HBL 14

Chapter 14

“D-Diego…”

Vivian called out to him in a trembling voice.

Diego’s gaze shifted from her fingertips to where Saronne lay collapsed on the ground. He said nothing for a while.

Momentarily overwhelmed with panic, Vivian quickly pulled herself together. This was Diego, after all. Wasn’t he the one who always believed her and did whatever she asked?

Wiping away her unease, Vivian began to explain with tearful eyes.

“W-What you just saw is a misunderstanding. Lady Saronne grabbed me so tightly it hurt, and I just… instinctively tried to pull away… I didn’t even push her that hard, but Lady Saronne, she…”

She glanced over at Saronne, waiting to see how she would react. After saying that, there was no way Saronne could keep playing the victim in front of Diego, who trusted her so implicitly. It was unfortunate that the gardener hadn’t shown up alone.

But then—

“Saronne Lois.”

Diego stepped past Vivian and approached Saronne. Despite him calling her name, Saronne didn’t respond. Her body remained limp.

Vivian was even more startled than before. It was shocking enough that Diego hadn’t comforted her, but walked right past—
And now, why wasn’t that woman reacting at all?

Diego bent down on one knee beside Saronne, who had collapsed face-down, and gently turned her over. Only then did her closed eyes come into view.

Vivian’s eyes widened in disbelief.

‘W-What? Did she really lose consciousness? No, no way—she’s faking it. She has to be acting!’

With an unusually serious expression, Diego pressed the back of his hand to Saronne’s cheek to check for any movement.

She still didn’t budge.

Vivian, now overwhelmed with growing unease, hastily called out to him.

“D-Diego, this is…”

“Vivian.”

He cut her off before she could say more.

Diego silently stared at Saronne’s face for a moment, then narrowed his eyes slightly. His expression, though laced with complexity, held no trace of disgust or contempt.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

“No matter what happened… let’s not place the blame on Saronne this time.”

Vivian stared at him, stunned, unable to believe what she had just heard. Diego Lois was always colder to Saronne than he was to her.

Even when Saronne had lost their child and lay sick in bed, he had sided with Vivian and cornered her mercilessly.

Diego stood and turned to the gardener who had arrived with him. They had both heard the commotion while coming through the garden to find Vivian.

“She seems to have lost consciousness. Take her to her room.”

Vivian had half-feared that Diego would carry Saronne himself, but thankfully, he didn’t.

“Let’s go inside.”

He said, returning to Vivian’s side and leading her away.

Still, he seemed troubled, as though his thoughts weighed heavily on him. Without so much as a proper conversation, he eventually left Vivian behind and entered his office alone.

***

‘So he must’ve silenced the gardener.’

In the days following the incident, Saronne had been keeping a close eye on the situation. Just as Vivian had suspected, Saronne’s fainting had indeed been an act.

That woman had shamelessly tried to pull the same old tricks again, and this time, Saronne had decided to teach her a lesson with something even more dramatic.

‘What’s even more surprising is that Diego didn’t immediately put all the blame on me.’

Since he chose to let the matter go without digging deeper, Vivian’s wrongdoing was never revealed.

‘Still, since Diego—who always sides with her—witnessed the scene himself. Things could’ve only turned against me. So honestly, it’s better this way.’

Recalling how quickly the past week had flown by, Saronne rose from the sofa.

Her elegant white dress rustled softly as it flowed around her, as though moonlight had been woven into silk. Her chestnut-brown hair, tied high on her bare neck, accentuated her noble grace.

Tonight was the night of an official social banquet.

‘I’m very much looking forward to what will unfold there.’

On the vanity, her wedding ring—now devoid of purpose—sat alone.

<”If you make a fuss again, you’ll end up divorced.”>

Swallowing her bitterness, she stepped forward, picked up the ring, and let it fall carelessly from her fingers.

The ring hit the marble floor and spun noisily across it.

‘He wants a divorce so badly… He couldn’t manage it in our previous life. I suppose I’ll have to help him achieve it this time.’

Checking the time, Saronne stepped out of the bedroom.

As she descended to the ground floor of the mansion, the servant stationed at the entrance gave her a brief look.

Before opening the door, he lowered his head and spoke.

“The master has already left for the banquet hall with Lady Vivian. I’m afraid you’ll have to travel alone, madam.”

His voice was flat and unemotional.

Saronne could sense those nearby trying to eavesdrop on them.

Unfazed, she replied calmly.

“No. Someone is coming to pick me up. I was told he should be arriving right about now.”

The servant blinked, seemingly caught off guard by her answer. Saronne narrowed her eyes slightly at the man standing dumbly before her.

“Well? Are you going to open the door, or do you expect me to do it myself?”

“Ah, no! My apologies, madam.”

Snapping out of it, the servant quickly opened the door. Behind her, curious gazes followed as Saronne stepped outside.

