HTDD 04

Chapter 04

When she glanced over, she noticed a letter tucked in the corner of the bag she had brought with her when she married into the family. The handwriting was simple yet careful, and immediately she realized—it was a letter from Mina.

She had not been allowed to bring anyone from the ducal household, and so Mina had been left behind at the Pettigrew estate. A few years after the marriage, however, word came that Mina had collapsed due to illness—

Natalie did not know what had become of the Pettigrew family after her departure, but she was sure it was no longer the joyful place it had once been.

Even so, when she thought of Mina, her hands—which had grown weary of everything—instinctively reached out and took hold of the letter.

**“To my dearest lady,

I apologize for slipping this unceremoniously into your bag. On the day of your departure, I had no chance to give it to you, and so I was forced to resort to this means.

The Pettigrew family was swept up in the sudden war, and everything changed. When I think of the days we could have all laughed together, had that day never come, I cannot help but feel bitter regret.

And then, you too went away… to an allied nation.

But we cannot forever turn our backs to the past. I have resolved to do what I can. The last order you gave me—to arrange for Lord and Lady’s gravestones—has been completed.

I have watched over their resting place ever since. So, if your life ever settles down, please come to visit their graves.

Surely, both Lord and Lady in heaven long to see you again.

May happiness come to you, Lady Natalie.

With love,
Mina”**

(Father, Mother, Mina… I miss you so much.)

Hot tears streamed down Natalie’s cheeks. They would not stop, flowing endlessly. She looked toward the window nearby, where she could see the garden. In the autumn sky, lonely cosmos flowers bloomed—and she remembered how her mother had loved them.

Clutching the letter tightly, Natalie made up her mind. She would ask Julius for a divorce. There was no love between them anyway. To the ducal family, who only sought to make her the villain, Natalie was a useless existence.

(I don’t need status. I just want to go home. Even if I die there, it doesn’t matter… My loved ones are waiting for me.)

Once she thought this, her actions became swift. Throwing open the door of her shed-like room, she strode forward with firm steps. Her destination—the man she barely even saw anymore.

◆◇◆

After more than ten years, she knew the layout of the mansion, whether she wanted to or not. And so she headed to the study, where he was certain to be at this hour.

Without knocking, she flung the door open with a bang. She no longer cared about manners. If this rudeness could be used as grounds for divorce, all the better.

“…How insolent. What is it?”
“…”

There were two people in the room. One was the duke she sought. The other was Junior, dressed neatly in formal attire. In the time she hadn’t seen him, Junior had grown to resemble Julius’s beauty more and more.

“That…!”
“Haa, well, this is convenient. Complaints have reached me about you. I was just about to inform you that you must correct yourself.”
“Please listen to what I—!”

But what came from Julius’s lips were restrictions. His words cut off her frail voice, weakened from malnutrition, as he issued rules she was to obey if she wished to continue living in the mansion.

She was never to leave her room, never to interfere with the children’s education, never to touch the ducal assets… Nothing was new. Likely, members of the household had complained to Julius, viewing her as an enemy.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was that she say what she needed to say. And so she waited—waited until Julius finished, so he could not cut her off.

At last, the moment came.

“Here, this is the schedule for your future life. Your will has no value. You are not to talk back.”

The chastising look in his eyes—something inside Natalie snapped. But oblivious to her expression, Julius continued.

“Because you were given too much by the ducal house, you have become someone who knows no manners. Do you understand how privileged your life is, living as you do?”

He refused to acknowledge her will. Divorce would never be granted. Instead, he would bind her even tighter, making the dream of going to her parents and Mina nothing but a fantasy. She could bear it no longer.

“…I’d rather die.”

And so she said it—and thrust a dagger into her chest in one decisive motion.

◆◇◆

(The smiles of Father and Mother… they’re so close, closer than I ever dreamed…)

And at Natalie’s side, as she ate breakfast, Mina smiled warmly.

It felt like a dream, this moment. Yet the ache she had felt earlier in her cheek, and the way each bite of food carried taste and substance, gave her the undeniable sense that she was alive.

To laugh and talk while sharing a meal—such precious time. She wanted to protect it herself, so that it would never be lost again. Above all, she never wanted to return to those hellish days.

(That is why—I must do something about Mother’s illness, and about the war!)