I Decided to Let You Go (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
Could it be that Zieghart had felt ashamed? Or had he simply chosen to run away because he wasn’t ready yet?
Natasha herself had fled, deliberately ignoring the glaringly obvious answer. She busied herself defending him with an absurd hypothesis, eventually arriving at the ridiculous conclusion that she ought to hear his side of the story—just once.
After the banquet, Natasha returned to the mansion and waited endlessly in her room for her husband.
How much time had passed? Suddenly, she sensed movement outside the door. Hearing the faintest sound—so quiet she had to strain her ears—Natasha swallowed hard. She straightened her slightly stooped back, worn out from waiting, and prepared to greet him.
Though she couldn’t discern who was entering from beyond the closed door, Natasha desperately hoped it was Zieghart.
But disappointment washed over her the moment she realized the footsteps belonged to someone distinctly unlike a man.
Turning away with a heavy heart, she was startled speechless upon seeing who it actually was.
“…Kayena?”
Straight, light wheat-colored hair without a single curl. Cat-like eyes with strikingly deep green irises.
Kayena Ten—a dear friend who had spent many years alongside Natasha as a palace maid.
“Yes, Princess. It’s me.”
Natasha was surprised first by her unexpected friend’s sudden appearance—and then again by what her friend was wearing. Kayena was dressed in the maid’s uniform of the Aschardt dukedom.
“Kayena, what are you doing here…?”
“Well, as you can see, I’ve been working at the Duke’s estate.”
Kayena stepped forward and gently took Natasha’s hands in hers. Warmth radiated through her soft palms.
“I heard about Sir Dante. They say he’s staying at a villa outside the city. We’ve exchanged letters—I’ve heard a little about you too. You must’ve had such a hard time…”
So many questions had buzzed in Natasha’s mind, but they all vanished the moment Kayena spoke.
The subdued waves within her, which had only occasionally rippled, suddenly surged and crashed onto the shore. Her long-held emotions had finally burst forth.
“Yeah… just a little…”
“I regret not being by your side when you needed me most. Maybe things wouldn’t have been quite so hard if I’d stayed with you… I truly missed you, Princess. I often asked Sir Dante about you just to ease my worries.”
Hearing Kayena’s comforting words about her painful past, Natasha finally let her tears fall. She had tried to hold them back, but her emotions overwhelmed her will.
In that moment, she poured out everything she’d kept bottled up—the things she’d swallowed alone because she didn’t want to worry Sir Dante. The guilt after losing her family, the fear and despair about the uncertain future.
“You must’ve suffered so much. Don’t hold back anymore—tell me everything. I’ve always been on your side. Here too, I’ll do everything I can to care for you, Princess—or rather, my Lady.”
Kayena slowly brushed Natasha’s cheek, gently pulling her chin so their eyes met.
“I’ve really, truly missed you.”
Those deep green eyes scanned Natasha intently, examining every detail with quiet intensity, making her feel inexplicably bashful.
“By the way… may I ask when you started working here? It feels like I haven’t seen you for a whole month…”
“Oh, I had some errands and went back to my hometown for a while. But I’ve actually been working for the Duke’s household for quite some time—already over a year now.”
Kayena then explained how she came to be employed at the Aschardt estate.
Apparently, Zieghart had recognized Kayena when she disguised herself as Natasha and spared her life. Afterward, with no other options—since no one wanted to hire a former royal maid from a fallen kingdom—the Aschardt dukedom was the only place that offered her a position.
“You tried to die in my place? That’s reckless! What if His Grace hadn’t recognized you? You could’ve died right then and there!”
“I only did what I had to do. I was your maid, after all. If you hadn’t taken me in back then, I’d have died painfully in poverty and oppression anyway.”
Kayena gave a wry smile and quickly changed the subject to lighten the somber mood.
“Actually, the Duke often asked me about you. He’d inquire about your favorite things. I never imagined you two would marry while I was away!”
She was talking about Zieghart Aschardt—the very topic Natasha didn’t want to dwell on just yet.
“His Grace truly is a kind man. You know that better than anyone, don’t you?”
Natasha, who had spent the past six months with Zieghart, knew better than anyone that he was a good man.
Yet…
“Kayena…”
After a pause, Natasha finally gathered the courage to speak.
But her words remained trapped on her tongue. Both women’s attention snapped toward the door as it suddenly swung open.
“Oh.”
“…”
“I suppose I’ve unintentionally interrupted your time together.”
The man who had been intently watching them finally gave a slight nod. Despite his words, he showed no sign of remorse—in fact, he seemed confident Kayena would politely excuse herself.
“No, no! I’m the one who disturbed you. I’m so sorry! I’ll leave right away.”
