TLDWAE 26

Chapter 26

“Since I must speak privately with my wife, everyone please withdraw. What you have seen and heard today must not be carelessly spoken of outside.”

“Rubidov, you must not listen to this woman!”

“Mother.”

The Duke’s voice cut through the Grand Duchess’s words, cold and sharp. It was rare for him, who always took her side as the pitiable mother, no matter what.

“Mother, please leave as well. I will hear what you have to say later.”

At this moment, he was not his mother’s son, but the head of House Pandeon. Hearing her son’s voice laced with cold fury, the Grand Duchess clutched her forehead as though dizzy.

Marquis Delos supported her as they left the room, and even Hesys Ribne slipped out with an anxious look, closing the door behind him.

Now, only Rubidov Pandeon and Karia remained in the vast council chamber.

“Madam, is everything written here the absolute truth?”

“You read it yourself.”

“So all this time, you’ve been roaming outside searching for this evidence?”

The Duke looked at her with an indescribably complicated expression. Karia, on the other hand, wore no particular look. Instead of answering his question, she spoke in an exaggerated, joking tone.

“I’m a little hurt. I thought my hardworking husband, who always labors day and night for the domain, would be delighted to learn there was a rat hiding in the family’s treasury. But why do you look like that?”

“Are you telling me to accuse my own mother?!”

Startled, the Duke burst out at her, unable to contain himself. Karia gave a dumbfounded little laugh.

How dare he vent his anger at her, instead of at the true wrongdoer. She wasn’t here to soothe his temper.

“And if you don’t?”

“—What?”

“If you don’t, then I’ll personally inform His Majesty the Emperor of this matter. And what will the Imperial Family think? Perhaps that House Pandeon was secretly buying titles and lands to expand its influence?”

If so, the Grand Duchess would surely have to prepare herself for prison at the very least…

Karia stretched out her words in a playful tone, as though taunting him. Rubidov looked at her in stunned disbelief, as if she were making an absurd threat. Maybe he truly thought so. But Karia was deadly serious.

“Even after being betrayed like this, do you still pity your mother?”

“What child in this world could turn against their parents?!”

“Well, there is one way.”

Just as Rubidov found himself cornered with no way forward, Karia spoke again, her voice sweet and tempting, like sugar.

“The only reason I took an interest in this matter is because I am the Duchess of Pandeon. But if I no longer have anything to do with you, then this matter won’t concern me, will it?”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“I don’t think it’s a difficult thing to understand. You’ve always been slow on the uptake.”

Or perhaps he simply refused to understand.

Karia knew Rubidov wasn’t stupid. Which meant he had either deliberately ignored the countless times she had been mistreated, or he simply hadn’t cared enough to notice. Either way, it didn’t matter to her.

Either way, I’ll never forgive you.

Leaning forward from her chair, she reached out a hand toward his cheek. He flinched slightly, but did not move away.

Her cold hand touched his face. Yet even the heat of his angered body couldn’t warm her frozen skin.

His skin felt rougher, perhaps from being so busy lately. His face, once so fine, now looked worn with fatigue, far less handsome than she remembered.

She had once loved this man—this man with no remarkable looks, no remarkable background, no remarkable personality—loved him, hated him, even resolved to die for him.

Now, she wanted to strangle him rather than touch his cheek. If she pressed hard against his warm neck, perhaps her frozen fingertips might thaw a little.

“My lord Duke.”

“Yes.”

“My dear.”

“…Yes.”

It was the first time he had ever heard her call him that. Rubidov answered a beat late, and Karia gave him a radiant smile as her slender fingers traced slowly across his face.

“Intelligent sapphire-blue eyes.”

“—My lady.”

“And hair like the clear summer sky, without a single cloud.”

“Let’s talk about—”

“My love. My dear husband.”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s get divorced.”

Her smile was bright and full, as if she were the happiest person in the world. For a moment, Rubidov couldn’t comprehend what she had said. Or perhaps he simply refused to.

