That night, if April hadn’t been brought into the duke’s manor, her future would have been obvious. She would have run into thugs in the back alleys, suffered unspeakable things, and been sold off here and there.

It wasn’t uncommon for noble young ladies to go missing in the capital. Their final destinations were always the same. They were sold at high prices to high-ranking nobles of other countries who disliked commoners and desired only noblewomen.

There were plenty of men with strange tastes, and many who were downright vile. What could he possibly say to April, who dreamed naively of freedom without the strength to protect herself?

Should he show her the reality?

Calsion’s lips curled up in a smirk. To him, her ideas were nothing short of absurd.

He could tell she was different from other noble ladies. But so what? With those hands, she couldn’t even wield a sword. The moment she tried, her delicate palms would be torn apart.

She couldn’t even throw a dagger properly. April, who swayed like a thin branch at the slightest push, truly seemed to have been raised like a delicate greenhouse flower. Calsion found himself on the verge of laughter at the pampered complaints of a noble lady who had never done a day of hard work.

“Even a small alimony will do. Just let me leave the imperial palace.”

“A noblewoman, who doesn’t even know how to defend herself, wants to leave the palace? What are you planning to do then—become another noble’s mistress?”

April’s mouth dropped open.

What is this?

A saying from a faraway country came to mind: men with handsome faces always live up to their looks. Calsion was the perfect example.

If only he kept his mouth shut, women would flock to him, but the moment he spoke, even a thousand-year love would turn cold. April pouted her lips.

“A mistress? What nonsense are you talking about?”

That would never happen. April’s dream was to use her alimony to open a small shop. A flower shop would be nice, or maybe a tea shop.

No, the shop was just an excuse—she actually wanted to set up a merchant group using the name of Duke Bright or the imperial family. Just because she divorced didn’t mean her relationship with the imperial family had to sour.

Looking at him now, he might even become her sponsor if she played her cards right.

If Calsion were truly cold-hearted, he wouldn’t care at all about her future after divorce. But from what he said, April realized Calsion wasn’t such a bad person.

He was the type who treated his own people well and cast aside those who weren’t. She’d sensed it at the duke’s manor too. He seemed frightening, but he was surprisingly warm and affectionate. If she could win his favor, she could be protected by him. That’s why she couldn’t give up.

As a sliver of hope appeared, April spoke again.

“I have a secret about my birth, so I’m not suitable to be the prince’s consort. It’s hidden for now, but no one knows when it might come out.”

“……”

“So, Your Highness, please divorce me.”

April clasped her hands together and pleaded with Calsion.

Just as he was about to answer, April saw it. Blood was seeping through Calsion’s shirt.

“What, what’s this! I thought it was just bloodstains, but you’re hurt?!”

Calsion had no chance to avoid her. April grabbed his hand and pulled up his shirt. She quickly examined his torso and saw a wound that looked like it had been grazed by a sword. Seeing it, April bit her lip.

‘Oh my god. What am I doing to a patient!’

She should have been tending to his injury, but she’d been too busy talking about herself and was late to act.

She looked up at Calsion with an apologetic face, but he spoke in a calm, expressionless voice.

“What are you trying to do by taking off my clothes?”

“Huh?”

“What are you expecting by undressing me?”

“No, it’s just that you’re injured…!”

“That’s not your concern.”

“Why not! I’m your wife now!”

“How absurd. Just a moment ago, you were talking about divorce…”

“Enough, just sit down!”

April pushed Calsion into the chair. He frowned at being forced back into the uncomfortable chair, but April didn’t notice.

She looked around, then grabbed a white cloth from under the blanket and pressed it to Calsion’s side. As the white cloth turned red, April’s face twisted in distress.

“If you’re in pain, you should say so! Why make me look like a weirdo by not telling me…”

Despite her grumbling, April kept her hand firmly on the cloth at his side, pressing down to stop the bleeding. Calsion, who had tried to pull away, stayed still and accepted April’s care.

