Chapter 27
“We lost him.”
A few minutes later, the Duke returned to the gallery.
He had gone chasing after Arwin alone, without even taking the knights with him. Sweat covered his brow, as though he had searched every corner of the town by himself.
By then, I had calmed down.
Standing behind the counter, I quietly dried the dishes I had just finished washing.
“It seems I’ll have to remain here for a while,” he said.
“I’ve already requested that the Imperial Palace dispatch the Imperial Knights. I’ve also called in Lorencia’s town guard as a temporary measure—they should arrive shortly.”
“Since the Third Prince was discovered here, we’ll begin our search in the surrounding area first. I’d appreciate your cooperation.”
“…Do whatever you want.”
My emotions had already settled, so I answered without looking up.
“Kasia.”
“I’ll also need to hear what you know.”
He stood before the counter, watching me work.
“Tell me everything you know about the Third Prince.”
“How you met him.”
“When he came to Lorencia.”
“Anything at all.”
“…He was simply a customer at my gallery.”
“He stayed in Lorencia for about a month and came by from time to time.”
“What did you talk about?”
“I know the Imperial Knights searched Lorencia once before.”
“If he’d already been staying here then, he must have had somewhere he was living.”
“Did he ever mention where?”
“I don’t know.”
“We weren’t close enough to have conversations like that.”
He watched me carefully.
“A little while ago, you hid him.”
“That means you already knew he was the Third Prince.”
“How did you find out?”
“The last time the Imperial Knights came to Lorencia, they showed me his portrait.”
“I recognized him from that.”
Just seeing the Duke’s face was uncomfortable enough.
Now he continued questioning me about one thing after another, and my nerves grew increasingly frayed.
Although I had calmed down…
I certainly wasn’t in a good mood.
Setting the plate down, I finally spoke.
“I felt sorry for him.”
“If he went so far as to make himself a missing person, then he must have had a reason for wanting to escape the Imperial Palace.”
“It hurt to see him hunted wherever he went.”
“I just wanted my gallery to become a place where he could rest, even if only for a little while.”
The Duke remained silent.
“So I treated him only as a customer.”
“I never acknowledged knowing who he was.”
“The truth is…”
“He never once told me himself that he was the Third Prince.”
“That’s all.”
“Does that answer your questions?”
Everything…
Felt like it was falling apart.
No…
My peaceful life in Lorencia was truly unraveling.
Nick had come looking for me and refused to leave.
The Duke had followed after him, demanding to know why I had left House Hwidrian—yet he still hadn’t signed the divorce papers.
And Arwin…
A stranger who had wandered into my gallery…
Had crossed paths with the hunting hounds pursuing him, and now his hiding place had been exposed.
Everything I had planned.
Everything I had dreamed of.
Was crumbling before my eyes.
And the one person who had started all of this…
The person at the center of every turning point…
Diana…
Was no longer here.
That thought filled me with unbearable anger.
“I must have caused you a great deal of trouble today.”
Perhaps he had noticed the darkness in my expression.
The Duke quietly took a step back.
At that moment, the gallery door opened.
Nick, who had apparently overslept and arrived late for work, walked inside.
“Mother, I’m here—”
“…Father?”
His eyes widened the instant he saw the Duke.
Nick looked ready to ask a dozen questions.
Instead, the Duke glanced at me once before saying they should speak outside.
The two of them left together.
The gallery became quiet once more.
I stood there blankly for a long moment before collapsing into the chair behind the counter with a deep sigh.
…I hope Arwin is all right.
Around me…
Changes that could never be undone were happening one after another.
Chapter 28 – His True Identity
Not long afterward…
An enormous force of Imperial Knights arrived in Lorencia.
There were enough soldiers to wage a war.
Golden banners bearing the Imperial lion fluttered proudly as they marched into town.
Naturally…
Their destination was my gallery.
Or rather…
They had come to report to the Duke, who was waiting there.
“His Majesty has instructed us to find His Highness the Third Prince this time at all costs.”
“We have also been ordered to assist Your Grace in every possible way.”
The Knight Commander knelt respectfully before the Duke as he relayed the Emperor’s words.
The temporary town guards withdrew.
In their place…
Countless Imperial Knights spread across every corner of Lorencia with flawless discipline.
My gallery—
The place where the Third Prince had first been identified—
Became the headquarters for the search.
Naturally…
Business came to a complete stop.
The Duke explained that it couldn’t be helped, since the Third Prince had frequented my gallery.
He added that any financial losses caused by the closure would be compensated in full.
“Do whatever you want.”
By then…
I was simply exhausted.
Leaving behind only those words, I walked out.
I spent the next several days lying around the house, doing nothing.
Yet my heart remained restless.
