I’m not sure how last night ended. I made some excuse about being tired and got helped back to my room, but I must have passed out instead of lying down on the bed. When I finally woke up, it was already afternoon, and I thought I could at least pretend it was just a late morning.

“Cancel your afternoon schedule, please,”

But Jane wasn’t having it.

“No, we can’t. Ian even left work early today because of this. It’s a busy time for him, and Mr. Wilson is also quite busy.”

“Then I’ll have to tell the Duke that you collapsed last night.”

“Jane…”

Jane looked at me, frustrated and upset.

“I’m all for the two of you getting divorced. Every time you talk to him, you end up collapsing—it’d be better if you didn’t see him at all. But I think you’re pushing yourself too hard. A day or two won’t make a difference with the divorce filing, will it?”

“I’ll rest tomorrow, okay? I’ll do nothing tomorrow, I promise.”

“Really?”

“Really. My friends are coming over tomorrow too, remember?”

Only then did Jane sigh and step back.

Theodore arrived exactly on time for our appointment. I relayed to him the terms Ian and I had agreed upon, and he refined and organized them into legal language before drafting the contract. He even added more clauses than we’d originally discussed, as he kept asking questions that we hadn’t considered.

For instance, he wanted to know the top three people I’d leave a note with when traveling, so I listed my mother, Jane, and Ian in that order.

He also asked about things like how many days in advance I’d inform Ian before selling the house, who would receive the proceeds from the sale, and whether I’d disclose the address of my new residence. Following his advice, we included all these seemingly minor details in the contract.

Now all that was left was for Theodore to submit the completed documents to the court. As he left the drawing room, I finally felt like everything was truly over. I exhaled deeply, leaning back against the sofa. Ian, who had remained by my side, cautiously spoke up.

“May I ask you something? I’ve been curious.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve been wondering about it for a while, but I didn’t want to ask in case you misunderstood.”

Whatever it was, it seemed like he’d been holding it in. I smiled to reassure him.

“What is it?”

“Back then… why didn’t you leave the capital right away?”

It was an unexpected question. I looked at him with wide eyes; I hadn’t thought he’d ask about this now. After a moment of hesitation, I replied.

“I don’t run away anymore, Ian.”

“It’s not that… I’m not asking for future reference or anything, I’m genuinely curious. Besides, the lawyer has just gone to submit the divorce papers, so could you tell me?”

“Why does it matter? It wouldn’t change anything even if you knew.”

Ian looked troubled, as if he couldn’t quite find the words to explain. I waited, giving him the time to collect his thoughts. Finally, he spoke hesitantly.

“I thought you would leave right away. Back then, you didn’t seem like you’d been preparing to flee or anything, and you left impulsively without cash or any plan. I expected you’d want to get as far away as quickly as possible. But you didn’t.”

Ian’s serious gaze met mine.

“I just wondered what kept you in the capital. Was it the opera?”

I wondered why he was asking such a thing but answered offhandedly.

“Money, of course.”

Once again, I seemed to have shocked the empire’s wealthiest man. Ian looked at me, speechless, his eyes wide. I continued, as if explaining things to a clueless young master.

“I had to save up for travel expenses. I wouldn’t be traveling in a private carriage with a guard like when I was the Duchess. I’d be taking the cheapest option, which was hitching a ride with a caravan, but even that required all my money to cover the carriage fee, Greta’s mercenary fee, food, and medical expenses.”

“And… you couldn’t have asked your friends for help?”

“Oh, come on. What if it caused trouble for them?”

I laughed as I answered, then realized my mistake. My words implied that Ian might threaten my friends, which wasn’t the best thing to say to his face. Thankfully, he didn’t seem offended.

“So you really were saving up money…?”

Instead, he looked bewildered.

“Yes. I needed money for travel expenses and enough to cover a few months of rent and living costs while settling down in a new place. It costs even more to live during winter, and I didn’t want to leave recklessly and end up freezing to death. Honestly, I was also stalling, hoping you’d eventually give up once I realized you’d increased the security checks.”

It had driven me mad that he wouldn’t give up, even when everyone thought I’d died. Ian asked urgently,

“Then where—where were you?”

“I was in the slums.”

“We searched every district of the slums. We even asked the residents about any strangers and checked all of them, but you weren’t there. Or… were you there, and I just didn’t recognize you?”

