“E… Edric.”

Melly, who had grasped the situation, barely managed to open her mouth.

The trembling in her voice, like the vibrato of a violin, was clearly audible.

“Why so early… If you had let us know in advance, we could have prepared…”

She tried to say something but couldn’t seem to finish. Because of the hostility emanating from every word of her counterpart.

Melly feared he might misunderstand her as a wife who had indulged in debauchery during his absence.

She had to explain that there were circumstances.

“Darling, actually…”

“My wife is so caring. Even celebrating the birthday of a servant.”

Edric cut off Melly’s words.

He already knew before she spoke. He had assessed the situation in that brief moment, seeing the traces of candles left on the cake pieces on the table and the ornaments adorning Oz’s body. Along with what action he should take.

“Thanks to you, the house is full of vitality.”

Edric added in a gentle voice.

“Thank you. Melissa.”

Melissa.

That name pressed down on her chest like magic.

The simple Crown Prince Lucius added his praise with a good-natured smile.

“It’s nice to see, Duchess. Next time, please play with my wife too. My wife really likes you.”

His praise must have been sincere. A man who couldn’t think there was anything more than what met the eye.

Melly bowed awkwardly and observed Edric.

His eyes were cold, unlike his generous tone. He smiled for a moment. But that smile was for his colleagues, not for Melly.

“Everyone, let’s go to my reception room.”

Edric said that and started walking. Soon after, the men followed him.

Melly bowed her head in courtesy. At that moment, she noticed a paper bag in Edric’s hand.

It was unusual for him, who rarely carried anything, but she dared not ask.

Because the aura she felt from him as he passed by was so chilly.

As if it would freeze everything in an instant.

It was the next morning when Edric called for Melly.

Until then, Melly, who thought it would just pass without any word, felt her heart sink at Oz’s message.

“My lady, His Grace says he will visit your quarters.”

She thought, finally, the moment has come.

She had been so anxious the previous night that she couldn’t sleep a wink. All the servants who had mingled with her were worried about Melly. Everyone knew that Edric was unforgiving in this regard.

‘We’ll say it was because of us.’

The servants said. But Melly couldn’t let that happen.

‘I’ll do it. Surely he won’t throw me out.’

Yes. That’s what she believed and volunteered for.

While she probably wouldn’t be thrown out, the servants were at risk of losing their jobs.

Melly moved, dressed in the most ladylike attire and wearing jewelry to Edric’s taste. It gave her a somewhat reassuring feeling, like a soldier donning armor before going to battle.

She also had to prepare herself mentally for his reprimand. That had been Melly’s habit since marrying him.

But such preparations sometimes worked, and sometimes were useless.

There were times when she thought she’d receive severe scolding but it passed gently, and times when she thought nothing would be said but unexpectedly harsh words were spoken.

But even when speaking harshly, Edric never shouted loudly.

He was very good at stinging others with soft words.

Like thinking you were being caressed by something soft and fluffy, only to find later that your skin had been rubbed raw. After hearing Edric’s words, there was always a delayed, long-lasting sore feeling.

“You called for me?”

Melly entered Edric’s living room and spoke in a deliberately calm voice.

He was sitting in an armchair reading a pamphlet. The glasses covering his azure eyes made his impression all the more stern. Melly swallowed hard.

“You’re here?”

But Edric’s voice wasn’t as cold as she had thought. When he closed the pamphlet and took off his glasses, he looked rather kinder than usual.

“Sit down. Let’s have some tea.”

He even offered Melly tea time.

If it had been someone else, they might have thought their mistake had already been forgiven, or that it would be overlooked. But not Edric.

He was definitely not someone who would just let this situation pass.

Melly became so uncomfortable that she almost wished he would just yell at her.

She finally spoke first.

“I’m sorry about last night.”

“…”

“I thought you would be late…”

Melly stopped there for a moment. It didn’t seem like words that would particularly help avoid this situation.

“No. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have done that whether you came early or late.”

“It’s alright.”

Edric continued with an unchangingly kind face.

“I thought about it carefully last night, and I wonder if I’ve been asking too much of you all this time.”

