SLEG Chapter 5

Chapter 5: My Friend’s Divorce (5)

It was true that the house, standing amidst the lush greenery of the lakeshore, was not particularly beautiful and somewhat out of place. However, it was far enough from the lake that, if one merely squinted, it wasn’t all that noticeable.

“Why not think of that house as a piece of art?”

After receiving a rejection letter from Aneta last time, Esteban had offered double the amount. Today, however, he had received yet another refusal.

Esteban was convinced that Aneta was holding out to drive up the price, but Eric thought otherwise.

Some things simply couldn’t be bought, no matter how much money was offered. And to Aneta, that house was likely one of those irreplaceable things.

“Art? Does that thing look like art to you?”

“Given the kind of paintings that are trending these days, I don’t see why not.”

Recently, incomprehensible paintings had become the fashion.

A single carriage wheel placed in the middle of an empty road. A sculpture of indiscernible form resting on a three-legged table.

To Eric, who had little appreciation for art, these paintings looked like nothing more than childish scribbles—yet they were being sold for the price of an entire house. Some of them even adorned the corridors of this very villa.

Esteban stared at Eric as if doubting his aesthetic sense, then shook his head, giving up on explaining.

“That’s different.”

“I don’t know. Looks pretty similar to me.”

“So? Has Lady Schreiber replied?”

Eric had yet to inform Esteban about the latest rejection. He was uneasy about how his friend—who always got what he wanted—might react.

But now, it was time to answer.

“She refused. She said if we send one more letter like this, she’ll report it.”

Esteban raised an elegant eyebrow.

“Report it? On what grounds?”

“Unsolicited advertising mail.”

“Ha. Advertising mail. Offering her money, and she calls it an advertisement… The ways people try to up the price are truly creative.”

“I don’t think that’s it. No matter how much you offer, Lady Schreiber will refuse.”

“Should I offer her a mine…?”

Esteban folded his arms and tapped his forearm with his index finger, as if he hadn’t heard Eric at all.

And then, his fingers stopped.

“Alright.”

A bad feeling crept over Eric.

Unbothered by his friend’s unease, Esteban pulled a cord. Shortly after, his chamberlain, Baron Logan Voigt, appeared.

“Bring me all the party invitations we’ve received from the nobles of Nas City.”

The chamberlain moved swiftly. Within minutes, a stack of invitations was piled high on the reception room table.

Word had already spread among the nobles of Nas City that the heir of the Renstein family—one of the five most influential noble houses in the capital—was staying in Elgreen. Naturally, invitations from nobles eager to establish ties with him had poured in.

Humming to himself, Esteban sorted through the invitations one by one.

Eventually, he selected one, sliding it between his index and middle fingers and waving it lightly.

“This one will do.”

“What exactly are you planning?”

“I’m going to stake the fate of my villa on this party.”

“Do you have to be so dramatic…?”

“If Lady Schreiber attends this party, I will find a way to negotiate and get rid of that hideous house. If she doesn’t come, then I’ll have to give up.”

Glancing at the invitation, Eric caught the name Count Lamorett Moody.

Knowing his friend’s unwavering nature—once he said something, he would see it through—Eric could only pray that Lady Schreiber would not attend Count Moody’s party.

—

The carriage felt unusually spacious.

Even though going to parties alone was nothing new, tonight, the emptiness seemed more pronounced.

Despite the ample space, it felt stifling, so she cracked open the window slightly and gazed outside.

Berner didn’t particularly enjoy parties, and because of that, Aneta had also grown accustomed to avoiding them. However, she couldn’t completely ignore events like today’s—a party celebrating someone’s birthday.

She had asked Berner again this morning, but his response was firm.

“Sorry. I really can’t make it today.”

Ever since he had been scammed out of a large sum, Berner had become even more reluctant to attend parties.

It wasn’t anything new, so why did she feel so unsettled?

Rodielsa.

She tried to shake off the name that had been occupying her mind lately. Her friend, who had recently divorced and returned, had done nothing wrong, yet her name pricked at Aneta like a thorn, stinging her at every moment.

“I should go see her.”

Rodielsa was a good friend.

