Side Story 1 ; Part 1

“You are my only love, Isabelle.”

There was a time when she believed in the sweetness of his voice as truth.

There was also a time when she believed that the man who held her hand and pledged eternal love would never change.

Isaac Salvatore had been a popular bachelor long before his coming-of-age ceremony.

With his handsome appearance, high status, substantial wealth, and gentlemanly demeanor, it was only natural.

So, it was quite a sensation when someone like Isaac proposed to the daughter of the relatively unknown Baron Zeronis.

Receiving envy, jealousy, and admiration, Isabelle felt like she had become the protagonist of a romance novel.

But how vainly burning love fades away.

“The Marchioness seems quite understanding. Even though her husband is so close to the Empress, she graciously accepts it.”

When she first heard those words, Isabelle thought it was just the delusion of those wishing for her unhappiness.

She thought they were spreading nonsense out of jealousy, envying her for gaining so much just by marrying a fine man.

“Isaac, do you know you’ve been acting suspiciously lately?”

Even bringing up such talk to Isaac wasn’t entirely sincere.

It was more of a desire to tease him a bit using the gossip she heard at the party.

“You seem too close to the Empress, don’t you think? You even smell like her perfume.”

Isabelle hugged Isaac and nuzzled his neck.

She pretended to sniff him, imagining him being flustered and not knowing what to do or gently soothing her.

But Isaac didn’t react the way she hoped.

“Are you doubting me now? ”

His voice was filled with displeasure, and Isabelle couldn’t hide her surprise.

Seeing her shocked expression, Isaac softened his expression belatedly.

“….I’m the empress’s aid, so it’s natural for me to be close to her.”

“… … .”

“Still, I’m tired, so don’t talk nonsense. Don’t you feel bad when you get suspicious of me? ”

With that, Isaac hugged Isabelle, trying to comfort her and kissed her.

Isabelle hesitated for a moment but then returned his embrace.

***

Isaac Salvatore was quite a decent husband.

He didn’t abandon Isabelle, his longtime lover, and he proposed to her. He also gave her much more dowry than other noblewomen.

Even after marriage, he occasionally sent flowers and gifts, showing romance, and didn’t hesitate to financially support Baron Zeronis, Isabelle’s family.

So Isabelle never doubted that he still loved her deeply.

Even if Isaac hadn’t reacted so sensitively, as if begging her not to bring up such jokes lightly, she wouldn’t have had any doubts.

The slight suspicion turned into certainty when she found a letter on his desk.

The letter, with no recipient mentioned, contained affectionate praise for someone.

Reddish-black hair shining in the sunlight, eyes brighter than gold, a tender yet affectionate demeanor, and a soft smile.

The moment she realized who the letter was for, Isabelle felt like her heart dropped to the ground.

“No….”

The first emotion that struck her was a deep sense of betrayal, followed by shame and anxiety.

How many people predicted misfortune for the poor baron’s daughter and the young Marquis when they heard they were lovers?

Some even predicted discord between the two even after their wedding.

Such petty gossip might actually come true.

After learning about Isaac’s infidelity, Isabelle didn’t tell anyone about it.

When someone talked about his relationship with the Empress, she would simply laugh it off and say,

“It’s only natural for associates to be close, isn’t it? If you truly trust and love your husband, there’s no need to react so sensitively.”

It was the most rational choice Isabelle could make.

By not feeding the gossipmongers who would chatter about her situation, she could enjoy all the benefits of being a marchioness.

But pretending that everything was fine wasn’t truly okay.

It was impossible for her to casually endure the man who had vowed to love only her for a lifetime harboring feelings for another woman.

On the day of the ball at the palace, Isabelle eventually slipped out of the party after watching the two of them dance together.

It was getting colder as the season progressed. Gentlemen wore thicker coats, and ladies draped lace shawls over their evening dresses, revealing their bare shoulders.

Due to the chilly weather, the garden wasn’t crowded.

Isabelle wandered aimlessly until she finally sank to the ground. She wondered what people would say when they noticed she had disappeared. Would they even notice?

Under the unusually bright starlight, Isabelle sobbed alone.

Traitor. Bastard.

She murmured words she couldn’t say to his face. It was a while before she sensed someone approaching.

“What’s wrong?”

Isabelle slowly raised her head at the familiar voice. But when she saw the person calling her, she involuntarily frowned.

It was Tasha Evan. The woman Ludwig Evan brought from the northern forest to be his second wife.

She was an elegant beauty who would have been acceptable even if she had been born into any other baron family, but the arrogant nobles did not easily accept her as she grew up in the forest.

