I Decided to Let You Go (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
These days were filled with tedious monotony. The conservative Duke’s household, which strictly silenced its servants, left no room for her to hear rumors about her own family. Her selfish ally had vanished without a trace, cutting off all contact.
Just as she was beginning to feel unbearably bored, a letter arrived from Kail. A plain envelope and the equally plain sheet of paper inside greeted him—it was from his selfish ally.
「Your Majesty, it has been a while.
Now is the time.
It is the perfect moment to torment the princess.」
The perfect moment to torment the princess.
It was a sentence that brought him sheer delight. Pleased with his ally’s suggestion, Kail smirked coldly.
‘Still, unnecessarily meticulous, aren’t you.’
As he examined the paper, he let out a silent sigh of admiration. The ally had used a different handwriting for each sentence, just in case someone intercepted it. Indeed, even if the letter were discovered, no one would ever identify its author.
Kail burned the letter, rose to his feet, and stretched thoroughly to prepare for his next move. If the timing was perfect for tormenting her, he had no reason to refuse.
‘Might as well take revenge on my old dog as well. I’ll make it perfectly clear to that mutt what happens to dogs who bite their masters.’
He recalled an excellent method to harass both Zieghart Aschardt and Natasha Charlier—the two dogs of past and present—simultaneously.
Soon after, he turned to the servant who had delivered the letter and issued an order.
“Summon some reporters to tomorrow’s event.”
“Reporters…? Do you mean not just from Ruide Newspaper, but also from other news agencies?”
The servant asked for confirmation. He had never allowed any press beyond Ruide Newspaper, which was favorable to the imperial court—so why, all of a sudden, was he offering fair opportunity to everyone?
“Yes, even the third-rate newspapers! There’s something everyone needs to know.”
Watching the servant depart to carry out his order, Kail wore a thoroughly satisfied smile.
[This is the timeline separator]The next day, just as Kail had wished, a crowd of reporters gathered before the temple. Amidst the bustling atmosphere, the medal award ceremony in Kail’s honor commenced.
The temple commended Kail Retiers for growing the great Retiers Empire and contributing to global progress.
Though they cited various reasons—promoting peace through treaties with major nations, eradicating monsters nationwide for the public good, and fostering development in affiliated states and vassal territories—in truth, it was merely a ceremonial gesture meant to console the imperial court after stripping Kail of his honorary knighthood.
Amid endless praise, Kail ascended the podium and gazed down at the reporters clustered below him like an ant colony. They were drooling in anticipation of an exclusive scoop.
“Well, as you all surely agree, the great Retiers Empire reached this point thanks to the collective efforts of many.”
They’d been waiting since early dawn for a story—might as well give them one.
“Among those many great individuals, one figure in particular comes to mind. I’d like to credit half of today’s honor to Duke Zieghart Aschardt. Though he broke away from the imperial court, none can deny that the daily advancement of our great Retiers Empire owes much to his contributions.”
He struggled to suppress the twitch at the corners of his mouth. Pretending to moisten his dry throat, he covered his lips briefly before continuing.
“After all, it was his plan that brought the Kingdom of Charlier into the empire and established the Duchy of Kshant.”
He briefly summarized the Duke Aschardt’s contributions. Although it was an official occasion, he deliberately avoided mentioning the barbaric methods the man had employed.
“Thanks to him, we achieved a clean, trouble-free outcome where everyone could be happy.”
My new dog—you, who alone cannot forget that day—will surely understand.
[This is the timeline separator]After that one lapse, Natasha realized the outside world was dangerous. No matter how much courage she mustered to step out, all she received in return was condemnation, not apologies.
She resumed her reclusive life in a room untouched by sunlight. She ate just enough to survive, drank just enough not to die, slept just enough to stay alive, and cried just enough to keep breathing.
Kayena’s sincere worry and concern were deeply appreciated, but they were utterly useless to Natasha in her current state.
Suddenly, a piece of paper caught her attention on the floor. She’d heard a letter had arrived addressed to her—could this be it?
Without even checking the sender, Natasha tore open the envelope. By the faint moonlight streaming in, fragmented words slowly became visible.
「I’ve already heard you’ve been having a hard time lately.」
The moment she confirmed the sender was Kail Retiers, her grip tightened fiercely on the letter.
「So I’m sending you a gift of consolation. I hope the princess will appreciate the present arriving soon.」
A gift?
She pondered the cowardly, vile nature of whatever “gift” the Emperor might send. If he intended to torment her, he’d likely take someone close to her hostage.
Or perhaps this time, instead of her parents or siblings, he’d present her with the head of a relative as a royal offering?
「Retiers XIV Supports the Independent Aschardt Dukedom?」
「The Clean Operation of Duke Aschardt Revealed at the Medal Ceremony on the 18th: Zieghart Aschardt—His Hidden Competence Finally Exposed」
The answer appeared in the newspapers the next day.
Natasha read through more than ten different papers, over and over again. Frustratingly, the more she read, the clearer the truth became.
