Chapter 6 Betrayal By A Family You Trusted
There was a stunned silence, and whether that meant affirmation or denial, Chloe couldn’t tell yet.
“That’s ridiculous.”
When she did speak, it was with a very disappointing answer.
“… What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?”
“A divorce. It can never happen. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Chloe.”
The repeated rejection drove her to despair. The precious emotions she had been carrying with her since the day before began to crumble away.
“What…”
The Emperor knows the situation she’s in. She has slandered Callis and even tried to comfort him when he was alone.
He’s promised his full support, but he’s neglected Chloe’s needs.
“Why…?”
Her father’s rejection, given without a moment’s thought, disappointed her.
Bam.
The shock of the blow froze her in place. As she stumbled, she couldn’t help but let go of the cup she was holding.
The shattered teacup became an insignificant shard of glass. The exotic tea soaked the grass, and the birthstone fell to the ground and lay on top of it.
“… Father.”
The Emperor must have misunderstood something.
He’s her father, he thinks so much of her, he wouldn’t throw her out like this.
“He said he loves another woman…”
Chloe repeated the story she’d spat out a moment ago, ruefully.
“Yeah.”
And then Emperor Balont’s dry reply.
Suddenly, Chloe understood the situation.
She realized that no matter how many times she repeated the same words, dozens or hundreds of times, Emperor Balont’s reaction would be the same.
The Emperor, who had made Chloe’s tragedy his business, would not divorce her, but neglect her.
“To me, to the royal family, he has brought his first love to me!”
“Yes.”
“And then, because I had an argument with that woman, he slapped… Me across the face and humiliated me in front of everyone.”
The more she talks, the more she gets angry at her father, the more he makes her look bad.
“Then I’ll kick you out of the government. But not the divorce.”
“You’re going to throw out the government. How much more ridiculous do you want to make me after what happened?”
“Make you ridiculous? Then how ridiculous must our house become because of you, who wants to divorce him because you are not loved by him!”
Chloe’s head turned white at Emperor Balmont’s words. She mulled over his words a couple of times, and then the stone her father had thrown struck her in the gut.
“… Do you really think, father, that I have made a fool of the royal family?”
Chloe’s chin quivered sweetly. She tried not to cry, but her vision was clouded.
‘You lied when you said you were sorry for me.’
After the incident, the Emperor sent Chloe a long letter of apology.
His excuse was that it was for the good of the royal family and that he had no choice.
So, yes, she understood, and she tried to survive the pit of evil.
‘How in the world…’
The excessive favors Emperor Balont had shown her over the next day weren’t just for the sake of his long-lost daughter.
He was going to get her back to that hellhole somehow.
‘No, no, no.’
This can’t be. She couldn’t turn her back on herself, not even for the last time.
Chloe staggered to her feet. She staggered to her feet and entered the palace, leaving the shouting Emperor Balont behind.
Empress Violet was drinking tea with her siblings. She spotted Chloe, blue with rage, and rushed to her.
“My daughter. What’s wrong? What happened to you that made you cry so much?”
Empress Violet couldn’t help but sob as she hugged her. Her arms were as warm as yesterday. Her sisters followed her to the door, and they were just like yesterday.
“He, he brought her.”
Chloe sobbed softly and slowly, Violet’s hand on her back becoming more and more of a support.
Yes. It would be different with them.
It had to be different.
“I want a divorce, a divorce, so I told father…”
But her next words were interrupted by a gentle pat on the back.
Empress Violet’s face was expressionless. Her gentle smile had faded, and she was now glaring at Chloe.
“A Royal Princess getting a divorce. You should watch your language. Chloe.”
The tone was dry, without pitch.
“You know how a divorced woman is perceived. You could easily be accused of being a witch… You’re so young to think that way. A Princess of the royal family should be able to endure that!”
Her sisters followed, giggling.
At first, they were concerned, but now they were angry and interjected one by one.
“It’s not even illegal anymore. I hear there’s a lot of government involvement these days, so you’re not the only one having a hard time. You’re a Princess of the royal family, and a divorce is a dishonor. Don’t disgrace your family when you grow up.”
“I’m almost out of my mind. If my sister’s divorce at such a crucial time decreases the value of Emperor, I’m not going to… No! I want to marry a good man.”
Alas.
Other trials awaited Chloe where she fled. Despair was the only thing left for the fugitive who had defied fate.
Chloe longed to return home, but now there was no place left to go.
“Carriage… Call a carriage. Come on.”