Wasn’t this supposed to be reconciliation? A bit of playful banter to ease her anger, followed by understanding his situation? But divorce? Impossible. Surely, he had misheard her.

“Wh-what do you mean…? Why, suddenly… You’re joking, aren’t you?”

“My lord Duke, do you know that Ellie is still working in this mansion?”

“…Ellie? Who is Ellie?”

Ellie? Whoever that was, what did it matter now?!

Rubidov at least knew one thing—that he couldn’t claim closeness with his wife.

But marriage was a sacred bond. Once entered, it was a shackle that must never be broken, no matter what.

Though he had often felt suffocated, he had never once considered divorce. So why now?

“That’s it.”

“…What is?”

“That’s the reason I want to divorce you. That’s it.”

And never had he imagined his wife might be the one considering divorce.

Rubidov desperately wished she would take back her words, say she had only wanted him to understand her heart.

But her eyes were far too cold for that. Since when? Since when had those eyes turned so cold?

‘My lord Duke, welcome home. You don’t look well—are you sick?’

In the past, they hadn’t been like this. In the past, her gaze had always held warmth, joy, affection. In the past…

But who was this woman before him now? Why did she wear his wife’s face yet look at him more coldly than at a stranger?

“I’ll be going now, so think about it. Starting today, we’ll live separately. Leave my things for now—I’ll let you know once I find another place. Goodbye.”

She rose without hesitation. Her retreating figure carried not sorrow or pain, but relief. Rubidov couldn’t bring himself to stop her; all he wanted was for her to turn back, just once.

He needed to talk to her. He needed to know why she had come to such an extreme decision.

But Karia vanished without a trace of regret, leaving the house entirely.

At that moment, Rubidov felt a loss so profound, it was as though a part of his very body had been torn away. Shocked and hollow, he completely forgot his mother’s betrayal.

3. I’m Getting a Divorce

“She rarely leaves the house, so there’s no way to find anything out.”

Since the day he saw how much Karia had changed, Alkard couldn’t stop thinking about her, losing sleep night after night. She had changed far too much.

When a person changes that drastically, there has to be a reason. Yet no matter how much he asked around, no one knew anything.

She had never been the social type—rarely attending parties or gatherings—and had no close friends. There was no clear place to even ask about her.

“My father asked her what she had said, but she keeps her mouth tightly shut. And as for asking Duke Pandeon directly…”

As captain of the Imperial Knights, Alkard often attended major political briefings or large assemblies at the palace, always standing guard at the Emperor’s back. Because of that, he occasionally crossed paths with Duke Pandeon.

He had always thought the young man endured much hardship. And since they had become family, Alkard had hoped to grow closer to him.

So, one day after a meeting ended, Alkard had approached him first. But how had the Duke responded?

‘Sir Lutberth, please observe proper etiquette within the palace. You are not here as my wife’s brother, but as the Captain of the Imperial Knights.’

At first, Alkard thought it was simply his rigid personality. Or maybe he was just a little awkward. After all, wasn’t he newly married? Of course he might feel awkward with his wife, and even more so with her family.

Thinking that, Alkard tried again, hiding his embarrassment with courtesy.

‘My apologies. I thought it would be fine since the meeting was already over. If the palace feels uncomfortable with so many watching eyes, would you care to dine outside?’

‘Today’s schedule is full, I’m afraid. If you have business, please send a formal letter to the ducal house. I’ll consider it. But I’m often away, so I can’t promise anything.’

The reply was icily blunt. Alkard was left stung by his blatant refusal, his annoyance poorly hidden. Did the man think himself so great? What an arrogant, unpleasant fellow!

Of course, Alkard knew their marriage had been political, and that the Duke had been pushed into it by the Archduke’s suggestion and the circumstances of his territory.

But surely he had gained something from it as well. Since things were settled, wouldn’t it be better to get along? To help each other when difficulties arose? So why did he act so high and mighty?