Driven by his anxiety, Kayden furiously processed his work at an incredible speed. And as soon as he finished checking the last ledger, he quickly stood up and went to find Diana. He didn’t even have the presence of mind to call for Patrasche, who was probably checking other parts of the castle.
Where is she?
Following the directions from the estate guards, Kayden quickly walked in the direction Diana had disappeared. Luckily, it hadn’t been too long, so Kayden soon spotted Diana near some fruit trees.
“Di…”
Kayden, who was about to call out to her with a bright expression, suddenly stopped in his tracks without realizing it. He stood there, holding his breath, staring blankly at the scene unfolding before him. Diana was surrounded by a few farmers, learning how to pick fruit.
“So, you do it like this…”
“Hold it carefully like this…”
Following the farmers’ guidance, Diana carefully brought the scissors to the green apple’s stem. Her face was so serious that Kayden worried she might break into a nervous sweat.
With a small snip, the green apple fell into Diana’s hand. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she turned to the farmers, beaming brightly. “Look at that. I did it right this time, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did it perfectly!”
“Your Highness! Would you like to try this side next?”
“Hey, it’s my turn first! No cutting in line!”
As the farmers jovially quarreled, Diana widened her eyes before bursting into a small laugh. She turned her head and showed the apple to Antar, saying something to him. Antar smiled at her in return. Their faces were close—too close—and they looked so well-matched together.
Antar gazed at Diana, who was inspecting the apple with a soft smile on his face. The dull blue eyes that were always so calm and listless now held a rare warmth. Kayden realized, in a moment of speechless shock, that Antar’s expression looked just like his own when he looked at Diana.
“…”
It felt like someone had struck him hard on the head. Watching Diana and Antar, who seemed to fit together so perfectly, Kayden was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of anxiety he had forgotten.
The thought of divorce from Diana meant not only that another woman might have the chance to approach him but also that… Diana could marry another man as well. He had known it in his head, but it was now that he truly felt it in his heart. It felt as if a corner of his heart was being sliced away, and Kayden had to stand there for a long time, trying to soothe the aching feeling.
* * *
It was in the carriage returning to the detached palace after work. Kayden suddenly made a suggestion. “I heard there’s a beautiful lakeside nearby, quite different from the detached palace. Would you like to stop by? I have something to say.”
“Ah… sure.” Diana hesitated but eventually agreed to his suggestion. She had hesitated instinctively, thinking she should keep her distance from him. Still, she also had something she needed to say to him.
Let’s reject him. That’s… the right thing to do. Diana clenched the fabric of her dress on her lap and resolved herself.
After Kayden knocked on the carriage wall to inform the coachman of the change in destination, he fell silent, which was rare, much like Diana.
“We’ve arrived.”
Soon, the carriage reached the lakeside. Diana took Kayden’s hand as she got out of the carriage, letting out an unintentional sigh.
“My goodness.” The sight was so stunning that she momentarily forgot what she needed to say to Kayden and the necessity of keeping her distance.
The entire landscape was bathed in a brilliant crimson sunset. The surface of the wide lake shimmered as if it were scattered with crimson diamonds. And the grass and flowers on the low hills around it swayed gently in the breeze. It was an overwhelmingly majestic sight despite its peacefulness.
Diana, deeply moved, let go of Kayden’s hand and began to slowly climb the hill. Antar instinctively moved to follow her.
“Sir, stay here.” Kayden blocked Antar’s path.
Antar, who had just started to take a step, flinched and stopped. The two were almost the same height. Before becoming Diana’s guard, Antar had always bowed and lowered his stance in front of her and Kayden, so he hadn’t noticed this before. Now, with his body straightened, their eyes met at close range.
Kayden repeated himself firmly, though with a gentle smile. “Sir, stay here.”
…Ah. Seeing the guarded look in Kayden’s eyes, Antar sighed inwardly. Kayden had figured it out. That’s what crossed his mind. He quickly bowed his head, hiding his face with a troubled expression.
But Kayden had already seen the brief, guilty look that had crossed Antar’s face. So it was true… Kayden realized from Antar’s reaction that he really did have feelings for Diana, which made him feel a bitter feeling. He stood for a moment, looking down at the back of Antar’s bowed head, before turning to follow Diana.
Antar did not straighten his back until he could no longer hear Kayden’s footsteps. Meanwhile, Diana had stopped midway up the hill and was staring at the lake.
“It’s really beautiful…”
Kayden approached her side. Seeing Diana so captivated by the scenery, he chuckled softly. “Do you like it?”
“Yes. Very much.”
“I asked Baron Wolford if there was a famous spot nearby where there weren’t many people, and he recommended this place.”
“…A famous spot with few people. Wasn’t that a bit of an unreasonable request?”
“It probably was. Does that bother you?” Kayden grinned playfully as he spoke.
Diana smiled back at his words but didn’t say, as she might have before, that it didn’t bother her. That small difference alone was enough to drive Kayden to madness with anxiety. Especially now that he had just confirmed that Antar had feelings for her.
Pushed by his growing unease, Kayden finally spoke quietly. “…There are many more famous places than this in the empire.”
“…”
“Let’s visit them together. You and I.”
Kayden made the offer with a soft smile. Looking at his face, which seemed to glow with the warmth of the sunset, Diana realized something. Ah. This conversation was an extension of the one they had about his ‘confession’ last time.
As the moment to speak approached, her heart began to calm down. It might have been closer to resignation. Diana clasped her hands together in front of her. She smiled at Kayden as she faced him.
“Kayden.”
“…Yes?”
Kayden saw both light and shadow in Diana’s affectionate smile. His heart raced at her smile, but at the same time, a part of him was screaming that he needed to stop her from saying what she was about to say. But unfortunately, before he could speak. Diana lowered her gaze and said in a clear voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
Swoosh— Above the heavy silence, only the sound of the wind brushing past the flowers and wild grass like a wave could be heard.
It was just a single apology, with no explanation as to what it was for. But both Kayden and Diana knew it was an apology for rejecting Kayden’s ‘confession.’ Or, to put it more accurately…
A rejection… Kayden clenched his fist tightly by his side. He closed his eyes tightly, taking a deep breath. After moving his lips several times, he finally managed to find his voice and asked.
“…It might be too late to ask this now, but.”
“…”
“May I ask why you want a divorce?”
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Diana theoretically can scheme well enough to be a covert assassin for Rebecca. She watched Rebecca throw away Millard and the Viscount as soon they outlived their usefulness. How can Diana simultaneously be so stupid that she can’t figure out a way to stay with Kayden while disconnecting with her family? Diana owns an information & covert ops guild! The Viscount is trash! There should be half a dozen ways to get the Viscount discredited and out of her life without killing him! I get that she thinks Kayden deserves better but how does she think Kayden is going to survive all his mana overloads without her?
I still like this story and I won’t stop reading it but the author needs a more believable reason for Diana to reject Kayden. Or even better the author could focus more on how they win over the country; there’s plenty of things to cause drama without trying shoehorn in this particular kind of romantic tension.