Kayena sprang to her feet and hurried out. The door, which had just opened, slammed shut again, causing a brief flurry of commotion. In its wake, only silence remained between the two.
“Princess.”
Zieghart stepped forward until he stood right before her, then slowly bent down. He stared fixedly at the tear tracks still visible on her cheeks before gently reaching out to wipe them away.
Natasha quietly anticipated what he might say next.
Would he finally explain the unpleasant incident at the wedding?
“Congratulations.”
“…Huh?”
“And welcome to the Duke’s estate.”
Zieghart gave a small, gentle smile—pure and unguarded, as if proving his innocence.
‘Ah…’
Ironically, his first words weren’t an explanation at all.
It wasn’t an apology acknowledging his fault, nor was it even remotely related to the matter at hand—just an oddly misplaced congratulation and welcome, as though he’d completely forgotten the wedding incident.
Her shattered expectations turned into bitter disappointment. Natasha’s expression shifted, and she gently removed his hand from her cheek.
“Your Grace… about the wedding… Why didn’t you kiss me?”
She suddenly felt unjustly burdened, as if she’d been suffering alone all this time. The resentment she’d suppressed for three weeks finally erupted today.
“It’s not just that. How could you not visit me even once during these three weeks? Did you perhaps decide that a disgraced princess from a fallen kingdom isn’t fit to be your Duchess? Or have you grown to dislike me? If you truly feel that way—that you don’t want to share meals or even a kiss with me—then I’ll annul this marriage right now and return to where I belong. Please, just let me go.”
She couldn’t bear to say the word “farewell” while looking directly at him. Instead, Natasha stared into the distance as she muttered her plea.
It took two days after the wedding ceremony for their union to become legally binding—meaning annulment was still simple without formal divorce proceedings.
So she could still turn back now. She’d pretend those sweet moments with Zieghart had been nothing more than a fleeting dream.
Yes, a fallen princess who survived while her family perished was better suited to live quietly as Tisha Winter, a commoner. Natasha Aschardt? That title was never meant for her.
“Tisha.”
Zieghart approached the forlorn-looking Natasha and gently caressed first the corner of her eye, then her cheek, gazing into her tear-reddened eyes.
His first words were her pet name—a special name he’d never been explicitly permitted to use, yet one spouses could always call each other.
He leaned in close until their noses nearly touched.
Strands of hair occasionally brushed her forehead, tickling her. His breath, now heavier and sweeter, felt almost suffocating. Their noses bumped softly together.
Everything drew nearer in an instant—their lips were no exception.
He alternately kissed her upper and lower lip, then slipped his tongue past her parted teeth—an unfamiliar yet instinctive sensation.
Once inside, his tongue moved with practiced ease: first lightly tracing her teeth, then gliding softly along her palate, sometimes even teasing the root of her tongue. It was raw, instinctual hunger.
After a moment, Natasha let out a soft sigh. A delicate thread of saliva connected their lips. The moisture in her mouth mingled with an unfamiliar scent.
“…Your Grace?”
“You’ve been harboring a rather adorable misunderstanding.”
Zieghart cupped Natasha’s flushed cheek as he continued, finally offering the explanation that was far too long overdue.
“I didn’t kiss you at the ceremony out of consideration. I worried I might lose control of my desire and shamelessly indulge in you right before everyone’s eyes.”
“…”
“I also disliked the idea of others witnessing the honor of our first kiss.”
Having neatly clarified everything, Zieghart moved his hand to her pale throat. After tracing its delicate line for a moment, he gently gripped her hair.
As naturally as the turning of the heavens, their bodies gravitated toward each other, clinging close—a clear signal of a second, deeper hunger.
[This is the timeline separator]Natasha awoke to the sound of birdsong. A dull ache in her lower back made her pause mid-rise and lie back down. Now that she was aware of the pain, even lying still made her back tingle uncomfortably.
“You’re awake.”
His low, resonant voice jolted her fully awake. She peeked out from under the blanket, startled to see Zieghart already seated at the table.
He set aside the newspaper he’d been reading, came over, and kissed her forehead. He then handed her a steaming cup of freshly brewed tea.
“Good morning, Princess.”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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Chapter Comments (6)
Inline Comments (96)
"Yes, good morning. By the way, you don’t have to call me ‘princess’ anymore…”
I’m bad with angst but still really like revenge stuff what chapter is her current regression in?
“But still…”
This smells fishy 🤔🤔🤔 kayena is onto something 🤔
“How about we start living together once you’ve grown more accustomed to the man
I can smell the heartache from a mile. As of now he is a AH
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I don’t really care if she gets the kingdom back but does she at least get a safe town or something?
This man shouldn’t be an actor he can’t really hide his dislike for fl
Limited return by death? I guess nice story mechanism