My Husband Disappeared The Night I Was Thinking About Divorce

Chapter 2

“Keigan was not adept at fabricating lies skillfully. There were times when he would either not tell me or would alienate me when sharing the truth. But why would he go to the lair of the demon…?’’

“Um, I have something very important to tell the Duchess.”

Ben came to me again just after receiving the news that Lord Regen  had arrived at Wayriver’s estate.

A sealed envelope, stamped with red wax, lay on my table.

“What document is this?”

 

“You may open it.”

I tore open the seal of the yellowed envelope and pulled out its contents. It was a stack of about ten sheets.

My heart sank as I read the letters on the first page.

The handwriting was familiar. With its blend of noble elegance and rough barbarism, it was unmistakably Keigan’s.

The air in the room seemed to vanish entirely. I forced myself to inflate my lungs and remembered that drafting a will was a common procedure for all estate owners to prepare for the future.

Should I prepare myself for this yet?

“It hasn’t even been a day yet, Mr. Ben.”

I woke up with a start as someone shook my shoulder, my eyes fluttering open. When I looked up, I saw worried brown eyes staring back at me.

“Milady, are you alright?”

“Milady…?”

I thought it was Keigan who had returned.

I groggily brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen over my eyes. My neck felt stiff. It seemed I had dozed off while sitting in the comfort of the parlor chair.

Outside the window, the blue dawn had already broken.

“Lord Ben has returned. If you wake up, he wishes to see you. What should I tell him?”

“Show him in.”

I struggled to rise from my seat.

“Just a moment, Milady. Since Lord Ben is coming up this way, I’ll go down and prepare some warm tea to bring up.”

Why? Why did Ben return earlier than expected?

 

With a flicker of hope, I hastened my steps. If he returned so quickly from his investigation, it meant he probably met Keigan on his way to the Mistwood.

“Could it be that we returned together?’’

However, Ben was alone. ‘The boundary of the Mist Forest was closed.’ With a tone that didn’t seem completely despairing, he continued his frustrated report. ‘Lady Countess may have heard about the “Closure.”

We were in a situation where we had to break the taboo and search even the nest of demons, but a fog wall formed at the boundary.

We couldn’t even peek beyond the boundary, let alone enter.

For now, our knights have decided to search the area and report back…’ ‘Closure?’ A period when the forest of demons denies human entry.

The Closure, which blocks the boundary of the nest like a solid rock wall, is an unusual phenomenon that can last from several months to years.

So, the fog wall won’t disappear for several months, even years? ‘Then what about the Lord…’ Ben didn’t rush to make hasty conclusions that it would be difficult for him to return safely.

We were just engulfed in a powerless silence for a moment. Various thoughts rushed into my head and mingled with a roar.

”It’s a lie.There’s no way he won’t come back.”

Just the day before yesterday, I saw Keigan’s strong figure. After spending the night where his fervor boiled in his large body, I heard his new plan in the dawn light.

He had asked me to go on vacation.

He had mentioned a first trip for just the two of us, as a couple.

‘’ My wife secretly considered divorce.”Without any guesses.

“Would you consider visiting Tuscany? Before getting busy with winter preparations, you might have a week to spare.”

“I’ll think about it, Keigan.”

In reality, I remember the indifferent tone of the man who suggested we go on vacation together to my hometown Tuscany, with me alone preparing to leave forever.

Spending days without a break, a week’s vacation sounded as empty as a hollow promise.

If I had simply said yes, he would have undoubtedly taken me to Tuscany before autumn passed.

“…You’ll be back soon.”

Words escaped my lips without any real conviction.

“It’s only been a day. Please refrain from making rash statements about disappearances or anything else,” Ben said, apologetically bowing his head.

“I was thoughtless. I’ll also instruct the knights accordingly, I hope Lady O’Brien will manage her schedule as planned while we devise a plan. But if you find it too difficult, we’ll find alternatives.”

He made a gentle suggestion with a soft tone. As if fearing I might be shocked by the possibility of losing a husband, his gaze seemed more probing than usual. But I shook my head.

“Later this afternoon, Lord Regen Hujak is scheduled to visit. Other than that, I don’t have any other plans, so I’m fine.”

Lord Regen Hujak was the legal heir of the Wayriver family and a distant relative of the late Duke of Wayriver.

