Chapter 1 Part 9 – Marriage Life 

“What’s this all about?” Ruby handed him the documents regarding the property division. The papers that Marie and Ruby had shuffled through were in disarray.

“If there’s anything you’re lacking, just tell me, and I’ll add it.”

Even though he just glanced over the documents, he seemed to know what they were.

“If I would ask for more, will you give it?” Ruby asked.

“If I can give more.”

His voice was nonchalant, which was quite different from Marie’s reaction.

“Will you compensate me for all the hard work I’ve put in so far?”

Eli furrowed his brow at the sarcastic remark.

“I never asked for money.”

“It’s natural to divide the property in a divorce.”

As soon as she heard this, Ruby chuckled.

“Why are you laughing?”

Eli’s gaze landed on her, and he seemed to disapprove of her unusual reaction.

“Dividing property is not the natural part.”

“Then?”

He was sincerely asking.

“When a wife asks for a divorce, it’s natural to ask why. That’s what’s natural.”

Ruby had stated what she wanted, but he just stared at her. It was not the response she had hoped for.

Still, she waited. He wasn’t someone who didn’t understand why she was saying this.

“Are you really not going to ask?”

Ruby’s voice, asking again, was tinged with resignation.

“We’ve already decided to get a divorce. Is there a point in asking now?”

His voice was the same as when he had proposed marriage, accepting her conditions.

It was only then that Ruby realized. To him, as with their marriage, divorce had no significance.

To him, their three-year marriage, their shared bed, and her very existence were nothing at all.

Thinking that way, she felt impulsive but also believed that she had made the right decision. Ruby handed the paper to him.

“I don’t need the property. Besides, I will be leaving for the capital. I’ll depart tomorrow.”

“I’ll have …… ready for you,” he said, as he continued to change his clothes.

Leaving him to finish dressing, Ruby left the room.
++

“Do you need anything?”

Miss Bennett asked as Ruby opened the door and stepped out.

“I’m going for a walk.”

“I’ll arrange it, shall we have tea ready?”

“……Yes. Have it ready.”

Ruby was currently staying at the Marquis’s townhouse in the capital. This was partly because the Marquis’s county estate was not available, and partly because she was still officially the Marquis’s wife until the divorce was finalized. Therefore, she couldn’t stay elsewhere.

She planned to leave the capital after the divorce, so there was no need to endure any discomfort while staying here. However, it wasn’t all that comfortable.

Ruby had spent most of her married life on their estate and, aside from traveling to the capital according to Eli’s schedule, had never spent much time at the townhouse alone. She wasn’t used to it.

Most of the staff were polite to Ruby. They must have already sensed that she and Eli were getting a divorce, but they didn’t show it. In other words, they were merely polite.

Ruby was given what she needed, and they were helpful, but they didn’t treat her as the Marchioness.

The constant reminders from Miss Bennett, such as “The Marchioness wouldn’t do it this way” or “If you were the Marchioness, you shouldn’t behave like that,” had stopped.

Moreover, no one, including the butler, Damon, ever asked Ruby about the estate. Sometimes, when the maids might have asked Damon about it, they would politely bring it to Ruby’s attention. Perhaps some of the questions were about important matters that Damon couldn’t decide alone, but they didn’t ask Ruby directly.

Either way, Ruby was clearly a guest in this house.

She was merely a guest who would soon be leaving. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Has there ever been a time when it was any different?” Ruby laughed at her own feelings. It was the truth. She had never been a part of the Marquis of Grit, not even once. Not to the Marquis’s household members, nor to the staff.

***

Eli and Ruby met again in the palace.

“You can wait here until the Marquis arrives,” the attendant led Ruby to a waiting room.

“This is the study that the Emperor has specially prepared for the Marquis of Grit. It is mainly used to receive the Marquis’s guests.”

Guests. Ruby smiled self-deprecatingly at the word and sat on the sofa. She examined the appropriately sized waiting room.

The Emperor clearly trusted Eli to the extent of providing him with a study within the palace. Well, even during their early days of marriage, he was frequently summoned by the Emperor.

As she sat in the quiet waiting room, the only sound was the attendant’s footsteps. She paused when she stopped looking around.

Her soon-to-be ex-husband, who had always been busy until the day of their divorce, had become a surprisingly consistent man.

So, she thought of it as a stroke of luck.

Even if they had continued their marriage, the fact that it was difficult to even see his face on days like today would have remained the same.

A short while later, the door opened along with a knock.

His actions felt somewhat urgent.

“I will guide you back to the study,” the attendant said.

“Has the Marquis arrived?”

“He is on his way.”

With this exchange, Ruby followed the attendant, who seemed a bit rushed.

“Sorry for being late.”

By the time they reached the study, Eli had already arrived.

“It’s alright. But who is…”

There was an unfamiliar man standing beside Eli.

“This is the notary who will attest to our divorce.”

“The notary who serves the Emperor, Mr. Dais.”

Ruby, who was about to introduce herself out of habit, realized that it was unnecessary now and simply nodded lightly.

***

“You can go ahead and sign.”

Ruby hesitated briefly as she looked at the paper with the Emperor’s seal already affixed, holding the pen.

Signing it meant there was no turning back.

“Madam?” The official overseeing the divorce called her instead of the Emperor.

It was Ruby who had initiated the divorce request. Hesitating now might seem odd, as Eli had quickly signed without hesitation. 

Even when she had first requested the divorce, Eli had responded similarly. Perhaps he didn’t consider divorce as more than another item on his to-do list.

Ruby hesitated but eventually signed. The official collected the paper.

“Your divorce is now official.”

The official smiled, almost as if offering congratulations. If one hadn’t listened carefully, it could have been misunderstood.

With that, the three-year marriage came to an end.

***

“Ride in the carriage.”

As they left the palace, a carriage was waiting. Eli wouldn’t need to ride it, considering he had work to attend to, so it was likely meant for Ruby.

She contemplated her options, then nodded when he extended his hand to assist her. Just as she was about to hold his hand, she suddenly looked at Eli.

His expression remained the same, as always, neutral and aloof, just like it had been during their marriage.

At their wedding, during their married life, and even now, as they divorced.

Getting closer would no longer be an option. Standing beside him, looking at him up close, would come to an end, too.

When they met again, they might exchange greetings, but that was something Ruby envisioned for her return to society.

“Your work is important, but remember to take care of your health,” she offered polite, conventional words of farewell.

Eli simply looked at her without replying.

As he had always done, Ruby let go of his hand and boarded the carriage. Soon, the door closed.