Chapter 1 My husband’s Cinderella
A quiet room with only the sound of breathing. In such a boring place, Chloe stared blankly outside.
Outside, a blizzard was in full swing, unlike the snow she’d gotten back home in the winter. The northern blizzards were strong enough to freeze anyone in an instant.
‘Are you okay?’
As Chloe gazed out over the picturesque landscape, she suddenly remembered someone.
Her husband, a man so powerful that he could survive a disaster of this magnitude.
It’s been more than ten days since he left on his expedition to slay the demon. If he didn’t return today, it would be the seventh day he’d been away from the mansion.
Chloe touched the window, startled by its coldness. When she pulled her fingers away, she saw a dark fingerprint on the glass.
The window was crystal clear and dust-free. The dark print was the only blemish on it.
Just like Chloe in the Duke of Argent.
Chloe stared at the dirty mark until it frosted over once more.
A narrow sliver of vision, barely a finger’s breadth. Those who rushed against the disastrous blizzard.
The one at the forefront. The one who drove the black steed. The one who flies the proud banner of the Dukes of Argent.
Callis Argent.
The lord of Argent and husband of Chloe was returning to his hero’s home.
‘That’s…’
With a strange woman.
***
At the mansion, a banquet is held to celebrate his return.
But the members of the household who greeted the Duke were far from happy. So was Chloe, who had been looking forward to her husband’s return.
“… Surely it was a woman, right?”
“Yes. It was a woman, too, in front of the lord…”
How dare they bring up their vulgar conversation. She should have rebuked them for their rudeness and lack of respect, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
For even she is absorbed in their conversation.
‘… Woman.’
It was not the first time Callis had brought someone with him on his return from an expedition, for he often brought refugees with him in the name of protection.
But this woman was different.
Unlike the others before her, she had accompanied Callis, not only riding in his steed, but being held and protected in his arms.
Who was this woman, he wondered, and why was she being treated so unfairly?
‘Perhaps he didn’t have a spare horse.’
Not likely. If he did, Callis would have had another knight escort her.
If not, then…
‘No. What am I thinking?’
The thought was a nonsense one.
Chloe forced herself to shake it off. Pushing aside the creeping anxiety, she forced herself to focus on the banquet at hand.
“It’s been a while, everyone.”
Amidst all the speculation, the guest of honor arrived.
Chloe rose from her seat, pretending not to notice. She walked nonchalantly to his front and greeted him by the hem of her dress.
“I’m glad to see you’re safe.”
Now that she was done, it was Callis’s turn.
A kiss that would normally have been hesitant was delayed today. His white hand fidgeted in the air, unable to cope with the awkwardness.
‘… Why?’
Ever since that incident, Chloe and Callis had never gotten along.
But the ceremonies, greetings, and other formalities had been fulfilled. They still had their duties as head of household and wife to fulfill.
But now?
They can’t seem to fulfill the customs of a married couple, let alone a stranger.
It didn’t take long for Chloe to realize what her husband meant.
Someone is walking slowly behind Callis, and Chloe immediately recognizes the woman.
The woman’s gait was unassuming as she slowly approached, urged on by her handmaiden. She may have been clothed in splendor, but she was unable to remove the grime.
And yet, she was so lovely.
Her cheeks were ruddy from the cold, her body was thin from lack of nourishment, and her hair was long and unkempt.
“Karl!”
The smile, the warmth of her voice, the way she embraced the summer sun.
All of it.
‘Ah…’
She can’t help but recognize her.
That she’s the “she” of Callis Argent.
***
“Ma’am, what can I do for you!”
A woman’s voice rings in her deafened ears. As her hearing clears, so does her vision.
Chloe stood up and looked in the mirror. In front of her in the mirror were two necklaces.
She was in the midst of getting ready for dinner.
Her eyes dried up as she realized the situation. One after another, her soft expression cracked.
Two necklaces in the maid’s hands.
Those were the ones Chloe had prepared days ago in anticipation of tonight’s feast.
Even if her husband, Callis, hated her, Chloe had tried to please him.
Not because she wants him to love her, not because she wants him to see her as the opposite of ‘that woman,’ but because she wants him to treat her like a human being.
