“My lady! A letter has arrived.”

The next morning, Cindy entered the bedroom holding a bundle of envelopes in one hand.

Belladonna, who was having breakfast at the table chair placed under the large window, raised her head towards her.

“Let’s see… Oh! It’s from Astania!”

Ugh…

Belladonna, who was chewing her egg dish, frowned without realizing it.

She had been enjoying her meal, but suddenly felt her stomach churning.

I should read this later…

Belladonna received the envelope from Cindy, flipped it over and put it down, then picked up her fork and poked the bacon on the other side.

“Hmm, the rest all seem to be for the lord… I’ll deliver these to the study. Please wait a moment!”

Cindy said in a light voice as she read through the remaining envelopes and their recipients.

Huh? Give them to me! I’ll deliver them!

Belladonna raised her eyebrows and held out her hand to Cindy.

Escalion would come to this room in the evening anyway, so there was no need for Cindy to walk all the way to the study.

“Oh, will you deliver them, my lady?”

Nod nod!

“Thank you, my lady! Shall I leave them here then? Most urgent business letters are handled by Wolf, so these are probably not very urgent and are personal letters.”

Belladonna nodded to Cindy while busily eating up her bacon.

It was important to eat heartily before reading the letter from the Pope.

‘Who knows what words he’ll write to make me uncomfortable again…’

“By the way, the Pope really seems to adore you, my lady.”

“Gulp.”

Belladonna made a strange sound and swallowed the mashed potatoes she was pushing into her mouth after the bacon.

“Are you alright, my lady?”

Startled by the strange sound from Belladonna’s throat, Cindy picked up the water bottle on the table and filled a glass to the brim.

Belladonna picked up the full glass of water and forcibly swallowed it to calm her stomach.

Would you be okay if you were me? The Pope really adores the Saint, what absurd nonsense is that…!

“Eat slowly! You might choke.”

Right…

Belladonna nodded and forcibly pulled up the corners of her mouth.

Cindy pulled out a chair and sat down across from her, looking at the overturned envelope on the table.

“The Pope writes letters quite often, doesn’t he? I wonder how much he must have cherished you when you lived together to ask after his married daughter so frequently.”

“…”

“Such an ideal mother-daughter relationship, I’m really envious! My father probably doesn’t care what I do in this castle. All he’s interested in is just alcohol and card games…”

Cindy said, drooping her shoulders.

Belladonna listened to her words while lifting the napkin she had placed on her lap to wipe her mouth.

“But he’s gotten much better these days. In the past, his gambling debts grew so large that my siblings had to quit school. But since I started earning money after the lord hired me, it seems he no longer gambles.”

Cindy, you were a young head of household…

Belladonna looked at her with sympathetic eyes.

Cindy shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing and continued speaking.

“Anyway! I’m so envious of having such a caring father like the Pope.”

Belladonna lowered her eyes and turned her gaze to the envelope stamped with the Pope’s seal.

The Pope’s intention in sending letters was very different from what Cindy thought.

‘He’s probably trying to inform me that there are only a few weeks left in the marriage and to confirm that I’m still under his control… And also to see if there’s any discord between me and my husband that could work to his advantage…’

Belladonna sighed softly and picked it up.

It seemed that breakfast would have to stop here.

Cindy, who had confirmed that Belladonna had put down her utensils, stood up and asked.

“My lady, are you finished? Shall I bring you some cool tea then? There’s a fruit that can only be harvested in Silrenia, and the chef said he made a fruit syrup with it! He said it tastes quite good when mixed with water.”

When Belladonna gave a smile meaning “please do,” Cindy excitedly turned and ran out of the room.

Left alone, Belladonna leaned back comfortably in her chair and tore open the envelope without hesitation.

“Sigh, I don’t want to read it…”

Belladonna muttered softly as she forcibly read through the Pope’s handwriting that filled the square paper.

As her eyes moved down, her expression hardened.

“…How predictable, exactly as I expected.”

It was a letter with contents that didn’t deviate at all from her expectations.

A reminder that she would have to return to Astania in a few weeks to resume her role as a saint, and a subtle hint that she should endure a little longer to collect a large alimony and get divorced.

“How long are you going to keep saying the same thing, really…”

Belladonna raised one hand to rub her rapidly tiring brow.

Since last night, complex feelings had been filling her mind.

Though there was still much she hadn’t decided, one thing was certain – she absolutely did not want to return to the papal palace in Astania.

And for that…

“I need to maintain this marriage with Escalion for a long time without getting divorced…”

A way to not get divorced…

Belladonna, who had been muttering in a small voice, shook her head with a low sigh.

