I Decided to Let You Go (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 17

Snowstorms this severe were rare in the Kingdom of Charlier, so the snow from the north always felt wondrous. Though it seemed odd to compare nature to such things, it felt almost like encountering something entirely new.

Fascinated, she fiddled repeatedly with the window, oblivious to the cold. The chill seeping through her fingertips took root deep within her bones. The biting cold finally jolted her awake.

‘If I die buried in snow… will my heart and body become pure? Will I become innocent enough to be forgiven for everything?’

Beyond the window, the snowflakes were pristine and beautiful—unlike her. She longed to be buried beneath them rather than remain trapped in this dark, gloomy place. Covering herself in that pure white snow felt as though it might cleanse this wretched life of hers.

Kayena had consoled herself by saying her child must have gone to the paradise crafted by the gods—a place where only kind and lovely children were allowed, free from suffering, filled only with happiness and laughter.

To meet her child, Natasha too needed to go to that paradise. But she wasn’t kind or lovely. Her sins and misfortunes were far too numerous to count.

The god who treats only me harshly will surely not let me into paradise. Even in death, I might never meet my child again. Perhaps I’ll wander alone in an empty void.

So, if I close my eyes buried beneath the snow… if I let this snow wash away all my sins by covering my body…

She clutched tightly at her clothes and the dagger she held. Her hands trembled with exhilaration, and her face beamed with the triumphant satisfaction of someone who’d just solved a difficult puzzle.

The Duchess stepped out of her room, wrapped in a thin blanket, and made her way to the front door. Along the way, she passed countless servants—too many to count. Just as many witnessed her turning the doorknob. Yet none of them moved to stop Natasha.

They were far too busy exchanging mocking jokes about the mad Duchess.

She turned her back on those who didn’t love her and stepped outside. Nothing mattered anymore. Walking over the shattered remains of her hope, she felt immune to any further harm.

Natasha, her back now turned to the door, straightened her posture and stood tall.

Winter greeted her once again after a long absence. This raw, unaided confrontation with the cold was the fiercest—and simultaneously the most beautiful—thing she’d ever faced in her life.

Her feet sank deeply into the quiet snowfield. Her already small frame seemed even tinier. The snow had risen past her ankles, numbing her feet to all sensation. Her entire body steadily chilled as the cold spread.

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