Chapter 117

“He’s smiling…”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Edward’s smiling face was etched so vividly in my memory that I couldn’t forget it.

Afraid our eyes might meet, I turned my head away first and muttered to myself.

Unaware of anything, Betty only gave me a puzzled look as she watched me mumble.

“Anyway, starting tomorrow, let’s go for walks together!”

“Starting tomorrow? That soon?”

“Of course! You need to recover your strength quickly so you can leave this stuffy bedroom and return to your daily life.”

“That’s true.”

Betty clenched her fists in determination.

What if I run into Edward while walking?

Unlike Betty, who was brimming with enthusiasm, my mind was preoccupied with figuring out how to handle things if I happened to meet Edward.

***

The next day, it was after I had finished lunch.

The bright sky and the gentle breeze made the weather pleasant.

“My lady, would you like to go for a walk?”

“Alright, let’s go together.”

Betty led me out into the garden.

Walking among the blooms with a light dress on and a pale pink parasol in hand eased my mind.

“How is it? Feels good to be outside, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s been a long time since I felt like this. I’ve been cooped up in my room for so long.”

“Let’s take walks often from now on! The physician said light walks will do you good.”

“Alright, I understand.”

When I smiled in comfort, Betty’s expression brightened in relief.

“My lady, you’re not… having those thoughts anymore, right?”

“Mm, I won’t.”

I knew exactly what she meant.

Having tried to end my life twice, she was asking if I now had the will to live.

And I could answer with certainty—I had decided to live.

“That’s such a relief, my lady.”

“You won’t have to worry anymore. It won’t happen again.”

“Yes, His Grace will be so happy to hear that.”

She was speaking of Edward.

I pressed my lips together every time his name came up, but Betty, tireless as ever, went on telling me what he was doing and how he was these days.

“Betty, you don’t need to tell me about His Grace anymore.”

“But I thought you’d be curious too, my lady.”

“I… don’t deserve to hear about him.”

With that, I picked up my pace.

The scent of beautifully bloomed flowers lingered at my nose.

‘It won’t be long before I say goodbye to this garden.’

I took in the sight, committing it to memory.

Though there were painful memories here, there were good ones too—and I didn’t want to forget them, even after leaving Winderton Manor.

“Your Grace…”

“It’s been a while, Lirie.”

I’d wondered if we might run into each other—and we really had.

Edward seemed just as unprepared, looking startled. He glanced between me and Betty, then began to walk past as if to avoid me.

“Have you been well?”

My question stopped him.

Forced to turn back, he looked at me.

“I have. Have you been well too?”

“Yes, I’ve been well.”

“I’m glad. Does this mean you’ve recovered enough for light walks?”

“Yes. The physician said yesterday that light walks would be fine, so I came out with Betty.”

Edward simply nodded.

‘That’s a lie…’

Compared to the last time I’d seen him, he looked thinner.

His complexion didn’t seem healthy, and there was a clear weariness in his face.

Even though it was obvious, Edward said he was fine, and I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.

In the end, the reason for his exhaustion was me.

And I was the one who had rejected his heart despite knowing this would happen.

So I had nothing to say to him.

“In a little while, you’ll be able to resume your normal life.”

“Yes, it seems my body is recovering faster than I thought. The physician said it’s a relief.”

“Yes, it truly is.”

Edward’s voice was steady, as though the words had been prepared.

It was as if he had anticipated me saying this and had been thinking of his response.

“Have you been busy lately, Your Grace?”

“There’s nothing particular to speak of, nothing too taxing. You don’t need to worry.”

“…Still, please make sure you get some sleep while you work. Your aide and your butler must be concerned.”

“Understood.”

Once again, silence settled between Edward and me.

When the conversation ended, he resumed walking.

I watched his back as he moved away.

“My lady.”

“…Let’s go back inside too.”

When I had first started the walk, my mood had been light, but after that awkward exchange with Edward, it sank like a stone.

‘Am I really unaffected now?’

He had looked tired, but when Edward’s eyes met mine, his expression was calm.

He wasn’t watching me nervously as before, nor was he openly worried.

Aside from a brief flicker of surprise, he looked at me as though I were simply someone unrelated to him.

It was the situation I’d wanted, yet somehow it didn’t feel right.

It felt as though this wasn’t what I truly wanted after all.

“You’re being too selfish, Lirie…”

I’d rejected him when he last spoke, and yet here I was feeling a pang over how his gaze had changed.

It was selfish of me, and I knew it.

How could I blame him for love changing, when I’d said all those things myself?

“Right… I’ll be leaving Winderton Manor soon anyway. This is natural…”

Before long, I really would become an outsider here—remembered only as a guest who had stayed for a time and then left.

So it was only natural that Edward would respond this way.

I forced myself to suppress the selfish ache in my chest and rationalized it over and over.

***

“My lady, His Grace asked me to deliver this to you.”

“…What is it?”

“I’m not sure myself. His Grace simply requested I give it to you.”

About ten days later, when my health had nearly returned to normal, the butler came to my room.

In his hand was an envelope that didn’t seem to contain many documents.

When I asked what was inside, he said he didn’t know.

Once he had handed it over, he bowed and left the room.

“What is this…”

I stared at the envelope in my hand before carefully pulling out the contents.

“…”

The moment I unfolded the papers, the bold words at the top caught my eye: Divorce Agreement.

“Of course.”

The physician had already said I was well enough to resume daily life, and Edward must have heard.

He would have expected me to leave Winderton soon.

But I hadn’t imagined receiving the divorce papers so suddenly—or from the butler instead of Edward himself.

“So he doesn’t even want to see me at the end…”

Every section of the agreement was already filled out, except for the parts I had to complete.

The neat handwriting was unmistakably Edward’s.

“I knew this was coming.”

His decisive action stung, but from his perspective, it was only natural.

I walked over to the desk and began filling in the empty spaces.

My handwriting looked starkly different from his as it joined the page line by line.

“It’s really over now…”

Staring at the completed divorce papers, I felt the reality settle in.

Once I returned these to Edward, we would truly become strangers.

After being bound by the name of husband and wife, the only tie holding us together would be gone.

“I thought I’d feel relieved once we divorced, but instead, it just feels suffocating.”

I placed the divorce papers back into the envelope they had come in.

Holding them tightly, I made my way to Edward’s office.

“It’s me, Your Grace.”

“Come in.”

When I opened the door, I saw Edward reading over some documents.

Even as I stepped inside, he didn’t so much as glance at me.

“What is it?”

“…I’ve filled out everything in the papers you sent me. I came to return them.”

Hesitating, I held out the envelope containing the divorce agreement.

“Leave it on the desk.”

“Ah… all right.”

Edward never once looked at me—not until the moment I turned to leave.