Edwin lay in bed.

His entire body ached, and bruises had formed everywhere, but fortunately, none of his injuries were serious enough to damage the bones.

The physician spoke.

“I’ll prepare an ointment that helps bruises heal more quickly. Apply it to each bruised area three times a day.”

Edwin only let out low groans in response.

The butler, his face filled with concern, asked.

“The Count also struck his head… is that alright?”

“His head? I heard he tumbled down the stairs. Did he hit his head first? Are you feeling dizzy or nauseous at all?”

The flood of questions made Edwin frown.

The physician’s sharp voice grated against his already exhausted nerves.

“I’m fine. I’m not dizzy. Besides, it wasn’t like she kicked that hard—”

“…Pardon? Kicked?”

“No, I mean it wasn’t that severe of an impact.”

He corrected himself quickly.

The physician examined him once more.

“More than the bruises, the real problem is how much weight you’ve lost. When someone becomes this thin, their body starts deteriorating from the inside first….”

The rest was the usual lecture.

Showing clear signs of exhaustion, Edwin called for the butler.

“Where’s the captain of the guard right now? He said he was going to check on Richel…. If things are settled, tell him to come see me.”

The butler answered that he understood but he had no intention of delivering the message immediately.

It was still far too early in the morning, and Edwin desperately needed rest.

Instead, the butler quietly withdrew together with the physician so Edwin could sleep peacefully.

Edwin remained lying silently in bed.

Sleep refused to come.

Instead, his thighs and hips throbbed painfully.

Every single ache came from where Richel had kicked him.

She had kicked him so hard that dark bruises bloomed across his body.

Still—she had not kicked his head with nearly the same force.

‘Did she feel at least a little sorry for me? I hope so….’

Whether it was pity or something else, Edwin wished Richel would at least feel sorry for him.

Because those were likely the only positive emotions he could still hope to receive from her.

Soon, his thoughts drifted back to the papers Richel had handed him earlier.

The divorce agreement.

Those sheets she said she had intended to give him three years ago.

‘If she had already decided on divorce here too….’

Edwin shut his eyes tightly.

Because he had received those papers once before.

In the world where Edwin Isle had never disappeared, he had received them three years ago from Richel, whose face had been gaunt and shadowed with exhaustion.

“Let’s divorce, Edwin.”

The words had been so sudden they bordered on absurd.

“What are you talking about?”

“…Exactly what I said. Let’s get divorced.”

She repeated herself calmly.

It had been two years since his parents died in the accident.

He had finally begun adjusting to the countship he inherited so suddenly, and life had only just started becoming manageable again.

Without even properly reading the documents, Edwin shoved them back toward her.

“What divorce? Things have finally settled down lately. We’ve been doing alright.”

“…Doing alright?”

Richel let out a hollow laugh before pushing the papers toward him again.

“Read them properly. The terms are written there.”

Her voice was firm.

Frowning deeply, Edwin finally flipped through the documents.

The papers were already complete.

The settlement amount had been written in detail, and both her seal and signature were already stamped onto them.

Which meant that from her side, everything had already been decided.

A surge of anger rose inside Edwin instantly.

“What exactly are you trying to do right now?”

“I told you. I want a divorce.”

“Are you joking? Back then you were the one making such a fuss about wanting to get married, and now suddenly you want a divorce?”

“A fuss? I spent all that time simply waiting for you! Enduring every rumor while staying trapped in an engagement!”

“In the end, you still pressured me through your parents!”

Richel’s face froze in shock.

But Edwin did not stop.

Back then, while their engagement dragged on endlessly without resolution, Edwin had secretly been preparing to settle down with Richel in the southern part of the empire.

He had carefully selected businesses that would make living in the south seem natural and had devoted himself to studying how to manage them.

That way, he would not need to travel constantly back and forth to the Isle territory.

And all of those plans had come crashing down because of a single letter from House Rainer.

A handwritten letter personally written by Count Rainer.

The moment Count Isle received it, he summoned Edwin back to the territory immediately.

“Arrange the engagement announcement gathering immediately. I thought Lady Rainer was the one who wanted to delay things….”

Count Isle threw the letter from House Rainer directly at him.

Inside were formal complaints regarding the endlessly delayed marriage and even mention of dissolving the engagement entirely.

Count Isle spoke firmly.

“There is no woman more capable of supporting you than Richel Rainer. Your mother and I will handle the preparations and arrangements, so understand that clearly.”

“…This is my marriage. I’ll handle it myself. I had my own plans prepared already….”

“Plans? You mean your plans to move south?”

Edwin could not hide his shock.

Seeing that reaction, Count Isle clicked his tongue quietly.

He found it ridiculous that Edwin thought he had hidden it well when he had been so obvious.

Edwin possessed extraordinary looks, but his abilities in practical work had never been impressive.

He had inherited neither of his parents’ talents.

Ever since childhood, he had been slow to learn, overly sensitive, and frustratingly inept in many ways.

