‘It is all right, Chloe.’

Despite Kallis’s humiliating remarks, Chloe had remained steadfast for the past six months.

This time would be no different.

She just had to endure as she had before.

The man who had left had left a filthy mess behind him. Lacking the strength to clean it up, she quietly made her way towards the bed.

After lowering her sluggish body onto it, she stared at the empty ceiling and thought.

‘……Perhaps this is for the best.’

She had come full circle.

The worst they could do was subject her to their petty harassment.

The only regret was that they had discovered her deception much sooner than expected.

However, on the other hand, that also meant she had dealt them a considerable blow. Therefore, it was not something she should mourn alone.

‘I must find another way to divorce him.’

There were two methods of obtaining a divorce within the kingdom.

Approval was required either from King Valont, who governed the kingdom, or from the High Priest, who governed its religion.

The first method had already failed.

She had to assume the second would not succeed either.

Ultimately, her entire grand plan had come to nothing.

‘Am I truly expected to continue living this life?’

Now that Kallis knew Chloe had no escape, he would undoubtedly grow even bolder.

He would not stop at his pathetic harassment. Before long, he might even reveal Helena’s existence to the entire world.

‘I must find a way, no matter what.’

Chloe had to discover another path to divorce as quickly as possible.

‘Someone with authority, someone with authority…….’

Could there be another person besides the King and the High Priest with the authority to grant a divorce?

‘The Emperor?’

A brilliant idea suddenly flashed through Chloe’s mind.

Was there not someone who stood above all others, the world’s supreme authority?

The Emperor ruled over the entire Empire. Moreover, since the Empire had formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Valont, the Emperor could interfere in its affairs whenever he wished.

‘At least one final path remains.’

That left only the Emperor.

‘……But it is obvious whose side he would take—the man who persuaded him or the wife he has barely even met.’

The Emperor seemed no different from the High Priest.

After all, Kallis was the one who had persuaded the Emperor to end the war.

Realistically, there was no reason for the Emperor to turn against Kallis just to help Chloe.

Nevertheless, she had to try.

Whatever the outcome, it would be better than remaining trapped in her current circumstances — certainly better than fleeing the kingdom, her last remaining option.

Chloe’s last resort was to disappear without a trace.

According to the kingdom’s laws, anyone missing for two years would be declared dead. Once she was legally dead, her husband would effectively be free from their marriage.

The method was relatively simple, but it came at a terrible cost: her identity would cease to exist altogether.

Without a legal identity, she would be unable to find employment or register as a resident of another territory. She would have no lawful means of obtaining food, clothing, or shelter anywhere in the kingdom.

This truly was a last resort.

***

Just as she had expected, no maids came to help her the next day.

At least she was spared the trouble of rejecting their false kindness individually.

By now, she had grown accustomed to dressing herself. She changed with practiced ease and made her way downstairs.

She finished her meal under the servants’ contemptuous gazes. In a household where rumors spread quickly, word of what had happened had apparently already reached the chef.

There was no point in wandering around the mansion.

Chloe decided to return to her sanctuary, the only place where she could escape everyone’s watchful gaze.

As she rested in her room, the maids’ belated lunch break was about to begin.

Seizing the opportunity, Jane quietly slipped into Chloe’s room.

“I knew you would be resting here.”

Jane appeared as nervous as she had on the first day she helped Chloe.

After repeatedly surveying the empty surroundings, she released a deep sigh.

“What on earth happened?” It seemed like the atmosphere was improving over the past few days, and then everything suddenly changed. No, that’s not right. It’s actually got even worse. What are we going to do now?”

She then began to lament at a rapid pace.

Jane continued speaking at great length.

In short, Kallis and Helena had summoned all the employees at the mansion and ordered them not to help Chloe.

Jane was anxious that something terrible might happen if this continued.

“Indeed. Everything returned to the way it was overnight.”

“……Madam, are you truly all right?”

“I am perfectly fine, so you need not worry. If we are not careful, you could be harmed as well. You should avoid visiting my room for the time being.”

Chloe advised Jane to keep her distance temporarily, fearing that the maid might suffer because of her.

“No.”

“Jane?”

Was this truly the same Jane who had been consumed by anxiety only moments earlier?

Her expression quickly turned resolute as she rejected Chloe’s suggestion.

“How could I possibly leave you alone, Madam? Even if it is only temporary, I refuse.”

Although Jane and Chloe had only known each other for a short time, Jane had already grown deeply attached to her.

Chloe Arhen had once been an unfamiliar and distant figure to Jane. Despite living under the same roof and beneath the same sky, they belonged to entirely different worlds.

Even now, with Chloe ostracized within the ducal household, the dynamic of mistress and servant remained undeniable. Yet to Jane, Chloe had also become something like a secret friend.

Over the past several days, they had spent many hours together, sharing countless stories.

Like true secret friends, they met only at certain times, relying solely on each other as if they were the only two people left in the entire mansion.

“I will continue to stand by your side, madam. So please don’t say such hurtful things. Instead of worrying about me, you should be worrying about yourself!”

Jane, a weekly-paid servant responsible for menial tasks, found the news terrifying.

If she were caught, she would undoubtedly be beaten and dismissed.

Even so, she could not leave Chloe alone.

Others might dismiss her kindness as insignificant, or even mock her for showing compassion to someone from a lower social class, but her feelings would not change.

