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Chapter 4
I squeezed my eyes shut.
So those words you left behind—were they meant for me all along?
And I just… didn’t realize? Just brushed them off like they meant nothing?
My hands trembled. I clenched my fists tight.
“…If that’s really true, why didn’t Diana ever tell anyone?”
“She probably didn’t want to put the people she loved in danger,”
the Duke replied calmly.
“If she spoke carelessly, she might have endangered that person too.”
My heart sank into an abyss. Even tears refused to come. My legs gave out.
I collapsed to the floor.
What surged up instead was regret.
Her face—so unlike her usual self—was burned into my mind.
I should have asked her what was wrong when I sensed something off.
I should never have brushed it aside so easily.
Those were her last words to me.
Words she left behind… as if she had already foreseen her own death.
I hated myself for it.
I was furious—
Furious that I hadn’t noticed sooner.
Furious that I had ignored the strangeness right before my eyes.
My face went blank.
I don’t know how long passed before my voice finally broke the silence.
“…What about remarriage?”
“…My lady.”
“Please, Your Grace. Be honest with me. What about that talk of remarriage in Diana’s journal?”
He pressed his lips together, then finally spoke.
“It’s… not an impossible scenario.”
“…”
“His Majesty has long desired a closer bond between the Imperial family and this ducal house. In fact, he once proposed a marriage alliance before.”
I had heard the same story from Diana—how the Imperial family once offered a political marriage, but the Duke, out of love for her, had refused and married Diana instead.
The Duke continued quietly.
“However… I will not marry again.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“…”
“If His Majesty commands it, even you have limits, Your Grace. And if you rejected his offer once before, this time the Imperial family might not be so forgiving.”
“Even after my wife and I married, our house has remained loyal to the Empire. His Majesty will understand if I explain the situation.”
“Your Grace, you know better than anyone that won’t work.
And if Diana’s death was part of a scheme by the Imperial family…”
“…”
He couldn’t answer. He was as shaken as I was.
Then he sank down into his chair, looking utterly defeated.
He was just as broken by this as I was—perhaps even more.
And it showed; he couldn’t hide it anymore.
“Take care of my family, Cassia.”
Diana’s voice echoed in my head.
I stared blankly at the Duke.
“…Your Grace.”
My tone was calm, but steady.
“I’ll become your Duchess.”
His eyes widened.
Silence fell again. I met his gaze without flinching.
He finally managed to speak.
“…What did you just say?”
“Until the children are grown, I’ll take Diana’s place as Duchess of the house.”
He looked utterly dumbfounded.
Maybe my words were impulsive—but once I’d said them, they didn’t seem impossible.
If someone had to take Diana’s place, I was the most suitable person.
And so, I continued, trying to reason with him.
“As you can see, I’m still unmarried. I’ve known your household for quite some time, and I’m familiar with your estate’s affairs through Diana.
If I sit as Duchess, even in name only, you’ll have a reason to refuse any marriage proposals.”
If I had anyone I was seeing, I might have reconsidered.
But I didn’t. I’d never been in love, and even then, it was the same.
If you ask me why—honestly, I have no answer.
It just… never happened.
I didn’t especially want love or marriage, but I didn’t despise the idea either.
Maybe that’s why—there was nothing I’d be giving up by doing this.
Perhaps it was rationalization.
But deep down, I simply wanted to honor Diana’s hidden plea.
“Absolutely not.”
His refusal was firm.
“Lady Bennet, I know this is difficult, but you must come to your senses.
I can’t burden you with something like this.
And until we know why Diana died, becoming Duchess could put you in danger.”
“At least I don’t have people I need to protect, like she did.
My parents are gone. My ties with my family were cut long ago.”
“…Still—”
“Then protect me with everything you have, Your Grace.
As you couldn’t protect Diana.”
His eyes turned hollow again, full of despair.
He looked like a man crushed beneath his own guilt. And I understood.
Yes, it was true—if we didn’t know who killed Diana, I might be in danger as Duchess.
But I wanted to trust him, just this once.
