Chapter 24
To be honest, after receiving reports that Monica was behaving strangely and wandering around the ducal estate, and then seeing the lost look in her eyes when they faced each other over the divorce issue…
Liam began to fall into a strange feeling.
This time, he found himself curious not about Monica’s glamorous exterior, but about her inner self.
Before long, he found himself entertaining a hypothesis—what if they didn’t divorce? He was overcome with a desire to dig deeper into the woman named Monica.
As expected, he thought to himself—he really had no pride.
Liam was repeatedly taken aback by how shaken he was.
‘Don’t tell me I’m actually believing her act?’
In the midst of inexplicable confusion, he questioned himself.
And immediately, one side of his chest answered: it wasn’t an act.
Liam wasn’t so soft that he couldn’t distinguish between pretense and sincerity.
“Enough.”
He had to cut off the thoughts that kept following one after another.
No matter how much she had changed, the things that had happened in the past wouldn’t just magically disappear. With his heart still wounded, he tried to sever the aimless train of thought.
He decided to simply wait for time to pass.
Three months would go by quickly. Hadn’t more than a week already passed?
Once this period was over, everything would return to how it was before, and his heart would settle completely.
He shouted the word “enough” like a warning to himself.
However…
His true feelings didn’t seem to want that. Like water seeping through a small crack, his thoughts wouldn’t stop.
When he happened to glance at the handkerchief on his desk, the image of Monica flinching and backing away came to mind.
Had someone threatened her? She had clearly been terrified.
Just remembering that moment made Liam feel as though a crack had formed in his heart.
Why did Monica’s frightened eyes keep resurfacing in his mind? Why had she cried like a lost child?
Even when he tried to force the image out of his head, it kept returning.
‘Was it because I raised my voice at her?’
The Monica of the past would have stared him straight in the eye and mocked him as uncultured and vulgar. But the strangely changed Monica had cried.
Even though she knew Liam would never hurt her, she had still been scared.
Then… could it be?
‘Did someone really threaten her?’
It wasn’t an entirely impossible hypothesis. But in the Empire, unless the debtor ran away, banks and loan sharks couldn’t mistreat people recklessly.
Frustrated, he muttered to himself again.
“Who could it be? Who threatened her? Ah!”
He quickly summoned his confidant and ordered him to investigate Monica’s recent activities.
Liam’s instincts pointed toward Crown Prince Theodoro—the man Monica desperately wanted, the one who could make her the most noble among nobles.
But why? Why did it have to be a scoundrel like Crown Prince Theodoro?
His mind grew even more tangled. He rubbed his face roughly and stood up, deciding to take a walk in the Imperial Garden.
It was late, and the Imperial Garden was quiet and peaceful.
While some people like Liam, who worked late, could still be seen, the area was mostly quiet with everyone having returned home.
The cold breeze brushed against his face, refreshing him. He closed his eyes for a moment to gather his thoughts and feel the wind.
“Duke Liam!”
A familiar voice called from nearby. Liam slowly opened his eyes and turned toward the voice.
“Ah, Baron Alex. How have you been?”
“Quite well, thanks to you.”
With a brief greeting, Liam began to pass by, but Alex’s voice stopped him again.
“If I’d known you were working at the imperial office today, I would have delivered the letter directly…”
Liam raised an eyebrow and asked bluntly what he was talking about.
“Ah! Today, a letter from the Imperial Court regarding marriage counseling was sent to the ducal house.”
“A marriage counseling letter?”
“Yes, yes. The duchess visited the court personally and submitted an application. I should’ve sent the notice sooner, but with a new counselor starting this time, things got delayed a bit.”
“Marriage counseling?”
“Yes! Didn’t you receive the information when you submitted the divorce paperwork? It’s part of the Empire’s new counseling initiative. Once someone applies, a three-month cooling-off period for divorce is automatically granted.”
Liam’s expression gradually darkened.
She had applied personally at the court? It was hard to believe, so he asked a question, trying to deny the situation.
“Is exemption possible?”
“She already applied, so it would be difficult to request an exemption. There has to be a solid reason. You don’t want to attend the counseling? But the duchess seemed quite eager.”
“Monica did?”
Liam asked again, unable to believe it.
