Chapter 4

“Why don’t you keep your mouth shut?”

The atmosphere around Hugo changed in an instant.

Hugo was inherently a generous, gentle, and warm person, but he changed if his weak spot was touched.

Hugo’s weak spot was Catherine.

“Understood. I will never bring it up again.”

“Erase it from your memory. Let’s pretend it never happened.”

John, unable to promise that, changed the subject. He swallowed the sigh he couldn’t let out.

“Regarding the title conferment ceremony. The palace asked if there was anyone you wanted to invite, do you have anyone in mind?”

Hugo looked out the window, recalling the process of receiving a new title after going to war.

He had left for the battlefield after divorcing Catherine.

It was the reason he had no choice but to accept Catherine’s sudden request for a divorce.

To avoid conscription, one had to pay a large sum of money or send private soldiers, but Hugo had neither.

The money he could mobilize was all the dowry Catherine had brought and what he could borrow on trust, but it was far from enough to avoid conscription.

Hugo had no choice but to go to war with the Empire.

Hugo foresaw his death. So, he accepted the divorce.

He couldn’t let Catherine inherit the impoverished viscount estate after his death.

A poor estate was a hopeless land with unsolvable problems.

Hugo didn’t want Catherine to inherit his burden.

‘If she hadn’t asked for a divorce first.’

Hugo squeezed his eyes shut. He would never have dreamed of letting her go first.

But Catherine was smart and managed to escape the pit of unhappiness on her own.

He was shocked when he first heard about the divorce, but later he admired her wisdom.

Honestly, Hugo didn’t expect to return alive. Let alone achieve great feats.

‘And even gain a reliable mercenary band.’

If something significant happened in the territory, he could lead this mercenary band to participate in the war.

It felt like he had found a breathing hole.

“There is someone I want to invite.”

‘First and foremost, Catherine.’

He wanted to be congratulated by her more than anyone else. But she would surely refuse.

And he didn’t want to inform her of his title conferment through a palace invitation.

He wanted to tell her directly when he got the chance.

‘Though I’m not sure if I can.’

And there was one more person Hugo wanted to invite besides Catherine.

“Have you looked into it, John?”

“Are you referring to the owner of the letters?”

Hugo nodded.

He had to find the person who led him to victory, his benefactor.

About six months after he went to the battlefield, Hugo started receiving letters.

The anonymous letters contained information about enemy generals, terrain analysis, and enemy strategies.

At first, he thought the letters were sent by an enemy spy, but as the contents of the letters matched several times, Hugo began to trust them.

‘Later, I blindly trusted them.’

The person who led the war, which was expected to be a sure defeat, to victory was not Hugo but the sender of the letters.

‘The title should go to that person.’

Hugo wasn’t shameless enough to take credit for someone else’s achievements, but there was a problem.

He didn’t know the identity of the person. He couldn’t even reply to them because he didn’t know where the letters came from.

He always sent his thanks in his heart. Now that the war was over, he had to find his benefactor and properly repay the favor.

Hugo bent down and took out a box hidden deep in his desk. The box made of paulownia wood had a sturdy lock.

Hugo took off his necklace. He unlocked the lock with the key attached to the necklace, revealing a thick bundle of letters.

Hugo took out the most recent letter and handed it to John.

“Get a handwriting analysis done.”

“I will do my best to find out as much as I can. Then, what about Madam Catherine?”

“I’ll handle that myself.”

It was a relationship that had already gone awry.

Anyway, Hugo had accepted Catherine’s request for a divorce without a single refusal.

He needed to find out what she thought about that first.

‘And if she is seeing anyone new.’

She didn’t marry him out of love. Hugo clearly remembered what Countess Bedwig had said at the time of their marriage.

• Sending my daughter to someone as insignificant as you is because you are an endlessly lacking person compared to Catherine. You know you’re an inadequate person, right?

• I know.

• Glad you know. From now on, live your life serving Catherine. And if you want to win her heart even a little, you have to treat us well. As you know, Catherine values family very much. And one more thing, keep our conversation a secret.

• Why……?

• If she knows you’re trying to win her heart by using her family, she’ll be disgusted. She hates people who use others.

Countess Bedwig’s disdainful gaze was still vivid.

Catherine was an unimaginable marriage partner for Hugo.

She was an illegitimate child but the daughter of the prestigious Earl Bedwig, and according to rumors, she was cherished by Earl Bedwig.

