TSHL 26

Chapter 26

“…Nick is sleeping at my house. He was fast asleep, so I just covered him with a blanket and left. I’m not the kind of person to be that harsh toward children.”
“……”
“I’d like you to answer me again now. Why did you come all the way here? Or rather… you did sign the divorce papers, didn’t you?”

A growing sense of foreboding made me anxious, and I fired off my questions at the Duke like a rapid volley.

The Duke simply listened carefully to my words, then took another sip of his coffee before speaking.
“I haven’t signed them yet.”
“……What?”
“Not yet.”

He set down his coffee cup and sighed, then looked at me.
“But I will sign them eventually, so there’s no need to tremble like a mouse trapped in a jar.”
“……”
“I only came because I wanted to talk with you. I wanted to ask a few things before signing.”

His gaze moved to my hands resting on the table. Realizing it, I noticed they were shaking. I lowered them and averted my eyes toward the scenery outside the window.

“On my way here, I organized the questions I wanted to ask you in my head. May I ask them now?”
“……Go ahead.”

“When did you decide to leave the Duke’s residence?”

The first question came. I answered without much thought—it was a relatively clear answer.
“…When Ken ran away early in our marriage. That’s when I realized this place wasn’t where I belonged.”
“Was it because Ken couldn’t accept you as his mother?”
“No. That was when I first realized my own selfishness. Before I knew it, I was trying to be a real mother to the children.”
“……”
“I was afraid of myself. I was afraid I might really take Diana’s place.”

The cause of Ken running away was entirely my selfishness.
If I had cared a little less, if I hadn’t intervened trying to take care of the children, if I had tried to understand Ken’s feelings from the start… he wouldn’t have run away. I should have been the formal mother at that moment, but I let my emotions take over.
“At that time… I was impatient. I hadn’t expected the children wouldn’t accept me that much. Even though the term ‘stepmother’ includes ‘mother,’ I hadn’t considered that, in the end, I’d still just be an outsider.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”

The Duke nodded briefly after my short reply and took another sip of coffee. Then he asked:
“On Nick’s coming-of-age day, you smiled brightly at him. You even showed me a bright smile as well.”
“……”
“Was it because you were happy? Thinking about leaving the Duke’s residence the very next day?”
“Yes… no.”

Thinking it was a trivial question, I almost gave a half-hearted answer, then sighed and corrected myself. After all, he had come all this way to ask me, so I felt I should answer sincerely.
I didn’t understand why he was asking these questions now. After all, we were getting divorced—what did it matter?

“I was proud that Nick had grown up so maturely. That day, he smiled brightly at me.”
“I see.”

The Duke seemed to ponder briefly before asking the next question.
“Then, what did the past seven years of marriage mean to you?”
“……”
“Even a simple answer will do. That it wasn’t so bad, or that at least some things were good, or that some parts were the hardest, or that it was all the worst. Something like that.”

I looked at him. What did this person want from me? Finally, I spoke.
“Excuse me, but why are you asking that now?”
“……”
“I don’t see the meaning in asking this now. The contract between us has ended, and all you need to do is let me go.”

“Let’s just say it’s a final toast between colleagues over seven years,” he replied.
“Above all, I wanted to hear about your experience in our household. So…”

His gaze deepened, and he chuckled lightly.
“I thought you were okay with everything, Cassia.”

He continued:
“I thought I had paid attention to you. I did my best to help you in every way I could. I tried to make sure you weren’t uncomfortable and didn’t block what you were doing.”
“……”
“That’s why I’m curious about this ending. Why did you leave this place like a fugitive as soon as seven years had passed?”
“I… just said my goodbyes in my own way. I thought that kind of farewell was enough.”

Suddenly, the situation felt suffocating. Nick, who had visited here recently, and the Duke before me now overlapped in my mind. A mix of unknown questions and a surge of frustration filled me. I answered:
“You asked how my life at the Duke’s residence was? Materially abundant, but lonely and difficult.”
“……”
“But it was my choice, so it was something I had to endure. And I was always grateful for the care you showed me.”

I didn’t understand. Why did they keep showing up and interfering in my life?
“Seven years passed, the contract ended, so I left the residence on my own. I was thankful for your care, but I didn’t want to continue living like that.”

I thought the Duke would handle the rest of the formalities himself. I even wrote a polite letter to thank him. No regrets, no lingering feelings. I truly thought I had had a beautiful farewell.

Then why were they showing up with unknown questions and actions? Why try to ruin this ending?
“Is it because I left like I ran away? If that’s the problem, I apologize.”
“……”
“I should have given a proper farewell, but I was careless.”

I continued:
“Honestly, I thought leaving a letter would be appropriate between us. Isn’t it strange to meet face-to-face and exchange final words without ever having had a proper conversation?”
“……”
“Also, waiting for divorce procedures to leave as the Duke’s wife would have caused many to undergo procedural and emotional exhaustion. I wanted to disappear quietly without causing trouble. That’s why I left only a letter.”
“……”
“Perhaps that was the problem. If it was, I apologize again. Maybe the ending wasn’t tidy enough.”

After spilling everything, sudden exhaustion washed over me. I sighed.
“Have I answered enough? I’m a bit tired and want to rest.”
“……”
“Please make sure the divorce papers are handled properly. When will you process them…?”

I was about to ask him to process the divorce quickly, thinking it was time to get up. Then, with a jingle, the shop door opened, and cheerful footsteps came in.
“Good morning…”

The voice belonged to none other than Arwin.

Removing the hood of his cloak as he entered the shop, Arwin’s eyes met the Duke’s directly.
“……!”
“……!”

Silence fell. Only my heartbeat thudded in the stillness.

“You…”

The Duke slowly rose. My face went pale as I looked at the two of them. He recognized Arwin. I realized it. His eyes had become like a hunting dog tracking prey.

It was exactly the same gaze the Duke had when, seven years ago, he had searched for the Third Prince Adolf under the Emperor’s orders.

He must have immediately recognized Arwin’s identity. Arwin seemed to realize the same.

What do I do?

The conversation that had been happening just moments ago vanished from my mind. My head started racing.

After a few seconds of silence, just as the Duke was about to speak, Arwin flipped his hood back over and dashed out of the shop.

The Duke grabbed the sword at his waist, trying to chase after him.
“No!”

I blocked the Duke. He stopped and looked down at me.
“What are you doing, Cassia?”
“We haven’t finished our conversation. When will you process the divorce papers?”

This was all I could do in this situation. I hoped to buy Arwin enough time to escape safely.

The Duke said,
“Sorry, Cassia, but this is an emergency, so—”
“Emergency or not, we were in the middle of a conversation. You need to answer me first.”
“……”
“Your Highness, show some manners in front of me.”

I looked directly into the Duke’s eyes. I realized it was the first time I had ever stared at him with such intensity.

The Duke seemed to realize something and said:
“You’ve been hiding him all this time.”
“My divorce papers.”
“……”
“When will you process them?”

I narrowed my eyes and asked. He sighed and replied:
“I will process them as soon as we return to the residence. Right now, I am here just to listen to your story.”
“Promise me you’ll handle them immediately upon returning.”
“I promise.”
“Just words? What will you stake on that promise?”

At that moment, he gazed at me with a deep look, filled with resentment and loneliness.

He spoke in a heavy voice:
“On Diana’s name.”
“……”

My heart sank. I bit my lip and looked at him.
“May I go now?”
“……”

He stepped aside. I could no longer stop him from running away.

My heart sank deeply.