Chapter 1

Long shadows paced the hallway, hands clasped together. Late at night, only the lamplight illuminated the darkness-filled corridor.

Chloe repeatedly bit the inside of her lip to suppress her rising anxiety, until the tender flesh was pressed between her even teeth.

The interior of the mansion where Andert’s carriage had just arrived was filled with silence. She had just come down after waiting all evening for her husband’s return. Standing at the end of the long corridor stretching on both sides, she suddenly felt lost and forlorn.

Though she had lived here for five years since their wedding, she remained an outsider, always skirting the edges.

Chloe finally acknowledged the truth she had found hard to accept. It was time to put an end to futile hopes that would never be realized.

As her cream-colored satin slippers took a few more steps forward, a firmly closed door appeared. Andert’s study was a very private space located in the innermost part of the mansion.

Chloe had personally visited this place only a handful of times. Though she knew he would be behind this door, she had always tried not to disturb her husband’s time.

For what purpose?

Chloe questioned herself.

Hope that he might someday look at her? Or was it to earn at least the label of an understanding and devoted wife, if not his affection?

But these were all useless questions. Chloe shook her head lightly to clear her thoughts.

That’s when it happened. A tall man suddenly appeared at the L-shaped bend in the corridor. Golden hair like carved sunlight and eyes the color of deep blue sky melted into them. Those two features alone were enough to capture attention.

As the man drew closer, his features, noticeable even from afar, became increasingly clear. His face, rarely seen smiling, was cool. But even that coldness became meaningless before the man’s chosen appearance.

Did God truly bestow his blessings only upon you?

Chloe gazed at his perfectly symmetrical face. She already knew the answer. After all, she had loved this man who was the embodiment of that blessing. Accompanied by his butler, he stopped about five paces away from his wife.

Andert Dietrich. Chloe’s prediction that he would come straight here after returning home had not been wrong in the slightest.

“Andert…”

“It’s late at night, what brings you here?”

The man whose voice would surely have the most distinct fingerprint if voices had them spoke with a seemingly polite tone. But there was always just that much distance between husband and wife. It was like the unbridgeable gap between Chloe Hardin and Andert Dietrich.

A bride carefully chosen by the palace wary of House Dietrich’s influence. A match selected to prevent Andert from forming marriage alliances with powerful noble houses. A lucky young lady who secured a position beyond her station without even a proper dowry.

That was the extent of public opinion regarding Chloe.

‘But my love for you was sincere.’

Chloe swallowed the confession she would never make again — or rather, had never been able to make even once.

After all, the one-sided love that began when she fell for him at first sight at age seventeen had always been hers alone. And she alone could end this drawn-out farce.

Chloe opened her mouth with difficulty through dry lips.

“Are you busy? I have something to discuss with you. It won’t take long.”

“……”

Though her voice cracked slightly at the end, it was fortunately steady. Andert’s eyes, which had been quietly observing her, lifted slightly.

She rarely came here. Yet now she was asking for his time late at night. He seemed to find everything about this unlike her. But he raised one hand and nodded to his butler.

“I have documents to check first. Go in.”

Andert left only that brief notification before entering his study.

Even that was so very like Andert. He had always been someone who prioritized efficiency, never paying attention to unimportant matters.

Chloe hadn’t expected consideration like being asked to wait a bit or suggesting they talk another day. Any other time she would have withdrawn without a word, but not today.

Chloe waited silently before the firmly closed door.

Fortunately, the wait wasn’t long. The butler, opening the door to leave, paused momentarily upon seeing the silhouette in the hallway. As if his lifetime of service to House Dietrich hadn’t been in vain, he properly held the door open.

“My lord, Lady Dietrich is entering.”

Chloe stepped through the opened door, suppressing her tension.

Midnight. The first thing that came into view was the large clock showing twelve o’clock. The interior was simple, consisting of sofas and bookshelves filled with various volumes.

Andert was seated at the desk in the innermost part. This was where he spent most of his time when he had no external appointments. Though he could have decorated it more comfortably given how much time he spent here, Andert only kept what was absolutely necessary.

Moreover, he didn’t even raise his head until footsteps approached his desk. Chloe waited without rushing him. Such indifference and coldness were familiar anyway.

Only after the clock’s second hand had made three or four more rounds did the man lift his eyes from the documents to meet hers. Despite returning late after finishing his schedule, his face showed no particular signs of fatigue.

Her gaze, which had been looking at the eyes framed by thick lashes, moved to his right hand holding the pen. As always, Andert wasn’t wearing his wedding ring.

Had he ever worn the ring even once since their wedding?

Chloe tried to recall. But no scene came to mind except for their wedding day. The next moment, a low voice was heard.

“Speak.”

He still hadn’t even put down the pen in his hand. It was silent pressure to keep it brief and leave. Chloe called out to him softly, seemingly giving up.

“Andert.”

“……”

The man’s face remained emotionless as he slightly tilted his chin, gesturing to her to speak quickly.

Literally, there had never been any tender memories or deep emotional exchange between them. Right after the wedding ceremony, Andert immediately left for abroad. He returned to the country only three years ago after staying in Daloa, which shared a border.

So Chloe spent nearly half of their married life alone in this mansion without her husband. Still, when she heard news of her husband’s return, she was so excited she couldn’t sleep.

What were the first words that Andert spoke when they reunited like that?

“It’s been a while.”

That brief greeting was all. There wasn’t even the courtesy of a formal embrace or asking after her well-being. Then came the cold dismissal.

“I have many matters to handle, so please leave now.”

After that, he simply turned away.

Even the butler present cleared his throat awkwardly. Andert Dietrich was a man who made even the beautiful dress she had carefully chosen over many days seem utterly shabby.

Chloe shook off these futile thoughts and stated her business. After all, there was only one reason she had waited for him.

“I want a divorce.”

It took five years to say these words. That was also the time Chloe needed to accept reality. For a moment, Andert stopped even his slightest movements.

Chloe, who had been quietly watching her husband, parted her lips. Since he was a man who disliked lengthy conversations, she didn’t want to drag this out.

“I know this was a marriage you didn’t want. That you followed the palace’s forced intentions. And now the ruler who pushed for this marriage has changed.”

The words flowed more easily than expected. Almost making the tense time spent waiting for him seem meaningless.

The king who had been wary of House Dietrich all his life passed away three months ago. And his nephew became the new king of Kingdom Artion. Unlike the previous king who worried about nobles joining forces, the young king reached out to powerful noble houses first.

And House Dietrich was the first to receive his call.

Chloe realized this meant the palace and House Dietrich would walk the same path, at least temporarily. And that it was time for her to step aside.

“Chloe, what are you saying, coming to find me in the middle of the night?”

Andert’s voice, mixed with a shallow sigh, immediately reached her ears. Only then did he put down his pen and stand up from his desk.

Chloe had to lift her gaze to look at the tall man as he straightened. But the green eyes that calmly met hers showed no wavering.

The rumors that Andert, who left for abroad right after the wedding, might have a serious lover were deeply wounding to Chloe. And that wasn’t all.

When he rarely returned home after obtaining an unwanted wife, all sorts of rumors and speculations ran rampant. Dealing with people’s curiosity was solely her burden. During those times, the moments spent trying not to show her inner turmoil were lonely and overwhelming.