Chapter 163

“Your Grace, though it’s a bit late, congratulations on your wedding.”

“Thank you.”

The young ladies Scheuer had once wandered around the capital and offered their greetings. Unlike the somewhat awkward interactions from before, this one was purely cordial, making it easier for her to respond. Holding a champagne glass, Scheuer gazed at the orchestra playing the evening’s music, marveling inwardly.

‘I didn’t expect him to arrange it this quickly.’

After hearing his name from her, Raygrain had wasted no time in securing the Emperor’s approval to host the banquet. The official reason? “To commemorate the High Priest’s return to the capital.” Invitations were swiftly sent out across the Imperial court and noble families. In reality, the High Priest, Sevi, hadn’t even arrived in the capital yet, still on his expedition to uncover ancient stone tablets. The whole premise of the banquet was just an excuse.

‘How in the world did he convince the Emperor so easily…? ’ She wondered, somewhat in awe.

It seemed Raygrain had no real animosity with the Emperor, and the Emperor was known to be fair. Scheuer remembered how, during a past tournament, the Emperor had reprimanded Prince Silcaro when a knight was killed in the arena, demonstrating his impartiality. Despite the nobles’ constant political jockeying, the Emperor adhered strictly to the doctrine in the holy texts, which described the Imperial family as mediators, impartial to any region or noble house.

Taking a sip of champagne, Scheuer glanced at Raygrain, who stood beside her receiving greetings from guests. For an event that had been organized so suddenly, the banquet was flawlessly executed, with the only issue being the number of late arrivals due to the short notice. Among those tardy guests was none other than the Duke of Litton.

“The Duke of Litton has arrived! ”The herald announced.

As Duke Litton entered the room, Scheuer immediately looked to see who was accompanying him, expecting to find his wife, Lady Annabelle, at his side. To her surprise, he was alone.

‘Wait… where’s Lady Annabelle?’

Scheuer scanned the room but couldn’t spot the Viscountess anywhere. She had fully expected Lady Annabelle to attend with her husband, so the absence left her momentarily taken aback. Unfazed, Duke Litton moved gracefully through the crowd, offering polite greetings to the nobles. Eventually, he made his way to Scheuer and Raygrain. With his usual warm smile, the Duke bowed respectfully.

“It’s been a while, Your Grace, Her Grace.”

Upon closer inspection, Scheuer noticed that he looked slightly thinner than the last time she saw him. As soon as Raygrain returned the greeting, Duke Litton seemed ready to move on. 

Scheuer urgently called him out.

“Duke Litton! Did you happen to receive the letter I sent? ”

“If it was sent today… I had to decline because my health hasn’t been good lately. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I was a bit surprised to see you.”

His excuse didn’t feel like a lie.

Despite being neatly dressed, his eyes were sunken, and his cheeks were gaunt, revealing signs of illness.

Scheuer asked worriedly,

“Can we talk for a moment? ”

He seemed to think he could no longer avoid it and simply bowed his head in acceptance.

Even as they stepped out to the terrace with Raygrain, Duke Litton didn’t speak.

Raygrain was also quiet, leaving only the noisy sounds from the banquet hall beyond the terrace window to fill the awkward silence.

It was difficult for Scheuer to adapt to this change in Duke Litton, who used to be quite talkative. She cautiously broke the silence. 

“Duke Litton, is there something going on with Lady Annabelle?”

“…Didn’t you know? ”

“Excuse me? ”

“I thought you were corresponding with Annabelle.”

“I did, but it’s been a while since we stopped.”

Only then did Duke Litton let out a heavy sigh. He rubbed his face with both hands, looking troubled. Despite his considerable stature, he appeared pitifully thin and frail.

He hesitated before finally speaking.

“Annabelle has asked for a divorce.”

“What?!”

Scheuer exclaimed in shock, inadvertently raising her voice. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Raygrain’s indifferent gaze seemed to suggest that he too was taken aback by the unexpected news.

‘But Baron Seisen, who was at the wedding, didn’t mention anything like that!’

