Chapter 2 – Keith’s Circumstances

“Tell me that it wasn’t my fault.”

“Will that make you feel better, Sir?”

“Wouldn’t it at least make me feel like it wasn’t my fault?”

“If you do that, does a fault stop being a fault?”

At another time, Keith might have at least glared at his butler. But he wasn’t in the mood for that now. He didn’t have the strength, either.

The butler, Dmitri, took the glass from his hand.

“Are you planning to empty every bottle of alcohol in the house, Sir?”

“Where did you learn to answer only with questions?”

“If I told you, would you know where it was?”

With a sigh, Dmitri took away the bottle this time.

Keith had thought that if he drank, he would either get drunk or fall asleep, but instead, his mind only grew clearer. Sitting on the edge of the couch, Keith stared blankly at his empty hands.

Unable to watch any longer, Dmitri spoke up.

“At this rate, you’ll be up all night. Why not try to get some sleep?”

“Briony is……”

Keith trailed off. He closed his mouth, doubting whether he even had the right to worry about her. When he had brought up the subject of divorce, he remembered his wife’s face turning pale.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

‘Am I not the kind of wife you desire?’

How could he have said it so the shock would be less for her?

His wife was a calm person. “It’s a problem if a young lady doesn’t have enough emotional ups and downs,” his only relative, Aunt Lucinda, used to complain. But Keith liked Briony’s deep amber eyes, eyes that always met others squarely.

Today was the first time he saw those eyes waver.

‘I shouldn’t have said it that way.’

Divorce was a topic that would have to be brought up sooner or later. But it was not a suitable subject for their first encounter of the day. He didn’t want to hurt Briony if he could help it. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to make her declare divorce herself because she couldn’t endure his coldness, nor could he shift the blame for the divorce onto her. That was why, after much deliberation, he had chosen his words so carefully……

“……How should I have said it?”

“……”

Dmitri offered no answer. If he had pressed, ‘Why did you say such a thing, Sir?’ Keith might have at least come up with an excuse, but Dmitri’s silence was unlike him. And that meant what Keith had done was that weighty.

Keith tried hard to shake from his mind the image of his wife’s small, pale face, her trembling amber eyes, her slender hand pressing tightly against her chest.

“It would be best to tell Lord Gideon Arlington myself, wouldn’t it?”

Lord Gideon Arlington was Briony’s father. The baronet and the earldom were rather distant, much like Keith and Briony had been for the past three years.

The difference was that Keith truly felt nothing toward the baronet. Lord Gideon was a greedy, narrow-minded man, whose only redeeming quality was his wealth.

“You should ask Madam’s wishes regarding that matter, Sir.”

“I can’t let Briony be the one to tell them about the divorce.”

“That is your opinion, Your Lordship.”

“I’ll have to write a letter.”

Dmitri silently brought pen and paper. Keith managed to get up and sit at his desk.

Lord Gideon had tried so hard to arrange a marriage with the Earldom, and now, after three years, it had all come to nothing. Of course, he intended to return the dowry in full. If compensation was required, he would sell the estate if needed and prepare double the dowry. Even if that meant he would end up buried in debt, it didn’t matter.

‘If only it were a problem that could be solved with money……’

The late Earl Dalmore, Keith’s father, had been a poor nobleman.

The Dalmore family’s estate, Ebony, spanned 50,000 acres and was, objectively, not a bad piece of land. But over the years, the inherited debt had ballooned, and his father had a knack for squandering money. Though he was a man of fine character, he trusted people too easily—so much so that once the agent he had hired to manage the estate’s finances ran off after committing fraud. As a result, the Dalmore family’s finances spiraled toward disaster.

To make matters worse, in his later years, his father lost his beloved daughter. His illness worsened, and he spent two years bedridden, which also drained a considerable amount of money. That was why Keith had no choice but to choose a wealthy bride.

‘Keith, I don’t think I can die in peace until I see my only remaining son married.’

‘Then you should just keep living, shouldn’t you?’

‘If I go on living like this, I’ll only leave you buried in debt. It’s shameless of me to say this, but I hope the Dalmore line doesn’t end with you. Promise me you’ll bring home a bride and continue the family.’

‘A bride with a large dowry, you mean?’

‘A bride with a large dowry. And a good-hearted one.’

‘All I have is the title of Earl you handed down to me, Father. Unless she’s a good person, no woman with a large dowry would marry a poor man like me.’

‘Now that you say it, I suppose I am making an unreasonable demand.’

‘A very unreasonable demand.’

Despite his words, it was as good as his father’s dying wish. Had his younger sister, Caitlyn, still been alive, Keith would never have agreed to a forced marriage, even if it meant selling off nine-tenths of the estate. But he was the only child left to his father.

His mother had died of illness long ago, so the only family Keith had left was his ailing father, who was on his deathbed. Keith resolved to marry.

That spring, Keith attended nearly every party held in the capital of the Kingdom. As one of the most eligible unmarried Earls in the Kingdom—young, handsome, and tall—he captivated many women at first glance. But when those women learned of the annual income from his estate, they hurried to hide their dismay at the debts.

