Chapter 5 I Want To Get A Divorce
In a room many times her size, Chloe sits huddled in the center of it all.
The carriage is incredibly strange and unfamiliar, not unlike the carriages she used to ride in as a child.
But the scenery beyond the window is all too familiar. She hasn’t seen them in a very long time.
The faint whinnying of the horses pierces her ears. The sandy wind from the friction of the wheels fills the air beyond the glass.
It was evidence that the carriage had slowed down.
“We’ve arrived. My lady.”
As Chloe had expected, the carriage quickly stopped.
A fresh breeze greeted her as she stepped onto her home soil, the warm, crisp air of the capital tickling her heart.
“Chloe!”
A familiar voice called out to her. Chloe looked around quickly, her mind lost in nature.
Her family was at the gate to greet her.
“Father!”
At the end of her line of sight stood Emperor Balont, her only father, the leader of the kingdom, and behind him, her siblings, who remained in the royal family.
Excited, she began to run, forgetting the etiquette that had been instilled in her like a soul.
With each step closer to them, the things that bothered her seemed to disappear one by one.
The royal dinner to welcome Chloe back after a long absence had begun.
The hospitality was such that even foreign envoys were not treated like this.
Chloe happily began to eat. Meals that had been little more than an excuse for survival and socializing meant something to her today.
Emperor Balont household was noisy today. There was laughter and conversation throughout the longer-than-usual meal.
“You should come by more often, Chloe. Your siblings miss you so much.”
“They’re not the only ones, Mother. I miss her all the time, too.”
There was a subtle sting in the words directed at Chloe, but it was a sting that didn’t sting at all because it was made with affection.
“I will.”
“When I wrote to you, you promised to come soon, and it’s been a year.”
“I will come often, sis, I promise.”
Since becoming a Duchess, Chloe had never visited as a royal Princess.
She hadn’t been able to spend time with her family because she was always accompanied by Callis.
She had always felt bad for her family, who always saw her off with a wistful look on their faces, but she hadn’t realized how much they missed her.
“The fish is delicious. Chloe, have some of my share.”
“Oh. Then I’ll give my sister the dessert that’s coming out later!”
The Emperor hand moved toward Chloe, who was staring blankly at her family. In her bowl was a neatly cut, grilled fish.
The grilled salmon, salted and moist, was Chloe’s favorite.
Asparagus and cherry tomatoes were a garnish. So did the mashed potatoes with plenty of butter.
And refreshing grapefruit juice in pretty glasses. Brownies and vanilla ice cream for dessert.
It was all Chloe’s favorite food.
“… Yes. I’ll eat everything.”
Chloe felt a warmth in her heart that she had never felt in the Duchess before.
It was a peace she hadn’t felt in a long time, a memory she didn’t want to lose forever.
After the meal, Chloe was shown to her guest room.
“I decorated it as quickly as I could… It doesn’t look very much like your room, does it?”
The beautifully decorated room looked exactly like Chloe’s room in the past.
After marrying the Duke, Chloe had asked to have her room torn down. She’d asked to have her room torn down because she wanted to completely seal off her return.
A simple, stupid choice that would prevent her from feeling nostalgic for the rest of her life.
“Well, it’s just like my room. I like it.”
Chloe beamed, faking happiness. It worked, and her mother’s worried face relaxed.
Today, Violet dressed and undressed Chloe herself. The sight of the woman’s grown-up body made Violet feel a little bittersweet.
“Good night. My daughter.”
She kissed her daughter’s forehead one last time and turned to walk away. Her steps were slow, as if she didn’t want to leave.
Violet struggled to the door and turned around, running back to hug Chloe tightly.
“Mother?”
“You must tell me if anything happens.”
“…”
“You’re family, we’re going to help you completely, we know you’re having a hard time, so if anything happens, don’t try to carry it alone, let’s share it together.”
The arms holding Chloe were shaking. Her voice, always strong, was shaking now.
