“Why is he suddenly acting like this?”

That evening, Ariadne met with Jade again. She said it was to discuss the bridesmaid arrangements, but really she just needed to let off some steam.

The divorce that she had thought would be straightforward had suddenly fallen apart, leaving her feeling overwhelmed by irritation.

She also didn’t want to keep thinking about Kieron’s incomprehensible behavior.

Muttering complaints that were little more than sighs, she stared blankly into the distance.

“So he said he doesn’t want to divorce?”

“Yeah. He said he won’t.”

Her voice sounded distant, unfocused—almost as if she were recounting someone else’s story.

‘Why?’

She had asked herself that same question dozens of times that day.

What was he thinking?

Why was he holding on to her?

If it wasn’t out of obligation or necessity, what possible reason could he have?

Then, like a thorn, an unwelcome thought drifted into her mind.

Was he trying to undo things now?

Was he simply afraid of failing?

Or had something shifted in his heart?

Something that might balance out the misery she had endured, even if only slightly?

None of these possibilities felt right. She couldn’t picture him suddenly changing his mind about her. She loathed herself for allowing such fragile, foolish hopes to surface. But his vague, stubborn behavior had been enough to stir up unwanted thoughts.

Could his earlier suggestion about sharing a bed have been part of this so-called ‘effort’ as well?

While she was tangled in those thoughts—

“You don’t need to think so deeply about it, Rene.”

Jade had somehow moved to sit beside her and gently patted the back of her hand.

“In the end, men are simple creatures. I don’t think there’s any complicated meaning behind what the duke said, he probably really just meant exactly what he said.”

“…Meant exactly what he said?”

Ariadne repeated the words. He said them because he meant them. Did that mean that he didn’t actually want a divorce?

When she asked Jade, he smiled bitterly and nodded.

“He just blurts out whatever comes to mind. There’s no hidden reason. So when you asked him why, of course he couldn’t answer.”

“But still—there has to be a reason he thinks that way. Maybe he likes things as they are, or he doesn’t want the hassle, or something.”

She let out a weary sigh, as though all her strength had drained away.

Jade gave her a rueful smile.

The Peyton brothers were far from ordinary men. They were always honest about their feelings and could express themselves in ways that others could understand.

When it came to their little sister, they gathered all the kindness in the world and laid it at her feet. They were practically the definition of gentleness.

So it was only natural that Ariadne struggled to understand ordinary men.

People who were raised with good family values, loving parents, and a warm home were rare. Someone like the Duke of Ambrose, who had spent his childhood drifting across battlefields with hardly any opportunity to interact with women, would be even more emotionally stunted.

He had probably never stopped to think about why he felt the way he did. He simply spoke whatever thoughts surfaced first.

When she pressed him for reasons, he probably panicked, confused as to why she was thinking so deeply about something he had never examined at all.

Jade believed that most people — herself included — instinctively understood the duke’s nature. And precisely that was what Ariadne couldn’t understand why he spoke without thinking.

She also couldn’t fathom how she was supposed to interpret any of it.

Watching her silently for a moment, Jade finally laughed softly.

“Talk to him more. If you want to know why he thinks the way he does, you have to keep asking.”

Men, he said, found it difficult to bare their hearts.

“They think that if they admit their feelings, they’ve lost something. I do that too sometimes. They muddle the conversation by saying things they don’t fully understand or talking around the point without knowing why.”

Of course, not everyone was like that, but the duke, who had probably never opened up to anyone before, was probably even worse.

“So even if it’s annoying and tiring, think about how you can draw him out. If you want real answers, Rene, that might be the best way right now.”

“You’re telling me not to divorce him… but to figure out how to talk to him?”

What kind of absurd advice was that?

She looked at Jade as if to ask whether he’d lost his mind but he only smiled and nodded.

“He was the first man you ever cared for, wasn’t he? Are you sure you’re okay with walking away without one real conversation? Without trying even once to understand each other?”

