ELND Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The Chance to Stand by Your Side

Rebecca, who had always been obedient to Duke Bold.

For her to not only ignore his repeated requests to meet but even tear up his letters?

He had thought she would soon come weeping before him, begging for forgiveness. Now he could only scoff at his own foolish complacency.

He had known she had changed, but not to this extent.

And now, to learn only recently that Rebecca had disposed of her art pieces and jewels all at once—Duke Bold felt even more unsettled.

“That stupid girl… could she actually be thinking of divorce?”

Nervously rubbing his face, the Duke grew agitated.

The reason a fallen noble like him had poured everything into making Rebecca the Grand Duchess of Twins was only one thing:

The Heart of Lillian.

To obtain it, Rebecca had to spend a night with Cedric.

She had to gain his imprint and the power to control him.

Then all Bold would have to do was order his docile daughter to hand over the item.

With it, the Kingdom of Kachis would seize continental hegemony again, and its king would reward him as a founding contributor.

“Not just a meaningless duke of a ruined nation… not some displaced noble in a foreign empire… but wielding power second only to the emperor, in the empire I know best.”

That was why he had hounded Rebecca all this time.

Yet after five years of marriage, she had neither gained Cedric’s imprint nor discovered the Heart of Lillian’s location.

“Useless wench. And now she even dares to rebel?”

Downing drink after drink, Duke Bold roughly rubbed his jaw.

He could no longer just watch her insolent defiance.

“If you continue to be so useless… then I’ll have no choice but to dispose of you, and find another child who can be of use to me.”

Swaying drunkenly, Duke Bold chuckled darkly, his face sinking into menace.

Several weeks had already passed since returning from the commodities exchange.

In that time, the imperial family had begun releasing a small number of the special carriages onto the market.

Naturally, the response was explosive.

At first, buyers had been hesitant, but soon they were enamored with the convenience and spread the word.

Then, with a flurry of articles praising their safety and popularity, the carriages’ value soared higher by the day.

“Your Highness, here’s today’s paper.”

As soon as I finished washing, Mina naturally handed me the newspaper.

I was about to flip to the economics section when I noticed a familiar name on the front page headline.

Rebecca Twins.

It was my name.

Blinking in surprise, I looked up, and Mina chuckled as if she had expected it.

“I nearly dropped the paper when I saw it this morning. Your Highness, you’re truly amazing!”

The article’s title read:

“Grand Duchess Rebecca Twins Who Recognized the Value of the Special Carriages! – Is She the New Genius of Investment?”

It was a feature on me, having invested early in the special carriages.

But the story was full of exaggerations, and I turned the page with a flat expression.

“They’ve blown it way out of proportion. It makes me sound like I’m already a billionaire.”

“But you will be soon enough, so it’s not a lie! By the way, when are you planning to release more carriages into the market?”

“Well…”

I tapped my chin lightly with the pen I had been underlining with.

“In a few days, I’ll release about twenty units. At the highest price possible, of course.”

“Only twenty? Wouldn’t it be better to sell more now while the price is soaring?”

Mina blinked her cute eyes in confusion.

“No. I’ll release them little by little, until their value peaks. The scarcer they become, the more desperate people will be to own one.”

According to what I knew, mass production of special carriages wouldn’t happen for at least six months, maybe a year.

Which meant that until then, their price would keep skyrocketing.

In other words, waiting patiently would be the most profitable strategy.

Humming to myself as I skimmed through the article, a forgotten face suddenly surfaced in my mind.

…Duke Bold.

Since the day I had warned him, he hadn’t shown up unannounced.

But his attempts to arrange meetings had only grown more persistent, and I had ignored them all.

By now, he must have seen this article too.

Once, he had clung to his pride as family head, trying to hold my divorce settlement rights hostage.

Now that his only leverage over me was gone, he must be seething with frustration.

And since he couldn’t barge in like before, that frustration would be eating him alive.

Serves you right, old man.

Pursing my lips smugly, I rose from my chair.

“Your Highness, are you going somewhere?”

“Yes. The weather seems nice—I’ll go for a morning walk.”

“Shall I come with you?”

I shook my head and walked straight to the door.

“No. I want to go alone today.”

