THDAD CH 09

Shite urged me to answer with his eyes.

I had a rough idea of where this conversation was headed. But there were too many ears around us, so I didn’t say it aloud.

And since I didn’t know what Shite was really after, I had no intention of telling him everything honestly, either.

“It’s your money, so I’m sure you’ll do whatever you want with it. You gave it to me to spend privately in the first place. Why should I interfere?”

“Then I suppose you don’t know where the five billion Bern in your dowry went, either.”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm…”

“Is that all you’re curious about?”

“…If you were my wife, you could have had much better marriage prospects than the Hurniswald Barony. So why did you choose me?”

What an absurd question.

It was because Prince Kildian interfered with my marriage and told me to choose a husband from among his subordinates!

Well, leaving that reason aside…

“Because you don’t have any ambition, motivation, or desire for power. You’re perfect for someone like me who just wants to spend my inheritance lavishly while having fun and doing nothing.”

Shite looked as if he couldn’t understand.

So I kindly elaborated.

“If I married a high-ranking noble, I’d have to manage the territory, deal with family affairs, attend all kinds of events, and constantly worry about what the elders of the family thought of me. And then there’s politics. Ugh. Just imagining it for a moment gives me a headache.”

I absolutely hated both politics and work.

It was the truth, but it was also a warning directed at Shite.

Whatever the reason he had revealed his true colors, he shouldn’t even dream of getting my cooperation.

I was telling him not to drag me into troublesome matters.

Did he get the message?

I looked at him expectantly.

Shite had a peculiar expression on his face.

It was as though he were looking at an immature child, or perhaps the most pathetic unemployed person in the world…

Wait.

The most pathetic unemployed person?

Was he looking at me like that?

“Madam.”

Despite that, his voice as he addressed me was as warm as spring sunshine.

The unfamiliar tone gave me goosebumps.

As I rubbed my arms, Shite smiled gently.

Then, out of nowhere—

“I think we should get divorced, Madam.”

He casually blurted out nonsense.

“…What did you say we should do?”

“Get divorced.”

Was he joking?

Had he lost his sense of humor along with his memories, and this was some useless new setting I’d never heard of?

Or was he simply making a terrible joke?

Let’s ignore him.

I turned my head as though I hadn’t heard him, but Shite stood up from his seat.

Placing one hand on the table, he leaned toward me.

From a distance close enough that I couldn’t possibly ignore him, he said once again,

“You’ll have to divorce me, Madam.”

And that was how it all began.

Shite’s daily routine was more or less the same as usual.

Which meant that he mostly stayed cooped up in his room and rarely came out.

However, whenever he did leave his room, he invariably came looking for me. And as an added bonus, he would stick close to me and whisper in my ear.

“It seems the palace will be opening soon. Would you care to accompany me to obtain approval for our divorce?”

“No.”

“Don’t be like that. Let’s get divorced.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Divorce…”

“No!”

I sprang to my feet and moved elsewhere.

But wherever I went, Shite followed me.

Apparently, to other people’s eyes, the two of us looked rather affectionate, because strange rumors began circulating.

“The two of them have been spending a lot of time together lately.”

“I know. Madam used to wander around everywhere as if she had restless feet, but these days, she stays home all the time.”

“Could the two of them be dating?”

“They’re already married. Why would they date?”

“Oh, you poor thing. Noble romances usually begin after marriage. Everyone gets married for political reasons, after all.”

“Oh my! Then those two… Oh my, oh my!”

The maids slapped each other’s arms and burst into laughter.

I could only stare at them dejectedly.

Listening to such ridiculous rumors made my head spin.

The reason I rarely went outside the house was because I was afraid Shite might launch a surprise divorce while I was away.

Not being able to travel was for the same reason.

What if he filed for divorce while I was gone?

Since we had no children, it was obvious that things would turn against me.

Even though there was an obligation to produce an heir, Shite and I had never even shared a bed.

And ordinarily, lawsuits tended to favor the person who actually appeared at the trial.

What if I went abroad or traveled somewhere far away like I normally did, only to get hit with a surprise divorce trial?

My inheritance would disappear like dust.

So where on earth could I go?!

But dating?

Daaaaating?!

