Chapter 3

“This is the end of this tiresome relationship.”

Her husband said that as he signed the papers. Even though she demanded alimony on grounds of fault, he calmly accepted it, and the words ‘Do you really like that woman so much?’ rose up in Reinel’s throat.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say those words in front of him. If any emotion had appeared on her husband’s face, Reinel might have said it. However, he showed no emotion at all; not even a hint of relief or satisfaction could be found.

When Reinel signed, her husband gazed at her with indifference. If he had any feelings, he would have shown something at this moment, but he remained cold until the end, so she couldn’t bear to look at him any longer and turned her head away.

“Now, you two are divorced.”

The lawyer notarized the documents, and each took their copy and rose from their seats. Her husband stared at Reinel as if she were an object occupying a corner of his office.

That cold gaze could never be excused as ‘awkwardness.’

“So now I’ll be the Madam of this residence?”

“Yes. Soon, I’ll make it so.”

Unable to listen any longer to the mistress’s words to her ex-husband, Reinel turned away without a word. The sound of the mistress’s mocking laughter seemed to echo behind her.

As she escaped the room, she remembered how she had calmly mentioned the grounds for divorce and the payment of alimony in front of him. She was glad she hadn’t shed tears until then. She resented and hated her husband for forcing her to divorce in front of the mistress.

But what hurt most was that she had loved such a man and devoted herself, only to end up divorced so easily. She had hoped that her distant husband would one day open his heart to her, and thought he wasn’t cheating, but the truth was, he had been unfaithful out of her sight. Reinel’s body trembled like a leaf.

Staggering, she placed her hand on the wall and began to walk. Not even for a moment did she want to remain in this mansion. The sound of the mistress’s laughter tormented her.

Back in her room, she ordered the maids to pack the jewelry and clothes she had brought when she married. She couldn’t even remember how she gave those instructions. She was just glad she didn’t collapse, but the emotional shock was so great that her body refused to weaken.

Inside, her feelings flared up like fire. Unable to stay still, Reinel gave hurried orders and left the mansion. Her belongings would later be sent to the Estrid Earldom.

She refused the carriage.

She wanted to reject any gesture of consideration from her ex-husband.

Her steps faltered, but as she kept walking, her posture gradually straightened. Still, she had no strength, so Reinel pressed her lips together and started on the road to the Estrid Earldom.

She usually traveled by carriage, but her body remembered the way from countless walks in the past. Wandering down the main street leading to the Estrid Earldom helped suppress the emotions boiling inside her.

‘I walked for nearly two hours like that…….’

She would never again do the crazy thing of walking on cobblestones in flat shoes. Reinel slowly stretched and wiped her eyes. She worried she might have cried even in her sleep, but checking the full-length mirror, there were no traces of tears.

She reached out and rang the silver bell. As the maids came in to attend her, she saw Emily, who had once been her personal maid. Feeling glad, she called out, “Emily.” Emily smiled brightly in response.

“Lady, it’s been so long.”

“Yes, Emily. It really has been a while. Have you been well?”

“I’ve been fine, Miss. How have you been?”

Though the words asking after her made emotion surge within, Reinel suppressed it. With a faint smile at the corners of her eyes, she replied, “Me too… I’ve been okay.”

It seemed Emily hadn’t yet heard why Reinel had returned. But soon, everyone in Estrid would know why she had come back to her family home.

With a slightly bitter feeling, Reinel finished changing her clothes. With light makeup, her face showed only slightly swollen eyelids, nothing else unusual.

When she went down to the dining room for breakfast, someone was already there.

“Father. Did you sleep well?”

At Reinel’s greeting, her father, Earl Lyle Estrid, smiled.

“I slept well. I hope you did too, Reinel.”

“Yes, thanks to you, I slept well. Thank you.”

At those words, Kayden, who was beside her, suddenly cut in.

“Will you ask me how I slept too, Reinel?”

Seeing her brother still acting spoiled toward her made Reinel’s heart ache.

“Brother, did you sleep well?”

“Of course. Seeing your face, I was relieved and slept well.”