…Where is Arwin?
Had he already escaped Lorencia?
Or was he still hiding somewhere, anxiously waiting for an opportunity?
I couldn’t help feeling guilty.
I had only wanted to let him stay in Lorencia a little longer.
Instead…
It felt as though I had become the reason he was trapped.
If only I knew where he was hiding…
I’d go to him myself and help him escape somehow.
But that was impossible.
The Imperial Knights were watching me.
Because they believed I might still have a way to contact Arwin.
Under their constant surveillance…
The only things I could do were lounge around the house…
Paint…
Or occasionally visit the market.
Anything even slightly suspicious was impossible.
Before long…
Rumors spread throughout Lorencia.
People whispered that I had met the Third Prince.
That I had been hiding him all this time.
Whenever I visited the market…
Curious townspeople would stop me.
“Did you really meet the Third Prince?”
“What did he look like?”
“Did he really look exactly like the portrait?”
“What did the two of you talk about?”
Before I could even answer…
The knights guarding me would step in and disperse the crowd.
At moments like that…
I almost felt grateful that they were always standing beside me.
Without them…
The questions would never have ended.
Lorencia was descending into chaos.
And…
So was I.
Several days later…
A piece of welcome news finally arrived.
Something capable of comforting my exhausted mind.
Mikael had replied to the letter I had sent explaining everything that had happened.
“A letter from Count Allison.”
A messenger from the Allison estate arrived at my house carrying it.
For the first time in days…
I found myself smiling.
“Thank you.”
Accepting the letter with an eager heart, I watched the messenger bow and leave.
Just as I was about to open it…
One of the knights standing in the corner approached me.
“My lady…”
“Forgive me, but we’ll need to inspect the letter first.”
“It’s a private letter.”
“Is that really necessary?”
Legally…
I was still the Duchess of Hwidrian.
There was no reason for me to address the knights politely.
But in my heart…
The divorce had already happened.
So I continued treating them with courtesy.
Seeing my displeasure, the knights looked visibly uncomfortable.
“If you don’t inspect it, the two of you will probably get into trouble.”
“So I’ll let you see it this once.”
“But if you find nothing suspicious…”
“Please don’t report it to His Grace.”
“…We’re obligated to report everything.”
“If you absolutely must report it…”
I looked at them for a moment.
Then a mischievous smile spread across my face.
An excellent idea had just occurred to me.
I raised my head.
“Then make sure you report this.”
“Tell the Duke that the Duchess of Hwidrian received a love letter.”
“…Pardon?”
The knights blinked in shock.
I handed them the letter.
They unfolded it and quickly skimmed through the contents.
Then both of them awkwardly cleared their throats.
Returning it to me, they stood in embarrassed silence.
“You understand now, don’t you?”
“Be sure to tell him it’s a love letter.”
“A love letter…”
“From Count Allison.”
I deliberately emphasized every word.
“And while you’re at it…”
“Tell him that if he doesn’t want the family registry becoming a complete mess…”
“He should hurry up and sign the divorce papers.”
“…Understood, my lady.”
“Oh.”
“One more thing.”
The past few days in Lorencia had completely exhausted me.
Anyone would feel the same.
My life had been invaded.
I was constantly watched.
My freedom had been stripped away.
Enough was enough.
I was finished enduring it.
I looked directly at them.
“And tell His Grace this as well.”
“If he keeps violating my privacy like this…”
“I won’t just sit back and tolerate it.”
…
The color drained from both knights’ faces.
Lately…
I kept asking myself one question.
Why had I spent so many years silently enduring everything?
Ever since the people of House Hwidrian had begun appearing before me again…
The future I had dreamed of was slipping farther and farther away.
I had wanted nothing more than to bury the past…
And live an ordinary, peaceful life here.
But that life was collapsing.
Slowly.
Inexorably.
That realization made one thing clear.
I needed to protect myself.
I could never allow myself to be dragged back into House Hwidrian again.
Thinking about it…
There was no reason to keep enduring things anymore.
The only reason I had silently lived as the Duchess all those years…
Was because of Diana.
Protecting everything my dearest friend had cherished…
Had always been my highest priority.
But not anymore.
The seven-year contract between the Duke and me had ended.
According to that agreement…
I had chosen divorce.
And I had left the ducal estate.
Now that seven years had passed…
Now that the contract was over…
We were complete strangers.
I didn’t want to become entangled with them ever again.
I truly…
Never wanted to go back.
I had a life of my own.
And for whatever time remained…
I wanted to live it as my life.
The contract was over.
It was time for us to return to what we had always been before it began—
Strangers.
And if I wanted to protect the person I truly was…
The woman who was no longer the Duchess of Hwidrian…
Then I would have to become stronger.