How on earth did following someone around and pestering them to get a divorce look like dating?!

It was nothing but one-sided harassment!

This was too unfair. This time, I was going to expose Shite’s true nature in its entirety.

Steeling myself, I strode toward the maids.

They hadn’t noticed my presence and continued their conversation.

“Honestly, I used to wonder what Madam saw in that man that made her marry him. But now that he dresses so neatly, isn’t the Baron actually quite decent?”

“Exactly. These days, he doesn’t even stammer anymore, and you have no idea how polite he’s become.”

“I just wish Madam would hurry up and accept her husband’s feelings.”

“Don’t worry about that. I saw something with my own two eyes a few days ago.”

“What? What was it? Hurry up and tell me!”

“Well…”

The maid lowered her voice and whispered.

“Oh my goodness! I heard that rumor too, so it was true? What do we do? Have they already spent their first night together?!”

“Shh, shh!”

The maid quickly covered the other maid’s mouth, but I had already heard it.

Their first night?!

I stopped in shock.

At the same time, I sensed someone behind me, and a chin suddenly came to rest on my shoulder.

“Are you thinking about the divorce?”

“Eek! You scared me!”

I clutched my chest and quickly put some distance between Shite and me.

“Could you please make some noise when you walk around?!”

I kept my voice as low as possible so the maids wouldn’t hear us, but apparently, they had already noticed.

“Gasp! M-Madam!”

The maids spotted Shite and me.

Their faces went pale as they hurriedly backed toward the wall and lowered their heads. In that position, they exchanged anxious glances.

Of course they were worried.

If servants were caught gossiping about their master’s private life, they would usually be severely punished or dismissed.

I gave them a reassuring smile to let them know it was fine, then turned around.

As I walked away, I grabbed Shite by the arm and dragged him along with me.

Shite followed obediently, though he looked puzzled.

“Weren’t you about to say something to them?”

I was.

I had been planning to tell them how Shite was driving me crazy by constantly pestering me to get a divorce!

But after hearing that rumor, I changed my mind.

If word got out that we’d spent our first night together and that Shite wanted a divorce, there would undoubtedly be all kinds of nasty rumors claiming that our first night had been disappointing.

And sensational rumors like that were bound to spread quickly, no matter how carefully people tried to keep them under control.

Once they spread, it would only be a matter of time before they reached the ears of gossipmongers.

And then the outcome was obvious.

Wherever I went, hyena-like people would look me up and down while whispering among themselves.

Ugh. Just imagining it made me shudder.

Besides—

“Explaining myself every time the servants say something would make me look petty, wouldn’t it?”

“So you’re saying how you are perceived by others is more important than correcting false information?”

“Sometimes.”

In truth, it was always like that.

Ever since I was born.

To me, what mattered more than the truth was perfection.

Shite looked at me as if he couldn’t understand me.

Of course, I didn’t need his understanding, so it didn’t matter.

“That’s why I’m saying this. Let’s settle the divorce between the two of us without telling anyone else.”

Shite didn’t answer. He simply stared at me.

Then he gave me a somewhat bitter and ominous smile.

“If that’s what you want, Madam, then so be it. We’ll do that.”

From the moment I suggested that the two of us settle the divorce privately, Shite became practically insane.

“Madam, the sky is especially clear today. It’s a beautiful shade of blue, just like your hair. Have you seen it?”

“Oh my, you’re right.”

“Yes. Looking at it makes me want to get divorced.”

“…What?”

“I’d like you to divorce me today.”

He followed me around like a man possessed, using every possible method to pressure me into agreeing to a divorce.

Even though he himself was unable to get divorced because of Prince Kildian’s orders!

Why on earth was he tormenting me like this?

Could he be after something else?

But even when I followed him to his room and tried both scolding him and reasoning with him, he remained just as stubborn as ever.

“You said you’d put your heads together and think of a solution. That’s a kind and adorable offer, and I appreciate it, Madam. But the only way you can help me is—”

“……”

“By getting divorced.”

After being turned away at the door, I was left speechless.

Fine.

So he wasn’t going to make it easy for me, was he?

That’s all right.

When someone’s heart opens, their mouth naturally opens with it.

And I knew a very quick and effective way to open someone’s heart.