Zieghart himself had orchestrated the operation to invade the Charlier Royal Palace, exterminate the royal family, and claim territorial ownership.
It was he who had hung severed heads high in the sky like medals, silently threatening royalist nobles; he who had coerced wavering opinions into submission through death threats.
Was it truly all Zieghart’s doing?
She simply couldn’t believe it. This was entirely different from merely ending her romantic feelings for him. This branded the Natasha of the past as an unfilial daughter, a traitor to her nation, and a fool.
So even his professed love—and his entire backstory—had been lies?
‘However, the tragedy the princess endured was solely the imperial court’s unilateral action, with no connection whatsoever to the Aschardt Dukedom.’
‘…Are you truly claiming, Your Grace, that you had no involvement in that day’s tragedy?’
‘Yes. I swear it had absolutely nothing to do with me.’
Then, from where to where was the man she knew truthful, and from where to where was he deceitful?
‘I understand your sorrow, Princess. Losing those you loved must have caused you unbearable pain. Myself and the Aschardt Dukedom will strive to fill the void left by your family.’
Just how long had Natasha been deceived?
From their very first meeting. The six months he courted her after their first encounter. The entire year following their marriage. Not a single day had passed without him lying to her.
‘Do you love me?’
‘Of course.’
He had confessed his love.
He had claimed to empathize with her grief over losing her family.
He had even promised to cherish and love a child resembling her more than anyone else…!
‘So it was you who dragged me into the gutter. You, Zieghart Aschardt—you are the one who utterly ruined my life and became my enemy.’
Unknowingly, Natasha had loved him. She had devoted her entire life to her enemy, dreaming of a future with him.
‘How foolish must I have looked.’
It hurt. Though the fault lay entirely with him, she felt as though the blame were hers alone, and that tormented her deeply.
Once again, the man drew her out of her room. Crawling on the floor, terrified of the light she hadn’t seen in so long, she made her way toward her destination.
As she tumbled down the stairs, the newspaper she clutched flew far away—landing right before a pair of familiar leather heels.
The man’s foot gracefully nudged the paper aside. Unlike her wretched state, even the soles of Zieghart’s shoes remained immaculately clean.
He was indifferent toward whomever he faced—unrealistically arrogant and selfish. Even on the day his cruel deeds were exposed, he showed no change. Zieghart looked down at Natasha with the same dry expression as always.
“…Explain yourself to me.”
Even his silence in moments that demanded explanation was infuriatingly familiar.
“I won’t ask why you pretended to love me. I won’t ask why you abandoned your child. Just answer me this one thing—was what the newspapers claimed true? Did you truly plan everything? Did you really declare that exterminating the royal family would grant you the kingdom…?”
“…”
“Did you truly assert that wiping out the royal bloodline would make claiming their lands easy? And that hanging severed heads from trees would quell noble resistance, allowing you to seize territorial ownership…? Did you really say that?”
His anguished questions finally creased the other’s expression. With a quiet sigh, he crouched down to meet her eyes.
“Later.”
“…”
“I have an urgent prior engagement—let’s talk later.”
An answer had come. Just not the one Natasha wanted.
“Later?”
She dumbly echoed his brief reply.
“No. Not later. It has to be now. I don’t know what other ‘truthful words’ you’ll use to deceive me next. That’s why—it has to be now. Only now can you make excuses to me.”
She refused his promised “later,” knowing full well that when that time came, he’d only utter more falsehoods. This was his only chance to speak.
“…I’ll attend to my prior commitment first. I’ll assign maids and servants to attend to the princess.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Yet without giving her another glance, he left to settle his prior matter—clearly prioritizing it over offering her any explanation.
Zieghart draped himself in the coat handed to him by his butler and walked steadily toward the front door. Servants lined neatly on both sides bowed in unison to see their master off.
“Yes….”
She etched the sight of his retreating back into her memory, again and again.
“…I knew you’d do this.”
Her heart, wounded many times before, seemed to have braced itself against further pain—no sorrow spilled out. Her eyes remained utterly dry.
[This is the timeline separator]Eight days had passed since Zieghart left. Contrary to his orders, no servants came to see Natasha. At first, Kayena occasionally visited to assist her, but eventually stopped coming, having grown weary of Natasha’s unresponsiveness.
‘Snow…’
She suddenly noticed snow falling outside the window.
A faint smile traced across her face as she beheld the beautiful scene.
Ah… such beautiful snow…
Unlike me—pure and almighty, the absolute ruler of this world.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
Chapter Comments (4)
Inline Comments (82)
Her ears felt muffled, as if filled with water. Could it be the aftermath of dro
I kinda hope the ml is someone else. Even better if it’s like a demon or something
As if he’d expected her to come looking for him.
Is he a Regressor now or just still naturally stoic?
The man, who had been lounging carelessly, turned his chair to face him, uncross
At this point i don’t understand what he’s doing 🤦🏻♀️
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Limited return by death? I guess nice story mechanism
He broke her trust, and now want her to believe that he is in love. I thing he also have his memories of the past.
It’s a little lot too late ass why no do this earlier if you regressed before