“It’s…”
The comfort she wanted so badly.
And now she couldn’t take it. Dazed by the loss, Chloe nodded wordlessly.
It wasn’t until Violet had left that Chloe exhaustedly dragged herself to bed.
Staring up at the white ceiling, Chloe began to organize her day.
How long had it been since she’d felt so peaceful? How long had it been since she’d felt so joyful, so happy.
‘I should have known it was coming.’
Time had passed, she realized, and she had lost track of time.
There was no other reason.
The first half of the year she was busy building a new home and adjusting to it, and the second half of the year she was busy with Callis, who considered her family as enemies.
If Chloe went to see her family there, she wouldn’t be able to see her husband.
For that reason, she left the family she loved behind to live with the Duke of Argent.
Foolishly.
Suddenly, she could smell the faint aroma of her perfume on the wind. It was the balm that Violet had been leaving for Chloe, whose insomnia had gotten worse.
The little teddy bear on the bedside table was an animal friend her sister had introduced her to.
The smell of family was everywhere.
Yes. This was family.
And this was the real family Chloe wanted to build.
***
The sunlight pierced through the curtains.
Chloe woke up with an involuntary grimace.
She hadn’t woken up this lighthearted in a long time. She felt hopeful, not desperate, to start the day.
Chloe was lovingly groomed by her handmaiden.
The maids were so cute, telling her the latest gossip and making cute jokes in between.
At the ducal, even the grooming time was free and tense because of the suffocatingly static people.
Even the breakfast, which she attended with a fresh mind, was perfect.
The harmonious family made her feel like the festering wounds of recent days were gradually healing.
After the meal, the Emperor personally invited her to tea.
It was a father-daughter moment, and she could tell he was aware of it.
Emperor Balmont served tea first. Chloe followed him. The exotic tea had a very different flavor.
“I bought it from a merchant the other day, thinking you might like it. If you like it, take some with you on the way.”
“Thank you.”
It was a little touching that her father, who hated exotic things, had bought and brewed the tea for Chloe by hand.
And the jewel in the teacup was Chloe’s birthstone.
“So, you said you had something to discuss.”
As they exchanged pleasantries, the Emperor changed the subject. He told her about a letter Chloe had sent him the other day.
“It’s… It’s a little complicated.”
“Can you tell me what it is?”
His voice was gentle, despite his stern complexion. As if mesmerized, Chloe revealed the truth about the Duke of Argent.
“He’s gone on an expedition, and he’s brought back someone, I mean… A woman.”
Helena, the Cinderella of the kingdom and the love of Callis’s life.
Her story, and the unscrupulous behavior they’re seeing in the Duke.
As he listened, Emperor Balont’s complexion slowly colored with anger.
“That bastard!”
That was the first word Emperor Balont spat out of his mouth. His eyes narrowed in betrayal.
“To insult the royal family, my daughter, like this. I can’t stand it!”
Chloe’s heart was lightened by her father’s professional anger.
She was relieved. To have a family member who supported her.
“What can I do for you, Chloe, I’ll help you with anything, just say the word.”
Sighing deeply, The Emperor busied himself with soothing Chloe.
He stroked her delicate cheek and asked her a question. In a tone that could melt the snow in the winter.
‘… What I want to do.’
Divorce him.
If Callis didn’t want to let go of her, Chloe did.
She didn’t want to be used by him anymore. She didn’t want to be labeled by people as stupid and easy anymore.
To run away from them, to grow up faster than any of them, would be the best revenge she could have.
Of course, the kingdom was hostile to divorce. Marriage, after all, was the fruit of an oath to the gods. To break that promise was tantamount to treachery.
‘But you’re so supportive of me…’
However, if the Emperor and Empress allow it, a divorce trial can proceed despite the opposition of the temple.
Chloe swallowed hard. The liquid flowing down her throat was sour today.
“… I want a divorce.”
So much anguish.
Finally, Chloe spoke.