“…”

“Everyone has their own suitable inclinations, but I feel like I’ve been forcing you to wear clothes that don’t fit, ignoring that.”

He raised the corners of his mouth while interlocking his hands.

“So now I’m going to let you do as you please. That’s why I called you.”

‘This is it.’

Melly finally realized.

Instead of urging her to walk together, even if it meant pushing her, he had decided to give up completely.

Edric Pelton had decided to let her go and go on alone.

Melly felt like an abandoned animal and became anxious.

“Why… why are you doing this? Were you very troubled last night? Did your colleagues say something?”

She recalled her own image laughing loudly the night before. Shame washed over her to the point where she couldn’t raise her face.

“It won’t happen again. I promise.”

“Melly.”

Melly…

It was the first time in five years. The first time Edric had called her Melly outside of the bedroom.

It was something she had always wished for, but Melly couldn’t be happy about it at all.

Because it didn’t mean he loved her, but rather that he was expelling her from the position of Duchess.

“From now on, live as you want.”

Edric said.

His soft smile pierced Melly’s heart like a blade.

“You don’t need to force yourself to do things that don’t suit you. Mother can take on the role of mistress of the house. Just like she has been doing.”

“…”

“So live freely, using your abilities in what you’re good at. I intend to give you everything you want.”

He added in a voice so gentle it was almost violent.

“Whatever it may be.”

Melly felt herself sinking endlessly into an abyss, as if weights were tied to her legs.

Whatever she wanted, he would give her…

From the pit of the abyss, so deep it seemed impossible to rise, Melly cried out inside.

‘How far will you go? Would you grant me a divorce if I wanted it?’

“…”

She certainly thought she had cried out inside. But when she snapped out of her thoughts, Edric was staring at her with sharp eyes. He tilted his head to one side and said.

“Divorce?”

Melly realized she had unknowingly blurted out what she had been thinking.

Before she could explain that it was a mistake, that she had just been venting to her inner self out of desperation, he said.

“If that’s what you want.”

“…”

“Gladly.”

Until just now, Melly had been unable to control the feeling of sinking endlessly. But now she couldn’t handle the rising heat. She felt like she would suffocate and die from the heat if she didn’t find some hole to release it through.

“That’s… that’s not right, is it? How can you talk about divorce so easily…”

“I said ‘if that’s what you want.'”

Edric pointed out the error precisely in an unwavering voice.

“Did you perhaps hope that I would cling to you, saying I can’t break up even if you said let’s part?”

“…”

Melly felt ashamed for a moment as he so accurately pinpointed her inner thoughts.

“If so, I’m sorry. I’m not that kind of person.”

“…”

His words, spoken in a calm voice, made Melly feel much more miserable than being loudly criticized.

“Whether you sincerely want a divorce or not, my thoughts remain unchanged. I will follow whatever decision you make. So you don’t need to adjust to me anymore. Do… what you can do well.”

He paused briefly in the middle because of Wilson. Wilson had come to Edric’s quarters with an urgent letter bearing the imperial seal.

“…”

While Melly sat silent with a pale face, Edric put his glasses back on and reviewed the letter handed over by Wilson.

His serious reading seemed to say that this was more important than their conversation up to now, and that their talk was only worth mentioning briefly when there was nothing else to do.

What was a world-shattering topic for Melly was of such little weight to Edric.

Wilson glanced briefly at Melly.

A flash of sympathy crossed his eyes. He seemed to have sensed what had happened between the two just by the atmosphere flowing in the room.

“That’s enough. You may go.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Wilson prepared to withdraw at Edric’s words.

“Not you.”

Melly could meet Edric’s blue eyes visible above his glasses.

The object of Edric’s dismissal was not Wilson, but Melly herself.

Her allotted time was over. Composing her emotions was her own problem to deal with. Alone.

Melly barely managed to stand up. Edric shifted his gaze to the documents before she had fully risen.

Behind Melly as she turned away, the sound of turning pages could be heard.

And then came the sound of Edric giving instructions to Wilson in a low voice.

Melly felt herself long dead in his world.

If mental wounds could bleed, every place she passed would have been stained with blood.