To Get Away from an Ex’s Obsession

Asralda’s fingertips trembled with shame.

She made an effort to change this one-sided relationship, even if only a little, from her unfortunate position.

She quickly lowered her head, trying not to reveal her crumbling inner self.

“…If you had been honest, I would have tried to understand.”
“Understand?”

Finally, Aiden turned away from the mirror. After a crooked smile, he approached her.

A chilly breeze swept through. Her usually neatly arranged hair was slightly disheveled. From above, he looked at her expressionlessly and spoke.

“Your husband stayed overnight at another woman’s house, and you say you will understand. How compassionate.”

That wasn’t what she meant. Another woman. Asralda quickly replied.

“But you two are long-time friends.”

She hadn’t doubted, but she still believed. Even in this position, Aiden accepted her as his wife, not her.

“What if she’s not just a friend?”

Of course, her trust shattered just like that. Aiden said with a sneer.

‘Just accept it as it is.’
“….”
“I went to meet Marinda, as I told you, and had an audience with the king. What you can’t say in front of me, it’s what you’re imagining.”
“….”
“That’s the truth.”

As if the ground had fallen away, her heart sank.

“Those words, now… about Marinda…”

At that moment, with a creak, Aiden’s closed door opened. The one who opened it and entered was Muriel’s beloved daughter, Marinda.

“Aiden, when will you ever come out when I suggest going for a walk first?”

Marinda, who entered with an elaborately dressed appearance and a face full of makeup, stopped in surprise. Then she alternately looked at Asralda and Aiden, who were standing side by side.

“Oh my, I heard you would be coming home late because of tea time…”

She murmured with a puzzled smile.

“You’re early?”

Asralda’s body stiffened as she looked at Marinda.

“Do I need to vacate the seat?”

Marinda glanced at Aiden while subtly observing his reaction. Simultaneously, Aiden let go of Asralda’s chin, which he had been holding coldly.

“No, it’s fine.”

Then he glanced coldly at Asralda before passing by her side.

“Come out.”

He grabbed Marinda’s wrist and left the room. Marinda, while constantly gauging Asralda’s reaction, reluctantly allowed herself to be led away.

Thump.

The sound of the closing door echoed heavily, like a punch to the chest. Asralda, who was left alone, stared blankly at the closed door.

There had been similar occasions before. But he had never been so blatantly hostile.

‘Just accept it as it is.’
“….”
“That’s the truth.”

The voice that had been echoing in her ears, as if it were piercing through my mind, still lingered.

Due to Aiden’s busy schedule, they had spent a lot of time apart, and their relationship was merely formal, without affectionate words exchanged. Nevertheless, Asralda and Aiden had spent three years together as a married couple.

There had already been several suspicions circulating between Marinda and Aiden, and Asralda had known about it. But every time she heard those rumors, she thought that they were merely gossip, as the two of them seemed to get along flawlessly. No… thinking back now, perhaps she had wanted to believe it that way.

Just let it be as it is.

***

From that night, Asralda’s fever soared. She had never been sick before, but she suffered severely, as if all the suppressed illnesses had attacked her at once.

Even after the doctor made several visits, there was no improvement. Upon hearing this, Asralda’s handmaid, Lily, stomped her feet.

“Why doesn’t the Duke come to her room when she’s in so much pain? Isn’t it too much?”

Anna, who was squeezing a towel in water and wringing it out, shook her head and whispered.

“Don’t say that. It would be a relief if he was just letting it go, but it seems he’s still concerned about attracting attention from others by avoiding going out these past few days. I heard that Lady Marinda was invited to the house just a while ago.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes, I heard it from Bella. They’re currently having a quiet meal together in the cottage.”
“For heaven’s sake… The mistress hasn’t had a proper meal in days!”

Asralda overheard that conversation in a daze. She buried her face in the pillow without making a sound.

Usually, Asralda was skilled at hiding her emotions. She had been raised to do so from an early age for the revival of her family, so it had become an ingrained habit.

But this time, it was impossible. She was in so much pain that it was excruciating, and above all, she was lying in bed. It was the only place where she poured out her sadness every night.

As her eyes became warm, her eyelashes were soon stained red. Asralda turned her head, biting her dry lips, and silently shed tears.

She couldn’t bury it in her chest as if nothing had happened. The petty whining of the noble ladies during tea time didn’t annoy her as much, strangely, but her heart was overwhelmingly bitter.

While Asralda was crying incessantly, the sound of a knock resounded from outside the door. Consequently, her tears dried up. Amidst all this, foolish anticipation crept up on her.

A foolish and naive hope that wonders whether it might be Aiden.