Their father, listening nearby, murmured, “It would have been nice if Seiden were here too.” With those words, Reinel could clearly feel her father’s affection.

Seiden was the brother who cherished her so much he treated her like a treasure.

“Seiden is still in the Yurud Kingdom as part of the delegation, so he hasn’t returned yet.”

“Well, even so…… Since you’ve returned, he should come quickly. Actually, when he left, I sent a messenger bird to tell him to buy you lots of gifts, so you can look forward to his return.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Surrounded by warm words and family, Reinel truly felt loved. For a moment, tears welled up, but she held them back as she took her seat at the table.

The table was still lavishly set. She had rarely enjoyed such meals at Earl Kaiden’s mansion, so now it finally felt like she was having a proper meal.

Both her father and Kayden watched closely to make sure Reinel ate well before beginning their own meals. Last night, only her favorite dishes had been prepared, so she’d been too busy eating to notice, but now she had the presence of mind to see her surroundings.

“Now that you’re home, you should rest for a while……”

“No.”

Reinel shook her head. At that, Kayden and her father focused their attention on her.

Even if her body rested, her mind would not, so resting wouldn’t really feel restful. Reinel needed something to focus on. After spending the previous night in tears, she could now think about what would be best for her.

“For now, I want to focus on the merchant group work. I need something to keep me occupied.”

“Are you sure you want to jump right into the merchant group business?”

Her father asked in a worried tone, but Reinel nodded.

“I just want to stay busy and not think about anything for a while. If I let myself be idle, I’ll start dwelling on things, and that bothers me. So if there’s anything I don’t know, I hope you’ll answer my questions.”

“Of course. I will.”

Her father reached out and held Reinel’s hand tightly. Tears threatened to spill again, but she looked at her father and held them back.

Seeing his daughter’s eyes brimming with tears, her father’s heart felt as if it might break.

‘If only I could just deal with those two……!’

Since Reinel didn’t want any more emotional turmoil, Lyle couldn’t confront them directly, but he resolved never to get involved in anything related to the Kaiden Earldom again.

Looking at his daughter, he spoke gently, “That sounds like a good idea.” Of course, he would have said the same thing even if Reinel had wanted to rest.

Watching them, Kayden reached out his hand. Reinel took his hand with her other hand, and Kayden spoke kindly.

“Yes. If there’s anything you don’t know, be sure to ask Father. I’d like to stay and help, but I have to return to the border region within a week, so I can’t stay long.”

“Just hearing you say that means so much, Brother.”

Smiling softly, Kayden patted the back of Reinel’s hand, which was wet with tears.

That warm touch seemed to gently soothe Reinel’s heart.

Blinking, Reinel smiled. The tears that had gathered in her eyes finally fell.

Her father and Kayden pretended not to notice and simply smiled gently.

What Reinel needed right now was gentle comfort, but if they tried to stop her tears or console her, she might keep recalling her unhappy marriage. So, for Reinel’s sake, it was best to pretend not to notice her tears.

Reinel understood that this was her father’s and Kayden’s way of comforting her. That made her even more grateful, and she kept smiling as she cried.

She had to, if only to forget her unhappy marriage.

When the long moment ended, Reinel and the two men went for a walk in the garden. The garden, always neatly kept, had flowers blooming here and there, refreshing to the eyes. The maid who shaded Reinel with a parasol did her job faithfully, allowing Reinel to enjoy the garden coolly in the shadow.

Then, in one corner of the garden, she saw an unusual plant growing. Reinel, who used to enjoy garden walks until five years ago, didn’t recognize the flower.

Its petals were blue, and its leaves a pale green. It wasn’t a hydrangea, but the large, bright blossom made it clear this was no ordinary flower.

“What kind of flower is this?”

As expected, neither her father nor Kayden could answer Reinel’s question. They looked at each other in confusion for a moment, and then Reinel reached out and touched the petals of the blossom. The soft feel of a fresh flower tickled her fingers. Suddenly, Reinel felt the urge to cut the flower at its stem and take it to her room to put in a vase.