The sky had already begun to darken, shrouded by the early evening veil—the banquet was scheduled for nighttime, after all.

Calmly, Saronne made her way down the path cloaked in twilight.

At the end of that path, she spotted a carriage waiting in front of the illuminated gates. And standing before it—someone waiting.

‘The servant must not have known another carriage had arrived. That means he hasn’t been here long.’

Fortunately, it seemed she had come out right on time.

As soon as he spotted her, Leobint walked toward her.

“Saronne.”

“Leobint, you came early.”

After their last meeting, they had agreed to speak informally and call each other by name. Though it still felt a bit unfamiliar, Saronne willingly addressed him.

“Thank you for coming to get me.”

“No need to thank me. I just followed the plan.”

Leobint gave a light smile as he gently took Saronne’s gloved hand. His eyes swept slowly over her radiant face and elegant gown.

Strangely, though his gaze lingered, there wasn’t a hint of rudeness in it.

“You look absolutely stunning tonight.”

“Thank you. You look even more dashing than the last time I saw you.”

“Is that so? Then I’m glad all my effort was worth it.”

He replied with a pleased tone, leading her by the hand toward the carriage.

Once seated, Saronne found herself glancing over at Leobint. His tall, well-built frame suited the formal attire perfectly.

Her gaze lingered on the neatly pinned boutonnière on his black jacket before slowly tracing upwards to his face.

His golden hair was slicked back neatly; his jawline was sharp; and his nose was finely sculpted. His features came together in such a harmonious way that it was as if each one had been crafted with care.

‘He’s youthful, yet not boyish. Masculine, yet beautiful…’

In short, it was the kind of appearance that effortlessly caught people’s attention.

“You’re staring so openly—it’s making me a little shy.”

He said, just as her gaze met his bright blue eyes.

Despite claiming embarrassment, neither his tone nor his expression showed the slightest hint of it. If anything, he looked delighted.

Saronne let out a soft laugh.

“You must enjoy dressing up — you always look so polished whenever I see you.”

“I just want to show my best side as often as I can.”

“For others? That’s a bit unexpected…”

Given how he never bothered correcting any of the growing rumors or scandals surrounding him, Saronne had assumed he wasn’t the type to care about others’ opinions.

‘Wait… Doesn’t helping me with this revenge plan only bring him trouble?’

Once again, Saronne found herself unable to read his true motives.

That was when Leobint, eyes turned toward the window, murmured under his breath.

“Oh? So you have been watching me from time to time… if you’ve noticed things like that.”

He stared out into the night, his face bearing a strange expression. Moments earlier, he had seemed ready to joke around again, but now he had grown quiet, his gaze deep and contemplative.

Not wanting to disturb him, Saronne also looked out of the window. Perhaps it was because they were still in the same capital city, but the brilliant lights of the royal district were drawing nearer.

“You remember we’re arriving a bit late, right?”

Leobint spoke again after a brief pause, his tone once more light.

“Yeah. It’s been a while since my husband left with Lady Benit.”

Arriving late meant all eyes would be on them and even more so because it would be Saronne and Leobint entering together.

“I hope you walk in with confidence tonight. It suits you far better.”

“Alright.”

Encouraged by his quiet words, Saronne smiled.

At that moment, the carriage stopped outside the building where the banquet was in full swing.

Leobint stepped out first and offered her his hand. As their hands touched, he gripped hers firmly and smiled.

“Shall we?”

Passing through the quiet exterior and entering the building, they soon stood before the grand doors of the banquet hall.

As Saronne composed her expression, the doors swung open wide on both sides.

A blinding flood of light and the swell of music poured into the dim hallway.

‘From this moment on… I’ll be laying the true groundwork for my divorce.’

The sudden appearance of late-arriving guests turned the heads of nobles gathered in clusters. What began as indifferent glances quickly morphed into shock.

“L-Look over there…!”

Someone gasped loudly, hastily covering their mouth with a fan.

There was a moment of silence in the hall. Then it burst into murmurs and stirrings of scandalous excitement.

Unfazed by the reaction, Leobint continued leading Saronne towards the centre of the room. He offered calm smiles and polite greetings to those whose eyes met his.

“So sorry for being late. We had a bit of trouble with the carriage on the way.”

At his nonchalant demeanor, the crowd could no longer hold back.

“L-Lady Lois, Sir Hethrian… how are the two of you together…?”

Questions and curious stares rained down upon them. Saronne opened her mouth, more than willing to give an answer.

“Sir Hethrian was the first to ask me to be his partner tonight.”

She paused for a moment.

During this pause, her eyes met those of Diego and Vivian, who were watching them from across the hall.

Wearing a warm smile, she finished what she had to say.

“My husband made it clear that he wanted a divorce. He arrived tonight with another woman as his partner. So I simply accepted the gentleman’s offer without hesitation.”