Even as an illegitimate child, a noble child recognized and loved at home received different treatment.

Of course, if she had been a son fighting for inheritance, it would have been difficult to be recognized and loved at home in the first place.

Fortunately, she was a daughter who would have nothing to do with titles once married and was known for being bright, kind, and beautiful.

Her debutante date was a topic of great interest, so she was certainly not someone a viscount with a failing estate could aim for.

Such Catherine showed interest in Hugo. And she approached him first.

After that, their relationship became subtle.

‘Was I fascinating to her?’

Hugo didn’t think Catherine loved him.

Being around gentle and sophisticated people, she probably got interested in someone like him, who was clumsy and blunt.

It didn’t have to be love.

So Hugo made his own active courtship.

The opposition around them was not insignificant.

Not from the Bedwig family, but from the Edward family.

• Does someone who lived a glamorous life in the capital suit our estate’s mistress?

• She won’t last a few days and will go back!

• And Earl Bedwig won’t leave it alone!

Instead of persuading them, Hugo proposed

• If the Bedwig family accepts me, you won’t say anything more?

Everyone thought the Bedwig family would oppose Hugo. But the Bedwig family welcomed Hugo.

‘Instead, they handed me a contract the day they gave permission for the marriage.’

He recalled the contract Countess Bedwig had handed over as a condition for marrying Catherine. It made him feel uneasy.

Hugo suddenly stood up and opened the window. His eyes scanned the outside.

Seeing Catherine would make him feel better. Somehow,

“It feels like I’ve been scammed.”

Hugo muttered as he stared at the yard for a long time.

-The proverb “Good fences make good neighbors” exists for a reason. You’ll see her often.

He recalled the words of the person who had advised him.

“See her often, my foot……”

The fence was high, and Catherine’s emotional wall seemed high too.

“I need to find an excuse to meet her somehow.”

Hugo resolved with determination.

***

Catherine was busy. She was directing a thorough cleaning of the mansion to welcome the new residents.

The shock of Hugo moving next door was diluted by her busy routine.

“I was worried we might run into Viscount Edward often, but it seems it was groundless.”

Catherine flinched at Yuri’s words.

Catherine was just as worried about running into him often.

“Why are you worrying? What’s wrong if you run into him? Did our mistress do something wrong?”

Head maid Joanna scolded Yuri.

Though she did nothing wrong, from Hugo’s perspective, who was divorced without knowing the reason, Catherine wouldn’t be a pleasant sight.

“It’s not that. I just thought he might want to try again since he moved next door.”

Yuri mumbled in a shrinking voice.

“Yuri, that’s unlikely.”

Catherine’s laughter filled the hall. Her small chuckle turned into a big laugh.

“Was my comment that funny?”

“Yes, Yuri. I think you should go to the theater.”

Catherine patted Yuri’s back, saying she had discovered a new talent.

“I’m not joking. I have my reasons.”

Yuri replied seriously, saying it wasn’t a joke.

“What reasons?”

“It’s hard to believe he didn’t know the Catherine House is at 17 Bianche Street. Yet he still moved next door.”

“There might have been no other properties available. There aren’t many vacant houses during the social season.”

Yuri suddenly looked around and pulled Catherine aside. Yuri whispered as if sharing a great secret.

“I heard from my friends. Earl Dudley next door said he wouldn’t sell the house. So Viscount Edward bought it for twice the market price.”

“That’s a lie.”

Catherine was certain it was a false rumor. Because Hugo hated waste more than anyone.

‘His estate’s situation must be tight too.’

There was no way he would pay twice the market price for a house.

In fact, Catherine found it hard to believe that Hugo had bought the house next door.

‘He might have rented the mansion.’

Considering his financial situation, her guess seemed more plausible.

“I found that hard to believe too. Moving on, there’s something else.”

“What is it?”

“There are vacant houses on Brook Street and also at 8 Bianche Street.”

Brook Street was as popular a residential area as Bianche Street.

If Bianche Street had a young, vibrant atmosphere, Brook Street was quiet and elegant like a serene dawn.

It was a good place to live and relatively cheaper, so even Catherine would have chosen Brook Street.

And there was also an attractive property at 8 Bianche Street.

It was a house with a vintage exterior, recently remodeled comfortable interior, and a well-maintained garden, attracting many potential buyers.

If she had the means, Catherine would have wanted to buy that house too.

Catherine thought for a moment and then spoke.

“Was it expensive?”