***
Chloe complained of a headache until the carriage arrived. The wind rushed through her hair, whipping her thoughts into a frenzy.
Once she stepped out into the cool air, she felt better.
Taking slow, deep breaths to calm herself, she turned to the coachman.
“Thank you, sir, you may go now.”
“I have been sent by His Majesty to escort you back to the royal court…”
Despite Chloe’s instructions to leave, the coachman showed no sign of leaving. coachman continued to hesitate like a man with a problem.
Perhaps he had been ordered to keep an eye on the Duchess.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of myself.”
She handed him a handful of gold coins. Not a bad amount of money for a coachman.
“Yes! If you ever need anything, just let me know. I’ll come right over!”
He took the coin with a grunt and turned away. The carriage sped away faster than anyone could see.
“Let’s go to…”
She stretched her shoulders, which had been bearing the brunt of her accumulated fatigue and misery. Stretching everywhere else made her feel lighter.
This was a village some distance from the palace, and the temple was an hour’s carriage ride from here.
Chloe immediately went to the nearest carriage stop.
There was no shortage of horsemen hawking their wares to visitors, and he chose the one with the healthiest horse.
She chose the right horse and arrived early.
‘I don’t know if they’ll listen to me, but… It’s better than not trying at all,’ she said.
The Emperor, one of the men in charge, refused to grant the divorce, so the only one left was the high priest.
They worship Callis as if he were a second god for saving the palace, so they’re unlikely to grant the divorce.
But she might have a chance if she brings up Helena, whom Callis has brought with her.
She says she supports his love and feels guilty for wanting to give him some belated happiness by divorcing him.
“Oh, no.”
But there’s no such thing as a lost cause.
The temple is tightly closed, as if the god doesn’t want her to pass through with her impure heart.
Once a month, the temple was closed to visitors before the ceremony to welcome the god. And this time, they were taking a whole month off.
“I can’t…”
She writes down the name of the visitor and the reason for the visit, and they send a letter in turn, so she looks forward to the consultation.
‘Chloe Argent: High Priestess Alhyeon’
The first thing that greeted Chloe as she descended from the temple was the intense sunlight.
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, then gradually lifted her eyelids. Then she was faced with a cloudless sky.
“It’s a shame we can’t go on like this…”
Unexpectedly, she had too much time left.
At this rate, she’d have to return to the Duke’s estate. As much as she would like to go somewhere else, the only place she can think of is her friend’s mansion or the royal family.
But she no longer has a close enough friend to visit the mansion unannounced. Even those who were once close enough to share her daily life have grown distant since their marriage.
‘Still, I don’t want to go back.’
It would be foolish to give up her newfound freedom and return to the duchy.
“Let’s take a look around.”
Looking back, she realized how pretty the town looks from where they stopped earlier.
As she descended the hill, she was fortunate to find that the coachman who had taken her there was still there, and she paid him again to take her back to where she came from.
Arriving in town, Chloe’s first stop was a ready-to-wear shop.
She bought a brown dress that she liked. The hem of the skirt reached her calves, which made it easier to move around in.
Next, she searched for a dessert to cheer her up. She didn’t know where to go, so she headed to a crowded cafe.
After waiting for a few minutes, she was able to order a cake. Chloe took a seat on the terrace, breathing heavily.
“… Aah!”
Just then, someone rushed toward Chloe’s table. The boy, in a combative stance, ended up bumping into her.
Luckily, a passerby behind her caught her, but she almost rolled on the ground.
Despite the near-miss, the boy walked away without apologizing.
***
“I thought I told you to be careful.”
The man’s red eyes bore into the boy. His voice was as cold as his eyes.
The boy, terrified, shook his head one after another.
“What did you promise?”
“… Here…”
A fern-like hand held out a wallet. A large, contrasting hand took it.
The man checked the name on the inside of the wallet and the photo pinned to the pocket.
An inspection of the inner pockets revealed roughly a hundred gold.
It was a large sum of money, enough to pay for a month’s living expenses for an average family, but the man didn’t seem to care.
After flipping the coin impassively, the man turned to the boy and handed him the money. The boy’s face visibly brightened when he saw the amount.
“Well done, boy. Keep all the money, as promised.”
“Thank you!”
The man jerked his chin at the boy and he ran off.
The man walked on ahead of him, the surroundings more subdued. Chloe was still there, eating her cake.
The corner of his mouth twitched up at the sight of his happy face.
“I found her.”
