Chapter 26
“…Nick is sleeping at my house.”
“He fell into such a deep sleep that I simply covered him with a blanket before coming here.”
“I’ve never been the kind of person who can be cruel to children.”
“…”
“Now, I’d like you to answer my question.”
“Why did you come all the way here?”
“No… more importantly…”
“You did sign the divorce papers, didn’t you?”
A growing sense of dread tightened around my heart.
Unable to suppress my anxiety, I fired one question after another at the Duke.
He listened quietly without interrupting me.
After taking another sip of coffee, he answered,
“I haven’t.”
“…What?”
“I haven’t signed them.”
“Not yet.”
He set his cup down with a quiet sigh before continuing,
“But I intend to.”
“So you don’t have to tremble like a mouse trapped in a cage.”
“…”
“I came because I wanted to speak with you.”
“There are a few things I wanted to ask before signing them.”
His gaze drifted to my hands resting on the table.
Only then did I realize they were trembling.
I quickly lowered them beneath the table and turned my eyes toward the scenery outside the café window.
“On my way here…”
“I organized everything I wanted to ask you.”
“May I?”
“…Go ahead.”
“When did you first decide to leave the ducal estate?”
The first question came.
It was one I could answer without much thought.
The answer had always been clear.
“…When Ken ran away from home.”
“That was early in our marriage.”
“That was when I realized…”
“That the estate was never a place where I truly belonged.”
“Was it because Ken couldn’t accept you as his mother?”
“No.”
“Because that was when I realized how selfish I’d become.”
“I’d started wanting to become their real mother.”
“…”
“I was afraid.”
“Afraid that I really would steal Diana’s place.”
The incident with Ken running away…
Had happened entirely because of my own selfishness.
If only I’d cared a little less.
If only I hadn’t tried so hard to look after those children.
If only I’d understood Ken’s feelings from the very beginning.
He never would have run away.
At that time…
I was supposed to remain only a mother in name.
But I let my emotions take over.
“I was impatient.”
“I never imagined the children would reject me so completely.”
“I forgot that even though the word mother exists in stepmother…”
“In the end…”
“She is still just a stranger.”
“I failed to understand that.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
The Duke nodded quietly before taking another sip of coffee.
Then he asked,
“On the day of Nick’s coming-of-age banquet…”
“You smiled so brightly while looking at him.”
“You smiled at me as well.”
“…”
“Were those smiles because you were happy?”
“Because you planned to leave the ducal estate the very next day?”
“Yes.”
“…No.”
I had almost given him a careless answer.
But then I sighed and corrected myself.
He had come all the way here to ask these questions.
I felt I owed him honest answers.
Even if…
I couldn’t understand why he was asking them now.
We were getting divorced anyway.
What meaning could any of this possibly have?
“I smiled because Nick had grown into such a wonderful young man.”
“That day…”
“He smiled at me so brightly.”
“And I was proud of him.”
“I see.”
The Duke fell silent for a while.
Then he asked his final question.
“What did those seven years of marriage mean to you?”
“…”
“It doesn’t have to be a complicated answer.”
“You can simply tell me…”
“That they weren’t so bad.”
“That there were some happy moments.”
“That something was especially difficult.”
“Or even…”
“That everything was miserable.”
“Anything.”
I looked at him.
What was this man truly trying to accomplish?
Only then did I finally ask,
“Forgive me for saying this…”
“But why are you asking me these things now?”
“…”
“I honestly don’t understand what purpose any of this serves.”
“Our contract ended.”
“All Your Grace had to do…”
“Was let me go.”
“Then think of it…”
“As two colleagues sharing one final conversation after working together for seven years.”
He answered calmly.
“More than anything…”
“I want to hear about the life you lived in our household.”
“So…”
His gaze deepened.
A faint smile crossed his lips.
“I believed…”
“That you thought everything was fine, Kasia.”
He continued,
“I believed I had done everything I could for you.”
“I tried my best to help you.”
“I made sure you lacked for nothing.”
“I tried not to interfere with anything you wished to do.”
“…”
“So I want to understand this ending.”
“I want to know…”
“Why, the moment those seven years ended…”
“You fled the estate as though you were escaping.”
“I simply said goodbye…”
“In my own way.”
“I believed…”
“That was enough for the kind of relationship we had.”
For some reason…
The conversation suddenly became suffocating.
The Duke sitting before me…
Began to overlap with Nick.
The same questions.
The same frustration.
The same inability to understand.
“You asked what life in the ducal estate was like?”
“It was materially comfortable.”
“But emotionally…”
“It was lonely.”
“And painful.”
“…”
“But it was the path I chose.”
“So I accepted it.”
“That was why…”
“I always thanked you whenever you looked after me.”
I truly didn’t understand.
Why were the people of House Hwidrian suddenly appearing before me again?
“Seven years passed.”
“Our contract ended.”