“Even hearing you say that means a great deal to me. Thank you, Jane.”

In response to Jane’s passionate declaration, Chloe smiled gently.

Captivated by her smile, Jane moved closer, but then suddenly came to her senses.

It was only then that she noticed Chloe’s gaunt shoulders and haggard face.

Without hesitation, Jane embraced her.

Worrying about the dust on her clothes from washing bedding could wait.

“You must remain strong. And whenever you need me, you have to call for me. Helping you is what gives me joy, Madam.”

Chloe’s body initially stiffened in surprise before gradually embracing Jane in return.

As Jane felt the bones beneath Chloe’s back, covered by scarcely more than skin, Chloe whispered softly.

“Seeing you has also become one of my few joys lately. You give me strength.”

“Hehe. That makes me proud.”

It was an embarrassingly sentimental exchange.

Jane found the emotion endlessly unfamiliar, yet it was the most mysterious and captivating feeling she had ever experienced.

“Oh dear, it will soon be time for the assembly. I should go.”

Time continued ticking away with cruel indifference.

When Jane glanced at the clock, the minute hand had already reached the appointed time.

“You spent your entire precious break because of me. Hurry back, and be careful.”

After voicing her reluctance to leave, Jane departed from the room.

‘I hope evening comes quickly. Madam will probably neglect her meal, so I should prepare some bread and bring it to her.’

Jane decided to visit again that evening, both to bring Chloe food and help her change clothes.

Perhaps because it was break time, most of the servants were gathered downstairs.

After confirming that no one was nearby, Jane was about to hurry away.

“Jane?”

Just as she reached the stairs, someone seized her firmly by the shoulder.

“Why were you coming out of the princess’s room?”

***

“Yes. This insolent maid dared to enter the princess’s room despite our orders.”

Helena exclaimed in disbelief. Her cold gaze then swept through the room.

The maid Shayne had brought before her was kneeling at her feet.

“You.”

“Y-Yes……!”

“Why did you disobey my orders? I made myself perfectly clear this morning.”

Helena had gathered the servants that morning and disciplined them to ensure Chloe’s complete isolation, yet one slippery little pest had ruined her plan.

Anger blazed within the pink eyes that everyone praised as beautiful.

“Do you take me for a fool?”

Helena tilted her head sharply as she questioned her.

“O-Of course not!”

Jane repeatedly bowed her head in front of everyone.

Fear overwhelmed any sense of humiliation.

The warning from Chloe that Jane herself might be in danger suddenly flashed through her mind.

Although she had insisted she would be fine, she was terrified now. She was so consumed by fear that she felt as though she might wet herself at any moment.

“I-I must have forgotten because I am rather foolish!”

“Ha! You dared to forget an order from the Duke and me?”

“I-I am sorry. I have committed a terrible offense……!”

“If you’re going to make excuses, at least make them convincing enough that I might believe them. How stupid do you think I am? There shouldn’t have been anyone else there, yet you helped the princess without harboring the slightest suspicion.”

Helena was no fool.

This maid had committed an offence and then dared to lie about it. She had gone beyond disrespecting Helena and tried to deceive her.

“I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry.”

Nevertheless, watching Jane beg so desperately that her hands were almost worn raw gradually eased Helena’s anger.

She had already set an example by punishing Jane for disobeying her. This should have been enough.

“According to those acquainted with this maid….”

At that moment, Jane approached Helena and whispered in her ear.

Apparently, Jane had been secretly visiting Chloe’s room for quite some time. In other words, this was not the first time she had disobeyed Helena’s orders.

The anger that Helena had barely suppressed surged once more.

“So you have been conspiring with the princess all this time?”

“N-No! That is not true. I have never done such a thing!”

“Then you are saying they lied to me? Should I have every one of them beheaded?”

As though warning Jane against making another excuse, Helena pointed directly at the servants who had given her the information.

The people at the end of her finger were Jane’s colleagues — the very people she had always worked with.

“About that…….”

Jane felt betrayed, but her immediate survival mattered more.

Knowing that another excuse would only worsen her punishment, she closed her mouth.

“Then a simple punishment will not be enough. Shayne! Drag this girl away and confine her underground.”

Jane stared at Helena in surprise when she heard the command.

Instead of correcting herself, however, Helena calmly gestured towards Jane with her chin.

After hesitating, Jane seized her arm. She ordered a nearby maid to take the other arm and dragged Jane away.

The sound of Jane’s anguished screams filled Helena with satisfaction.

It would have been far more entertaining if that insolent princess could have heard them.

‘She has already won someone else over to her side. Everything about her irritates me.’

Helena thought of Chloe, who rose again every time she was brought down.

The way Chloe recovered her spirit without retaining so much as a scratch was unbearably aggravating.

‘Harming her directly does not seem to affect her at all…….’

As Helena searched for another way to retaliate, an ingenious idea suddenly came to her.

“Shayne, wait! On second thought, banishment is far too lenient a punishment.”

Helena stopped Shane just as she was about to pull open the door.

“You there. Bring me buckets filled with water—as many as possible. And pour plenty of salt into them.”

Seizing this opportunity, she decided to destroy the repulsive woman, who still believed herself to be an elegant swan, utterly.

If harming Chloe had no effect, Helena would harm those around her until she finally learned her place.