Since Calsion didn’t speak, April was the one who felt awkward. She kept her eyes on his wound to avoid the suffocating silence.

In truth, there was a way to heal his wound instantly, but it was too risky to use. She couldn’t fully trust Calsion yet, and even if she did, she could never let him discover this secret.

A secret only April knew, unknown to anyone else in the world.

So April bit her lip and glared at Calsion’s wound. Strangely enough, just staring seemed to slow the bleeding.

When April carefully lifted the cloth, it seemed the bleeding had almost stopped. As she continued to move cautiously, Calsion looked down at her and spoke first.

“Do you really want a divorce?”

At the low voice beside her, April’s hand holding the cloth trembled. It was the kind of voice that could draw you in just by hearing it.

“Ugh!”

“Don’t say it by my ear. Look me in the eye when you speak.”

April pressed firmly on his wound and replied with a bright smile. Her embarrassment was plain to see in her eyes, but she continued without a hitch.

“I do.”

“Do you truly not want to be the prince’s consort?”

“It’s not a position I deserve. I don’t want to live in fear as the prince’s wife.”

“That’s strange. Most people would kill for this position.”

Calsion lowered his gaze again, saying it wasn’t easy to get a chance to join the royal family.

“If you get divorced, you’ll be treated even worse than a lady of the duke’s house.”

“I never received such treatment even at the duke’s house.”

She’d only ever been scorned and looked down on—she’d never been treated with respect. So it didn’t matter. There was nowhere lower to fall.

What’s the worst that could happen—death?

She wasn’t afraid anymore. Now that she’d shed the Bright name, she owed them nothing.

“So, will you divorce me, Your Highness?”

April’s calm blue eyes met Calsion’s black ones.

Calsion couldn’t answer her immediately. He wasn’t free to divorce as he wished. The only reason he could stay here as a mere royal in name was because of the emperor’s permission.

It was the same now. Divorce with April wasn’t his decision to make. If he ever held the crown, things might change, but for now, there was nothing he could do.

‘Will you leave me behind in this inescapable mire and go off on your own?’

April’s face shone as she asked for a divorce. Her face didn’t literally glow, but to Calsion, it felt that way. Unlike him, her eyes sparkled with hope for the future, and darkness churned inside him.

‘I can’t stand it.’

Despite his turbulent thoughts, Calsion remained composed. He firmly answered April, who was looking at him with her hands tightly clasped.

“Fine. I’ll divorce you in two years. Until then, live like you’re dead.”

“Two years…?”

“We can’t easily break a marriage the emperor himself approved. But if no child is born in that time, I’ll have grounds to annul the marriage.”

“Thank you!”

April expressed her gratitude to Calsion. Watching her innocent smile, Calsion couldn’t hold back and turned his head. She was so naive to accept his words at face value.

‘Isn’t a contract basic?’

‘Can you really trust someone like that?’

‘And she tried to treat me, someone who clearly just killed several people, without hesitation. Did I look as harmless as a dead bird to her?’

Calsion took the white cloth from his side. He stared at the cloth in April’s hand for a moment, then rose from the chair.

“That should do it.”

Feeling uncomfortable under April’s steady blue gaze, Calsion lowered his shirt. After straightening his clothes, he left her with a final remark.

“You can use that cloth tomorrow morning.”

“Huh? Use it for what…?”

April asked, but Calsion simply turned and left the bedroom. Unlike before, he exited through the main door she had entered. Outside, he gave an order to Yulifa, who had been waiting.

“Investigate Duke Bright.”

“Again, sir?”

“From the very beginning. Investigate everything, thoroughly.”

“Understood.”

Despite the sudden order, Yulifa placed his fist over his right chest and saluted. It was as good as saying there was a problem with April Bright that they didn’t know about.

As Calsion entered his bedroom, all expression vanished from Yulifa’s face.