Chapter 28
“Madam, is that you?”
At the sound of that voice, which she hadn’t heard in a long time, Iris immediately furrowed her brow.
“I am Iris, but I’m not your wife anymore.”
She spoke rather coldly, but he faced her with a softened expression, as if he were looking at someone he had longed to see for ages.
‘How ridiculous.’
A man who had eagerly taken the first chance to cheat with another woman was now giving her such an earnest look. Iris sighed inwardly.
“You seem to be on vacation, so let’s pretend we didn’t run into each other.”
Iris had caught a glimpse of a carriage bearing the Verdandi Count’s seal in the northern village.
But since there was no reason for that seal to be here, she thought she might have seen wrong.
‘I didn’t expect him to be traveling here.’
Having said all she wanted to say, she turned to walk away. Or rather, she tried to, but a firm hand grabbed her wrist.
“Iris, since we’ve met like this, can’t we talk for a bit?”
“I have nothing more to say to you.”
“Iris, it was a misunderstanding. Really.”
“I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding could explain that situation. Will you let go of my wrist?”
“Please, can’t you just listen to me once?”
“Let go of my wrist…”
Even as she twisted her wrist to break free, the grip only tightened, and she started to feel pain, causing her to grimace.
At that moment, another hand reached out from behind her and swiftly knocked the man’s hand away.
“What’s going on?”
“Your Highness!”
When Iris turned around, she saw the Crown Prince standing there with a colder expression than ever before.
He was glaring at the man with contempt, and Jayce, perhaps sensing it, lowered his voice slightly.
“…Your Highness is here too. I figured as much. I was just asking to have a conversation with Iris.”
“Asking?”
The Crown Prince glanced at Iris’s wrist. The red marks on her pale skin stood out starkly. He sneered and said,
“Is this what you call asking? It looked like coercion to me.”
“No, absolutely not…!”
“Iris, you tell me. Do you want to talk to him?”
“No, not at all.”
“Hmm. That’s what she says, Count.”
“Iris…!”
Jayce looked at her as if he had been betrayed. She barely suppressed a scoff.
The only reason she held back was because she had given him an opening in the first place.
“Our relationship ended that day in court, Jayce. Don’t you have a new lover now?”
“No, that’s not true. I ended things with her right after that day. I swear.”
“And what does that have to do with me?”
“I want your forgiveness.”
Iris sighed.
“I forgive you. Happy now? I’m leaving.”
“Iris!”
As he tried to grab her again, the Crown Prince stepped in to stop him. The commotion drew the attention of the knights, who stepped into the narrow aisle between the shelves.
“My fiancée is uncomfortable. I’ll be going now.”
“Your Highness, even you cannot interfere in matters between a former husband and wife.”
“Why not? You’re just that—former husband and wife.”
Jayce’s mouth opened and closed, seemingly at a loss for words at the Crown Prince’s cold retort.
“I’ll head out first.”
Iris was displeased at the very fact of running into Jayce here.
Why he was here, whether he had followed her—none of it was clear, but she didn’t want to spend another moment in the same space as him.
‘Fine, I gave him an opening, so I’ll be a little considerate. Even if he’s a cheater, I’ll assume I’m at least ten percent at fault.’
She left the magic shop and stepped onto the street. Escaping the stuffy air, her throbbing head felt slightly better.
“Phew…”
As a lukewarm breeze brushed her forehead, Iris realized she was sweating coldly.
‘I’ll go back and dive into bed. And I won’t come out until tomorrow.’
With the issue involving the princess, her stress levels for the day had reached their peak.
After waiting a bit, the Crown Prince and the knights emerged from the shop one by one. It seemed the situation had been resolved, so she glanced in their direction—only to see Jayce stumbling out after them.
“Your Highness doesn’t know Iris!”
“I told you to stop.”
Iris touched her forehead.
‘Ugh, I’m exhausted.’
She was about to ignore him and leave when an unimaginable statement burst out from behind her.
“Iris never slept with me once during our year of marriage! I’m the one who endured it!”
“What…”
Iris whipped around to face him. But his open mouth didn’t stop; instead, it began spewing nonsense.
“It was exactly one year after our engagement. I understood her scars completely! Do you think you’re any different, Your Highness?”
“Be quiet…”
Her vision turned red. Her eyes widened with anger and humiliation, and faint veins appeared on her reddened forehead.
“A-and it wasn’t me who invited her to the hotel—it was that woman! I swear I didn’t want it. I lived like a monk for almost a year, and, and it was unavoidable…!”
Unable to hold back any longer, Iris shouted.
“Shut up!”
Trembling with rage, she said,
“How dare you talk about that in front of my fiancé, on a street like this…!”
She could feel both the Crown Prince and Jayce looking at her with stunned expressions.
“As if my humiliation means nothing…!”
She screamed. Jayce, seemingly realizing his mistake, stammered as he tried to continue. But Iris couldn’t bear to look at him anymore.
“Please, get out of my sight. This is my last act of consideration.”
“I-Iris…”
“I said get lost!”
Jayce froze like a statue before finally walking away, his face filled with despair. Everyone on the street was staring at them.
In a high-class area like this, such a commotion would surely spark rumors.
‘Ugh, my head hurts.’
She turned and began trudging away. Soon, the Crown Prince followed and gently took her wrist.
But Iris had no emotional capacity left at the moment.
“I’m sorry, but I want to be alone right now.”
“…Iris.”
“I’m fine, I just need to clear my head.”
Sensing that she needed time alone, the Crown Prince stepped back without another word.
Iris fled the street and wandered aimlessly.
‘Sure, he must feel wronged in his own way. But does that give him the right to blab about such things?’
Her first marriage had fallen apart after just one year. No one needed to be told how much that year meant to her.
So, every time she married, she set a condition: wait for one year. She had her scars.
And they would confidently promise they were different, kindly saying they’d wait.
But so far, no husband had resisted the temptations she set within that year.
‘I’m so tired of it all.’
She said this would be the last time, but right now, she just wanted to give up everything.
As she walked, the streets grew quieter, and the sun had set, leaving the sky dim. Then, in the distance, she saw something sparkling.
‘A lake?’
Oh, that lake.
Seeing the lake, she could briefly escape her thoughts. It was a truly vast and beautiful lake.
Up close, it was so clear you could see the bottom, but now, with the sun gone, it reflected the moonlight like a gentle mirror.
“Pretty.”
She said this as she approached the lake, looking at her face reflected on its surface. Her face, pale as moonlight, looked drained of color.
“Ha…”
The heat in her head wouldn’t subside.
Stepping one foot into the water, she quietly dove into the lake.
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By Anna 💓
