“I’m sorry, my lady, but I don’t think the carriage can go any farther.”

“Yes, it seems that way.”

Watching the carriage wheel spin uselessly in the mud, Helena replied with a gloomy expression.

‘Of all things, even the weather has to be awful.’

Letting out a deep sigh, Helena picked up the luggage from the carriage.

“We’ve come this far. I’ll just walk the rest of the way.”

“My lady, but—”

“It’s over there, right?”

Leaving the hesitant coachman behind, Helena stepped out into the pouring rain.

Her hair and dress soon became drenched, the heavy, water-soaked fabric clinging to her body and making every step more challenging.

Despite her appearance, she held her head high and tried to carry herself with as much grace and dignity as possible.

Not that it made her seem any less miserable.

Thud.

Helena dropped her heavy suitcase onto the rain-slick stone road and stood up slowly, pausing to catch her breath.

“Is this the place?”

The ‘Hitchens’ sign was rattling in the wind, suggesting that Helena had arrived at her destination.

She stopped in front of a tightly shut iron gate.

Lined with arrow-shaped bars, it looked more like the entrance to a prison than a home, creating a bleak and forbidding impression.

Then—

“…!”

A flash of lightning illuminated the darkness.

Only then could Helena make out the mansion clearly; it had been concealed by nightfall.

The entire grey-brick building appeared to be covered in thick ivy.

‘It’s so dreary… and creepy.’

A deep frown formed between her pale brows.

With overgrown grass reaching up to her ankles, a rusted nameplate, and dark green ivy covering the walls, the place looked so desolate that it wouldn’t have been surprising to see ghosts appear.

‘To think I’ll have to live in a place like this for several months. It’s not as though I’m in a position to complain, but…’

With an irritated look on her face, Helena raised a clenched fist.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

Bang. Bang bang bang.

The sound of her pounding on the iron gate echoed loudly in the rain.

How long had she been standing there?

Eventually, a slim boy came running over and opened the gate for her.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be a servant.

“Who are you?”

Helena answered in a calm voice.

“My name is Helena Evans. I’ve come to see my grandfather.”

“Your grandfather?”

“Count Leon Hitchens. The owner of this estate.”

The boy’s eyes widened.

After a moment of thought, he opened the gate fully.

“Now that you mention it, I think I did hear that the master was expecting a guest. I just assumed you’d arrive by carriage.”

A wave of exhaustion washed over her.

‘If you’d heard about it, you could have come out to greet me beforehand.’

The words rose to her throat, but she held them back.

“There were some complications. Could you carry this luggage inside for me?”

The boy nodded and easily lifted her suitcase.

“Please follow me. I’ll take you to the master’s room.”

***

After changing out of her wet clothes into an old dress provided by a maid, Helena was led to the reception room.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly raised her trembling hand to the door.

After hesitating for a moment, she knocked softly on the door.

Knock. Knock.

When she stepped inside, she found an elderly man seated in an armchair in front of the fireplace, his eyes closed.

His neatly combed white hair and sharply defined features gave him a stern, intimidating air.

Helena forced a smile onto her face.

Then, in a bright and cheerful voice, she spoke.

“Hello, Grandfather.”

“…”

“It’s me, Helena. Helena Evans. Mother spoke about you often. I should have come to visit and introduce myself much sooner. I’m sorry.”

“Spare me the meaningless pleasantries.”

But the response she received was cold and curt.

Slowly opening his eyes, Leon swept his gaze over Helena from head to toe.

“And what state are you in? Soaked to the bone without a shred of dignity.”

Clicking his tongue, he looked at the golden hair hanging damp and wavy over her shoulders.

‘I’d heard he was eccentric, but…’

Helena’s blue eyes trembled slightly.

While she hadn’t expected a warm welcome, she hadn’t anticipated such open hostility either.

Momentarily flustered, she quickly composed herself and forced a smile.

“Thank you for allowing me to stay here.”

Leon waved a hand dismissively.

“It wasn’t my decision. Your mother simply sent me a letter informing me that it had already been decided.”

“Mother did?”

“She did. She informed me that you’d be staying here for a while. Said there were plenty of spare rooms anyway.”

“Ah…”

It was only then that Helena realized why Leon was so displeased.

From his perspective, she was an unexpected visitor who had turned up on his doorstep with her bags, expecting to be offered a place to stay.

A quiet sigh escaped Helena’s lips.

Leon studied her in silence for a moment before slowly speaking again.

“Of course, providing a room isn’t particularly difficult, so long as you don’t become a nuisance.”

“I won’t cause you any trouble. I can keep to myself.”

Despite her prompt reply, Leon narrowed his eyes as though still dissatisfied.

“A woman who has spent her entire life living comfortably and devoting herself to supporting her husband has come all the way to this remote place. No matter how I think about it, I simply cannot understand why.”

His piercing blue eyes fixed squarely on Helena.

“Why did you come here, Helena?”

His gaze sharpened.

“What is it that you’re trying to run away from?”

Why had she come all the way here?

To a desolate mansion hidden deep in the heart of the forest, five days’ carriage ride from the capital.

To explain how Helena, who had never left the capital of the Pretium Empire, had ended up in such a place, one would have to go back three months.

***

“Divorce me, Helena.”

The night those words brought an end to five years of marriage.

The night they were spoken by Nigel Schuytz Brandt.

“…What did you say?”

“I want a divorce. I can’t do this anymore. Our marriage is over, Helena.”

Riiiiing—

A sharp ringing pierced her ears.

Helena stared blankly into the amber eyes of her husband, Nigel, as he looked down at her.

The face reflected in his eyes was as pale as a ghost.

‘A divorce?’

What was she supposed to do in this situation?

She should have been angry.

Or maybe she should have burst into tears.

But was she too shocked to react?

Or was the absurdity of it all simply beyond comprehension?

Whatever the reason, Helena found herself frozen to the spot, rigid as a corpse.

As he looked directly at her deathly pale face, Nigel continued speaking.

“I’ll be honest. There’s someone I love.”

His face flushed as he hurried on.

“I tried to stop myself, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t ignore it, and I couldn’t push it away. These feelings…”

He let out a shaky breath.

“I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

Helena’s cheek twitched.

Forcing strength into her eyes, she struggled to keep looking at him.

Nigel avoided her gaze as he began justifying himself.

“Whenever you saw me, all you ever wanted to talk about was work. Every conversation with you felt suffocating. But it’s different with her. I can breathe when I’m with her, Helena.”

“That’s because those responsibilities were yours to handle in the first place. You’re the head of the family. Those are your duties!”

“Even that righteous attitude…”

Nigel laughed bitterly.

“I know you’re intelligent. I know you’re capable. And yes, I’ve benefited from that more than anyone. I’m genuinely grateful for it.”

His expression twisted.

“But as a man… as a man, being around you makes me feel small.”

Unable to endure the stream of hurtful words any longer, Helena clamped her hands over her ears.

But Nigel’s voice pierced through them anyway, carving wounds into her heart.

“Even so, I never wanted to betray you. I know how devoted you’ve been to this family. I wanted to make our marriage work too. I thought things might change if we had a child, but there was never any news from you…”

His words became increasingly disjointed as his emotions spiraled out of control.

Then, abruptly, he pushed back his chair and stood up.

Bracing both hands against the table, he locked eyes with Helena.

A strange fervor blazed in his gaze.

“But she says she’s pregnant, Helena.”

His eyes shone with unmistakable excitement.

“With my child.”