obediently, though he looked puzzled.
“Aren’t you going to say something?”
She had been.
She wanted to say Shyte was harassing her with divorce talk and it was driving her crazy.
But after hearing the rumors, she changed her mind.
If word got out that he wanted a divorce after supposedly spending the first night together—
People would assume the night had been terrible.
And then all sorts of ugly rumors would spread.
Such sensational gossip always leaked no matter how tightly it was controlled.
Once it spread, it would reach the ears of vultures.
She could already imagine them staring at her, whispering like hyenas wherever she went.
Ugh. Just imagining it was disgusting.
Besides,
“Responding to every rumor the servants spread makes you look petty.”
“So you mean what matters more than correcting falsehoods is how you appear?”
“Sometimes.”
In fact, always.
From the moment she was born, what mattered most to her was not truth, but perfection.
Shyte looked at her with an expression that said he couldn’t understand her.
But she didn’t need his understanding.
“So what I’m saying is—let’s settle the divorce privately, just between us.”
Shyte didn’t respond and simply looked at her.
Then he gave a faint, bitter, almost ominous smile.
“If that is what you wish, Madam… I will comply.”
After she suggested handling the divorce privately between them, Shyte almost seemed like a madman.
“Madam, the sky is quite clear today. As beautiful as your hair—have you seen it?”
“Oh, it really is.”
“Yes. The moment I look up at it, I want to get divorced.”
“…Pardon?”
“Today, I sincerely ask that you divorce me.”
He began following her around like a man possessed, insisting on divorce in every possible way.
Even though he himself was in a state where he couldn’t divorce due to Prince Kildean’s orders!
Why was he tormenting her like this?
‘Is he after something else?’
But even when she chased him to his room to scold him, he remained unchanged.
“Meddling and thinking it over—how kind and cute of you, Madam. But the only way to help me is—”
“……”
“Divorce me.”
After being shut out, she was speechless.
Fine. So he wouldn’t make it easy, huh?
No problem. Once someone’s heart opens, their mouth follows.
And she knew a very fast and effective way to open someone’s heart.
