When her daughter’s appointment as empress fell through and even becoming the duchess was off the table, Lady Berium’s dreams of dominating high society shattered into pieces.

Thinking of the noblewomen who would look down on her, Lady Berium truly felt like dying.

Since the duke had mentioned the divorce very gently, her mother had no regrets towards him.
‘I am Cler, planning to soon retire to a quiet estate and spend the rest of my days there. Naturally, I will distance myself from society as well. I can’t possibly force your young daughter to live such an old woman’s life, can I? That’s not what one should do as a human being. You’re a kind and wise woman, so I believe you’ll understand my sentiments.’

The criticism turned solely toward Liz.

“I can’t even show my face because of you. A divorce, of all things. As if having my proposal rejected wasn’t enough, now a divorce!”

“…….”
“People younger than you get married, have children, and live well, so what have you been doing all this time? You’ve brought this shame upon yourself because you couldn’t even capture a man’s heart. Why do you make it so I can’t even go outside? Why?”

The reason Liz didn’t openly resist her mother was because she didn’t feel the need to.

She had finally become completely free.

Considering it the price to pay for that freedom, she found her mother’s verbal abuse somewhat bearable.

Not that she would go out of her way to listen to it, though.

Liz made it a point not to come downstairs.

She had all her meals brought up to her room.
She substituted her walks with pacing around the room, all the windows wide open.

It was all to avoid encountering her mother.

Since the divorce was finalized, her mother hadn’t taken a single step outside the house.

A few visiting ladies did come by, but they were all turned away with the excuse that she was not feeling well.

And it was both an excuse and the truth.

Because the liquor bottles were emptied.

She, who wouldn’t even have a glass of wine except on special occasions, was now gulping down rum like it was water.

“She must be quite heartbroken.”
Upon hearing about her mother’s condition from Monica, Liz felt somewhat worried.

If Lilia were by her side, she could perhaps quell her mother’s rampage. However, given Lilia’s current condition, it was difficult to hope for that.

She considered going down herself, but for some reason felt that would only stoke her mother’s anger, so she decided against it. No… the truth was, she didn’t want to hear any harsh words.

She could endure almost anything, but there was one particular sentence she couldn’t bear.

“How did I end up giving birth to something like that?”
Liz found it strange that she could still feel pain, when she thought she had become as numb as one could be. So strange that no tears came.

Her steps were slow as she moved from corner to corner, stepping on the sunlit patterns cast by the window onto the floor.

Though the air hinted at the arrival of spring with its warmth, her heart remained cold.

It seemed as if winter would last forever, at least for her.

“Trust me and wait.”

That phrase meant nothing other than that he and the duke would resolve her betrothal. She had already known, but still.
To think that he’d get married as soon as he returned, just like a fish back in water.

“How did he restrain himself all this time?”

It was impossible not to hear news about him. Society was abuzz with his every move, and that included the maids in her household.

Sitting quietly in her room, Liz could endlessly hear tales about him and his beautiful fiancée candidates.

“Miss, it seems it’s finally been decided. The Crown Prince’s marriage partner.”

While arranging flowers, the young maid came in, her eyes twinkling as she relayed the news she’d just heard.
Liz suddenly mustered the courage to see her mother!

“Who could have given birth to something like that.”

She thought it might be better to hear such harsh words than to be distressed by the news of that man’s marriage.

Lilia had done all she could, and what remained was deep regret.

She had inquired about Kain’s whereabouts at places where he might be known, and even went to a detective holding a montage she had drawn of him.

However, he was nowhere to be found.

Could it be possible to not find him like this?
The detective found it odd as well.

He said that he had never failed to find someone before; despite using all his connections and thoroughly investigating, this man named Kain Travis was nowhere to be found.

Lilia was immersed in deep sorrow.

She had lived a life punctuated by constant loss, but the sense of loss caused by Kain was different.

A strong regret remained.

Should she have been more proactive?

Would it have made a difference?

Had her overly cautious actions inadvertently let him slip away?
The guilt of feeling that everything was her fault was more painful than the sense of loss.

However, she had to endure somehow, and that was what she did best.