Episode 152

“I’ve decided to divorce Duke Blighton,” I said.

“I see,” the Crown Prince responded with a knowing smile, as if he had expected nothing less.

“So, please keep your promise,” I urged.

“Of course. Princess Daina’s marriage will be called off,” he replied.

“And what about Ian Blighton? That matter is resolved as well, correct?”

“Naturally. Only I know about it, so there’s no need for you to worry.”

The Crown Prince’s smile grew wider, and he seemed quite pleased with himself. Meanwhile, my own mood had plummeted to the very bottom.

The fact that the Crown Prince could dismiss everything with a single word, as if it were nothing, filled me with deep resentment.

I had struggled so much…

I had agonized over this decision, wrestling with countless dilemmas…

But the Crown Prince acted as if it were all trivial, something he could easily brush aside.

It was infuriating.

“Well, if that’s all, I’ll take my leave now,” I said, determined to end this interaction as quickly as possible, and began to rise from the bench. But the Crown Prince grabbed my wrist.

“What’s the rush? Stay a while longer.”

“I have many things to do,” I replied, attempting to twist my wrist free from his grip. But he held on tightly, not letting me go.

“You’re hurting me.”

“My apologies. But if I don’t hold on, I feel like you’ll run away,” he said with a smirk. “If you agree to stay a bit longer, I’ll let go.”

Despite his apology, he showed no intention of releasing my wrist. I hesitated, weighing my options, then sighed inwardly and met his gaze.

“Fine. I’ll stay a little longer. But please, let go of my hand.”

Better to endure his presence for a bit longer than to tolerate his touch.

The Crown Prince released my wrist with a look of reluctant satisfaction. As soon as he did, I discreetly wiped my hand on my dress, as if trying to rid myself of some dirt.

His brow furrowed slightly at my action, and for a brief moment, I felt a small sense of satisfaction. His always-smug expression had finally cracked, even if only a little.

Silence fell between us, neither of us willing to speak first, as if it were a contest to see who would give in. The tension hung in the air, but I felt oddly pleased, knowing I had managed to unsettle him, however briefly.

I maintained my gaze, refusing to look away from him.

Then, suddenly, the Crown Prince reached out toward my face. I quickly leaned back, evading his touch, and watched as his expression twisted further in displeasure.

“Are you avoiding me?” he asked, his voice laced with irritation.

“Don’t touch me without permission.”

“We’re soon to be married. Are you saying I can’t even have simple physical contact?”

“No matter what, I have the right to refuse. And I haven’t finalized the divorce yet. I’m still the Duchess of Blighton.”

“Hmm, I see. For now, I’ll respect that. But remember, the more you resist, the harder it will be for you.”

His words carried a clear threat, but I refused to be intimidated. I responded firmly, determined not to let him win.

“I’ve kept my end of the deal, Your Highness. But my emotions are my own, and you have no right to control them.”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to give in so easily,” he said, his tone dismissive.

I didn’t respond, glaring at him instead.

“The time has passed quickly. Let’s end our discussion here for today,” he said finally.

We both rose from the bench and walked out of the garden without exchanging another word.

As we approached the carriage, I gave a curt nod. “I’ll be taking my leave.”

“Until next time,” the Crown Prince said, though I didn’t bother responding. I quickly boarded the carriage and left the Crown Prince’s palace, feeling a surge of relief.

But as I continued to stew in my frustration, the carriage suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“A maid has stopped the carriage,” the driver replied.

“A maid?”

“Yes.”

Curious, I opened the carriage window, and immediately recognized the maid’s face from my previous visits to the princess’s quarters.

“Duchess Blighton, Her Highness Princess Daina urgently requests your presence. I apologize for the intrusion.”

“Princess Daina?”

“Yes. I’ve been sent to escort you.”

“I understand.”

I stepped out of the carriage and followed the maid to the princess’s quarters.

As soon as we arrived, Princess Daina greeted me warmly.

“Duchess Blighton!”

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

“Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“It’s nothing. I heard you had something urgent to discuss with me.”

“Let’s go inside first.”

“Yes.”

I followed the princess inside and we took our seats in the reception room.

After a short while, the maids brought in tea and cookies before leaving us alone.

In the reception room, it was just the princess and me.

I remained silent, waiting for her to speak first.

But she seemed hesitant, struggling to find the words to begin.

“You said you had something to tell me. What is it?” I finally broke the silence, prompting her to meet my gaze and speak.

“I heard from Lord Anaïs.”

With just that one sentence, I immediately understood why she had called me.

“Did you receive a letter from my brother, Jade?”

“Yes. He informed me that my marriage has been called off and that you’re getting a divorce. Is that true?”

“It is,” I replied with a nod.

“Why… is it because of me…?”

“No, Your Highness, it’s not because of you,” I quickly cut off her words, just as I had done with others before.

“But given the situation…”

“It’s absolutely not because of you. Please don’t think that way.”

“Duchess…”

“That title will soon be gone. I’ll likely be joining the court soon, and when that happens, I’d appreciate your support, Your Highness.”

Seeing the guilt and pity on her face, I forced a smile and spoke lightly.

“Are you really okay with this?”

“Of course. This was my decision, and I’ll take responsibility for it.”

“I don’t even know what to say anymore… I feel so sorry…”

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m really okay.”

The princess stared at me quietly for a moment before suddenly grasping both of my hands. Her eyes shone with determination as she spoke.

“If you ever need my help, no matter what it is, please tell me. I’ll help you, whenever and however I can. Promise me.”

“Yes, I will.”

“I never imagined things would turn out like this…”

Unable to finish her sentence, the princess pulled me into a tight hug. I found myself in her embrace, staring blankly at the ceiling.

*

The next day, the Crown Prince kept his promise.

The marriage between the Crown Prince of Kailon and Princess Daina was officially called off.

With a sense of relief, I spent the next few days doing nothing.

Even when I wanted to be productive, thoughts of Lloydin consumed me, making it impossible to focus.

But I couldn’t remain idle forever. There were many tasks I needed to complete before entering the palace.

The most pressing of these was sending the divorce papers to Lloydin.

In truth, all the documents were already prepared.

All that remained was for me to give the order to send them to the Blighton estate.

But I had been putting it off for days.

I knew I shouldn’t, but my heart couldn’t let go of Lloydin, and I found myself unable to speak the words.

Knock, knock.

As I sat quietly in the study, someone knocked on the door.

“Miss, it’s the butler.”

“Come in.”

With my permission, the butler entered the study.

“What is it?”

“I came to inquire about when you would like to send the divorce papers to the Blighton estate.”

The butler asked me the same question as the day before.

“…How long has it been since I returned?”

“A week, Miss.”

“A week…”

It had already been a week.

It had only been a week since I last saw Lloydin.

In terms of how difficult it felt, it seemed like years had passed, yet time had both crawled and sped by.