He must regret, as I do, that he couldn’t save her.
“And if the Duchess’s position itself was the target,
then when someone comes for me, we might finally learn how Diana died.”
There had been no witnesses to the carriage accident.
Diana, her maid, the coachman, even the horses—all killed instantly.
Everyone died so suddenly that the world was left in shock.
If someone had killed her to seize her place…
then they would come for me next.
And when they did, I could find out who and how.
But above all—
“Do you see this?”
I showed him Diana’s journal, the one containing her final words:
“Take care of my family, Cassia.”
“If you were me, Your Grace—could you just ignore these words?”
My chest ached. My voice trembled slightly.
“You admit I was close to her, don’t you?”
“…”
“She asked me this seriously. And I just brushed it off.”
If I had only noticed and asked her one question that day,
everything might have turned out differently.
She might have told us the danger she was facing.
We might have faced it together.
But I didn’t.
And now I knew—
this was my fate to accept.
I couldn’t truly let Diana rest until I fulfilled this last duty.
Only then would I earn the right to cry for her.
The Duke’s expression grew complicated, as if things were spiraling beyond his control.
“I’m not saying I’ll live in Diana’s place forever,” I added.
“I have my own life too.”
“Write up a contract,” I continued.
“One that allows me to leave the estate once the children are grown.
That way, neither of us bears too heavy a burden.
When the time comes, I’ll return to my life.”
He didn’t reply right away—only let out a hollow sigh.
He must have felt as wretched as I did.
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Please do. Though I doubt I’ll change my mind.”
I spoke firmly, then took Diana’s journal and left the room.
As the door shut behind me with a sharp click, I realized—
The world I had lived in until now had shattered completely.
A few days later, the Duke came to my house—his expression resolved, his mind made up.
“Very well. I’ll accept your proposal, my lady.”
He handed me a contract he’d already prepared.
He told me to review the terms and make any necessary changes.
I took the contract and the quill he offered, my gaze falling to the paper.
[Contract]
-
Cassia Bennet shall become the Duchess of the Huidrian household.
-
Cassia Bennet shall remain as Duchess until the children reach adulthood, for a minimum of seven years.
-
Upon fulfilling the contract, Cassia Bennet shall have the right to request a divorce, and Duke Huidrian must respect her decision.
-
Should Cassia Bennet choose divorce, Duke Huidrian shall provide her with sufficient funds to live comfortably for the rest of her life.
“Not bad,” I murmured.
A lifetime’s worth of financial security—this was a fair offer.
There wasn’t much I wanted to add.
But just as I was about to sign, the Duke stopped my hand.
“You must understand that this decision may be harder on you than you think,” he said.
I looked up at him, and he continued.
“This will be a marriage in name only.
Everyone in the household will oppose you.
The children are at an age when they won’t easily accept you.
And I… will not be a good husband.
I’ll protect you as best I can, but you will be in danger.”
“…”
“And there’s no guarantee that the people who killed my wife will target you.
We might uncover nothing at all.
Even so—are you truly ready to live with that? Without regret?”
He looked at me steadily as he spoke.
I met his gaze—and smiled faintly.
“Maybe I’ll regret it,” I said. “But if I don’t do this, I might regret it even more.”
“…”
“My mind’s made up.”
Seven years.
If it became unbearable, I’d just close my eyes and endure until the children were grown.
The contract clearly said until the children come of age.
It wasn’t a short time—but rather than drift through life,
I wanted to make a choice that meant something.
Even if it hurt. Even if I had to suffer.
This was something I had to do—for Diana’s sake.
It was her choice, yes, but it was also mine.
A choice to atone for not listening sooner.
For failing to prevent her death.
Of course, the Duke would protect me as best he could—but if he couldn’t…
Then I’d just die, I thought with a hollow laugh.
Smiling faintly, I signed my name on the contract.
Then I met his eyes squarely and said:
“Please take good care of me, Your Grace.”
For you, Diana—
I willingly threw myself into the flames of hell.
For my beloved friend.
