* * *

“Huh!”

The moment I suddenly turned my head, I felt a chilling sensation. As he walked towards me, my heart felt like it skipped a beat. To be honest, I was a little intimidated by the overwhelming aura surrounding him.

People often said that it’s not easy to confront him, and I was starting to understand why. Witnessing the scene where Lambert’s throat was at the mercy of his sword just moments ago had added to my apprehension.

If things went according to the original story, that sharp sword would mercilessly pierce my throat as well. Just imagining it made my shoulders tremble.

As Diart approached closer and closer, I firmly pressed Lily’s back on my side, not knowing what to do. At the same time, I buried my head in the bushes and tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible.

I desperately hoped that he wouldn’t notice me and just pass by, but that damn guy seemed to have excellent eyesight.

“Are you trying to become a rabbit?”

I immediately sealed my lips in response to his chilling voice.

‘I’m not here. Not here. Not here. Go away. Go away. Go away.’

But Diart didn’t seem to have any intention of just passing by. He tapped the ground with the scabbard of his sword.

“Did you think you could hide just by covering your head?”

I kept my mouth shut, realizing that provoking someone with a sword was a foolish thing to do. I tried to come up with a dozen different excuses while slowly raising my gaze.

But what eventually came out of my mouth was,

“I was wandering around looking for new plants. I’ve developed an interest in weeds lately.”

Pathetic.

“The grass here is really soft and smooth. I wonder what species it is…”

I gently brushed the grass with my palm while biting my lip.

‘I wish I could have said I followed a butterfly instead.’

That would have been a more ladylike response, I thought. But no matter what I said, it didn’t seem like Diart’s expression would change. I discreetly avoided his pitiful gaze.

“You said you were sorry, but was it just empty words?”

“I’m sincere.”

“Even after this?”

“I mean it.”

Diart had a face that seemed like he didn’t trust me from the beginning.

“Then why are you acting like this here?”

“I told you I was looking for new plants…”

“Do you want me to believe that?”

“Yes, of course.”

“If you’re going to lie, at least do it with more effort.”

“Why can’t you believe me? Have I lied to you before?”

In a fight, the one with the loudest voice wins. So, I persisted until the end. Admitting that I had been watching him here would not only undermine the credibility of my apologies but also completely destroy any remaining traces of goodwill.

Diart’s annoyed gaze bore down on me. The situation of us engaging in this pointless argument was clearly irritating.

‘I can hear the voice in my head. It’s saying, ‘Should I just kill him?’’

When he finally raised his sword with a clink, my throat tightened. I needed to back off quickly before I actually got stabbed.

“Ah, look at this! A plant I’ve never seen before!”

I enthusiastically plucked some random grass in front of me and stood up dramatically. Diart’s gaze slowly moved down from my disheveled hair and dirt-covered dress, filled with a skeptical look.

I pretended not to notice his suspicious gaze and shoved a common clump of grass in front of him.

“Take a look, Duke. Feel the spirit emanating from the sharp stem! The way the tip splits into two branches exudes flexibility. Doesn’t it resemble the bamboo found in the mysterious eastern land? Without a doubt, this is an undiscovered species that should be reported to the scientific community!”

Diart’s eyebrows shot up, but I continued without paying him any mind.

“Now is not the time for this. I need to go back and send a letter to the academic community immediately!”

I quickly lifted the hem of my dress with both hands.

“Well, then, I’ll be going.”

I changed my stance abruptly, retreating without looking back, even if I could feel his bewildered gaze on my back.

“Huff, huff…”

I gasped for breath, having run quite a distance from the training ground.

“Huff, huff… Ma’am.”

Next to me, Lily was panting similarly, her condition no different from mine.

“Did you mean what you said earlier?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The plant you were holding, the new species you discovered!”

Oh, Lily.

My absurd excuse that Diart had completely seen through seemed to be a believable enough for Lily. I didn’t want to dash her hopes by revealing that the clump of grass had long since slipped through my fingers.

“I lied to avoid being caught by Diart.”

“Oh… I thought… Your sincerity seemed so real, and I thought you were going to make a name for yourself in the academic community.”

To think she felt sincerity from that smoke and mirrors; I’d like to ask if that was real sincerity.

Lily seemed to have been taken in as well, but couldn’t Diart at least pretend not to know? Seriously.

