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Chapter 5
“What in the world is happening?”
The sturdy hand holding Allen’s teacup tightened with force.
“You know it full well yourself, don’t you, Your Grace? Regarding the customs of the West.”
Ludiana spoke, suppressing her solemn emotion.
“A child who cannot become an heir is nothing more than merchandise in the marriage market. And to a family like Nurnbern, which already stands at the center of power, such merchandise is utterly useless. If it sells well, fine; if not, it makes no difference. They simply do not care.”
Her voice grew even more mournful.
“To Nurnbern, a legal wife who bore such a daughter is far less important than an heir. Before long, my mother will be discarded.”
Lifting her bowed head, Ludiana glared sharply beyond the terrace toward the direction of the Nurnbern estate.
“However, isn’t an heir usually adopted as the legitimate child of the official wife?”
Originally divided into two realms, the West and the East had vastly different customs. The East was relatively open, but the West maintained a brutally conservative attitude toward women.
To even contemplate discarding a legal wife?
Taking concubines was a common practice even in the West, but driving out a lawful wife was something almost unheard of. A bitter, cynical smile—entirely unsuited for a young girl—spread across Ludiana’s lips.
“Ha. My father does not want his heir raised under a stepmother. And if Mother dies, there will be no need to divide the estate.”
“……”
To an outsider, it might have looked like a mere young girl pleading with an adult for help. But to Allen, it felt as though a shrewd merchant were pitching him a deal.
“Roselyne…”
At that moment, his heart burned fiercely. The treatment Roselyne—the most precious woman in his life, even to this day—received at the hands of Jonas Nurnbern ignited an uncontrollable rage within Allen’s heart.
As I thought… you still hold Mother in your heart.
Ludiana observed Allen closely. The twitching jawline, the bulging veins atop his tightly clenched fists—he was suppressing his fury. And that anger was certainly directed not at her, but at Nurnbern.
However, no matter how powerful a Duke he was, taking in a woman who had already belonged to another family would be a burdensome affair. She needed to capture not only his emotions, but his reason as well.
I’ve succeeded in shaking his heart. Now I must persuade his mind.
“If you save us, I will give you the solution to clear the plague that has begun to spread in the East.”
At those words, Pianus’s sharp jaw moved ever so slightly, and his eyes widened in shock. Despite being in his thirties, his face still retained a delicate, handsome grace.
“…Did Jonas Nurnbern put you up to this?”
Before long, a light as cold as steel flashed in his gaze.
“I am aware of the plague. But there is no way that man knows of a cure.”
Even if he knew, he wouldn’t have cared.
Ludiana murmured softly under her breath.
In truth, the plague in the East was still in its early stages, so most people in the West were completely unaware of it. The only reason she knew was because she remembered the future. Before long, countless victims would fall, and Allen Pianus would run himself ragged trying desperately to find a cure. A solution would only be discovered several years later, but by then, countless lives would already have been lost.
“It will spread rapidly.”
Ludiana spoke calmly, yet her eyes blazed with solid determination.
“……”
Allen fell silent, lost in thought. He had arranged this meeting merely to check one last time if Roselyne was doing well. He had no intention whatsoever of coveting another man’s wife. Yet the rumors that she was receiving unfair treatment from Nurnbern had continuously troubled his mind.
And yet…
An entirely unexpected situation was unfolding right before his eyes. This girl, Roselyne’s daughter, resembled her mother not only in her beautiful features, but in her cleverness as well.
Every single word coming from those firmly set, small lips brought him shock, anger, and awe. He took a sip of tea to calm his tumultuous heart.
So the rumors of them being mistreated were true after all…
Once his thoughts settled, her shabby appearance finally came into view. Her attire, so far removed from the dignity of the name Nurnbern, proved that what she said was the truth. Looking at the girl who resembled Roselyne so closely yet wore such ragged clothes, his heart ached with a poignant sorrow.