“Yes. She came in person, asked about everything in detail, and said she didn’t actually want a divorce before applying. Duke, divorce isn’t something you do alone. Believe me. I may be old, but I have more experience in marriage than you. Right now, you may not even want to see her, but you’ll regret it later.”
Liam held up a hand, cutting off Alex’s speech.
If he didn’t stop him, the man would probably talk until dawn.
“You’re sure you didn’t confuse her with another woman?”
“Oh come now! Even with my poor eyesight and thick glasses, how could I not recognize the Duchess Orsée? She doesn’t attend many social events, but I’ve seen her at functions with her husband before.”
“So, the counseling letter was sent to the ducal house?”
“Yes! That’s right.”
Liam, who had been trying to clear his mind with a stroll, found his thoughts even more tangled and his head starting to hurt.
“Let’s talk later, Baron Alex.”
“Of course. I know it’s all a bit confusing now, but it’ll get better. See you at the counseling session.”
Alex gave a polite farewell and disappeared into the night.
“Haa…”
A sigh escaped Liam’s lips. He stood still for a while, trying to process the situation.
Her recent actions completely contradicted her past behavior. He couldn’t grasp her intentions.
That’s why conflicting thoughts kept tormenting him.
‘Could it be… Monica really changed? Maybe she truly doesn’t want a divorce.’
In a state of confusion, Liam ended up staying at the imperial office all night and only returned to the ducal estate the following morning.
Early in the morning, Monica was getting ready to go out.
“Kyuuu…”
“Oh, Lucky. You still look so unwell.”
She gently patted Lucky on the head several times, clearly worried.
Lucky, who had been curled up, perked up a little and licked her hand, seemingly comforted.
“Hang in there. I’ll ask Liam about it when I see him.”
Monica then stood up and, fully prepared, headed to the front door where her carriage waited.
“My lady.”
Suddenly, the butler stopped her.
“Butler? What is it? Did Liam return to the mansion?”
If Liam was back and in his office, she wanted to at least stop by and ask what she could feed Lucky.
If not, she wanted to head quickly to the Liat trading company.
“It’s not that. A letter arrived from the Imperial Court. One for the duke, and one for you.”
“Ah! It must be the marriage counseling letter.”
“Yes, that’s what’s written on the envelope.”
The butler handed over the letter.
“Leave mine on the desk. I’ll check it when I return. And Liam’s…”
“It’s already on his desk.”
The butler cleared his throat and looked at her reassuringly.
“This old man will stay up all night if I must, just to inform the duke about the letter. So don’t worry.”
Monica stepped closer and took the butler’s hand.
“Thank you, Butler. I’m truly grateful for all your help, Peter. I mean it.”
She had only learned about Peter from the novel thanks to her memories. But now, he was like a real grandfather to her, a great source of strength.
“Don’t worry, my lady. I think it’s admirable how much you’re trying to change.”
The butler pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his teary eyes as he continued.
“My lady, should I prepare the freight wagon again today?”
The last time she’d gone to Liat, she’d used the butler’s help to send her belongings via freight wagon.
Since it had taken a while to get the wagon out of storage unprepared last time, the butler asked in advance this time.
“No, I’m going to Liat again, but it’s not to sell anything today.”
“You’ll be back soon, right?”
“Yes. I’ll be back quickly.”
Monica, with prominent dark circles under her eyes and a noticeably tired expression, stared at Taylor.
“Duchess Orsée, are you not attending social events or doing any self-care these days because of your debt problems?”
Taylor giggled while looking at Monica with amusement, reminding her of Theodoro.
‘Well, they are twins.’
Maybe because they were twins, Taylor, like Theodoro, seemed to know exactly how to get under Monica’s skin.
Normally, it might have annoyed her, but oddly enough, it didn’t this time.
Perhaps because they both rejected the lives others expected of them, she felt a strange sense of kinship.
Monica replied sharply.
“Yes. I haven’t had time for self-care lately.”
More giggles followed.
“Is that so? I hope you continue not to have time. I like your honest, non-fake self better. So, what’s the reason you wanted to meet me today?”
Taylor cut right to the point, catching Monica off guard.
“Your Highness, I just arrived. Shouldn’t you at least offer me a seat and a cup of tea before we talk?”
“Oh, look at me. Please, sit.”
Taylor gestured to Low to prepare tea. In no time, Low brought a well-prepared tea set and placed it neatly on the table.
“There, all set. Now talk.”