Of course, it was a futile and foolish thought.

Anna’s startled voice was heard as she opened the door.

“Ma-Marquis Kyle?”

Marquis Kyle?

Without realizing it, Asralda looked up and towards the door.

Familiar navy blue hair and lightly blue-tinted irises. There stood Marquis Kyle, exactly as he was known. He was clad in a thick trench coat and a long brown cloak, typical attire for the chilly northern region.

Kyle was a close friend of Aiden’s, but he lived far away in the Mimart frontier. Although he often visited the Duke’s residence even when Aiden was not there, he had other business to attend to, so he did not meet him very often.

The maids who knew this were very surprised by his visit.

“I heard that Duchess Chlorus has been lying in bed for several days, so I came in a hurry.”

Realizing that the atmosphere was strange, Kyle joked. But his remark made the atmosphere even more awkward. Without caring, he asked Asralda with a smile.

“May I go in? Duchess.”

Only then did the maids realize that Asralda was awake. Smiling at them as if everything was okay, she told Kyle.

“Yes, come in.”

She wiped away her tears quickly before he could see them. Her head was still dizzy and her stomach was still upset, but she was not so sick that she couldn’t talk. Moreover, seeing him coming like this without taking off his cloak, she thought that he must have an urgent matter that could not wait for formalities.

She tried to sit up, but Kyle hastily stopped her.

“Oh, you can just lie down.”

Even without his help, she couldn’t get up. In the end, Asralda had no choice but to lie down on the bed. In a tired voice, she asked Kyle, who was standing in front of her.

“Are you here to see Aiden?”
“No.”
“The Duke is currently in the annex with Lady Marinda…”

Her lips repeated what the maids had said, and bitterness swirled around them. Kyle smiled at her words.

“I’m sorry to have disappointed you with my strange tone, but it’s really not what you think. I came here today because of the Duchess.”

Asralda fell silent for a moment at his strange tone. She looked up at him with a puzzled expression and asked,

“Why me?”

Kyle also fell silent for a moment, as if thinking of a reason to surround her. He then reached into his coat and pulled out something. It was a small pocket.

“It’s a flower called Morelia that only grows in the northern part of Mimart. If you dry the leaves and boil them into tea, it’s great for colds. My younger sister caught the flu and ate this, and the next day she felt much better.”

He then handed it over to Asralda, who was grateful for his heartfelt gesture, even though it wasn’t a clear answer to her question. Since it had been in his arms just a moment ago, the pocket was still warm with Kyle’s body heat.

Although most of the people in the mansion treated her warmly, unlike other noblewomen or outsiders, Asralda could not forget that she had been brought to Mimart as a prisoner of war.

Even if the servants were kind to her, if such thoughts lingered in her mind, she couldn’t help but feel humiliated from time to time. That’s why Kyle was different from their first meeting.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Chlorus. I’m Kyle, a long-time friend of Duke Aiden.”

The pupil who greeted her was sincerely welcoming. His soft blue eyes were filled with affection.

From the first meeting, he treated her as a person from Mimart, not as a prisoner forcibly brought to Mimart.

Thinking about the past, Asralda suddenly greeted him. It was a sincere greeting.

“Thank you so much, Marquis Kyle.”

He smiled kindly, as if he had come just to deliver this flower.

“No, thank you. I hope for your speedy recovery. When you recover from your cold, come and visit Lacro with Duke Aiden. We’ll treat you with our specialty products from the north.”

Asralda could only smile bitterly at his half-serious, half-joking words.

***

Kyle stayed at the duke’s mansion for two more days before leaving.

The day after Kyle’s visit, Asralda got up from bed and felt light as if she had never been sick. The flower from the north was really effective, just like he said.

When she heard that Kyle hadn’t left yet, Asralda went to find the room where he was staying to thank him again. The maid serving at Kyle’s residence told her this,

“Marquis Kyle is currently in the Duke’s office.”

As she had blushed earlier, Asralda did not want to face Aiden right away. So she paced in front of Kyle’s room for a while, waiting for him. But no matter how long she waited, Kyle did not show up.

With no other choice, Asralda headed to Aiden’s office. Just as she arrived at the door and was about to turn the doorknob, she heard Kyle’s voice from inside.

“Go and show your face at least.”

It was a sarcastic voice. Before she could even turn the doorknob, she heard another voice. It was Aiden’s.

“No need for that. It’s just a marriage of formality.”

Realizing that it was their conversation, Asralda froze with the doorknob in her hand.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

She almost had a heart attack when she heard Kyle’s voice again from inside.

“Do you really plan to divorce her?”