“So I left the estate in my own way.”
“I’m grateful for everything you did for me.”
“But…”
“I didn’t want to continue living like that.”
Because of the contract…
I believed the Duke would naturally take care of everything that remained.
I had even left him a heartfelt letter expressing my gratitude.
There were no lingering regrets.
No lingering attachments.
I genuinely believed…
That I had given our story a beautiful ending.
So why…
Why had they come searching for me?
Why were they trying to turn that ending into something painful?
Had I done something wrong?
Was there something more I was supposed to do?
“Was it because I left the estate as though I were running away?”
“If that was wrong…”
“Then I apologize.”
“…”
“I should have properly said goodbye before leaving.”
“That was careless of me.”
I continued,
“To be honest…”
“I believed leaving behind a single letter suited the relationship we had.”
“We hardly ever looked each other in the eye.”
“We barely spoke.”
“So wouldn’t it have been stranger…”
“To suddenly sit down and exchange emotional farewells?”
“…”
“Besides…”
“If I had remained at the estate waiting for all the divorce procedures to be completed…”
“It would have exhausted countless people.”
“Both emotionally and procedurally.”
“I wanted to disappear quietly…”
“Without becoming anyone’s burden.”
“So…”
“I left only a letter.”
“…”
“Now that I think about it…”
“Perhaps that really was the problem.”
“If it was…”
“Then let me apologize once again.”
“Perhaps…”
“My farewell wasn’t as graceful as I’d believed.”
Once the words poured out…
An overwhelming exhaustion washed over me.
I let out a long sigh.
“Does that answer your questions?”
“I’m rather tired now.”
“I’d like to rest.”
“…”
“So please…”
“I hope you’ll process the divorce papers soon.”
“When exactly will you—”
I had just begun asking him to settle the divorce paperwork as quickly as possible—
Ding.
The bell above the café door rang.
Light footsteps entered the shop.
“Good morning—”
The cheerful voice belonged to none other than—
Arwin.
As he stepped inside, he reached up and lowered the hood of his cloak.
The moment he looked forward—
His eyes met the Duke’s.
“…!”
“…!”
Silence.
A crushing…
Terrible silence.
The only thing I could hear…
Was my own heart plummeting into my stomach.
* * *
“You…”
The Duke slowly rose from his chair.
My face drained of all color as I looked between the two men.
He recognized Arwin.
I knew it instantly.
The Duke’s eyes had transformed into those of a hunting hound that had finally found its prey.
Those were the same eyes…
He had worn seven years ago…
When the Emperor ordered him to search for the Third Prince.
There was no doubt.
He had recognized Arwin’s identity in a single glance.
Judging by Arwin’s expression…
He had realized the same thing.
What do I do…?
Everything we’d been discussing only moments earlier vanished from my mind.
My thoughts raced.
Several seconds of suffocating silence passed.
Just as the Duke opened his mouth to speak—
Arwin abruptly pulled his hood back over his head.
Without saying a single word…
He spun around—
And bolted out of the café.
The Duke immediately grabbed the sword hanging from his waist and started after him.
“No!”
I threw myself directly into his path.
He stopped.
Looking down at me, he frowned.
“What are you doing, Kasia?”
“We’re not finished talking yet.”
“When are you going to process the divorce papers?”
It was the only thing I could do.
If I could delay him…
Even for a few moments…
Then perhaps Arwin could escape.
Perhaps…
He could disappear before anyone uncovered who he really was.
The Duke spoke,
“I’m sorry, Kasia.”
“But this is an emergency.”
“We can continue our conversation afterward—”
“Emergency or not…”
“You were speaking with me first.”
“You’ll answer my question before I let you leave.”
“…”
“Your Grace.”
“Please show me the courtesy you owe the person standing before you.”
I looked him straight in the eyes.
It suddenly occurred to me…
This was the first time I’d ever challenged him like this.
The Duke studied my expression.
Then…
As though realizing something…
He quietly said,
“So…”
“You’ve been hiding him all this time.”
“My divorce papers.”
“…”
“When are you going to process them?”
I widened my eyes innocently…
Pretending not to understand what he meant.
The Duke let out a weary sigh.
“The moment I return to the estate…”
“I’ll take care of them.”
“I truly came here today only to hear your thoughts.”
“Then promise me.”
“Promise you’ll process them immediately after returning.”
“I promise.”
“Just with words?”
“What are you staking that promise on?”
For the first time…
The Duke looked at me with eyes filled with quiet sorrow.
There was resentment there.
Loneliness.
And something far heavier.
His voice came out low…
Almost hollow.
“I swear…”
“On Diana’s name.”
“…”
For some reason…
My heart dropped.
I bit my lip and stared at him.
“May I go now?”
“…”
He stepped past me.
This time…
I could no longer stop him.
All I could do…
Was watch silently…
As my heart slowly sank into despair.