Then, his gaze hardened with resolve. If her words were true, he could no longer leave Roselyne in that house.
“Very well. I will help you.”
“Thank you.”
I did it!
Ludiana barely managed to swallow down the surging joy.
“Do you have a plan in mind, Lady Nurnbern?”
It was a strange question to ask a young girl, yet neither of them seemed to find it odd.
“Yes. After the coronation ends, I will persuade Mother to demand a divorce. Please support us when that happens.”
“Do you think a divorce is possible?”
Nurnbern had absorbed the Mjombeck family—Roselyne’s maiden house—to rise as a power in the West. But if they divorced, he would lose the rights to all business holdings previously owned by Mjombeck.
“…To that man, nothing is more important than property.”
However, Ludiana had no intention of foolishly giving everything up.
“Father is only interested in retaining the business rights. As long as he can keep those business rights, he will accept the divorce.”
Normally, even if a daughter could not become an heir, she was raised with care to raise her value in the marriage market. But Jonas Nurnbern prioritized nothing above a healthy heir. That was why he turned a blind eye while Rhea Werther—the heir’s mother—ran the house as she pleased, neglecting everything else.
“Ha! Jonas Nurnbern…”
Veins bulged sharply along Allen’s jaw and forehead.
“And whatever expenses are incurred in taking us in, I will see to it that they are repaid without fail.”
Ludiana bowed her head deeply.
“…That is not something for you to worry about.”
Allen’s lips trembled faintly.
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
“I will lend you the family carriage.”
“No, Your Grace. I have already drawn far too many eyes.”
Although it had been an unavoidable choice to meet Allen, many nobles at the clubhouse had seen them together.
Of course, since she was an unknown figure in high society, they would not recognize her identity.
Still, it’s better to be careful…
“Besides, I can hardly return to Nurnbern in a Pianus carriage.”
Offering a reassuring smile, Ludiana followed the guide toward the carriage she had prepared in advance. Watching her carriage depart, Allen surveyed his surroundings.
I chose this place to prevent rumors about Roselyne from spreading and to make it look like a natural encounter…
However, that choice might actually end up tying his hands.
A Duke “accidentally” bumping into a Countess he knew at a clubhouse was a completely different matter from being spotted in the company of a young girl.
An aristocratic clubhouse was a space for adults. If a young noble child was granted entry, it meant someone had invited her.
“Mother, I have something to tell you.”
Returning to the estate, Ludiana hurried toward the annex. She had stepped out of the carriage far away and walked the rest of the distance to avoid suspicion. She was almost stopped by the gatekeeper, but thanks to another guard who recognized her, she made it inside safely.
“Rudy, what is with your clothes? Where in the world have you been?”
“I went to meet Duke Allen Pianus.”
Roselyne stopped dead in her tracks, freezing in place. Her body curled inward from the shock.
“What… did you say?”
“Duke Allen Pianus.”
Ludiana pulled two letters from her bosom.
“I opened one of them. I’m sorry.”
“H-How did you…?”
Roselyne could not believe her former lover’s name was coming out of her daughter’s mouth. Though it had been an unwanted marriage, she had tried her best to be faithful once they established a family, and after Rudy was born, she had tried even harder to forget him. But now that his name had dropped from her daughter’s lips, her mind went completely blank.
“Mother, I cannot live like this any longer.”
Ludiana’s gaze shifted toward Irene, who was asleep in bed. Barely twelve years old, Irene was small and diminutive compared to her peers. The same was true for Ludiana.
“That is why I went to see Duke Pianus. He will save us.”
A heavy silence hung in the room, so thick that the sound of Ludiana swallowing her breath could be heard. Looking at her resolute daughter, Roselyne’s eyes trembled violently. And with an even firmer voice, Ludiana spoke.
“Please, Mother… divorce Father.”
She put heavy emphasis on the word ‘divorce.’ Her sharp gaze pierced straight through the heart of Roselyne, who had lived burdened for so long under guilt and sorrow for her children.