“It’s none of your business.”

Isabelle’s response was curt. Despite being from a minor noble family, she was still a noblewoman herself.

She didn’t want to accept a woman from wandering folk as a marchioness, nor did she want to hear stories of how well-matched women who married well got along with each other.

Isabelle quickly wiped her tears and straightened her posture as if nothing had happened.

However, Tasha opened her mouth as if it were no big deal, despite the cold stare.

“Then why don’t you cry somewhere I can’t see? ”

At Tasha’s cold tone, Isabelle snapped back to attention. Despite feeling perplexed, Tasha calmly took a seat.

Looking at Isabelle with a bewildered expression, she finally regained her composure and spoke.

“I was here first.”

She tried to speak elegantly and gracefully, but she ended up sounding like a child having a tantrum, thanks to her runny nose.

But Tasha remained unaffected by her outburst.

“Can’t you hear me? I came first.”

“Is this your land? ”

Isabelle remained silent.

“I didn’t come to see you, but to see the stars, so don’t worry about me and cry your heart out.”

“Have I cried enough?”

Isabelle blurted it out in frustration but immediately regretted it. She should have denied crying at all.

But Tasha’s response was dismissive enough to make Isabelle’s worries seem insignificant.

“If you’re done, then leave me alone.”

“What did you say?”

What kind of person is she?

Isabelle looked at her as if it were absurd. But Tasha just looked at the starry sky.

‘Who wants to go?  ‘

Whatever it was, Isabelle was a strangely proud person.

She felt bad and didn’t want to leave the position she had occupied just because of a woman like this.

“Who do you think you are to ask me to go? I’ll stay.”

“Fine then.”

Isabelle frowned at Tasha’s sullen tone. But she had no rebuttal and fell silent.

“…There are no stars.”

It was a murmur that sounded almost audible. Isabelle looked at Tasha, who wasn’t even looking at her.

“I thought there were plenty.”

“There are many more in the forest.”

“You must miss it.”

Isabelle muttered sarcastically.

‘If the forest is so good, just go back. Why linger here like this? ’

Wouldn’t it be a waste to give up what you enjoy for your life here?

“Indeed. The night isn’t as bright there.”

Tasha glanced around at the illuminated buildings and remarked. There was a longing in her face as she looked up at the night sky.

Isabelle let out a wry laugh.

“Why? Do you want to go back to the forest?”

Tasha’s yearning for the place she left behind seemed like a deception to Isabelle.

She was the woman who married Ludwig Evan, known as the greatest romanticist.

She was still receiving her husband’s love as before, being married to a man as overly praised as she was, but she still harbored such petty grievances.

“…That’s what I plan to do.”

But Tasha didn’t deny Isabelle’s question. Isabelle couldn’t hide her surprise at the unexpected answer.

“Going back to the forest?”

“I came here thinking that all I needed was love, but in reality, there was no love here.”

Isabelle couldn’t say anything and just looked at Tasha. It felt like she had heard something she shouldn’t have.

When their eyes met, Tasha smiled wistfully.

“You didn’t know, right? That person doesn’t show off outside.”

“… … .”

“I regret it sometimes. I think it would have been better for both of us if we had parted ways in the forest. Then we might both be desperately missing our unrealized love right now.”

Reflected on her calm face was a kind of resignation.

Isabelle remembered the two people at the party. Ludwig, who was always overly affectionate to his wife, befitting his mocking nickname of the greatest romanticist, and Tasha, who stood like a doll wearing expensive dresses and jewelry.

Isabelle was unable to open her mouth for a long time due to the unexpected confession.

Tasha looked at her like that and raised the corners of her mouth.

“He says such things sometimes too. That I’m pathetic, and he didn’t expect things to be such a mess.”

“…He?”

“I truly believed it when he said he loved me more than his own life. But I’ve come to realize that what hinders love isn’t death, it’s reality. He acted like he would give up everything for me, but when it actually came down to it, it seemed both his life and his love were too precious to sacrifice.”

Isabelle unconsciously glanced at Tasha in her sarcastic voice.

She wasn’t used to hearing things like this. It was foolish to reveal her weakness, and Isabelle had no intention of telling anyone about the relationship between Isaac and the Empress.

“He might have been sincere when he said those words, and there might have been a time when he truly loved me. But… I don’t know if that time will come again. I don’t love him enough to abandon myself, and he doesn’t love me enough to accept me like that.”

There was a long silence. Tasha looked up at the sky for a while before burying her face in her knees.

Is she crying? Isabelle’s hand twitched slightly.

“…Why are you crying?”