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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: I want a divorce
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Roje nodded, a smile gracing her lips.
"Yes. A divorce."
"May I ask why you wish for a divorce?"
"Well..."
Roje's voice trailed off at the Grand Duke's words before she answered.
"He's not exactly a good man, is he? Anyone can see that."
"..."
At Roje's reply, the Grand Duke blinked, as if dumbfounded. It was genuinely surprising to hear such words from Roje. From the start, Eric was never what anyone would call a good man. Rumors of his affairs always followed him wherever he went. The anecdotes of young ladies pulling each other's hair out to win his affections were infamous in high society. Moreover, Roje's parents, the Count and Countess Serviart, had tried to dissuade her until the very eve of her wedding. Yet, blinded by love, Roje had pushed through with the marriage despite everyone's objections.
"It seems you've realized it quite quickly."
The Grand Duke let out a small sigh, as if relieved she had finally come to her senses, and gazed at Roje with a faint smile.
"I intend to change now. I won't live as I did before."
Her voice was soft, but the glint in her eyes held a fierce determination to change her own fate.
'If I hadn't transmigrated... the original heroine would have lived a miserable life, forever trapped in Eric's grasp.'
Clinging to the futile hope that Eric would someday love her... Roje recalled Eric, who had never given the original heroine any love throughout her life. Somehow, Eric's turned back overlapped with Lee Dohyeon's. He was someone she believed was hers, yet he had never been hers, not even once. As she lost herself in thoughts of Lee Dohyeon, who had sprung to mind unbidden,
"You've made a wise decision. Now, your parents' worries can finally be somewhat eased."
Grand Duke Arteum's voice reached her ears. When the subject of her parents, a connection she had thought severed, came up, Roje collected herself and asked him in return.
"By any chance... do you keep in touch with my parents, Grand Duke?"
"I inquire about their well-being now and then."
"Oh, I see. How are my parents doing? Are they... doing well?"
Has she truly matured? The Grand Duke found Roje's demeanor remarkably new, as she had never once concerned herself with her parents throughout her life. She had cut ties with them, chosen a man over them, and hadn't even contacted them for a full three years. As the relentless time flowed by, the Count and Countess Serviart's hearts had been consumed by worry. Their cherished only daughter, Roje, was chasing after that scoundrel Eric—the son of the Wence family, no less, who had brought their own house to ruin. In truth, Roje wasn't asking because she felt any affection for them or missed them. They weren't her real parents, after all. There was only one reason she asked: to confirm if they could be a support system for her as she embarked on her journey of independence. That was all.
'I thought she didn't care about her parents at all.'
Seeing her inquire about her parents' well-being, the Grand Duke wondered if he had misunderstood her all this time. He reflected on whether he, too, had been viewing Roje through a preconceived lens, much like how others often misunderstood him. Grand Duke Arteum then spoke in a calm tone.
"They are living much the same as before."
The words sounded somewhat ambiguous.
'...He means they're doing well, right?'
In truth, Roje had no idea how the Count and Countess Serviart were doing. That part hadn't been separately described in the book.
"They are quite worried about you. They will be rather pleased to hear this news."
'That's a relief. They won't turn me away even if I go to them.'
Roje, who had been worried that the Count and Countess Serviart might cast her out, let out a sigh of relief. It was as good as finding a safe haven for Roje, who would have nowhere to go after the divorce. Roje smiled and spoke to the Grand Duke.
"Could you please tell them I'll visit them soon?"
"I will."
Grand Duke Arteum nodded at Roje, who was extending her hand first, and continued to speak.
"When do you plan to proceed with the divorce?"
"As soon as possible."
At the Grand Duke's words, Roje answered swiftly, as if she didn't need to think. Her eyes, fixed on Grand Duke Arteum, gleamed brighter than ever as she clenched her fists. Had the Grand Duke ever seen Roje like this before? He could unequivocally say it was the first time he had witnessed such burning determination in her.
Seeing Roje gaze at him with such bright, sparkling eyes, he almost let out a snort of laughter without realizing it. From her disheveled hair to her eager gaze, Roje's face seemed to overlap with the image of his own pet.
'It's rude to say to a lady, but she truly resembles Finn.'
Grand Duke Arteum deliberately hid the twitch at the corner of his lips and collected himself. Then, pretending nothing was amiss, he continued.
"The procedure isn't overly complicated. Since it's the revocation of a love sworn before God, the divorce process must still be performed before a High Priest... but it has been simplified these days."
"Simplified?"
"You just need to stamp your seals on the documents and submit them."
Roje let out a sigh of relief, a light smile gracing her lips, at the surprisingly simple procedure.
'It's a relief there's no ridiculous setup like women not being able to file for divorce first.'
This grim novel's setting was a fictional world created by the author's unique worldview, so she couldn't let her guard down. As Roje smiled in relief, the Grand Duke's voice reached her ears.
"It seems there's nothing specific I need to help you with."
He swept his hair back and lowered himself into a sitting position. Then, meeting Roje's gaze, he rested his chin on one hand. Even with dark red blood caked and matted in his hair, the Grand Duke, covered in gore, exuded an ethereal quality, like a work of art. The scattered bloodstains only served to highlight his remarkably pale skin.
'It should be normal to be scared of someone like this, but...'
