With the benefit of hindsight, I realise that you were always cold towards me, even on the day I died.

I stood a few steps away, staring at my husband with dry, emotionless eyes. It was a stormy evening and it was raining heavily. My husband, Claude, was talking to the butler at the entrance.

“Your Grace, the weather is quite severe. Wouldn’t it be better to leave early tomorrow morning?”

“I have an important engagement tomorrow. You know that.”

“But…”

“If not today, I won’t have another chance. So make the preparations.”

The butler, wearing a troubled expression, quietly stepped back. As always, Claude had the final say.

When their conversation ended, he turned to look at me. His gaze seemed to tell me that I should hurry too — there was no time to waste.

His eyes were bitterly cold. Of course. It was only natural.

Our forced marriage had turned his life into a living hell, and all those years I had felt as though I were treading on thin ice.

It was a marriage arranged by his father, the former Duke Cassel. After all those long, arduous years, today was the final day between us.

I was an illegitimate child, abandoned by the Imperial family. Now that our marriage was over, it was time for me to return to the estate where I had once lived.

‘He probably doesn’t want to spend another moment with me.’

I smiled bitterly to myself.

I could understand him. This was a marriage he had never wanted in the first place.

As I took a step forward, Claude opened the door and walked out of the mansion without waiting for me.

“…”

The moment I stepped outside, the heavy rain swallowed the world with a deafening roar.

Servants hurried over to shield me and my husband with umbrellas.

I simply followed behind Claude, staring at his back.

Even under the black umbrella, his dark hair glistened faintly as the damp mist clung to it.

In his sharply tailored uniform, Claude’s broad back seemed distant and unattainable.

He had always shown me only his back.

I walked on, my footsteps sinking into the wet ground of a scene that had become familiar to me.

I wondered what he was thinking.

Was he relieved that this tiresome marriage had finally come to an end?

Or was it just another task to tick off his list?

Most likely the latter, I concluded.

He had always been painfully methodical and mechanical.

For him, this would soon be nothing but a passing breeze, leaving no meaning behind.

We passed through the rain-soaked garden and stopped in front of the carriage.

I hesitated for a moment and looked back.

The grand mansion was already fading into the thick, misty rain.

Today would be my last day in this house. My feet felt heavy, reluctant to take another step.

To be honest, I hadn’t hated this marriage entirely.

It had given me far more freedom than the imperial palace, where I was born and raised.

Here, no one sneered at me for being an illegitimate princess behind my back. No one had hurled cruel words at me to remind me of my place.

Although Claude had grown cold ever since that day, he had at least always treated me like a human being. The butler and the servants at the ducal estate also respected me as their mistress. And most of all—

“Are you not getting in?”

Startled by my husband’s voice, I quickly turned around again. Our eyes met — his were like cold, pale water.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Please get in first.”

“Yes.”

Claude extended his hand towards me, his gesture dry and indifferent.

I whispered my response and placed my hand in his. The hem of my dress, soaked through by the fierce wind, clung to my calves.

It had been a long time since I last held his hand. His hand was still as large and firm as ever. And just as cold.

I lowered my head.

More than anything…

I had foolishly fallen in love with him.

I had come to love him.

I had never dared reveal that secret to anyone.

A bitter sense of self-mockery welled up inside me.

During the first year of our marriage, Claude had pretended to love me to protect his public image and hide it from his father.

Then, unexpectedly, the former Duke of Cassel, his father, died in an accident.

From that moment on, Claude changed.

In hindsight, all the tenderness and kindness he had once shown me had been a calculated act.

And yet, I could never let go of that affection because it was the first time in my life that I had experienced such warmth.

Claude tightened his grip on my hand as I stepped into the carriage.

Neither of us looked at each other as we climbed inside.

The rain continued to pour down, pounding fiercely against the umbrella above us.

I cautiously settled into my seat. Claude sat opposite me.

The butler offered a polite bow before closing the door behind us.

Claude brushed the dampness from his shoulder and tucked his wet gloves into his inner pocket.

