I opened my eyes on the bed with bleary vision, having barely slept at all.

A deep sigh escaped me naturally.

Where had things started to go wrong? No—rather, the damn magic itself had been the problem from the beginning. Even if this beautiful man’s virginity was compromised by magic, I shouldn’t have taken it.

I never imagined in my wildest dreams that Yezar would hold such an outdated belief—that a man and a woman spending one night together meant they must stay together for life.

“Stop crying, Yezar. It’s not because I disliked spending the night with you that I want a divorce…”

“Then why, when our contract still has time remaining, have you decided on divorce after spending the night with me?”

Because I no longer trust myself to suppress my feelings for Yezar. I wanted to end everything before my desire for him caused him harm. But since I couldn’t say that, I changed the subject.

“It was a divorce bound to happen anyway, wasn’t it? I’m just bringing the date forward slightly. There’s no reason for you to react so strongly…”

“So you truly did dislike spending the night with me. You don’t need to sugarcoat it.”

“I told you, no! It was so incredible I wanted to do it again!”

“Again?”

“Never mind. Anyway, that’s not the reason. Let’s just agree to an amicable divorce. The contract period hasn’t expired yet. I’ll pay any penalty fee if you demand it.”

“I refuse.”

“What?”

“I refuse. I don’t want to divorce Julietta. I was taught that when a man and a woman spend a night together, they must take lifelong responsibility for each other. So at the very least, please fulfill that responsibility until this contract ends.”

“That’s not what we agreed to! The contract states it can end at any time…”

“No. It says the marriage can end by mutual agreement. That part isn’t incorrect. And since I don’t wish to end it yet, you cannot initiate divorce.”

And so our conversation ended. I was bewildered. Here I was, holding back tears as I tried to let him go.

“Why won’t you let me go? What do you think I, so full of dirty ulterior motives, might do to you?”

Then a thought suddenly occurred to me.

“Could it be… the aftereffects of that magic still linger in Yezar?”

Otherwise, there was no way Yezar would so firmly refuse to divorce me. What should I do then? Should I immediately seek out a mage and beg them to lift the spell?

Before I knew it, I had gotten up and was pacing in circles, lost in thought—then abruptly stopped. No amount of solitary thinking would solve this.

“I’ll have to meet Yezar again and talk to him properly.”

Yesterday, everything had been too chaotic for a real conversation to take place. Frankly, I hadn’t been able to think clearly either, overwhelmed by his desperate pleas.

Besides, if the magic’s influence still affected Yezar, mentioning it might help me persuade him. If we could reach an agreement, I could still divorce him no matter how much time remained on the contract.

Once divorced, he could proudly walk his own path, and I could distance myself and live my own life.

That was how I could make the man I loved happy.

“Yezar is too kind. If I told him I love him, he’d feel awkward but might force himself to accept me out of pity. I don’t want that.”

I hated the idea of receiving anything out of sympathy. I didn’t want a love based on obligation. I only wanted a love freely given and received between two people who truly loved each other.

And I absolutely didn’t want to see him looking guilty and apologetic for rejecting my feelings.

***

I pulled the servant bell to call the maids, but their demeanor was unusual. In fact, their expressions were no different from Yezar’s yesterday.

“Milady, have we done something wrong…?”

“Hm?”

“So you’re leaving because of us?”

“Wait—has the rumor already spread? It only happened yesterday!”

Of course, I had somewhat expected word to get out—I had deliberately chosen that location for our confrontation. But I hadn’t anticipated Yezar breaking down in tears and clinging to me so desperately.

No wonder the rumor had spread like wildfire. This was troubling. If word reached the Orbetian household… With Weaslet being quick-tempered and having nothing better to do, he’d probably storm in here and cause a scene immediately.

I had thought everything would be resolved after talking with Yezar. But now it seemed like a tangled mess was piling up all at once.

“You’ve done nothing wrong to me. What I said yesterday was just words spoken in the heat of a brief argument with him. You could call it a lovers’ quarrel, if you understand.”