Baron Seisen also didn’t seem to keep in regular contact with Lady Annabelle. If Lady Annabelle were to leave Duke Litton, it would be natural for her to return to Baron Seisen’s house. So, why hadn’t she even mentioned it? That she was keeping such a matter secret even from her father was perplexing.

Scheuer struggled to appear calm, but her heart raced for a different reason at the shocking news. Duke Litton seemed surprisingly composed, as if he had already come to terms with the request for divorce.

“Not long after you returned to the North, she started going out more,” he said.

“Well, that’s expected. Lady Annabelle is quite sociable,” Scheuer replied.

“Exactly. I thought that too, but it’s been hard to see her at the mansion after that.”

“Why did she ask for a divorce? ”

“I don’t know. I tried to persuade her and pleaded with her, but she wouldn’t even show her face.”

Scheuer finally understood why the maid had come to pick up the jewelry at the boutique. Lady Annabelle had already left Duke Litton’s household.

‘So the jewelry she ordered before asking for a divorce…’

It was unbelievable. Lady Annabelle had always taken pride in Duke Litton. While only those directly involved truly understand the intricacies of their relationship, they had dated since their time at the academy. Duke Litton had married her despite the significant differences in their family’s status. From what Scheuer had observed at the banquet, he seemed like a good husband.

Given that he was clearly suffering emotionally to the point of becoming gaunt…

Oddly enough, Raygrain also wore a serious expression while listening to Duke Litton.

The Duke continued, “I thought you might know, Your Highness. She occasionally came to the mansion to pick up your letters.”

“So, you were avoiding her,” Scheuer deduced.

“Yes. I thought you called me to persuade me to get a divorce.”

“Well, I also noticed that Lady Annabelle was acting rather strangely, so I cut off contact. It seems that this might be linked to the reasons behind the divorce.”

She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that she had seen Lady Annabelle earlier in the day, looking quite healthy.

He asked with concern, “You’re still in contact with Baron Seisen, right? ”

“Yes, but it seems he hasn’t been in touch with Lady Annabelle either.”

“Ah… Thank you for letting me know.”

He let out a deep cry.

All Scheuer could do at that moment was offer him comfort.

“Stay strong, Duke Litton. I’m sorry, this is all I can say.”

“No, it’s alright. I apologize for sharing this with you two, who have just gotten married.”

Duke Litton offered a bittersweet smile and bowed before returning to the banquet hall.

Only then could Scheuer take a deep breath.

The surprise she had been holding back in front of Duke Litton flooded back to her.

“Duke, what’s going on? Haven’t you heard anything? ”

“It seems that Lady Annabelle is still doing well in society.”

“Right? Is this news unknown to anyone? Has she kept it a secret from everyone? ”

As Scheuer rapidly fired off her questions, Raygrain’s jaw tightened.

Betty and Solle also seemed completely unaware.

Scheuer quickly scanned the banquet hall through the terrace window, hoping Lady Annabelle hadn’t arrived yet.

Raygrain, leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed, looked down at her with a serious expression, as if deep in thought.

In the midst of this, a servant’s voice faintly echoed.

“Lady Annabelle Litton is here! ”

Scheuer vividly saw Duke Litton quickly lift his head.

Entering from a distance, Lady Annabelle walked gracefully into the banquet hall, adorned in an even more extravagant dress and holding a fan decorated with jewels.

With a lace ribbon around her neck and a gem set in the center, she looked nothing like someone on the verge of a divorce.

‘There’s no one else with her.’

Scheuer frowned and pressed closer to the window.

Lady Annabelle was receiving greetings from various guests, living up to her reputation as a social butterfly.

Before long, the servant called out again.

“His Highness Silcaro and Lady Erina, along with Duke Netri, are here! ”

It seemed that although Lady Erina’s position had diminished, her engagement was still intact.

Soon, the three of them entered together.

The moment Scheuer saw them, she doubted her own eyes.

“Your Highness, do you see the ribbon around Silcaro’s neck? ”

“Yes, it looks extravagant.”

“What about Lady Annabelle’s ribbon? ”

With far better eyesight than Scheuer, he quickly glanced and replied,

“It’s made of the same material.”

“To a great mind, nothing is littlr” – Sherlock Holmes