“It’s a good day for a divorce.”
Ella muttered to herself as she stared blankly at the rare, clear sky that was unusual in the North.
“Of all days, the weather has to be perfect today….”
It was the first time she had experienced a day so breathtakingly beautiful since her marriage.
With her head bowed Ella looked down at the document in her hand.
[Divorce Papers]
The large letters at the top seemed to pierce her eyes.
“So, this day has finally come.”
She had spent most of her marriage wondering whether or not to go through with this. She had dragged it out for so long, unable to make a final decision, but now it was finally happening.
It wasn’t a decision made on impulse. The things she’d barely managed to hold in had finally spilled over.
Her grandfather, who loved Ella more than anyone else in the world, had passed away.
Ella didn’t even find out until two weeks after his death. By the time the letter reached her, the funeral was already over.
She never thought she’d have to say goodbye to her grandfather, who doted on her in such a heartbreaking way.
“I didn’t even get to see him once after getting married. I missed him so much, and I couldn’t even be there with him in his last moments. I should have gone to see him, even when people were telling me not to…”
Regret and guilt weighed heavily on her, and she barely held back the tears that threatened to spill from her reddened eyes as she continued walking.
“They say the owner of the Full Moon Trading Company has changed. The previous owner was such a clever man—he even managed to marry off his granddaughter to a count. But I hear his son has no business sense at all. I wonder what’ll happen next.”
Ella came to a sudden stop at the loud voices that made no effort to lower their volume.
The Moonlight Trading Company was her family’s business.
They were talking about her.
“Poor Siegfried. He killed a dragon and became a national hero, only to end up in a political marriage to pay off war debts.”
“Siegfried probably got the worst deal out of all the sword masters in history. I mean, to marry the daughter of a baron who bought his title with money? Good grief!”
“Exactly. I heard Princess Nariel even said she wanted to marry Siegfried.”
“And it’s not just her. There are rumors that Princess Henrietta from a neighboring country has a crush on Siegfried too.”
“Oh wow, so the baron’s daughter, who comes from a family of merchants, snatched up a spot that two princesses were vying for?”
The women’s laughter, so clearly mocking her, echoed down the open corridor, impossible to ignore.
Ella stared blankly at the women who were laughing at her expense.
One of them, noticing Ella’s gaze, looked a little embarrassed.
“Looks like she heard us.”
“So what if she did? Everything we said is true!”
They thought so little of her that even after realizing she’d heard them, they didn’t care. Instead, they tilted their chins up with a mocking “hmph,” and looked down on her with scorn.
‘Ah.’
Ella’s face turned pale.
She was used to the mockery and contempt. She’d been dealing with it for the past two years.
It wasn’t always like this.
“You should know your place. Just because you got lucky and became a countess doesn’t mean you’ll ever be a respected noblewoman. The only thing you learned at home was how to count money.”
When Ella first heard those words, she couldn’t even hide the devastation on her face. She’d get angry, but then people would respond with, “Why are you so offended? They weren’t even talking about you,” and she’d be left standing there, utterly embarrassed and unsure how to respond. She spent so many days crying over comments that others brushed off.
But after two years, she got used to it.
Now, Ella could shrug off people’s remarks with an awkward smile.
But not today. Not right now.
‘These people are awful.’
After losing her grandfather, Ella didn’t have the energy to pretend everything was okay when she was hurt.
‘They’re so cruel!’
She thought she would cry at the slightest provocation, drowning in her grief. But instead of tears, what welled up inside her was anger.
With her fists clenched tight, Ella marched toward the women. They stepped back, startled.
They must have thought she’d quietly leave, like usual. They never expected her to confront them.
Seeing their surprise, Ella’s lips curled into a bitter smile.
‘They must think I’m a joke….’
With tightly clenched fists, she glared at them and asked, “What did I do so wrong?”
“…What?”
The women exchanged shocked looks, completely bewildered. They had thought she would just slink away with her head down like she always did, but now she was demanding answers. This was clearly not what they expected.
Seeing their reaction only stoked her anger further.
Without giving anyone a chance to interrupt, Ella unleashed everything she’d been holding back.
“Is it because I didn’t know my place and married the Count? Because it was a marriage bought with a dowry? Because I’m a vulgar woman who only became a countess with money? Is that it?”
Everything she’d just said were things she had heard directly.
That she was a merchant’s daughter who couldn’t leave her money-grubbing ways behind and bought her marriage.
That she was a vulgar woman who thought money could buy anything.
That she lacked any education or refinement.
That poor Count Bezere had gone off to war for the kingdom, only to come back in debt and marry someone beneath him. How pitiful.
These words, which she had grown used to hearing, now cut deeper than ever.
‘I was treasured by my family too! My grandfather cherished and adored me!’
The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached.
She missed her grandfather so much.
Overcome with both grief and sorrow, Ella shouted.
“How dare you treat me like a fool, right in front of my face!”
Once she started, the floodgates opened, and everything she’d been holding in burst out.
“You think you’re the only ones who hate me? I hate you too! I can’t stand you!”
“I hate you! I hate you!”
Ella’s voice echoed through the hall like thunder.
She cast one final, fierce look at the dumbfounded women before turning and running away.
In the unfamiliar castle, there was only one place where she felt any comfort: her bedroom. As soon as she closed the door, her legs gave out, and she collapsed.
“I did it…!”
Still shaking, Ella pulled out the letter she had just received with trembling hands.
It was a letter her grandfather had left for her before he passed away.
Aside from his will, the letter her grandfather wrote, filled with all the things he wanted to say to his beloved granddaughter, was short.
The shaky handwriting, unlike his usual style, revealed how much effort her grandfather had to put into writing it given how weak he was.
[Ella, it’s your grandpa. If you’re reading this, I’m probably already gone.
I can still picture you as a little girl, sitting on my knee, chatting away.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to die in peace, leaving behind a granddaughter as precious as you, but I’m glad I married you off early.
From the moment I first saw Siegfried, I knew he was destined for great things.
I ignored everyone who said your marriage was like throwing gold coins into the sea and trusted my gut.
Turns out I wasn’t wrong. It’s been a very successful marriage, hasn’t it?
With a husband who’s a hero that even the Queen can’t touch, I can worry a little less about you.
But I still can’t leave everything up to him.
I’ve secretly set aside some land and money for you.
It’s not a small amount, so you can use it to do whatever you want.
Don’t tell anyone about it, and keep it hidden.
It’ll give you peace of mind to have a purse only you know about.
You might not be able to trust anything else, but you can always trust money.
What you do with it is up to you. Use it wisely.
This is my final gift to you, from the grandfather who loves you more than anyone else.]
Plop.
A fresh tear fell onto the crumpled letter, which was already soaked and dried multiple times.
Ella tried to wipe it away with her sleeve, but the paper had already absorbed the tear.
“No, the ink’s going to smudge…!”
Tears kept streaming down Ella’s face, She was frustrated that even this wasn’t turning out the way she hoped.