Of course, we’d never actually had a lovers’ quarrel, and I really did intend to divorce him. But I wanted to stop the tears welling up in these tender-hearted girls’ eyes first.

If I admitted I truly wanted a divorce, they’d undoubtedly burst into tears and beg me not to leave.

“Then you’re not divorcing? You’ll stay with the Ferhaem Duchy?”

“After seeing what the Duke does?”

Since I’d called it a lovers’ quarrel, I deliberately spoke coldly to show I was somewhat hurt by Yezar. The maids glanced at each other and nodded.

“We’ll do better! You’ve done nothing wrong, milady. We’ll go tell the Duke to apologize to you properly!”

They might be reprimanded or even punished for speaking so boldly to the master of the house. Yet they were willingly doing this for me, and today, that warmed a corner of my heart.

“It’s fine. I plan to talk to him today anyway. So don’t worry.”

“Yes, milady!”

Seeing them reply so bravely and smile, I suddenly felt guilty, as if I were deceiving them.

When I was nearly done being attended to and only hair styling remained, Ember quietly dismissed the other maids and began combing my hair.

With skilled hands, she neatly arranged my hair, twisted it up, added accessories, and finished. Then she cautiously asked me.

“Is the position of Duchess becoming burdensome to you…?”

I knew my lies wouldn’t work on Ember, who knew the full truth. Slowly, I shook my head.

“That’s not it. I’ve been happy.”

“Then you could stay here, couldn’t you? I, and all the children here, we all love you.”

Her voice was thick with emotion. Honestly, the people here were too sentimental.

“That’s exactly why. I’m afraid that if everything in the Ferhaem Duchy becomes too dear to me, I won’t be able to leave.”

“The Duke surely wishes for you to stay here for a long time.”

“He’s a kind man. If I asked, he might agree. But I don’t want his pity. That’s not what I want from him.”

“Milady…”

“And I want Yezar to find true love and be happy. I’ve never wanted him tied down because of me. Please understand.”

She didn’t answer, only sobbed quietly. Yet even as she cried, she whispered that it was selfish of her, but if I ever changed my mind, it would be okay. Even as her voice pleaded for me to stay on as the Duchess of Ferhaem, I remained silent.

It was better not to make promises I couldn’t keep.

***

Yezar didn’t run away. He agreed to meet me. I felt relieved. Honestly, I had half-expected him to flee, forcing me to go after him.

“Thank you for meeting me.”

“Meeting you is always a pleasure. Of course, except when it comes to discussing divorce.”

Ugh. As soon as I brought it up, I was nearly cut off. Sweating profusely, I told him about the possibility I’d considered.

Yezar’s reply came back as sharp as a blade.

“The magic’s effect disappeared long ago.”

“Really?”

“If you wish, I can prove it to you immediately.”

“…No need to prove it.”

He was so certain—there was no way the magic was still affecting him.

‘Then… is it really because of that outdated belief? That since we’ve shared our purity, we must be responsible for each other for life?’

In the Empire, divorce was common, and the importance of virginity was not heavily emphasized. Moreover, the younger generation of nobles generally dismissed such beliefs as archaic and outdated.

Why, then, was Yezar clinging to this…? It was all because of that magic, and my own damn desires. Yes—this was entirely my doing.

“Taking Yezar’s purity was an unavoidable accident. You know that too. It never would’ve happened if that magic hadn’t occurred.”

His body flinched. His eyes seemed to droop with an unfathomable sadness.

“Even if it was caused unintentionally by magic… we’ve shared ourselves with each other. And even though this was a contract marriage, we’ve lived as husband and wife.”

“Yes, we have.”

“I don’t want to suddenly part from Julietta like this. Shamelessly…”

He paused, catching his breath, then spoke to me in a serious tone.

“I like you.”

For a moment, I was so shocked I forgot how to breathe. His gaze, meeting mine, was clearer and more sincere than ever before.

Am I hallucinating? Has my hearing started playing tricks, showing me what my heart desires?

“Excuse me? I think I must’ve misheard… what did you just say?”

“I like you. Julietta, I like you.”