My Husband was Switched - Chapter 3

“I have indigestion.”

I sat in a chair in the garden, wearing thick clothes, feeling miserable. The snow had piled up to my knees.

Fortunately, they had created a path with magic stones, making it easy to walk.

The scenery before me was beautiful. If it weren’t for the impending situation, I would have enjoyed it.

The flowers, which should have been frozen, were blooming vibrantly.

Come to think of it, when did I move here?

Although it was a house a bit away from the capital… wasn’t it supposed to be a newlywed house? The carriage had taken a direct route based on the map Isabelle gave, so I didn’t know the exact location.

Upon arrival, I was immediately led to a room by a guide, spent a hot first night with him, and fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was in the Grand Duke’s residence. If I hadn’t fallen into a deep sleep, I wouldn’t have known when I was moved.

“Ahhh! Isabelle!”

Why did you deceive me into this marriage?

She must have judged based on rumors without even seeing Cedric’s face, as per the original story.

I hinted so much that it wouldn’t be me.

She couldn’t have thought it was a signal, could she?

Did she think I had feelings for him and sent me in her place?

Thinking about it, that was the most reasonable conclusion.

“What should I do? I need to think.”

I had to find a way to amicably divorce before he could have an affair.

I avoided Cedric to escape the miserable fate of having a cheating husband who would abandon me!

I wasn’t confident I could keep my heart from falling for such a handsome, well-built man. So, the only answer was divorce.

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I decided to declare separate rooms to Cedric. I also planned to bring up the topic of divorce subtly.

“Um…”

He looked up from his papers in the office and saw me.

“Do you have something to say?”

“No matter how I think about it, I don’t think we should continue this marriage.”

“……”

Cedric’s blue eyes shimmered. He put down his pen and rested his chin on his hand. His intense gaze made my mouth go dry.

“So, you want a divorce?”

“…If possible.”

“That’s not possible.”

“The marriage registration probably hasn’t been processed properly yet, and Father also said…”

Cedric pulled out a document from his drawer.

“I was told to expedite the paperwork, and it’s already approved. You were the one who said a wedding wasn’t necessary, weren’t you?”

I didn’t say that.

“Moreover, there’s also a letter from the imperial family. Isn’t your name Claire Anne Rose?”

He placed the letter on the desk. I cautiously got up from the sofa and approached the desk. I slowly opened the letter he handed me and squinted at it.

‘It really is written in my name? And it has Father’s seal…’

This was definitely Isabelle’s doing. Did she hate the idea of marrying Cedric that much?

I sighed, feeling dizzy.

“Marriage is a promise. It cannot be broken. If you find me lacking, I will try harder.”

Cedric spoke without changing his expression. I couldn’t tell if he had any emotions. Was he just thinking he should maintain this relationship because we were married?

A relationship that wouldn’t last anyway. I had to take a step back from his fortress-like demeanor.

“I don’t understand your attitude either. Didn’t you secretly follow me in the palace out of curiosity?”

“T-That’s because I was curious about the man Isabelle was going to marry. It was just simple curiosity!”

“Then you can continue to observe me with curiosity.”

It was a vicious cycle. He had no intention of divorcing. I thought he would gladly agree to a divorce since he didn’t like the marriage either, but was there another reason?

“Is there a reason you can’t divorce me?”

“There are many reasons. The biggest one is that I am not a man who would break a marriage that was made just recently.”

“…Divorcing me might give Your Highness an opportunity. Isabelle might change her mind.”

“I’m not interested in the feelings of someone who handed me over to another person because she didn’t want to marry me.”

Cedric stood up abruptly and looked down at me.

“Even if you don’t like this place, there’s nothing you can do. This is now your home, so get used to it.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I’m busy, so could you please leave?”

“……”

Ugh. With his clear dismissal, I had no choice but to leave the office.

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“I don’t understand.”

Cedric sighed, running his hand through his hair. What on earth was she so dissatisfied with that she was desperate for a divorce?

It hadn’t even been a week. She had been deliberately avoiding him since the first night, so they hadn’t even properly shared a bed. He had been busy and couldn’t go to the room, but every time he saw her, she talked about divorce, which only fueled his determination.

‘What on earth is she thinking?’

He stood up, crossed his arms, and looked out the window. He saw Claire, bundled up in thick clothes, waddling around the garden.

“She must not understand how much is riding on this marriage.”

She was said to be an illegitimate child whom even the Emperor didn’t care about. Originally, his marriage partner was supposed to be Isabelle, but for some reason, the imperial family sent a letter. They also mentioned they wanted the marriage to proceed quietly.

Whoever sent it, it didn’t matter. Whether he married Claire or Isabelle, what he was given was the same. In fact, Claire, who didn’t have the Emperor’s attention, was better for him. If he had married Isabelle, there would have been more surveillance.

“Or could this be something the Emperor orchestrated? To make me break the promise?”

If the marriage fell apart, the promised freedom for the North would be back to square one. That must not happen. He had done everything the Emperor wanted for the sake of freedom.

‘Divorce is absolutely out of the question.’

He reaffirmed his resolve. No matter what she was thinking, he would never back down.

“Your Highness.”

“Ah, Kaven. Have you finished your work?”

“I’ve dealt with the monsters in the forest. But the Grand Duchess seems quite upset. Is there a problem?”

“Nothing much.”

Kaven scratched his head and nodded. Even so, he noticed Cedric’s gaze was still fixed outside the window.

“I was worried, but it seems the Grand Duchess likes this place quite a bit.”

“…She likes it?”

That couldn’t be. She had seemed full of complaints since the first night. He abruptly closed the curtains and sat down.

“Yes, she was marveling at how beautiful the North is. Her eyes were sparkling as she looked around the garden.”

“So, you’ve already gotten close.”

“She approached me first and asked about various things, so we ended up chatting. She even said she wants to visit the forest tomorrow.”

Kaven laughed heartily, scratching his head. Cedric’s face darkened at his words. It seemed like he was the only one she didn’t like.

Thinking that way made him feel even worse. Cedric frowned and tried to focus on his paperwork.

“At first, I wasn’t happy about you marrying someone other than Princess Isabelle, but now I’m glad Claire came.”

Kaven said with a smile. It wasn’t a dismissive look; he genuinely liked how Claire seemed to enjoy the North. Though he expected to gain some special powers by marrying Princess Isabelle, marrying Claire had brought even more benefits.

So Kaven thought there was nothing to regret from Cedric’s perspective. He always said it didn’t matter whom he married.

‘Does he even know what love is? Probably not.’

Having never been with a woman, Cedric might think of Claire as a stone, not someone to hold in his heart.

“Your Highness, you should treat her well. Be kind to her. Why not accompany her to the forest tomorrow?”

“Why should I?”

“She’s your wife now. Take this opportunity to talk to her. She must feel lonely being here all alone. Besides, to be honest, Your Highness looks scary.”

“…What?”

“You never smile, so you look scary. It would be troublesome if she ran away.”

“Keep talking.”

“…Suddenly, I remembered some urgent work. I’ll be going now.”

Kaven quickly left the office, noticing Cedric’s rapidly darkening expression. Cedric turned his head to look at the mirror on his desk.

“……”

He stared at his reflection, trying to force a smile, but soon flipped the mirror over.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he had genuinely smiled.

“What a fool.”

He grimaced and left the office. He couldn’t concentrate on his work due to his frustration.

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