TSHL 08

Chapter 8

1.5 After She Left

In one corner of the mansion, a few maids were whispering among themselves.

“They say the Duchess ran away.”
“Oh my, so that’s why she wasn’t seen all day? She really left the mansion?”
“That can’t be true. She personally oversaw the preparations for the Second Young Master’s coming-of-age banquet just recently!”

The entire mansion was in chaos — the atmosphere heavy with unease.

The Duchess had left.

Without a single hint or warning, she disappeared one day without a trace.
As if she had never existed at all — like foam that simply dissolved and vanished.

Though the servants whispered among themselves, everyone was careful with their words. Only a few outspoken ones dared to voice their opinions.

“It wasn’t running away — she chose to leave.”
“That marriage was doomed from the start. Better late than never.”
“Still, she’s been leading this household for seven years. Leaving like this doesn’t make sense.”

Opinions about Cassia were divided.

Some said she was a shameless woman who had taken her friend’s place, occupying the role of Duchess unethically.
Others said that despite all the gossip, she had fulfilled her duties as the lady of the house with grace.

The debate soon shifted to whether or not the household should search for her.

Then one day, in the midst of the servants’ heated arguments, a carriage from the capital arrived at the ducal estate.

The carriage door opened, and a tall, broad-shouldered young man stepped out.

Ken Hydrian.

Now a fully grown man, he was the first son of the ducal house.

Though dressed in casual clothes for travel, the dignified bearing of an imperial knight could not be hidden. His well-toned body, trained through years of discipline, gave him a commanding presence.

And his face — it was as if the late Diana had come back to life.

At his arrival, everyone rushed out barefoot in surprise.

“Young Master Ken!”

The servants called out his name with relief, while the butler quietly approached.

“You’ve returned, sir.”
“Where is Father?”
“In his study.”

The butler, who had worn a grim face ever since the Duchess’s departure, led Ken to the study.

When Ken entered, he saw the Duke and his younger brother Nick sitting silently on the sofa.

“I’ll bring tea immediately,” said the butler, closing the door behind him.

Silence settled thickly in the room. Ken bowed his head once toward his father.

“I received the urgent message… You said my stepmother has left.”
“Sit down.”

The Duke spoke in a low tone and handed Ken a letter and a set of divorce papers.

Ken took them, his brows furrowing slightly as he began to read.

Contract?

His eyes twitched at the unfamiliar word written in the letter.

“What does this ‘contract’ mean?” he asked.
“Yes, Father — what contract? Was there something between you and her seven years ago?” said Nick, clutching his head in distress.

The Duke sighed and took out an old document from a drawer — the marriage contract with Cassia.

“Seven years ago, your stepmother and I agreed to a contractual marriage.”

He placed the paper before his sons.

“His Majesty had long wished to deepen ties with our family. When your mother passed away, Cassia feared that both of you would become victims of that political void.”
“So you’re saying she married you to protect us?”

Nick’s mouth fell open in disbelief. The Duke nodded.

“Of course, I never expected her to flee the moment those seven years were up.”

“Then what now?”

Nick’s shocked voice filled the silence — only to be met with Ken’s cold reply.

The two turned to look at him. His expression was unreadable, carved in ice.

The letter and divorce papers slipped from his hand, landing flat on the table.

“Whether it was a contract or not… whether she leaves or stays… what difference does it make?”
“What?”

Nick stared at him, dumbfounded.

“How can you say that? She took care of this family for seven years.”
“She did what she wanted to do. We never welcomed her.”
“That’s not—”

The Duke tried to intervene, but the brothers were already locked in silent battle.

“I don’t see why this is something to get worked up about,” Ken continued coldly. “Everything’s simply returned to where it belongs.”
“Ken!”

Nick jumped up, furious, and grabbed his brother by the collar.

“Do you even know why she started keeping her distance from us? It’s because of you.”
“…”
“If it weren’t for you, things wouldn’t have gone this far. She never would’ve left this house.”

Nick bit his lip hard.

He remembered — how Cassia had tried to connect with them at first.

Even when busy, she would bake like a kind aunt, offering him his favorite cakes she’d made herself.

She had given Ken a sword — personally designed with a master craftsman — as a gift when he was training in swordsmanship.

Every night, she would greet them kindly, asking about their day. She even helped with their academy homework.

In a place where she had no friends or family, she desperately tried to become part of their family.

She gave them everything — wholly and sincerely.

But what she received in return was cold indifference, as if she were invisible.

Ken hated her and never hid it, acting every inch the proud noble.
Whenever he saw her, he looked at her with open contempt.
And when he had to speak, his words dripped with hostility.

Nick, timid and hesitant, could only follow his brother’s lead — ignoring his stepmother out of fear.

He didn’t entirely blame Ken. He knew it came from his brother’s effort not to forget their real mother.

“Still, even so — running away was too much. Do you even realize what you did to her?”

The memories of their childhood flashed between them.

* * *

One day, the Duke was summoned to the capital by the Emperor.

The social circles were in turmoil then — the Third Prince had gone missing, and the Emperor entrusted the Duke with finding him.

Before leaving, the Duke told his wife that she could send word anytime if anything happened.

During his absence, Cassia, along with the butler, handled the ducal affairs in his place.

On her very first day of work, she found the study in ruins.

Papers torn and scattered across the floor.
Books from the shelves dumped everywhere.
Broken glass from shattered picture frames crunched underfoot.

She stood frozen for a moment before turning to the maids beside her.

“What is this?”
“It wasn’t us, my lady!”

The maids waved their hands frantically, their eyes wide with fear of being dismissed.

“I-It was the First Young Master,” one of them stammered.
“Ken?”
“Yes… He suddenly came in… We couldn’t stop him.”

That was only the beginning.

Ken’s behavior worsened day by day.

Important documents disappeared. Glue was smeared on her chair. Dead rats replaced her papers in drawers.

After meals, she often fell ill with stomach pains. Bruises and scratches began appearing on her body.
Small, humiliating incidents followed her endlessly.

Ken did everything he could to disrupt her duties — each act a silent threat for her to leave the mansion.

It was a desperate rebellion, an attempt to change what his father refused to fix.

Perhaps that was why Cassia never told the Duke. She endured it all quietly.

She pitied the boy — his anger, his loneliness. Those hurt her more than her own wounds.

If enduring his cruelty would ease his pain even slightly, she thought she could bear it.
Each time she endured, she felt she might be one step closer to reaching him.

But without realizing it, her patience had worn dangerously thin.

One day, after a difficult dinner with the retainers — the same ones who had opposed her marriage — Cassia returned home feeling sick and weary.

She had insisted on attending despite her husband’s absence, knowing that canceling would seem improper for the Duchess.

The dinner had been torture, but she held her head high until the very end.

When everyone had left, she clutched her chest in frustration and made her way to her room — only to find it again in utter chaos.

Just like that very first day, when Ken had begun tormenting her.