I simply sat there, watching his every movement in silence.

Soon, the carriage rumbled to life and rolled forward through the storm.

Thump, thump — the dull rhythm echoed inside the enclosed space.

He kept his gaze fixed on the window, resting his chin on one hand as though performing a tedious task.

I followed his gaze and looked out through the glass.

The rain had blurred everything outside into darkness.

The only things I could see were the raindrops pelting against the window as though they were the only things in the world.

“We won’t be seeing each other again.”

He suddenly muttered, as if speaking to himself.

I turned my gaze back to him.

Of course, there wasn’t a trace of regret on my husband’s face.

“The divorce proceedings will begin as soon as you arrive at the Imperial Palace, madam.”

“I see.”

Silence fell between us once more.

Divorce—
The word pierced deeply into my heart.
For Claude, our marriage had likely been nothing more than a brief breeze passing through an otherwise busy and brilliant life.
Unlike me, it was now time for him to return to his normal life.

‘Normal life.’

A life where I no longer existed—that was his normal.
I forced down the sorrow rising in my chest. I would have to get used to it now.

But… there was something I wanted to say to him.
I had always been reserved during my stay at the mansion, but now… we were strangers. This was our final moment.
I wanted to gather my courage.

After hesitating several times in the heavy silence, I finally parted my lips to speak.

“Madam.”

“Claude.”

Our voices overlapped. Startled, I quickly urged him.

“Please, you speak first.”

“No. You may speak first, Madam.”

His tone remained as cold and indifferent as ever. Unable to defy him, I spoke softly, almost as if speaking to myself.

“…Thank you for treating me kindly all this time.”

Claude’s expression shifted slightly into one of mild surprise. I kept my gaze lowered, my lips moving quietly.

“Now, Your Grace…”
“……”
“I hope you meet someone you love and live happily.”

Though my voice was small, my words were sincere.

“…What?”

Claude, who had been resting his chin in his hand, slowly lowered it and frowned.

Bang!

At that moment, a violent jolt rocked the carriage to the side.
Claude swiftly grabbed hold of the handle, but my body was thrown into the air.

Screeeeech!

From outside came a monstrous roar—one I had never heard before, terrible and otherworldly.
But I had no time to think. My body was flung around the carriage, slamming against its interior.

Agonizing pain shot through every corner of my body. A groan escaped my lips, but it was drowned beneath the roaring rain.

“Diana!”

Claude’s desperate voice rang out, followed by a loud crash as the carriage bounced off the ground once again and rolled violently.

Then, I felt the familiar embrace. Claude had thrown himself over me, pulling me tightly into his arms.

It felt as though the carriage was plunging down a steep cliff. Claude held me even tighter, as if trying to shield me from every bit of impact, absorbing the full force of the collision into his own body.

‘Why… why are you…’

Even as my consciousness blurred, confusion stirred within me. But somewhere deep inside, I instinctively understood.

We were going to die.

‘Ah…’

There was a scent I always recognized when he held me. The comforting scent of a forest, cool like the sea breeze, a fragrance that belonged only to Claude. It tickled the tip of my nose.

‘It’s been so long since I’ve been held in your arms.’

I had often wondered why I ever fell in love with him.

The reason was so simple. Your false love had been so warm that, for the first time, I believed I had found a true family. I felt a flicker of hope that perhaps sunlight would finally shine into my colorless life.

Even after learning that this marriage would eventually come to an end, I lingered behind you. Like a shadow, like a ripple embracing a falling petal, like the wind brushing across the desert. Silently, always near you.

When I finally realized just how much you despised this marriage, I understood you too well. That’s why I couldn’t let my pitiful feelings be exposed. So I simply watched you quietly, holding my breath.

“……”

And yet, how strange it is.

Looking back on the day I died, you called my name with such sorrow.

You held me tightly in your arms as though you would die in my place.

Bang!

A shattering pain tore through my entire body and death finally came for me.

And somehow, I thought—

‘Maybe this was the moment I had always longed for.’