When his name was mentioned, Ben’s expression darkened.

Despite being just a formal candidate for inheritance, as Keigan or his younger sister Diana could potentially have children and push him further down the inheritance line, encountering Lord Regen at such a delicate time, especially given the mysterious disappearance of Keegan, was uncomfortable.

“Are you sure you’re alright, my lady?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’ll just take a break and get ready.”

I smiled faintly and rose from my seat.

My husband’s return was just delayed.

I just needed to act as usual. There was no need to flatter even the servants. There was no reason for me to feel unwell.

As long as I held the title of Duchess, I would fulfill my duties.

“Take some rest, madam. I’ll bring up breakfast when it’s ready.”

“Thank you, Milah.”

I gave a light smile to Milah, who was looking at me with concern, and went upstairs to the bedroom.

Keigan hadn’t returned by morning.

It was the first time he had unilaterally broken a promise.

And to think he had ventured into the den of monsters himself?

“What on earth was he thinking….”

It was a violation of taboo. Even someone who rigorously adhered to the imperial law that no matter how outstanding a knight may be, must not cross certain boundaries.

What happened there? It wasn’t answered. No, do I still think I know what it was?

I buried my dizzy head in the soft feather pillow and closed my eyes. Sleep didn’t seem imminent. My nerves tingled sensitively as if I were in a state of alertness, then blurred as if dreaming. And so it repeated for a while.

Lord Regen is coming soon. I need to wake up.

“Do demons have babies in their nests, Keigan?”

I need to wake up…

“Yes. Babies, or rather, offspring, are born.”

“How fascinating. Do demons also build nests and form families like us?”

He was a family that appeared after 10 years. To me, Keigan was.

“Well, it’s been a restricted area for a long time, so we can’t know the specific ecosystem. They’re called that simply because it’s a place where demons are born and head towards death.”

“Is the nest also a restricted area for a strong knight like you? Even for you, the lord of the territory?”

During the early days of our marriage, whenever I nestled against his broad and warm chest to sleep, I always seemed to ask silly questions like a drunken person.

I appeared to force a bitter smile.

“The Duke’s pragmatic ability is his strength, indeed.”

Yet, I almost uttered words that were not entirely rational, questioning if it was necessary to read this now.

“The document contains a special note from His Grace regarding inheritance rights.”

Fortunately, before I could emotionally blurt out, Ben added further explanation.

“Two weeks ago, His Grace expressed his desire to designate an heir while drafting a new will. In the presence of witnesses, including the attorney, myself, and Duchess Schumann, he instructed not to disclose the content unless necessary.”

“Are you saying the heir to Weyriver is changing?”

Leaving Regent Marquis recommended by the Huang family? Why bother?

Ah, perhaps Keegan directly designated Diana as the heir. Even though there would be a succession trial once Diana reaches adulthood, if Keigan takes preemptive measures, things would be much simpler. It’s a common practice, I’ve heard.

“Yes, however, His Grace emphasized that this information should remain confidential until the succession is formalized.”

It was a matter that anyone could easily guess, not particularly secretive.

Still, I pretended ignorance and nodded in agreement. Although my eyes skimmed through dozens of pages filled with dense legal jargon, nothing really registered in my mind.

“And if Regen’s successor were to find out beforehand, it could lead to a dispute.”

“Does the successor have such rights?” I shook my head

. If the family head grants inheritance rights to the direct descendants of the previous family head through a will, wouldn’t it be unthinkable for outsiders to oppose it openly, even if they were from the Huang family?.

Amidst the flood of densely packed characters, I murmured as I searched for the name ‘Diana,’ only to discover an unexpected name. My gaze froze.

What is this…? “……Ben Kyung.” Levan Highella Steinway.

There seemed to be letters resembling my name. The undersigned, ‘Keigan Steinway, Duke of Wayriver,’ may, under the Imperial law of Viache, which grants the right to designate posthumous heirs to titles and estates bestowed by the Emperor, appoint ‘Levan Highella Steinway, Duchess of Wayriver,’ as the primary heir of Wayriver.

“What is this…?” I asked while staring at my name.

“As you see, madam.”

Ben’s tone was steady. His calm voice, simply stating the fact, seemed to echo my lord’s indifferent demeanor.

“In truth, his grace has designated the Duchess as his heir.’’