Judging by the rudeness of his behavior today, he doesn’t even consider her a human being.
“… Just do something.”
She is embarrassed that she even bothered to try.
Chloe muttered, looking away from the necklace in boredom.
The maid, who now had the final say in the matter, glanced at it, then settled on a diamond necklace.
The ornate diamond necklace sat atop her slender neckline. It seemed to hide Chloe’s pale face.
“Let’s go downstairs.”
Chloe had always been a stickler for the finer points of dress, but today she didn’t bother to check.
The dining room was empty when she descended with her maid.
As if he knew how to be late. Chloe glanced at the empty table, then settled into her seat.
“…”
But something was off.
So much time had passed since then, and Callis hadn’t even turned up his nose.
“Ma’am… Would you like me to prepare your food in advance?”
She didn’t answer until half an hour after dinner time.
At that point, the butler approached and asked.
“No, thank you, we’ll wait.”
Chloe clutched her hungry stomach and shook her head.
Then, an hour past the appointed time, she heard laughter from beyond.
The two giggled at what was so funny, then stiffened as soon as they spotted Chloe.
Callis even glanced at the woman next to her.
Suddenly, Chloe realized. They had been waiting for her to eat alone and leave.
“The food is already ready. Please sit down.”
Chloe hid her cracked heart. Not wanting to appear weak, she smiled and calmly ushered them in.
“Come, let’s sit.”
Callis sat down without another word. All the while, Callis was busy taking care of the woman next to him.
Chloe, hoping for some sort of apology, suddenly felt bad.
“… So who is she?”
Chloe took advantage of the lull before the meal to strike up a conversation.
“If you ask me, she’s my guest.”
“You didn’t even introduce yourself to me today.”
Chloe thought back to the first time she’d met a woman face-to-face.
The woman who had run up to her, calling Callis by her cute nickname, had turned to stone as soon as she saw her.
It’s only polite to introduce yourself when you’re face to face. Even Callis would have to introduce himself to a guest.
But the man and women said nothing, as if they had been matched.
Now was the time to find out for sure who she was.
“Me…”
At that moment, the woman who had been staring blankly opened her mouth. Her voice was thin and piercing, like the chirping of a bird.
“I’m Helena.”
Helena.
It was a name Chloe knew very well.
A name that followed her like a brand, as if it were her second name.
Hearing the affirmation made her head go cold. Thump, thump, her heart, which had been beating so fast, slowed dramatically.
“… Hello, Lady Helena. I’m Chloe Argent.”
Helena’s face quickly darkened at the introduction. Her gaze flickered from the gentleman to Chloe, and then to Callis.
Chloe’s face turned bitter as she wondered what had gone wrong.
She hated her new name. She hated even the pretentious name of Argent.
‘… You two must hate everything about me.’
She knew it, but she was nothing more than an obstacle between them.
Chloe picked up her utensils with her mouth closed, and as her efforts faded away, so did the conversation between the three of them.
The meal continued, with only Chloe excluded from the feast. Helena and Callis were busy playing, lost in their own world.
She explained the ingredients and origins of each dish, and even cut up the meat and vegetables for Helena, who was not very good with a knife.
Even by the time dessert was served, Chloe was forced to recognize the disgusting act.
“Helena is going to stay here.”
Before Chloe knew it, she had finished her meal.
Callis, who hadn’t so much as glanced at her the entire time, finally spoke up.
‘No.’
That’s when Chloe saw the red flags. Unease washed over her.
She looked around and saw members of the ducal family gathered around her, all of them listening intently, though seemingly unconcerned by this conversation.
“I hope you will be kind to Helena.”
Chloe bit her lip at the words, even as a fishy taste lingered on her sharp-toothed lips.
‘No. No. No.’
The words shouldn’t have come out of her mouth.
Not just for the hurt it would cause Chloe, for there were many eyes in this place.
For the sake of her dignity, for the sake of their past together, Callis must swallow the words.
“She’s the one I love.”
But…
The man she loved was selfish to the end, and the sordid reality of his words pushed Chloe over the edge.
