Chapter 8

Neque Kaiden.

A business genius who suddenly revived the declining Kaiden family.

However, apart from business, his reputation was nearly zero in all other aspects. No matter how much he tried to control it, rumors from the Earldom kept leaking out, and the servants constantly gossiped about the emotionless Earl.

The worst rumor was that he kept a lover in the marketplace and had married his official wife for political reasons. Even though he had married a talented woman named ‘Reinel Estrid,’ stories were widespread that he continued to visit his lover outside the house.

Reinel alone did not believe those rumors. But in reality, many had seen Earl Neque Kaiden walking around town with his mistress. Reinel only came to believe it after her husband brought the mistress into the Earldom.

“Do I have to handle all these documents myself today?”

While dealing with merchant group management paperwork, Neque Kaiden frowned. The documents that hadn’t piled up when Reinel was present now flooded in during her absence, leaving him with barely any time to sleep.

The head butler wiped cold sweat from his brow at Neque Kaiden’s irritation.

“I’m sorry, Sir. When the Countess was here, everything could be managed…”

“Ever since Reinel left, it’s all become like this.”

“My apologies.”

The head butler bowed deeply in apology, but Neque Kaiden’s brow did not relax. With the mounting paperwork, he couldn’t even spare time to be with his mistress. Neque Kaiden unconsciously thought of Reinel.

She always dressed splendidly, always wore full makeup. By enhancing her beautiful appearance, she looked even better. Neque Kaiden would see her sitting in his office working on documents at least once a day.

Back then, he hadn’t realized how precious Reinel was, but now, with work piling up, he regretted letting her leave the Earldom so easily through divorce. Clicking his tongue, Neque Kaiden signed the papers.

Even just the paperwork piling up now was enough to fill an entire carriage. He had never imagined the documents would get this backed up, and now he felt like calling Reinel back immediately. Though he was emotionless, he found himself struggling and his brow furrowed.

‘Was it a mistake to bring my mistress into the Earldom?’

He couldn’t even spare time to spend with his mistress because of work. In truth, Neque Kaiden was never one to devote much time to his mistress. Reinel never knew, but Neque Kaiden changed mistresses almost daily.

Because he was emotionless and poor at expressing himself, even his mistresses quickly grew tired of him. Of course, Neque Kaiden never stopped them from coming or going, so they were replaced almost every day. What he did for his mistresses was limited to buying expensive jewelry or gems, so most had no particular expectations of him.

However, the new mistress was different. She wanted to drive Reinel out and become the lady of the house, and Neque Kaiden had promised to make that happen. But with things as they were, the mistress now watched him nervously and kept silent.

Unable to face the overworked Neque Kaiden, the mistress waited in her room in the Earldom. Neque Kaiden did not hide his irritation. This situation had been going on not just for a day, but for an entire week.

“I shouldn’t have made that promise. I shouldn’t have driven Reinel away.”

Thinking of her, who had always diligently carried out her duties, Neque Kaiden felt regret. No matter how much the mistress whispered, he should never have shown her directly to Reinel and forced a divorce.

She had trusted him, and he should not have made her lose that trust.

‘But at that time, I felt almost nothing for Reinel.’

He was well aware of her devotion, always looking only at him. But because her effort came so easily, Neque Kaiden had never felt any interest in her. She was a fish that had entered his pond on her own, so he simply stopped feeding her.

Even so, she had fallen for Neque Kaiden.

Neque Kaiden was busy working through documents. Yet, as the paperwork kept piling up endlessly, he grew tired and finally stood up from his seat.

“That’s enough. I’ll take care of the rest tomorrow.”

It was already well past dinner, pointing to 1 a.m. Even so, the remaining documents continued to pile up on his desk, and unable to endure it any longer, he shook his head. Clicking his tongue, he left the office, and his aide watched in dismay.

He knew he should help, but as an aide, there was a limit to what he could do. So, swallowing his anxiety, he had no choice but to leave the office.

