After the meal, I headed straight to the study.
After hearing that Anna had died, I couldn’t manage my expression at all.
‘I thought she just moved her residence, but she’s dead?’
I already knew that Anna had disappeared.
Since the Duke could hide her anywhere without anyone knowing, I thought he had done something.
‘If she’s dead, Helene wouldn’t have done it.’
The Duke said that Helene kept Anna alive to use her as my weakness. There’s no way she would kill such a useful person, and she wasn’t the type to commit murder without thinking.
Above all, Helene even came to me and asked if I killed Anna. Her subtly shaking eyes and expression made it seem like she really thought I did it.
‘Is she really dead?’
Isn’t there a possibility that she faked her death and fled overseas to live under a new identity?
I pondered, rummaging through books on sea routes, world geography, and tracking.
‘I’ll have to ask the Duke on the day of the volunteer work.’
The conclusion is that Helene intends to reveal my secret someday. Probably when she’s cornered.
There are no eternal secrets.
I had been preparing to live alone since I stepped into this charade.
In the original story I vaguely remember, the male lead knows that the female lead is fake but pretends not to know, but novels and reality are different.
“But that guy seems like he’d really pretend not to know.”
I muttered in a gloomy tone, recalling Masera, who said he would become a ‘truly affectionate husband.’
But he would realize that all my words and actions so far were lies to survive, and he would suffer alone.
Even if he understands, it doesn’t mean he won’t be hurt.
Thinking about it made my heart ache.
* * *
Late in the evening, Masera urgently summoned Dahlia and Diego.
The two rushed over, thinking something had happened, and Masera asked them in a serious tone.
“It seems like she’s being awkward around me lately.”
“Who?”
“My wife.”
Masera raised his chin and spoke with a stern face.
Dahlia and Diego eased their shoulders and looked at each other at the embarrassing title. Soon, the two looked at Masera and said simultaneously.
“Did you do something wrong again?”
Did I do something wrong again? Anyone would think I’m just a villain plotting to torment her.
……Now that I think about it, I guess I was.
Masera sighed, interlacing his fingers and placing them under his chin.
“No, I said I would become a truly good husband, not just for show.”
Diego was surprised, feeling that something was off between the two recently, but he didn’t think it was this serious.
“Suddenly?”
“It’s a decision I made suddenly after a long deliberation.”
Cynthia is a good person, but she is a descendant of the royal family, who are like enemies to him.
Even if she doesn’t have bad intentions, Count Queensguard was the problem. He might treat Masera, who has become sincere, like a pushover son-in-law.
“I support you.”
At that moment, Dahlia clenched her fist and made a determined face.
Masera must have made the decision considering Count Queensguard’s dark intentions, the betrayal his aides would feel, and everything else.
It’s better than hating each other for the rest of their lives.
Diego cautiously began to speak.
“I think the Princess is just embarrassed by the Brigadier General’s sudden change in attitude. You’ve been drawing a line, expressing resentment towards the royal family, and in many ways…….”
Diego trailed off, recalling the past events.
Masera nodded without objection, as if he knew what he meant without him saying it.
“That’s right.”
I was cold, often said harsh things, and was even indifferent. Making her write a will wasn’t a minor offense, but a serious crime.
“What kind of effort should I make now?”
At Masera’s question, Dahlia, with her hands politely gathered, spoke up.
“You just need to do as much as the Princess has done.”
“You just need to do as well as the Brigadier General has done wrong.”
Diego’s voice followed.
Soon, Dahlia clapped her hands as if she had a good idea.
“Eugene said that before sincerely apologizing to someone, he writes down the things he did wrong on paper.”
“Isn’t there a more mature method?”
“Then write a written apology in an adult way. Regardless of age, you need an attitude of reflecting on your mistakes and promising to prevent recurrence.”
Diego seemed very pleased with this situation of making his superior write a written apology.
Masera stared at Diego, who had a calm smile, and then waved his hand to tell him to leave.
After the two left, he waited for Cynthia in the bedroom, taking out a notebook and a fountain pen.
“……What was there?”
Masera turned the fountain pen and worried.
The eyeball sticker attached to the fountain pen seemed to be looking at him with a scolding gaze.
When did she put this on again?
Scribble. Scribble.
Masera, who was writing down the charges he had committed, blankly looked down at the notebook, which had become full before he knew it.
「Around 3 PM on December 16th, the defendant publicly insulted the victim, who said, ‘I found a funny-looking furry mushroom,’ by saying, ‘It looks like you.’」
In the end, it became a statement instead of a written apology.
Writing down even the trivial things made him feel like a piece of trash who deserved to be shot.
「Caused pain by comparing trauma to other cases and treating it lightly.」
“You don’t even know everything about me.”
“…….”
At that time, Cynthia had a different expression than usual. It was as if someone had recklessly stirred up a carefully covered wound.
“Aren’t we in a relationship based on a deal? Nothing will change if we have a child between us.”
……What kind of apology should I make for this? It seemed like she wanted a child.
Masera closed the notebook and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the wall clock.
It was already 3 AM.
Worried about Cynthia, who hadn’t returned until late, he headed to the study.
“…….”
She had told him to go to bed first because she had something to do, but she was lying face down on the desk.
He approached Cynthia. He could hear her soft, sleeping breath.
‘Is this revenge for sleeping in separate rooms all this time?’
Then that was a relief. It’s better to take revenge and let it go than to avoid it uncomfortably.
He was curious about what Cynthia was working so hard on, so he looked at the books on the desk.
– World Geography for Travelers
– Surviving as an Immigrant
– How Did That Phantom Thief Escape?
– The Road to Success to Escape a Life of Hardship
Anyone could tell that it was a must-read for someone dreaming of escaping far away and starting a new life.
Then Masera’s gaze turned to the novel on the edge.
– How to Throw Your Husband in the Trash (Rated 19+)
‘……?’
Masera immediately realized after seeing the title of the book. That was the book that Diego said Cynthia had secretly brought in.
Does she want to throw me in the trash?
And judging by the fact that it’s 19+, it seemed to be about killing me cruelly and throwing me in the trash.
‘Why is she reading it openly in the study?’
Is it a silent warning?
Masera, with a serious face, stepped back silently.
‘She was very angry.’
He put his coat over her, who was sleeping face down, and left the study with a lonely face.
* * *
The next day, Masera saw Cynthia heading to the shooting range.
‘Why is she going there?’
She never went near there usually.
‘Is she going to practice shooting me to death?’
Then he noticed her tense, hunched shoulders and anxious, hurried steps.
Suddenly, he remembered the doctor’s words that frequent exposure to stimuli is a way to overcome trauma.
She’s going to face the pain. To overcome it.
Her hunched back looked like someone going to find a way to live alone.
‘Is she trying to abandon me because she’s afraid she’ll wither by my side?’
Masera jumped up when his thoughts reached that point.
“There’s no way I can abandon her.”
And she won’t wither.
