Chapter 3

News that had not arrived at all, even after sending people out, finally came after a week.

When Carlisle put down his glass and stood up, Owen looked up in puzzlement.

“Where are you going? Don’t tell me you’re going to work again in this situation?”

“Where else? Since you personally requested it, I’m going to resolve it, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Carlisle let out a brief laugh, straightened his slightly disheveled suit jacket, and strode out of the drawing room.

* * *

The townhouses built on Cadney Road boasted an open view overlooking the Luthers River from the hill, fitting for an area densely populated with the second homes of high-ranking nobles.

Among them, the Lisian House, which boasted the most outstanding scenery in the area, was named for the rich fragrance of various lisianthus flowers blooming in the front and rear gardens surrounding the pure white mansion.

Sunlight pooled on the stems of flowers in various colors, swaying gently in the spring breeze. Except for the caretaker who came and went, the mansion grounds were usually quiet, but now two women walked inside.

Among them, the platinum blonde hair of the woman with a distinctly pure impression fluttered softly in the spring breeze.

The one who pushed open the ownerless front door was the lady of this mansion, the Duchess of Polshared.

“Madam, it’s heavy, let me take your luggage.”

“No, it’s just a single bag.”

Yvonne smiled gently, refusing the maid’s hand and stepped into the foyer.

When leaving her family home, all Yvonne brought was a suitcase light enough to carry easily and the maid Jane, whom she had brought from her parents’ house. For the Duchess of Polshared, one of the most prominent nobles in the Kingdom, it might seem a humble way to stand on her own, but Yvonne herself didn’t care.

“Miss, you’re too kind. If you’re going to divorce anyway, you should have squeezed out a huge settlement.”

“What would I do with all that money?”

Yvonne, who had maintained only a ceremonial smile in front of others for the sake of dignity, now wore a smile of relief.

A smile as if she had given up something unreachable, light and carefree, eased a bit of the burden Jane had felt over the past week, worrying whether this was the right thing to do.

“It’s a place so empty I’d only come once a year, but it’s been cleaned perfectly.”

Carlisle, the owner of this house, had never visited it, not even once. His mother had visited it once, but after she passed away, no one had ever stayed here.

Still, it seemed to be maintained regularly, as the interior was spotless, not a single speck of dust, and no ash remained in the fireplace that occupied one wall of the living room. The antique furniture gave off a classic atmosphere, while the curtains and rugs were decorated in a modern style.

“In this respect, Harold is meticulous.”

“Is that ‘meticulous’? He’s downright fussy! Nagging every single day. Was he rude to you too? Just because you’re young, he looked down on you, and he clutched the vault key like someone might run off with it.”

Jane shuddered, recalling the butler who, with his old-fashioned ways and constant nagging, was enough to wear people out. Her hair, neatly braided in two pigtails, shook slightly with her movement.

“He’s a strict person. He probably just wanted to uphold the stern traditions of a family that has produced generations of Commanders-in-chief.”

Yvonne, brushing it off with a suggestion to think positively, smiled bitterly. Carlisle, influenced by his father, was rigid and cold, so it was no surprise that the servants who served him were not friendly.

“Please sit for a moment. I’ll bring you some tea.”

Jane, after setting down the suitcase, hurried to the kitchen, while Yvonne opened the living room windows and the balcony door for ventilation.

The scent of lisianthus flowers softly enveloped the interior through the wide-open balcony and windows. The sight of the stems swaying gently in full bloom was peaceful.

Yvonne gazed silently at the garden that had been beautifully arranged. Although it had rained all day yesterday, the flowers were vibrant. Beyond them, the Luthers River stretched out like a horizon, sparkling like gold dust under the sunlight.

It had been a week since Yvonne left Glade Hills.

She had entered into a marriage with Carlisle through a single sheet of paper, like a transaction of necessity, and lived as his wife in name only for three years.

Three years.

At the moment just before a person withers and dies, Yvonne finally made up her mind.

When that cold man so easily granted the divorce, she almost regretted it for a moment, but it helped her steel her resolve.

Not entrusting the documents to him and submitting them directly to the court was her way of preventing herself from showing any unsightly weakness.

It was a kind of determination.

By submitting the papers herself, she made a vow to end this meaningless marriage.

The sound of the bell interrupting her peaceful rest rang out then. Jane, poking her face out from the kitchen, tilted her head.

“Oh, who could it be?”

They had just arrived here after hiding themselves for a week. Not only was there no one to visit, but there was no reason anyone would know they were here, so Yvonne looked puzzled as well.

“I’ll go check.”

Yvonne hurried to the front door in place of Jane, who looked busy brewing tea.

* * *

“We’ve arrived.”

After driving for about thirty minutes from the palace to the townhouse, the vibrations stopped and the driver spoke. The aide, who had been sitting in the passenger seat, quickly got out and opened the rear door.

Carlisle, who got out leisurely, looked up at the mansion surrounded by green bushes. Though not as large as the main house, the three-story mansion stood out as one of the most luxurious in the area.

But he had no reason to indulge in such idle appreciation, so he strode across the lawn. His gaze, lowered unconsciously, caught the exact shape of footprints pressed into the grass.

His steps stopped abruptly.

It didn’t take long to realize that they were the size of a man’s shoes, not a woman’s. As he quietly measured those tracks, his eyes gradually darkened.

But that fleeting sensitivity quickly dissipated as he realized, for the first time, he had come somewhere to meet his wife.

While Carlisle stood before the main entrance, leisurely adjusting the knot of his tie, Henry rang the bell.

“Who is it?”

A gentle voice, like a melody, came from inside, and the tightly closed white front door slowly opened.

At the same time, the face of the woman who appeared with a bright smile stiffened abruptly.

“Yvonne.”

Carlisle, facing his wife who had plotted such a brazen act, curved his lips elegantly. It was a smile captivating enough to draw attention, but Yvonne, who knew well the coldness hidden behind it, could not smile back.

“Did you enjoy making your husband the subject of ridicule for a week?”

He leisurely stepped inside, glancing at his pale wife. She closed the door, trembling delicately, unable to move.

* * *

Heavy silence flowed between the two people sitting across from each other at a single table. Carlisle, bringing the teacup Jane had provided to his lips, sipped with the formal gesture unique to nobles.

His mere presence made the spacious living room feel full. Yvonne swallowed hard as she faced her husband who had come looking for her.

He was a man of fundamentally cold nature. After completing five years of military service and becoming a respectable businessman, Yvonne still felt as if she were facing a soldier just returned from war whenever she looked at him. It wasn’t only because he was the head of a military supply company.

He wore that expression even at their wedding. Married life was even worse.

He was so cold, like iron, that it was questionable whether he even knew the word “affection.” Yet, while he could produce a proper expression for business and social occasions, he was excessively cold-faced toward his wife.

Such a cynical husband—she had never expected him to come in person, only to send someone.

Carlisle took a sip of tea and began to speak.

“It seems you wanted to disgrace your husband, but unfortunately, that will fail. You should have planned more thoroughly.”