The Duchess Is Looking for Her Husband

Chapter 9

Royd’s eyes widened.

It was as if he had heard a word he had never heard before and never imagined he would hear.

That made sense.

The Empire did have divorce as a legal concept, but among nobles, it was strictly forbidden.

Even when a noble wanted a divorce, it was extremely difficult.

Both noble marriages and divorces required the Emperor’s approval.

And the current Emperor had never approved a divorce.

Not even once during his twenty-nine years on the throne.

There had been nobles who tried to get divorced, but all of them had failed.

That was why Royd burst into a twisted laugh.

“Ha-ha-ha!”

Royd bent down and grabbed Artia’s chin.

He brought his frightening face close to hers, as if he wanted to devour her.

“Go ahead. Try to get a divorce.”

“……”

“If your goal is to leave me, hanging yourself would be much easier than getting a divorce.”

The moment Royd left the room, Bibi entered.

When she saw Artia lying on the floor, her normally expressionless face changed.

Bibi helped Artia up.

“I’ll call the doctor immediately.”

“I’m fine.”

“Then at least let me put some medicine on your cheek.”

Artia touched her swollen, red cheek.

“No. I should keep it like this. It will make me look more pitiful.”

“……”

“Just help me get ready to go out.”

Bibi looked worried about Artia’s swollen face, but she obediently followed her order.

Fortunately, Royd did not stop Artia from leaving the mansion.

‘I expected this. That bastard… no, Royd thinks of me as nothing more than a little bug hiding deep underground.’

No one bothers about a tiny bug that can do nothing but crawl around.

‘But Royd, you’ll regret being so arrogant soon.’

Standing in front of the carriage, Artia looked toward a distant window.

She could see Royd holding a crying Lirika in his arms.

“Ugh.”

Artia climbed into the carriage after seeing the touching reunion of the two cockroaches.

The feeling of the carriage moving was unfamiliar.

‘I guess it’s because it’s been so long since I went outside.’

Artia rarely left the mansion unless she absolutely had to.

She always stayed in her room and read books.

‘No wonder her skin became as white as paper. And her wrists are as thin as a child’s.’

Artia clicked her tongue and opened the carriage window.

Warm sunlight and cool wind flowed inside.

‘Ah, this is nice. People really should get some sunlight.’

But the smile on Artia’s face disappeared the moment the carriage reached its destination.

The place where the Empire’s most powerful and arrogant people lived.

The Imperial Palace.

A few days earlier, Artia had sent letters to twelve people.

Only one person had replied.

Kilian von Orpheus.

The Empire’s Second Prince.

The person closest to the imperial throne.

He also had the disrespectful nickname “His Mad Highness.”

‘He spent four years on the battlefield after turning nineteen and finally returned a few months ago after leading the Empire to victory.’

Because he had spent so many years at war, the nobles in the capital did not know much about him.

There were only frightening rumors that the smell of blood from the battlefield still clung to the prince.

Artia had sent a letter even to someone so frightening because Kilian was the person most capable of helping her.

‘But I never expected him to reply…’

There were no kind words in Kilian’s letter promising to help her.

There was only one short sentence:

“Come and tell me in person.”

Artia had no idea what Kilian wanted.

But that wasn’t important.

‘I have to take this chance somehow.’

Artia swallowed nervously as she entered the Second Prince’s palace.

A handsome, slender man with dark green hair came to greet her.

Nocturne von Alihas.

He was the second son of Count Alihas and a personal attendant serving Prince Kilian.

He greeted her with a gentle smile.

“Welcome, Duchess of Edenberg. I will take you to His Highness.”

Artia gave him a small bow and followed Nocturne.

As they walked down the long hallway, Artia carefully asked,

“May I ask what His Highness’s condition is like today?”

He was called His Mad Highness, after all.

Artia hoped he would at least be in a good mood.

But her hopes were immediately destroyed.

“He normally wakes up at exactly the same time every day. But today, he woke up an hour early.”

“He also skipped breakfast because he had no appetite.”

“His morning sword training lasted twice as long as usual.”

“And his eyes looked so frightening that two attendants fainted.”

So basically, His Highness was in the worst possible condition?

Artia resisted the urge to turn around and go home.

“If I don’t come out alive, please insist that the culprit was definitely Royd von Edenberg.”

“Understood.”

Hey, don’t answer so seriously. You’re making it sound like I’m really going to my death.

Seeing Artia’s uncomfortable expression, Nocturne laughed softly.

“I’m joking. He is much more normal than the rumors suggest, so please don’t worry too much.”

“Really?”

“Probably?”

“……”

A little later, Nocturne stopped in front of a huge door.

He opened it and gracefully gestured toward the inside.

“Please go in, Duchess of Edenberg.”

Artia looked at the room beyond the door.

It felt like the entrance to a lion’s cage.

She stepped inside.

Boom.

The huge door closed behind her.

After walking for a short while, she saw a man sitting in a chair.

Before she could properly see his face, Artia immediately lowered her head.

“I greet the great descendant of Orpheus. I am Artia von Edenberg.”

There was another reason Kilian had earned the nickname His Mad Highness.

He had an extreme hatred of women.

There were rumors that a woman who casually touched his hand had her wrist cut off.

Another story claimed that a woman who secretly entered his bed had lost her life.

‘They say it’s fine as long as you don’t approach him sexually. Still, there’s no reason to take unnecessary risks. I’ll be as careful as possible and make sure I don’t offend him.’

So even after finishing her greeting, Artia kept her head down and continued staring at the floor.

After a long silence, a low voice came from above her.

“What is it you came to say as an Edenberg?”

His rough voice contained no emotion.

It had a frightening, almost demonic quality.

Artia swallowed nervously.

‘If I say something unimportant, he might cut out my tongue just for annoying him.’

Hoping that her words would interest him even a little, she began speaking.

“I don’t know if you remember. I greeted Your Highness two years ago.”

It had been a banquet held to celebrate Kilian’s return from the battlefield.

Artia and Royd had bowed before Kilian.

“I greet the great descendant of Orpheus. I am Royd von Edenberg, the twenty-third Duke of Edenberg.”

It was Royd’s first formal greeting as the Duke of Edenberg.

He had introduced himself proudly, his face full of excitement.

Artia, on the other hand, had been so frightened that she couldn’t even think about raising her head.

Kilian had always frightened her.

She had only wanted the moment to end as quickly as possible.

A moment later, Kilian’s cold voice reached Artia’s ears.

“Trash like this is the Duke of Edenberg?”

“……”

Kilian had said it directly.

Instead of making some weak excuse, Royd had answered arrogantly.

“It’s true.”

“Yes, it is.”

“……”

“My husband, Royd, is trash. And not even the kind that can be recycled. He’s truly the worst kind of trash.”

Kilian stared at Artia for a long moment before muttering,

“You’ve changed a lot in only two years.”

“……!”

Artia was shocked.

She had never imagined that Kilian would remember her from that brief moment.

Two years ago, Artia had still been deeply in love with Royd.

Without thinking, she had suddenly raised her head and glared at Kilian.

The moment their eyes met, she quickly lowered her head again.

For the timid Artia, that had been an incredible act of courage.

‘It’s an embarrassing memory I wish I could erase now, but…’