His words made her fall silent.

Why did she need to plan how to talk to him?

Why not just end things cleanly and walk away?

She could cut him out of her life entirely, erase him from her mind and never look back.

But…

“Well… I guess I do feel like I’d regret it if we ended it right now.”

It wasn’t just another mention of divorce that had slipped from her mouth; it was the truth that she hadn’t wanted to face.

Jade had been right.

Letting go of Kieron was far more difficult than she had ever anticipated. She had thought she wouldn’t feel anything — no regret, no hesitation. But when confronted with the reality of it, she discovered it wasn’t nearly that simple.

She was torn, caught between her longing to be free of him and the faint, stubborn ache that refused to loosen its hold.

Was she really making the mistake he accused her of by believing she understood a man after only three years?

“It’s complicated. I used to think divorcing him would make everything easier.”

“Your heart might feel lighter. But if you leave without hearing anything from him, you’ll think about it for the rest of your life.”

At the very least, shouldn’t you hear why he treated you the way he did?

Jade gently comforted her, urging her not to leave behind regrets she would carry forever.

“And who knows? Maybe the duke is right. Three years isn’t really a long time.”

But even if she chose not to divorce, there was no guarantee he would be honest with her. Nor was there any guarantee that the knots in her heart would unravel.

“But what if… what if I go back and get hurt again?”

But what if he had never told her everything?

That was her greatest fear.

What if things didn’t turn out the way she’d hoped?

What if he ignored her and hurt her again? Would she be able to pick herself up again?

Jade nodded, fully understanding.

It was a valid fear.

She had to accept the possibility that the duke might never change and would remain stubborn. However, if she tried to improve the areas she had previously avoided, things might turn out differently.

“At least you won’t regret it, Rene.”

She wouldn’t have to spend her days agonizing over every ‘what if’.

His words made her pause and reconsider.

He wasn’t wrong.

It wasn’t hard to see his point.

In fact, it made a certain kind of sense.

But would she truly have no regrets?

No one could predict the future. Would she really be able to look back one day with divorce papers in hand and feel completely unburdened?

Her thoughts didn’t linger for long.

Suddenly, she remembered the familiar words of her mother, the Marchioness Estelle Peyton — words she had heard for as long as she could remember.

“When you can’t decide whether to do something or not, do it. That way, you won’t envy the roads you didn’t take.”

So you won’t mourn the path you left unexplored.

So you won’t carry too many regrets through life.

That was how her mother always raised her children.

“If you’re torn, then try. There is always something to learn from choosing action.”

“You won’t gain wisdom or knowledge by sitting still. If you want something, you must move.”

Move when you want to gain something.

Choose action when you’re uncertain.

Simple resolutions that, over time, grew into the great tree of a person. And so Ariadne knew exactly what she had to do.

She smiled at Jade and nodded.

“Thank you, Jade. I’ll talk to His Grace again.”

“Good. And don’t argue or force anything. I mean real conversation. Understand?”

“Of course.”

Ariadne smiled, far more relaxed than when she first arrived.

Jade watched her for a moment, then returned her smile.

“Then go. Things like this should be done while your resolve is fresh.”

“Okay! Thanks, Jade.”

Ariadne rose from her seat and replied cheerfully.

Jade didn’t stop her, nor did he try to prolong the conversation.

They exchanged simple farewells, promising to meet again soon. Ariadne promised to bring better news next time. She stepped out of the room.

The moment the door closed behind her—

“Her recovery speed really is something.”

A voice came from within the parlor.

A man whose features were remarkably similar to Ariadne’s emerged from behind one of the bookshelves. He brushed the dust from his clothes as if he had been hiding there the entire time.

It was Heidel Peyton.

Jade greeted him with a cheerful smile.

“Good work, Heidel.”

“Good work? Really? Aren’t you going to stop her? You’re just going to let her walk out like that?”

Heidel frowned deeply.

He seemed convinced this was the perfect opportunity.