11. Incomprehensible

 The horse’s clip-clopping pace subtly quickened. Jade called out to him in a harsh voice.

“Izer, slow down. You’ll scare away all the game. Is this a racetrack?” 

 “You’re the one who brought someone who didn’t want to come.” 

 “But you said you were bored at home. Training has a daily limit, and Wendy scolds me if I overwork myself, yet she’s too busy playing with Celian when she tells me to stay still……” 

 “Isn’t it good that the women get along well?” 

 Jade showed a disgusted face. 

 “Look who’s so desperate to get home quickly? You just want to change clothes and see Celian right away, don’t you?” 

 “Lower your voice, Captain Schwenn.” 

 “Wow, look at you dropping the honorifics just because you’re discharged. If this was still the military, you wouldn’t dare speak to me……” 

 “Shh.” 

 As soon as Izer raised his hand, Jade closed his mouth. Flutter—the sound of birds taking flight was heard. True to the wetlands, it was full of sandpipers, and they must have been quite close. 

 Soon, with a gunshot, one bird fell. Jade called out to the servant with excitement. 

 “Amazing! Aesop, fetch it.” 

 Izer slung the gun over his shoulder and straightened his back. 

 Though he learned it out of necessity, hunting was far from Izer’s preferred hobby. Instead, he found meaning in appreciating the scenery, as most hunting grounds offered excellent views. 

 It had rained for the past few days. As he looked up at the rare bright blue sky, he naturally thought of the person who resembled it. 

 ‘I miss her.’ 

 Despite his pleading, Celian was still living separately from him. 

 When he couldn’t bear missing her, Izer would visit secretly. 

 The young, newly hired secretary complained about the Duke of Chesterfield who disappeared without notice daily, but when Izer raised his salary, he straightened his back saying, ‘That’s what I’m employed for!’ He was indeed worthy of Jade’s recommendation. 

 The secretary planted people around Marquis Berienne’s villa for his highly-paying employer. A milk delivery boy, some kid barely old enough claiming to be Beth’s friend, even Wendy Schwenn. The fact that records of everyone coming and going were delivered to the Duke of Chesterfield’s study every night was a secret between the duke and his secretary. 

 The clock tower’s bells rang. It was four in the afternoon. If his visit got any later, it would overlap with Celian’s dinner time. His good wife would let in the uninvited guest, but that would only delay the time for her to warm up to Izer. 

 Izer called out to Jade. 

 “I’ll take the carriage. Aesop, please take care of the horse.” 

 “Why not just ride the horse? It would be much faster if you’re going to see Celian, right?” 

 “This is more comfortable.” 

 Celian had no idea her husband was visiting her. So he hid in a carriage he rarely used to see her. If she knew he was coming every day, she would be more alarmed and look for ways to escape from this madman, but since Izer couldn’t give up visiting, this method he came up with was quite effective. 

 Izer easily boarded the carriage. 

 It was the middle of autumn. The silver grass was in full bloom, and the roadsides overflowed with cosmos. The river, which had been full of splashing children when he first took her there, now flowed quietly. 

 The cathedral appeared in the distance. 

 Just a little further and he could see Celian. What would she be doing today? Would she be up in a tree with Beth, or trying her hand at gardening as a hobby and nervously watching the gardener after accidentally cutting off flower stems, or maybe….. 

 His body lurched forward. 

 ‘Are we already there?’ 

 Just as Izer reached for the curtain in confusion—

 Crack. 

 The ceiling shattered. 

 * * *

 “Beth, where did you go!” 

 “Sister, I’m here!” 

 A cheerful voice came from above. Celian opened her mouth in exasperation. 

 “How did you get up there again?” 

 “What’s the ladder for if not to use it? Why are you looking at me like that? You like climbing trees too, sister.” 

 “I’m saying this because you’re twice as high as where I used to play. Come down right now, Beth.” 

 “The air is so fresh up here, I don’t want to.” 

 Celian’s face hardened. 

 “Elizabeth Berienne, come down because it’s dangerous. I won’t say anything about climbing trees. But you absolutely cannot be at a height where you could break bones if you fall.” 

 “Hmph.” 

 “What do you mean ‘hmph’, come down quickly. Ronald is supposed to come visit soon.” 

 “Oh no, already?” 

 “Yes. While you were rolling around with caterpillars up in the tree, Ronald Schwenn was probably picking flowers for you. Let’s show some basic courtesy to our guest.” 

 Jade’s youngest brother proved very effective in handling Beth. Celian couldn’t help but smile seeing Beth immediately grab the ladder at the mention of Ronald. 

 Love at twelve is innocent. After sending Beth to the bathroom, Celian’s gaze turned to the window as she went to check if the room was tidy. 

 Since that day, Izer had never visited the villa. She was alone when she woke up in the morning too. She later heard from the maid that he had spent the night in front of her door and left before she woke up. 

 ‘Has he really given up now?’ 

 When bodies grow distant, hearts grow distant too. Not to mention, she had coldly rejected even his desperate plea, so it would make sense if his sensitive nature had been wounded and gone into hiding. 