Strangely, she didn't feel the same chilling intensity as before. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't afraid of the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke, however, gravely misunderstood Roje's gaze upon him. Not only did she keep blushing when she looked at him, but she had also abandoned her husband's faction to side with him, hadn't she? And just a moment ago, she had even said this:
'The Grand Duke is kind and a good person.'
Peeking glances, as if shy, unable to meet his eyes. However, the Grand Duke's memory was distorted. While Roje had indeed said the Grand Duke was 'kind,' she had never said he was a 'good person.' Furthermore, contrary to his recollection, Roje hadn't been blushing shyly the entire time. It was true that Roje had glanced at his face, but she wasn't falling in love with the Grand Duke or anything of the sort. Her face had merely flushed from the tension of being in his presence, nothing more, nothing less. And her siding with the Grand Duke was due to Roje's personality, which couldn't pretend ignorance of the situation even after seeing the execution plot. Grand Duke Arteum would have no way of knowing this. If Roje hadn't intervened in that situation, the Grand Duke would have been implicated as the killer of Marquis Bled. If that had happened, the Grand Duke would have died, and Roje would likely have lost sleep tormented by the guilt of having stood by. Yet, the Grand Duke was thinking in a completely different direction.
'Perhaps I might be the decisive reason she decided to divorce.'
The Grand Duke, still not tearing his gaze from Roje, slowly rose to his feet. Roje, somewhat awkwardly, followed suit and stood up from her seat.
"It truly bothers me that I could only offer such meager assistance in return for you saving my life."
"No, not at all. It was a great deal of help."
Roje waved her hand dismissively at Grand Duke Arteum as she spoke. Although the divorce procedure was quite simple, the Grand Duke's answer had indeed been helpful.
"No, I am not alright with it."
The Grand Duke, speaking in a firm voice, curved his lips into a smile, his eyes half-closed, as he looked at Roje.
"I shall grant you anything you wish."
"Anything...?"
"Yes. So, tell me what you desire."
The Grand Duke urged Roje, who was hesitating and unable to easily open her mouth. At the Grand Duke's words, Roje's eyes wavered. She couldn't decide if she should truly voice what she wanted.
'I shouldn't make him dislike me for no reason...'
It wouldn't be good for the trust she had painstakingly earned to be easily broken by a single word, so Roje proceeded with caution. She peeked glances at the Grand Duke. In her eyes, the Grand Duke appeared more generous than ever. Looking at his expression, an ambition stirred deep within Roje's heart. It was her own desire, which she had planned but never been able to achieve, kept hidden in the depths of her mind.
'What's the harm in asking? I have nothing to lose.'
Barely having made up her mind, Roje's lips parted. The Grand Duke, who had been waiting for Roje to speak, leaned slightly forward. He was immensely curious to hear what would come out of her mouth.
"Then... could you lend me some money?"
Money? Did she just say 'money'?
"..."
Even though the Grand Duke had clearly heard Roje's words, he doubted his own ears. He had never expected the words 'lend me money' to come from Roje's mouth. Born into royalty and having lived a life of abundance, he had always believed that other nobles were no different from himself. For her, the daughter of the Count Serviart family, to ask for money was truly surprising to his sensibilities. Roje saw the Grand Duke's dumbfounded expression as he stared at her, and her face fell.
'As expected... Was it too much to ask for money so suddenly?'
To shamelessly ask for money as payment for saving his life...
'Ugh... I shouldn't have asked.'
If she could, she would have taken back every word she had just spoken. Only an awkward silence filled the space between them. Roje's face flushed in the quiet, a silence so profound even the crickets seemed to have stopped chirping.
'The Grand Duke probably just said that as an empty promise, and I took it too seriously.'
She might not receive alimony after divorcing Eric, so she wanted to have a backup plan. Although the Wence count's family currently had solid finances, there was no guarantee they would provide Roje with alimony. Considering the Wence family's past misdeeds, they might even try to strip her own family bare. Roje felt like stitching her mouth shut for uttering such useless words. Grand Duke Arteum was the only connection she had made at the banquet today, and she feared that tie might uselessly vanish.
"I apologize, Grand Duke. I spoke out of turn."
Roje hastily bowed her head towards the Grand Duke. She was worried she might appear materialistic.
"Please pretend you didn't hear what I just said."
She cursed herself for shamelessly asking for money and squeezed her eyes shut. Just then,
"...How much do you want?"
The Grand Duke's unexpected voice reached her ears.
"Pardon?"
Roje slowly raised her head and looked at Grand Duke Arteum. She didn't forget to ask again, as if wanting to confirm that she hadn't misheard him.
"The money, I mean. How much do you want?"
The Grand Duke, who had been looking at her with a bewildered expression, was nowhere to be seen. He gazed at Roje with his usual dry expression. Ah, perhaps not entirely usual. A hint of bewilderment still lingered in his eyes. Grand Duke Arteum cleared his throat a couple of times and spoke to Roje once more.
"I will lend it to you. Whatever the amount."
Roje's face was painted with hope at the Grand Duke's unexpected generosity. In the mire of this grim novel, where she had no one to rely on and no one to trust, Grand Duke Arteum had extended a hand to Roje. It felt as though she had unexpectedly gained a powerful ally.