If anything, Aneta was the one at fault back then—harboring feelings for Berner when he was still in a relationship with Rodielsa. Rodielsa herself had done nothing wrong.

“She must be feeling lonely.”

Even if it had been a loveless arranged marriage, she had still spent eight years as a wife and had even borne a child. Aneta needed to understand her friend’s pain at being forced to leave her child behind.

That was the right thing to do.

“Tomorrow.”

Aneta made up her mind.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go see Roel.”

Once she resolved herself, she felt much lighter.

Rodielsa had been a dear friend since childhood—before they knew anything about love or heartbreak.

Whatever had happened between Rodielsa and Berner was in the past. It had been eight years already.

Men and women met and parted all the time. How many people remained good friends even after separating?

“Yes, it’s nothing more than that.”

Aneta closed the carriage window and leaned her head against the sofa. By the time the carriage arrived at Count Moody’s estate, she was smiling as she stepped out.

—

Sitting alone in a small room of the salon, Berner took out his pocket watch and checked the time.

He had done so more than ten times already today.

“Aneta must be at the party by now.”

The best thing would be to stand up right now and head straight for Count Moody’s estate.

Aneta would be surprised and delighted by her husband’s unexpected arrival. She would probably greet him with a bright smile.

Berner loved seeing Aneta smile like that—whenever she looked at him, she usually did.

So, it was the right thing to do.

It was the right thing to do.

Yet instead of standing up, Berner crossed his legs. His tapping foot betrayed his nervousness, unease, anticipation, and excitement.

‘I’ll be waiting at the Eaton river—where we always used to meet.’

Ever since receiving Rodielsa’s letter, Berner had repeated those words over and over in his mind until he practically had them memorized.

Rodielsa had said she would wait.

‘If I don’t go, she’ll keep waiting.’

He could simply send a letter saying he wasn’t coming. But he didn’t want to cause Rodielsa more pain after everything she had been through.

Losing custody of her child to the Royson family had already devastated her. He didn’t want her to feel as though she was losing a dear friend, too.

Rodielsa had suggested they meet together with Aneta, but that wasn’t a good idea.

Aneta had been there to witness everything—their love, their separation, their sorrow, and heartbreak. He didn’t want to put her in an uncomfortable position.

“I’ll just meet her this once. Talk to her, comfort her. Then I’ll make it clear—this won’t happen again. If I tell her I don’t want to make Aneta uneasy, Roel will understand.”

Berner closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them and checked the time again.

Time was crawling unbearably slow.

—

Since it was the countess’s birthday party, everyone had brought gifts. Aneta was no exception.

After handing her present to Countess Moody and exchanging a few pleasantries, she turned toward a group of noblewomen who had gestured her over.

“Aneta, did you hear that the Duke of Renstein’s family built a villa in Elgreen Village?”

Of course she had—better than anyone else.

The constant stream of letters, despite her repeated refusals, flashed through her mind, and irritation flared for a brief moment. However, she kept her expression composed and simply nodded.

“Yes, I’ve heard about it.”

“I heard it’s an enormous estate. It supposedly took over a year to build.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s situated on a hill, so you can see it from Elgreen Village. At night, they illuminate the whole place—it’s said to be absolutely breathtaking.”

“Ah.”

“Once the weather warms up, we’re planning an outing to go see it. Would you like to join us?”

She hesitated at that.

For months, the Renstein family had been harassing her to sell the small plot of land her grandfather had left behind.

If she went to Elgreen and happened to encounter someone from the Renstein family, it would surely put her in a difficult position.

Yet, at the same time, she was curious. Just how magnificent was this villa that it had everyone so intrigued?

“Well, I’ll see when the time comes.”

“Then I’ll let you know once we set a date. But you should come—it’ll be more fun with a group.”

“That’s true.”

As they chatted, she found herself enjoying the conversation.

For the first time in a while, the name Rodielsa stopped floating around in her mind.

The noblewomen either deliberately avoided the topic for her sake or simply had no reason to bring it up.

Perhaps she was the only one still feeling troubled by that name.

Just as that thought crossed her mind—

“Sir Esteban of the Duke of Renstein’s family has arrived.”

The herald’s announcement made her heart drop with a heavy thud.