There didn’t seem to be any special method.

Even if she herself never brought up divorce, the Pope could demand a divorce first by raising the issue of his weakness.

So, both marriage and divorce were never my choice to begin with…

“…But what exactly is this weakness of his that the Pope is holding onto?”

According to information obtained through a close associate, there was said to be a flaw, but she couldn’t discern what could be a blemish on him just by outward appearances.

Did he cheat someone during his mercenary days? Did he offend someone he shouldn’t have?

“Phew…”

Belladonna, who had been racking her small brain hard, slowly rose from her seat.

Her head felt dizzy and throbbing, and she wanted to lie down on the bed.

“Ugh… I don’t understand at all, I’ll stop thinking about it…”

At that moment, Belladonna’s gaze, as she was walking unsteadily towards the bed, fell on the envelopes on the bedside table.

‘The letters that came for Escalion…’

Belladonna reached out and picked them up.

It was inadvertent, lifting the letters to check the recipients.

She had no intention of inspecting who each letter was for, it was just a light action to cool her dizzy head.

As Belladonna sat on the bed and flipped through the envelopes one by one, her hand suddenly stopped.

Among names that seemed to belong to mercenaries, evoking a heavy and rough feeling, a familiar name she hadn’t encountered in a very long time caught her eye.

“…”

Belladonna felt her throbbing head cool down as she put the bundle of letters back on the bedside table.

“Oh, my lady?”

Cindy, who was entering with a glass bottle full of cold fruit tea, stopped in her tracks.

At some point, Belladonna had finished preparing to go out alone and was standing in front of the mirror, turning to look at her.

Cindy blinked her eyes and set the glass bottle down on the table.

“Are you going out somewhere? You should have said so! I could have helped you.”

Belladonna shook her head and moved her steps.

Her face was somehow calm and quite composed.

Confused by this unfamiliar expression, Cindy followed behind her and opened her mouth.

“L-let’s go together, my lady! I’ll get ready quickly and come out!”

Belladonna wanted to shake her head again this time, but Cindy’s actions were faster.

Having somehow gone ahead of her, Cindy was quickly running down the stairs towards the maid’s room.

Belladonna sighed as she watched Cindy’s retreating figure.

‘I wanted to spend some time alone…’

Scarlet Leyton.

Just a moment ago, she had confirmed Scarlet Leyton’s name among the bundle of letters that had come for Escalion.

The moment she encountered that name she had unknowingly buried and ignored deep inside, Belladonna felt as if someone had suddenly poured cold water over her head, snapping her to her senses.

The cold realization that even Escalion’s side was not ultimately her place came over her entire body.

‘What am I trying to do beside someone who has a beloved elsewhere…’

Thinking this, she felt an endless wave of depression washing over her.

For a while, there had been no trace or mention of her name, so she thought maybe they had ended their relationship…

“…”

Seeing that she was even sending letters like this, it seemed that at least Scarlet hadn’t been able to do so.

Maybe Escalion too…

Belladonna, who had been frozen in place for a moment, shook her head vigorously and moved her legs.

‘I was going to divorce him anyway!’

Though she hated the thought of returning to Astania where the cunning Pope was waiting, she hated even more the idea of forcibly keeping her place beside a man who had a lover.

‘Especially Escalion’s…’

Belladonna stopped in her tracks as she thought this far.

The emotion she was feeling now was not simply resentment or disappointment towards a husband she would soon divorce.

After all, there was no need to deeply care about the mistress of a husband she would soon sever ties with.

Belladonna quietly raised her hand and clutched at her heart. An unfamiliar pain was heavily weighing on her heart.

‘Why am I feeling this…’

Though she vaguely knew the answer, she wanted to turn away from it.

This, this is all because he’s unnecessarily kind! It’s because that rascal with his dirty private life plays with women’s hearts as he pleases…!

Belladonna shook her head vigorously again as she approached the stairs.

‘Let’s quickly go outside and get some warm air.’

As she descended halfway down the stairs and turned to look at the first-floor lobby, she saw a familiar, massive figure walking behind Cindy, who was explaining something earnestly.

Ah, no!

She didn’t want to face Escalion right now.

Startled, Belladonna unconsciously gripped the stair railing tightly and stepped back hesitantly.

“Bella?”

But when she met Escalion’s beautiful golden eyes looking up at her.

And thus confirmed that her heart had dropped to the floor and was quickly running away.

Belladonna had to admit.

It was truly a sad thing.

Ah, I’ve come to like this man.