After Declaring Divorce, My Husband Became Lewd - CHAPTER 8_ Love And Hate (Part 5)

While Isabelle was going about her daily routine, an unexpected figure came to her door.

“Lady Isabelle, Mr. Fabian, the Duke’s attendant, wishes to see you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Shall I bring him in?”

Nodding to Herta, Isabelle raised her eyes, and not long after, Fabian appeared. Isabelle looked up at him as he walked briskly to her front. His face was as dignified as ever.

“I have something to tell you.”

Slightly bowing, Fabian spoke in a deep voice. Although it was an unexpected visit, Isabelle accepted it calmly.

“Alright. Please, take a seat.”

Isabelle gestured to the seat in front of her with her chin and asked Tanya to prepare another cup of tea. As Tanya brought the freshly brewed tea, Isabelle glanced over Fabian’s face, trying to deduce the reason for this unexpected visit.

Several times during Richt’s coming home to Calitheon House before, Fabian had sought Isabelle out alone to deliver a gift from Richt. On those occasions, they exchanged brief conversations, more like concise updates than actual discussions.

Fabian would fill in for the always busy and not particularly talkative Richt, answering Isabelle’s questions of ‘How is the business going’, ‘Is Richt overworked’, ‘Is there anything to worry about’……, etc.

Every topic revolved around Richt. Fabian politely alleviated Isabelle’s worries and anxieties during these short encounters.

The difference between those times and today was that Fabian made the first move instead of Isabelle. After sipping a lukewarm cup of tea, Isabelle, with a slightly distant demeanor, opened the conversation.

“What brings you here?”

“It’s about the Duke.”

The reason for his visit was probably obvious since there was no connection between the two of them other than Richt. Isabelle wasn’t particularly eager to hear about the matter related to him, but she couldn’t send Fabian away either. Isabelle concealed the discomfort within and spoke in a composed tone.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

Fabian chose his words carefully, recalling the recent glimpses of Richt. Though he knew that stepping forward without the master’s orders was crossing a line, he couldn’t ignore it any longer. Fearful of painting a grim portrait, he finally spoke.

“The Duke is very distressed.”

Fabian cleared his throat and studied Isabelle’s expression. The muscles in his face twitched slightly as he spoke.

“He gets drunk every day, and it’s concerning to watch.”

“Is it my fault that he drinks?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I have not encouraged Richt to drink.”

The first time she saw him drink was back in Barsk. It was the day she demanded a divorce. Although it seemed like he occasionally drank after that, she didn’t know he did it every day. He wasn’t someone who liked alcohol.

Despite her cold response, she couldn’t help but worry. While she hoped he would share the same pain and difficulty as her, she didn’t wish for him to rely on alcohol. She didn’t want him to end up like Timogere. Of course, Richt wasn’t as lacking in self-control as Timogere, but still…

Isabelle’s thoughts were interrupted, however, by Fabian’s next words.

“If it’s not alcohol, he seems to have nowhere else to rely on. It seems he has no intention of restraining himself, and he seems to have difficulty sleeping.”

“I don’t know why I have to hear this from you, Mr. Fabian.”

Despite Isabelle’s reproach, Fabian calmly explained Richt’s state.

“Simply put, his condition is not normal.”

What had led to this point?

A thin sigh escaped him.

“Can’t you forgive him as his wife?”

“You’re being rude.”

Isabelle scowled deeply.

“Even if I have infinite confidence in Richt professionally, what happens between him and me is a conjugal matter. Please refrain from overstepping your boundaries.”

“I apologize. It’s none of my business, but I stepped in.”

She didn’t bother to hide her displeasure, wondering why she had to hear such words from his servant.

“Lord Richt has never bowed to anyone in his life. Because there’s never been anyone or anything he couldn’t have or achieve.”

Isabelle was well aware of these facts.

“You, as his wife, are likely the only one he ever bowed to.”

There was concern in Fabian’s eyes as he mentioned Richt.

“He’s inexperienced in expressing himself. He’s never learned such things.”

“What do you mean?”

After a long sigh, Fabian continued.

The previous Duke Calitheon had imparted strict education to Richt from a young age, with the most crucial teaching being never to bow to anyone.

As an heir to noble blood, lowering oneself was against the principles of the aristocratic society, and as part of the upper echelon, one had to set an example.

Young Richt, an affectionate and kind child, found this teaching particularly challenging to abide by. There was an incident when he was very young that caused him great distress.

During a hunting game with his peers once, he accidentally injured another boy with an arrow. Out of his innate kindness, he apologized to the child from a less prestigious family, which led to him being confined to a dark room for a week.

In the middle of his punishment, if he cried or made any noise out of fear, they would kill Richt’s parrots one by one. He was seven years old at the time, and he was told that it was inappropriate for someone of Calitheon’s lineage to display emotions recklessly

Despite the punishment, nobody knew about the abuse as Richt didn’t directly exercise violence. This was because Diana, the wife of the previous Duke and Richt’s mother, didn’t think her husband’s educational methods were wrong and simply stood by.

Isabelle was shocked by Fabian’s testimony, as it was a far cry from the former Duke’s reputation for generosity and kind disposition.

All he’d done was apologize, and he’d been scolded for it. How could they be like that?

“……Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you to understand how he feels.”

When Isabelle remained silent, Fabian took a small piece of paper from his pocket.

“This is the address of our workplace.”

A breeze of anticipation flashed across Fabian’s face as he laid the paper on the table. He wanted Isabelle to reach out first.

So, this was the real purpose of his visit.

After completing his purpose, Fabian gave a light farewell and left.

Following his visit, Isabelle spent the afternoon with mixed emotions. Neither the delicious food prepared by Tanya nor the enjoyable chatter with her could serve as an escape.

With her body getting heavier, limiting her range of movement, and the cold weather preventing her from doing much of anything, the only thing she could do was look out over the garden from inside the mansion.

Due to the low temperatures, the snow on the flowerbeds and trees hadn’t melted. A cold breeze brushed against the glass windows, and beyond them was Mia. Isabelle flinched involuntarily as she made eye contact with Mia, who was sweeping the garden.

Somewhere inside her, an unknown emotion stirred, but she pushed it down, refusing to acknowledge it. As soon as she turned her gaze away from Mia, Richt’s face flashed in her mind.

Though she felt she shouldn’t ignore the situation, she hadn’t visited Richt’s workplace. Yet, she hadn’t discarded the address Fabian had given her. She simply held onto it, contemplating it repeatedly. The thought that she should meet him crossed her mind, but she quickly abandoned it.

While Richt avoiding the situation seemed cowardly, she realized she was doing the same. In the end, both of them were no different, and a self-deprecating chuckle escaped her lips.

As the neatly written address was engraved in her mind, the short winter day came to an end.