The Count and Countess dearly loved the son they had late in life, but once his education began, they found themselves confronted with endless difficulties.

And that remained true even during his heir’s training.

At some point, Count Isle had been forced to admit that his son was incompetent.

He looked directly at Edwin and said.

“You’re clinging to a foolish sense of pride. Rather than being grateful for a capable wife who can make up for your shortcomings.”

Edwin’s expression twisted badly.

Looking exhausted, the Count continued.

“Find a residence suitable for living after the marriage—somewhere that allows easy travel to and from this territory. If you cannot find one yourself, then I’ll arrange it personally.”

“I’ll live in the south. I’ll properly handle the work I’m supposed to manage there, so—”

“And what exactly do you intend to accomplish there? If you carry the name Isle, then you should at least fulfill the bare minimum expected of you. Stop saying such foolish things and go prepare for the marriage announcement.”

Count Isle personally wrote a reply and sent it to House Rainer.

Alongside a letter of apology came a formal marriage proposal edged in gold leaf.

House Rainer welcomed the proposal and immediately set a date for the marriage announcement.

It was a completely different attitude from the first letter that had practically threatened to break off the engagement at any moment.

As though revealing that the original letter had only been meant as pressure from the start.

Remembering that moment, Edwin’s expression twisted sharply.

“You pushed the marriage through like that, and now you suddenly want a divorce? Do you know what your father wrote in that first letter? He described me as some shameless bastard playing with your feelings.”

At the time, what hurt Edwin most was not the letter itself, but Count Isle’s attitude.

And yet he deliberately chose to bring up the letter instead.

Because he wanted her to acknowledge that she also bore responsibility for this marriage.

He wanted her to stop talking about divorce.

But Richel reacted in a way he had never expected.

The dry, exhausted expression on her face twisted completely.

“That… was the reason?”

“What?”

“You changed because of that? Then why didn’t you say anything? If you truly thought I forced this marriage using my parents, then why didn’t you ask me about it?”

“…What difference would that have made? We were going to get married anyway!”

Tears rolled down Richel’s cheeks.

Without even wiping them away, she stared directly at him.

“I see. So it was so difficult for you to marry me by force. Then let’s stop now. Let’s divorce.”

Her tone had become far colder and more resolute than before.

Like someone who had already completely let go.

In that instant, Edwin felt fear rise inside him.

Excuses spilled from his mouth instinctively.

“Who said that was the reason? It’s just… because you kept bringing up divorce, the conversation about marriage naturally came up too. If you had complaints, then you should’ve talked things through and worked them out instead of throwing divorce papers at me first—”

“Complaints?”

She laughed bitterly.

“There’s nothing left to complain about. I simply want to end this marriage now.”

Unable to control his anger, Edwin hurled the divorce papers onto the floor.

“Divorce? And what exactly are you planning to do after divorcing me? You locked yourself inside this mansion for years, and this is all you have to say?”

“Yes! I stayed locked inside this mansion while waiting for you to come back—and while making those papers. Is that enough of an answer for you?!”

She shouted furiously.

Edwin was deeply irritated by the situation, but he forced himself to endure it.

If they kept fighting like this, things would only grow worse.

So once again, he backed down first.

“That was too harsh. I’m sorry. So please stop bringing up divorce as well. There’s no point in us fighting like this, is there?”

“That’s exactly why I’m asking for a divorce. Because I can’t stay with you anymore.”

Richel continued insisting on divorce.

Even when he softened his stance.

As though she intended to leave him no opening at all.

Finally unable to suppress his anger, Edwin exploded.

“Are you seriously going to keep doing this? What exactly are you so dissatisfied with? Did I stop you from doing anything? Did I lock you up somewhere? What nonsense is this about divorce?!”

“And why shouldn’t I divorce you? I don’t want to stand beside you anymore. I’m lonely, exhausted, miserable, and I want this to end now!”

“Who told you to live like that? You were the one who stopped attending gatherings and shut yourself inside the mansion! If you were lonely, then you should’ve gone out and done something! Find a lover or whatever else you wanted!”

“…Are you seriously saying that right now?”

Edwin ground the fallen papers beneath his foot.

He could not believe Richel truly intended to abandon him and leave.

No—he could not allow it.

“Yes, I’m serious, so stop talking about divorce! Or is this really about the settlement money? If that’s what you want, then tell the butler and spend as much money as you like! I won’t care!”

“Edwin Isle!”

She glared at him with a face burning with fury.

As though waiting for him to apologize.

But Edwin stubbornly kept his mouth shut.

After all, he had already tried several times to calm the situation and end things peacefully.

And yet Richel had continued insisting on divorce until the very end.

He did not want to apologize anymore.

“…You bastard. You really are.”

After saying that, she brushed past Edwin and walked away.

Edwin bent down, picked up the divorce papers scattered across the floor and tore every single page to pieces.