“Granting me a divorce and acting all affectionate, does that even add up.”

…No, that would be a bit terrifying, too.

I shook my head as I thought about the warm and affectionate Diart. I had seen just how ruthless he could be in the original story, so imagining such a caring Diart felt completely absurd. A kind and gentle Diart Wheaton? It would change the entire genre of this novel, from a dark, twisted tale to a comedy.

I burst into laughter at the thought. I had read enough about how cruel he could be in the original story, so imagining him being sweet and affectionate was just ridiculous. Diart Wheaton being all lovey-dovey? This novel’s genre would change entirely. From a dark, twisted tale to a comedy.

When I chuckled, Lily looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if she had misunderstood something.

“What do you mean?”

“What?”

“Divorce?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? You saw me preparing the divorce paperwork.”

I tilted my head in surprise at Lily’s reaction, as if she had never heard of it before, even though she had been with me when I filed for divorce at the city office. The shock gradually spread across Lily’s face.

“You really wanted to get a divorce?”

“Are there people who file for divorce as a joke?”

Although I partly brushed it off as a joke, Lily’s expression grew even more stern.

“I thought the madam wanted to use the divorce as an excuse, or rather a pretense, to have a conversation with him.”

“Isn’t it strange to prepare divorce documents just to have a conversation?”

“You’ve always done things like that with various excuses… You even said you would die together before…”

“Ah… right…”

It seems that the turmoil Diart mentioned yesterday is what she’s talking about. I didn’t know she wanted to die ‘together’… If Lily knows, then the other servants must know too, right?

No, it’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself.

I quickly suppressed the rising empathy and swallowed it. Now that it’s come to this, I can somewhat understand why Diart can’t be trusted.

“This time, it’s real, Lily. I’m really going to divorce Diart. I’ve even prepared the paperwork.”

“Really? For the master?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not easy to undo divorce paperwork once it’s been submitted… Are you really going to get a divorce?”

“That’s right.”

“Madam…”

Tears welled up in Lily’s eyes.

“Why are you crying?”

“Why are you suddenly getting a divorce?”

“It’s not right for me to hold onto someone who doesn’t want to be with me. Now Diart should meet a woman he truly loves and live happily.”

I couldn’t say that I wanted to escape before I die, so I tried to embellish it well as much as possible, but Lily’s expression became even sadder. Through her ash-colored eyes looking at me pitifully, I could sense her disappointment toward my unrequited love.

‘Lily, I don’t love that guy. Even when I was a reader, I prayed that he wouldn’t be the male lead.’

–Is what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t honestly say that, so I just smiled. Then Lily’s eyes widened as if she could pour out tears at any moment.

It seems that even my smile was misunderstood. Lily pressed her lips together, holding back her tears, and asked cautiously.

“Do you have to get a divorce? Don’t you have any intention of changing your mind?”

“Yeah.”

I answered firmly.

‘If I don’t get a divorce soon, it’s like sticking to the death route.’

“And you’re not going to ask him to return the divorce papers now, are you?”

Just by looking at the situation we just experienced, he would never return the divorce papers. Lily seemed to think the same way, and she choked up even more. It felt like tears would start pouring out at any moment.

“Now that I have finally gotten close to you, you’re leaving… I’m so sad.”

“It would still take a long time for me to leave this mansion. At least half a year for the divorce alone.”

“But you’re still going to leave someday, right?”

“There will be a good person coming soon. After… about a year?”

It took more than six months for Diart, who met Adelia three months later, to start a rebellion and seize the throne. By then, this small and cute child will have become a full-fledged maid.

“The new mistress will be much kinder and nicer than me, so don’t worry.”

“There cannot be anyone kinder than the mistress.”

Lily shouted, tilting her head.

Just three days ago, she was a child who trembled whenever she saw me, but now she sends me a glance full of trust like that. It felt as if I was witnessing the loyalty that shouts, ‘Once a master, always a master!’

She seems like a small maltese that I should protect…

The fact that someone likes me wholeheartedly is quite a pleasant thing. My heart fluttered and tingled.

“Do you want to eat ice cream?”

As I said, soothing her by wrapping my hand around her shoulder, Lily’s expression changed instantly, as her nose twitched.

“Ice cream?”

‘Oh, how adorable. I hope I can take her with me when I divorce and leave later.’