He couldn’t even remember which party it was or where it was held. At any rate, during one such party, a marquis’s wife, who was well-connected with everyone in society, approached him and whispered in his ear.

‘Lord Ebony, next time, you should dance with Demoiselle Arlington.’

‘Demoiselle Arlington……?’

‘The daughter of Baron Arlington.’

A baron could attend social gatherings but was not invited to official court events—a class that truly belonged to the quasi-nobility. So, for an earl to be advised to court a baron’s daughter was, on the face of it, not appropriate.

But the marquis’s wife’s tone was so suggestive that Keith decided to follow her advice. To his surprise, Demoiselle Arlington was surrounded by several young men.

The woman who would become his wife wore a honey-colored dress embroidered with gold thread, which suited her fair skin and dark hair.

‘She’s a debutante this season.’

‘I hear her dowry is enormous.’

‘Lord Gideon Arlington insists his daughter’s suitor must be at least a viscount.’

‘Two ranks higher……? Wouldn’t it be easier to just buy a title with that money?’

‘Well, you see, Lord Gideon isn’t actually the rightful heir of the Arlington family; he’s a son-in-law who married into the family……’

He could hear whispers behind his back.

Keith quietly waited his turn. Most of those around Demoiselle Arlington were sons of viscounts or barons. Keith was the only one there who had already inherited an earl’s title and, thus, held the highest rank.

When his turn came, he bowed without even meeting her eyes.

It wasn’t her, but her father, whom he needed to impress.

‘Lord of Ebony, Keith Dalmore. May I have this waltz?’

‘Go ahead.’

Demoiselle Arlington’s voice was dry. Perhaps it was her nerves at her first debut, or perhaps she was already weary of men eager for her dowry. Or maybe she had been listening to such conversations behind her back for days.

‘……It would have been easier if she’d been arrogant.’

Arrogant people are easy to read, and it’s easy to please them. If you lower yourself as much as they want, it doesn’t take long to get what you want. But Keith wasn’t troubled because this lowly baronet’s daughter was not arrogant and thus hard to read.

Demoiselle Arlington looked tired. She seemed isolated, surrounded by people who only whispered and didn’t try to befriend her.

He led her onto the floor.

Standing like a wall between her and the talkative crowd.

He gently held her gloved hand, which fit perfectly in his.

Yet she remained stiff with nervousness, the feeling of that small hand completely at odds with her appearance.

As the music began, Keith asked her,

‘Are you tired?’

‘A little.’

‘Shall we step outside for some air after this dance?’

After that, events unfolded as his father and Demoiselle Arlington’s father wished.

A dowry even larger than the rumors flowed into the Dalmore family, along with a pale, quiet bride. Even when he formally proposed, Briony only said dryly, “I accept your proposal.”

One side needed a noble title, the other needed money, and so the engagement was made. People called it a textbook example of a political marriage, one that would be talked about in society for at least two seasons.

His only Aunt Lucinda complained, “How can such a young girl never smile?” Keith didn’t reply, “Would you smile in her place, Aunt?” because he knew he was part of the reason Briony never smiled.

Shortly after the couple’s wedding, Keith’s father passed away. Keith felt he had done everything required of him for the family. He had no intention of forcing a child on a wife who didn’t seem happy, nor did he intend to woo her insincerely.

So he made her an offer.

‘Just because we are married doesn’t mean you have to do anything you don’t want to do. Whether inside or outside Ebony Heights, do as you wish.’

‘My father told me to serve my husband well.’

‘I’m telling you, you don’t have to. I married to fulfill my father’s wishes. But now he’s gone.’

‘A countess has duties, doesn’t she?’

‘One does, but if you don’t want to do them, you can hire someone. I’ll find someone competent.’

‘Can I at least look into what those duties are and only do what I want?’

‘If you do that, I’d be very grateful. If you need anything else, just tell me or Dmitri, the butler.’

Only then did Briony give a faint smile. Keith noticed for the first time that when she smiled, only one side of her mouth dimpled.

Even if it was a marriage of convenience, that smile made him resolve to do his best as her husband. That resolve included a small but firm wish—to protect her smile.

‘Thank you, Lord Ebony.’

‘You must call me Keith.’

‘Then please call me Briony as well.’

So, they maintained only the outward appearance of a marriage for three years. His wife still didn’t seem especially happy.

But while he was out working, she had plenty to do as Countess. As Briony said, she seemed quite satisfied with this life. She disliked society and had few close friends. Since she and the Arlington family’s money had come to Ebony, the estate had grown livelier.

If she wished, he wanted to let her keep living like this.

“……Dmitri.”

“Yes, Sir?”

“If I need anything, I’ll call. Please leave me.”

Dmitri bowed silently and left the room.

Keith let out a long sigh. The hand holding the pen hovered motionless above the blank page for a long time.

He didn’t want to part from Briony.

It was a choice he had to make—for her sake.