Thus, the Kaiden Earldom began to accumulate paperwork day by day. No one knew what trouble might arise from all that backlog.

***

It had been two weeks since Reinel returned home.

By then, her nightly crying had lessened. It was hard to force Neque Kaiden out of her heart, but it was something she had to do, and she was finally getting used to it.

So, Reinel got up from bed and looked at herself in the full-length mirror. Her eyes were still puffy from crying every night, but less so than before. Sometimes she skipped a day, and there were even days when she didn’t cry at all.

She rang the silver bell to call the maids, and Emily came in with them. With their help, Reinel changed into her outdoor clothes. The dress, made of blue fabric decorated with ribbons and black pearls, had a design she liked.

She had woken up late today, so she couldn’t have breakfast with her father. But as she headed to the dining room for a late breakfast and lunch, she saw Kayden sitting there.

“Brother Kayden. Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, Reinel.”

Although her brother should have been dealing with the monster wave in the Empire, he had stayed home for two weeks out of concern for Reinel. However, soon he would have to return to the border to completely deal with the monster wave.

Since Reinel had heard about her brother’s situation from her father, she tried not to show any sadness in front of him, so as not to make him worry.

She also refrained from showing tears, so Kayden only guessed that Reinel cried at night but never mentioned it aloud.

As she sat down, the food began to arrive. When she scooped up the first spoonful of consommé soup, her appetite returned. Her stomach let out a small growl, and Reinel felt embarrassed.

But Kayden just laughed playfully. His youngest sister had never been able to control her appetite since childhood. Even a little hunger would make her stomach rumble, so she always had to eat regularly. Hearing her stomach growl today reminded Kayden of her childhood, and he spoke gently to Reinel.

“You’ve always had a rumbling stomach if you skipped even one meal. I see you’re still the same. Don’t ever skip meals—make sure to eat every time.”

“All right, Brother. I guess my stomach is rumbling today because I slept in…”

“Heh. Even if your stomach rumbles, my little sister, you are always cute.”

Smiling at each other, the siblings focused on slicing the T-bone steak when it arrived. Along with the steak, a salad topped with citrus sauce was served, and Reinel crunched on the fresh vegetables.

“Reinel. I’m planning to head back tomorrow. If you need anything from me, it’s best to say so in advance.”

“There’s nothing I need. Thank you for staying with me all this time.”

“My cute little sister wanted me here, so of course I did. But really, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. If you want any monster parts, I’ll bring them for you.”

Reinel smiled, her eyes curving. She liked how her brother cherished her, and she felt happy to be surrounded by her warm family.

‘Why did I marry Neque Kaiden when I have such a loving family?’

As she returned to her room after the meal, Reinel asked herself that question. She didn’t know that Neque Kaiden was regretting things at the Earldom where she was now gone, but she was starting to find her own answer.

‘Because I fell for Neque Kaiden at first sight.’

Reinel sat at her vanity, letting Emily brush her hair and resting.

But now Reinel realized she was only just beginning to understand the fear that comes with the word ‘love.’

‘Because I fell for him at first sight and acted like I would give up everything for him…’

She had married Neque Kaiden without even trying to learn what kind of person he was, simply lost in happiness. At the very least, she should have checked if the rumors revealed anything about his true nature.

Reinel closed her eyes for a moment. Emily’s brushing was as soothing as always, making her drowsy, but her thoughts continued.

“Emily.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

“Are you married?”

Emily, focused on brushing behind her lady, smiled softly.

“Of course. I got married not long after you did, My Lady.”

“How is married life? Are you happy?”

Emily responded with a gentle laugh.

“Of course. My husband treats me so well. I’m very happy.”

“Of course, serving you also makes me happy,” she added.

Reinel opened her eyes.

In the vanity mirror, Emily’s face looked truly happy. Seeing her enjoying a blissful marriage made Reinel feel a bit envious, and she wondered how one could have a happy marriage.