 Though it took longer than expected, the appropriate distance had returned their relationship to its normal orbit. 

 Celian shook off thoughts of Izer and entered Beth’s room. Despite expecting a guest, the room’s state of organization wasn’t very good. Since it was too full of personal items for the maids to clean, she had told Beth to organize it herself….. 

 As she clicked her tongue and picked up a textbook, a check fell out. What’s this? Celian’s eyes filled with bewilderment. 

 ‘A hundred pounds?’ 

 She saw a white envelope tucked between the textbook pages. Though she normally didn’t touch Beth’s belongings, it was different if her sister had such a large sum of money. 

 Hastily opening the envelope, hundred-pound checks spilled out. One, two, three…… Ten in total. 

 “Sister, what are you doing here?” 

 Beth didn’t mind her sister being in the room. She was just busy chattering away. 

 “Ah, I was going to clean the room. Really, I was, but Ronald said he had questions about this subject so I took it out early. So no nagging……” 

 “Beth, where did this money come from?” 

 Money……? What money……? The young girl blinked before clapping her hands over her mouth with a gasp. At this honest reaction, Celian’s blood ran cold.

She tried to respond calmly.

“Beth, I’m not doubting you. I don’t think you did anything wrong. But as far as I know, before I came back, the royal family had agreed to give you an allowance, not such a large sum of money……” 

 “……” 

 “I’m concerned because it seems too much money for you to have. I won’t be angry, dear. If there’s a problem, we can solve it. I can handle that much now. What’s going on, Beth?” 

 “Sister, well……” 

 The child hung her head low. 

 “The Duke gave it to me.” 

 “Izer?” 

 An immense relief washed over Celian. Izer wouldn’t have ignored Beth. Though she thought it was a bit excessive for pocket money, it was better than money from an unknown source….. 

 “I don’t know, Brother Owen told me never to tell!” 

 ……or not. At the unexpected name, Celian raised her eyebrows. 

 “Why is Owen involved? You said Izer gave it to you.” 

 “The Duke sent checks to the school. It was such a large amount that I was called to the principal’s office, and since I didn’t know what was going on, I contacted Brother Owen. Because at that time, sister was…… gone.” 

 It must have been when Celian was pretending to be dead. 

 “……What did Owen say?” 

 “He told me to hold onto it for now. Then there was no contact for a while until he told me you were alive. He told me not to tell you about the checks.” 

 Celian looked down at the checks. Ten hundred-pound checks—an amount that would take Beth twenty years to spend even by herself. 

 Celian quietly asked. 

 “Beth, do you remember when Izer gave you the checks?” 

 “March or April. This spring. Definitely before mid-April. The cherry blossoms hadn’t bloomed yet.” 

 “……” 

 “I thought it was strange too. I was already receiving an allowance by then. I was grateful for his care, but I was planning to return it later…… and forgot. Sister?” 

 Celian, who had been quietly listening to Beth, suddenly stood up. 

 “I need to go somewhere. Play with Ronald.” 

 The afternoon sunlight poured over the short silver hair of the woman riding a brown horse. 

 Fortunately, the person she was looking for was in the suburbs. Owen, who had been playing with a stray cat using foxtail grass, turned his head at the sound of hooves. 

 Celian jumped off her horse. 

 “Owen, answer my questions straight.” 

 * * *

 “Let me confirm the objective facts first. Your marriage vows were on September 26, 1790. The date your wife was reported deceased was December 15, 1790, and you, Duke, learned of your wife’s whereabouts on April 7, 1791. Is this correct?” 

 “Correct. Please continue.” 

 “As of today, November 3, 1791, your marriage has lasted approximately 13 months. Though this may be uncomfortable to discuss, I need to confirm some facts for procedural purposes, so please bear with my questions. Currently, there are no children between you two, correct?” 

 “No, there aren’t.” 

 “Is there any possibility in the future?” 

 “No. We’ve been separated for over two months.” 

 “I understand.” 

 The lawyer nodded. 

 “According to the request you sent me, you wanted to take full responsibility for the divorce. Did your wife agree to this?” 

 “If I’m taking all the blame anyway, is her agreement necessary?” 

 “It’s not legally required, but I asked because it’s unusual. Usually, people seeking divorce are willing to go as far as litigation.” 

 “That won’t be necessary. I intend to proceed with giving my wife as much compensation as possible.” 

 “……I understand. Now I’ll ask about the reason for divorce. Aside from agreeing to take responsibility, we need your wife’s consent for the divorce itself. People usually prefer to handle this through lawyers like myself rather than discussing it directly.” 

 “……” 

 “Based on what you tell me, I will organize the content according to the proper format. Then after your final review, it will be delivered to your wife.” 

 Lawyer, responsibility, format, review, procedure, variables. Such rigid terms defined the relationship between her and Izer. 

 Izer asked in a dry tone. 

 “How long will it take?” 

 “If your wife has no particular objections, the procedure should be completed within one or two months, but if there are other variables, it could take longer.” 

 “……” 

 Would one or two months be enough time to practice acting in front of that kind woman, pretending he could live well without her now?