Arriving at the first-floor lobby, I found myself heading instinctively toward the parlor.

My gaze lingered on a painting hanging on the wall.

It was the very one Vincent had appeared from the other day.

I wonder if Vincent is doing well back home?

Knowing the secret behind the painting, it no longer unsettled me.

Instead, it even felt a little friendly—like someone I knew was on the other side.

Could it be… I can go inside too?

Just as I reached out toward it,

“Do you wish to visit the Demon Realm again?”

A soft voice echoed through the wide lobby.

I turned and saw a familiar face.

“Huh? Adrian?”

He smiled faintly as our eyes met and walked toward me.

I greeted him with a bright smile but tilted my head in confusion.

“But… again?”

At that, the smile faded from Adrian’s face.

He even looked unsettled.

An uneasy silence stretched between us, until at last he parted his lips.

“You truly… don’t remember that day at all?”

He gazed at me wordlessly for a long time.

“I thought you were only pretending to forget because you couldn’t forgive me. But now I see…”

“…”

“You really did lose those memories.”

Bowing his head slightly, he wore a bitter expression.

When his violet-blue eyes finally met mine again, some time had passed.

“Your Highness, would you come with me to the garden?”

Led by Adrian, I arrived at the pond behind the Mansion of Light.

We strolled slowly, the morning sunlight shimmering across the water.

“This is the place.”

He stopped by a low boulder near the pond.

Gently, he guided me to sit.

“Your Highness was seated here that day.”

“So… our first meeting wasn’t at the Mansion of Darkness?”

“No.”

At my puzzled look, he gave a faint smile.

“And that day, Your Highness was crying so sorrowfully.”

Crying? Rebecca was crying?

I blinked slowly at him.

“I only learned later… but that was the day of your wedding to the Grand Duke.”

“…”

“But the Grand Duke had to leave urgently for the Demon Realm. Left alone, Your Highness seemed deeply heartbroken.”

Adrian bit his lip.

“Afterwards, you chased him to the mountains he had secretly gone to. I don’t know what happened there… but…”

“…”

“When you returned in the Grand Duke’s arms, you had already fainted.”

Adrian shut his eyes tightly, as if reliving the memory.

“From that day on, the Grand Duke grew cold and distrustful toward you throughout your marriage.”

So it wasn’t just Rebecca’s obsession—something had happened that night?

Startled by the story I had never known, I blinked.

Seeing me, Adrian’s expression grew even more pained.

“That day is what ultimately led you both here.”

With those words, he slowly knelt before me.

“Adrian, what are you doing?”

“It was I who enabled you to go to the Demon Realm that day.”

His violet-blue eyes, heavy with guilt, looked up at me.

“I couldn’t bear to see you weep in sorrow. So I made a choice I should never have made.”

“…”

“I… ruined your happiness.”

As he spoke in anguish, I shook my head quickly.

“No, Adrian, that’s not—”

“I know the two of you have decided to divorce.”

My eyes widened in shock.

How did he…?

I tried to deny it, but the words caught in my throat.

I didn’t know how much he knew, but his face was filled with certainty.

…There’s no point in lying.

I studied him for a moment, then spoke slowly.

“However you found out, I’d like you to keep it secret for now.”

“If that is your wish, of course.”

Adrian nodded reluctantly, his face tinged with sorrow.

“And you don’t need to feel guilty. This divorce is my choice.”

I patted his shoulder lightly, putting on a deliberately lighthearted expression as I stood.

“Even if that night led to this situation…”

“…”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. To me, it means nothing now.”

I smiled faintly and held out my hand. His eyes rippled like waves.

After a moment’s hesitation, he clasped my hand and slowly rose to his feet.

“In a few months, I’ll be leaving this place. I plan to forget everything here and live freely.”

I lifted the corners of my lips confidently.

“So until then, I’m counting on you, Adrian.”

Though his face was still shadowed, he seemed a little more at ease.

As I smiled brightly at him, a faint smile finally touched his lips as well.

“…Your Highness.”

He hesitated, then spoke again.

“I know it’s shameless of me to even ask this. But on the day you leave this castle…”

His violet-blue eyes wavered as they met mine.

“…would you give me the chance to stand by your side?”