MHC 14

Chapter 14

Today, Chloe seemed different. Her uncooperative attitude left no trace of consideration for Calis.

Normally, when a couple attended a banquet, it was customary for the husband to gently take his wife’s hand as they entered the hall. Chloe, who usually valued etiquette, didn’t forget this—but today, she strode ahead of Calis.

To make matters worse, she had the invitation, so Calis had to point her out to the guards before he could enter. It was a truly undignified situation.

Chloe’s petty mischief didn’t end there. Whenever she went to greet other noble families, she left Calis completely out of sight. Even when he quietly attached himself to her side, she ignored him, treating him like an invisible man.

Even during the slow dance, Calis was entirely excluded.

“Chloe, shall we dance next?” Calis asked, stepping forward himself, unable to bear it.

Chloe, who had been quietly sitting, slowly turned her head. Calis reached out eagerly, as if her gaze alone filled him with gratitude.
“If I do this, she’ll surely relent.”
The proud Calis bent his pride before his wife in front of everyone. But the hand he clasped wasn’t Chloe’s—it was a cold champagne glass.

“If you want to dance so badly, why not with another woman?”

“……What?”

“Or you could call Helena over right now.”

Chloe’s words made Calis’s face turn bright red. His hands and legs trembled, unable to endure the shame. Yet this wasn’t the Duke’s estate. If he shouted at her as he would at home, he’d only end up humiliated.

Suppressing his anger, he led Chloe to the terrace.

“Chloe, what’s gotten into you? Why are you being so reckless lately?”

Chloe had repeatedly expressed that she didn’t want to go, yet he pestered her persistently. The abrupt question was the result of that.

“Are you really in a position to ask that, Your Highness?”

“What do you mean, ‘not in a position’? Helena is my……”

Chloe, tired, ignored the rest of his words.

“Yes. She was Your Highness’s first love. Even after marriage, you couldn’t give her up and stubbornly brought her along. Quite the remarkable love, isn’t it?”

“What?” Calis asked in surprise at Chloe’s sarcastic tone. Recently, her behavior had been strange, but she had never shown such dislike toward him.

Why is she acting like this?

According to his plan, she should have recalled her forgotten guilt and submitted to him, as she had over the past six months.

Returning to the banquet, she should have been attentive to Calis, introducing him to high-ranking nobles and sharing the latest gossip. Yet she left him mercilessly, ignoring him completely while chatting with nobles she knew.

Normally, she would seek investors or showcase her ideas, but the people Calis wanted to meet were all clustered around Chloe. At this event, where she had been entirely excluded at the Duke’s estate, she now drew overwhelming attention. Calis was left with nothing.

He wandered the hall alone, seeking someone to welcome him, but the group he found was unsatisfactory: nouveau riche men, country nobles he’d never heard of, and declining aristocrats. Surrounded by such a pitiful group, he could only recount his heroic deeds.

“……What kind of newspaper is this?”

The next morning, Chloe was incredulous as Jane handed her a newspaper.

“The Secret Tryst of the Dukes of Argen”

The sensational headline featured an illustration of the two of them, apparently on the terrace, mouths close together as if in an intimate conversation. Without context, it looked like a passionate romantic moment.

The article described them as finally beginning a love affair, overcoming obstacles heroically. But the reporter had clearly taken liberties, turning events into fiction.

Even flipping to the next page, it was more of the same. The paper had nothing else to report, so the entire first and second pages were filled with stories of the Duke and Duchess.

Chloe wondered if she should anonymously report it herself.

At least Helena’s rumors haven’t leaked yet.

Seeing their romantic “moments” printed, she realized that the existence of a new woman at the Argen estate was still unknown to the public. Perhaps the reporter was restraining themselves, fearing repercussions from the royal household.

Should I have quietly eliminated the root of this? she thought, annoyed.

When Valornt had expelled Helena, would things have been better if she had complied? At that time, she had felt guilt toward Calis, but now she felt no concern at all.

If she ignored it now, she’d be forced to remain with Calis forever.

Stupid move.

What I want is a divorce from him.

After hitting rock bottom, she couldn’t live under the same roof. Her family, who could have helped, had mercilessly turned her away. Moreover, the temple, which promised contact if she left a guestbook, had remained silent. With Plan B failing, she had to move to Plan C before they uncovered her deception.

“Why not just sue them?”

Jane’s worried voice echoed faintly.

Chloe raised her eyebrows, and Jane cautiously pointed to the newspaper. Misreading Chloe’s frown as anger, Jane asked again, “Are you really okay with this?”

“Of course. It’s not that bothersome.”

“……Really?”

Jane assumed it was an empty reassurance, but Chloe was genuinely unconcerned. Although seeing her image next to Calis was unpleasant, it wasn’t troubling enough to care about. The nobles at the banquet knew the truth, so no false rumors would spread. The article would likely harm someone else more than her.

“Ah, ah, ahh!”

Helena’s cries filled the room, tearing at newspapers scattered on the floor. She clawed at her scalp, the physical pain minor compared to the anguish in her heart.

She had attended the banquet with Chloe in her stead, only to be tricked into a terrible situation.

“Shane!”

Shane, waiting outside, rushed in.

“Yes, yes!”

Next to Helena, Shane found the shredded pictures: the Duke and Duchess, seemingly caught in a secret tryst. The severity of the situation quickly became clear.

“What did Calis do at the banquet last night?”

“The banquet hosted by the Marquess and Marchioness of Molant.”

“And did he do this there?”

“Uh……?”

“Do all couples have these secret conversations in private?” Helena’s voice was sharp, filled with anger. Shane knew if she didn’t understand the next explanation, she’d take it out on him.

If Calis confessed the truth, Helena would worry; if he lied, she’d be terrified.

What to do… Shane bit his lip, stamping his feet helplessly. This was beyond his control.

“Helena, what’s the matter?”

Calis arrived at that moment. Seeing the gravity, he immediately held Helena in his arms, patting her back and stroking her hair like calming a child. Once the maid left, Calis stepped back.

“Cal.”

Helena no longer shouted, but tears streamed down her face, soft and pitiful. Her sightless eyes moved his heart.

“Yes, Helena.”

“Are you going to abandon me? Are you going to be with that woman?”

“……What are you talking about?”

Helena picked up the newspaper scraps from the floor. Calis’s eyes widened as he saw the pictures.

“Explain. Explain it! What did you do yesterday? The two of you!”

“Well……”

Calis was at a loss.

They had been perfectly innocent yesterday. No holding hands, no dancing—at most, he had taken her away from the hall because he couldn’t bear seeing her alone.

“Does the princess still love you?”

“Um……”

“She can’t let you go? Even with me by your side, she still thinks only of you? So that’s why she’s been so prickly lately?”

But how could he admit that? To someone he loved dearly, who looked up to him like a prince?

“……Yes.”

Thus, Calis lied, as usual, pinning all the blame on Chloe.