Ian clenched his teeth, and I felt a bit intimidated.

“No, it’s not that. I just moved around a lot, so you couldn’t find me.”

In truth, I had stayed at a boarding house that sheltered women fleeing from other places, but I decided not to mention that part. After all, the slums are a place like any other, and if you get close to the residents, they’ll naturally protect you. They probably said they hadn’t seen any strangers when asked. Ian let out a deep sigh.

“How did you even know to keep changing locations? Really… did you have some kind of… a sixth sense?”

Oh, I covered my mouth and laughed. I’d always wondered why he never asked about this. I don’t know what my mom or Benjamin had told him, but Ian’s face looked deadly serious. After some thought, I gave him a vague answer.

“It’s not that… I just have a good intuition.”

“Intuition?”

“Yes, well… a gut feeling, I suppose…”

Ian stared at me with a dazed look, and I smiled softly. Worried that he’d start asking for more details, I quickly changed the subject.

“And I didn’t run away impulsively. I’d actually been planning it for a while, waiting for the right opportunity.”

“Even keeping it a secret from your mother and maid?”

“They say if you’re going to deceive your enemies, you should deceive your allies too, right?”

Ian’s mouth dropped open slightly. I watched his rare expression in amusement before bursting into laughter.

“What’s so surprising? Isn’t that just common sense?”

Ian muttered, looking both exasperated and amused.

“If you were planning to leave the capital, I could have caught you immediately. But to think it was because of money… I thought you might have had some sentimental attachment to the capital, but it was just money…”

Ian rubbed his face in disbelief. His reaction was so extreme that it made me feel a bit awkward and even slightly embarrassed.

“Ian, you don’t know how important money is. Someday, capitalism will be everywhere.”

“What is… capitalism?”

Goodness, the generational difference is more like a difference in era. Ian finally seemed to snap out of his shock and spoke to me.

“Then the opera—there’s nothing sentimental about it?”

“Not really? I just tried different things to make money.”

“Actually, the opera director once asked if I’d consider letting you make a cameo appearance.”

“What?”

I was startled.

“He thought I’d oppose it, but I wanted to tell him he could ask you if you wanted to do it.”

Let me perform? I was as shocked as I could be. Even if the director made such a proposal, I never thought Ian would allow it. Nobles don’t work; they consider it beneath them. Most would be horrified to see me on the opera stage. And yet, despite knowing all this, I felt curious.

“What kind of role?”

“A short appearance as the Duchess, restored to her true self, singing an aria at the end. They only want you to perform for the first show, not regularly. They also said they’d donate all the profits from the performance.”

Just the rumor of me appearing would be a massive publicity boost. Plus, since I’d planned to quell rumors through the opera, my actual presence would add credibility. If I continued lying low, the rumors would only get worse, as those women at the New Year’s Ball had suggested.

Those who already dislike me wouldn’t think worse, and those who like me might find it a fun topic, so there’s nothing to lose. Ian also told me not to worry about damaging the Keppel family’s dignity…

“Are you considering it?”

“Huh?”

I snapped out of my thoughts, startled, and looked up.

“You were thinking hard about it. Don’t overthink it; if you want to do it, just do it. You love singing.”

“Oh…”

“You looked happier on stage than at any other time I’ve seen you.”

Ian smiled gently, his tone warm as he asked,

“And that time, when we made eye contact on stage, that wasn’t just my imagination, was it?”

I was so shocked I covered my mouth with both hands. I could see my stunned reflection in Ian’s blue eyes.

“You must have been shaken. But even then, you didn’t let it disrupt your performance; you kept singing until the very end. So I held back too.”

“Ian…”

“I wanted to run up and grab you right then, but I held back until the song was over. I thought you’d resent me more if I ruined your performance.”

“Did you know it was me from the start? How?”

“I told you I didn’t know either, didn’t I?”

Ian laughed as if truly troubled, and now it was my turn to feel conflicted. My heart was pounding. I’d thought I’d never stand on stage again, but the thought of singing as myself, without a mask, made me tremble.

Now that I had another chance, I couldn’t deny it. What it was that I truly liked. I loved singing, and I loved standing on stage. These were things I hadn’t realized while making excuses about etiquette, or survival, and other reasons.