“Have you ever found married life boring?”

The words that followed were more bewildering than suggesting a drink than the disheveled attire. Richt was not someone who took an interest in others’ personal lives. In the six years, Fabian had been his attendant, they had never talked about anything other than work.

And now, all of a sudden, Richt asks questions about his marriage. He couldn’t possibly be curious about Fabian’s domestic affairs. He’s not the kind of person who would make a silly comment about drinking.

Was it related to the problem with Isabelle?

Fabian pondered, deducing a reason.

“Not yet.”

“I see.”

“Are you bored?”

“Of course not.”

Richt’s face took on an amused look.

“Then, has your wife ever said such things to you?”

“No.”

When Isabelle left the Calitheon Estate without a word, Fabian sensed that something was wrong with the Duke and Duchess of Calitheon. He’d hoped it would be resolved quickly after Richt had come to the Blanchette Estate looking for Isabelle, but he’d been wrong.

For whatever reason, the rift between the two seemed to run much deeper than Fabian realized. Just by looking at the man who always seemed perfect, Richt Calitheon, being so troubled alone, it was evident.

“Why do you ask me that all of a sudden, are you having trouble with your wife”

“She wants a divorce.”

Richt uttered a sigh-like remark and swallowed his drink. Fabian listened in silence.

“I thought I had done my best. I bought her anything she wanted, and took care of her family matters as well.”

“…”

“When I asked if there was someone else, she said no.”

“You mean you asked her that to her face?”

“Yes. Because I didn’t understand her sudden demand for a divorce. Otherwise, there was no reason. We had no problems.”

“Was it what she wanted?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, when you say you ‘bought her anything she wanted,’ does that include expensive jewelry and clothes? Did the lady ever ask you to buy those things for her?”

“She never asked, but isn’t it natural for women to like those things? Is it a sin to give many gifts?”

Fabian shook his head and sighed.

“A woman’s heart is delicate, so it’s not like that at all. When you were in the capital, you only came home once or twice a month, right? Did she ever express regrets about that?”

“It was an arranged marriage, and I never thought Isabelle needed me. I thought she was comfortable with me not coming home often back then.”

“…”

“But it was a firm delusion. She told me the other day that she regretted marrying me, regretted the time she spent with me.”

“…”

“My wife, she loved me. I never imagined that.”

“…”

“I thought I was the only one who was in love.”

Fabian chuckled inwardly.

Who would have thought that Richt Calitheon, known as the perfect Calitheon Duke, would be so foolish in matters of love?

“Worse, he came here. When I came, I was sure I was going to appease Isabelle and take her with me, if it weren’t for that damned Viscount Ross.”

“…….”

 “…Viscount Ross saw my wife as a woman even before our marriage. That’s for sure.”

His hand holding the glass trembled ever so slightly.

“Isabelle had seen Viscount Ross since she was a little girl, so she didn’t seem to see him as anything more than a close older brother, but I was still uneasy about it.”

“…….”

“While she was like a parrot demanding a divorce from me, she relied on that bastard. In my mind, I thought it wasn’t true, but I was always anxious that she might leave me for him.”

“…….”

“Why? Why him and not me, her husband? Was I such an unbearable husband?”

“…….”

“I don’t care if I don’t get as much love in return as I give, as long as she stays by my side, I’ll do anything she wants, but I can’t bear the thought of her leaving my embrace.”

“…….”

“When I saw Isabelle crying in his arms, I couldn’t stand it, I lost my mind, and I made some damn mistakes…….”

“…….”

“Ha. There’s no turning back now. Sh*t!”

Richt slammed his glass down on the table, clutching it tightly, his face almost miserable.

“I don’t know what happened, but have you tried talking to the lady?”

“She locks herself in and won’t meet me. Last time, she even attempted to cut herself. She said my face disgusted her.”

“Then, have you ever had a conversation with the lady before? Since you came here. Even if you didn’t realize the problems while she was still at Calitheon mansion, didn’t you try anything to turn her heart around?”

The words he had said to Isabelle flashed through his mind. Richt cursed under his breath. The sarcastic words he had casually uttered now pierced his heart like thorns.

“Beg.”

“What?”

“Just beg. Beg unconditionally. If you don’t want to lose the lady, don’t think with your head, don’t care about your pride, just beg.”

There was nothing he couldn’t do. He would fall flat on his face a hundred times, a thousand times, if Isabelle would turn back to him.

“Try doing what the lady likes.”

What did Isabelle like?

Richt’s eyes rolled around, and not a single answer came to mind. He froze, feeling like he had just been hit on the head.

What did my wife like?

“Don’t you know anything?”

It felt like he had been hit on the head again.

What have I been doing for the past three years?

It was all just a facade. Frustration set in.

“You need to start with that.”

Richt decided that she would talk to her calmly, find out what was wrong, listen to all her complaints, and be the husband she wanted.

He swallowed the amber-colored liquor from the crystal glass in one gulp. It was a strong drink that burned his throat, but no matter how many he drank, he didn’t get drunk. If anything, it made him more alert.

There was no need to be overly anxious with unnecessary thoughts.

It wasn’t too late yet. If something was off, he could fix it. He had tried to quell his anxieties with various words, but underneath the surface, there lingered an uneasy and powerless optimism.