My Contract Husband Demands a Divorce - Chapter 53

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Lucretia had always found Amarynthis annoying. It was irritating enough that she hogged Kildian’s attention, let alone that she drew more eyes than herself.
“She had the nerve to talk back to me when I gave her a bit of trouble for being so insolent. It’s truly sickening how she turns me into the villain while pretending to be so noble, innocent, and pure.”
She walked away, spewing spiteful venom with every step.
“Well, I suppose she won’t be doing that anymore.”
As an attendant brought over an axe, Lucretia headed deeper into the room.
She pushed open a door that was disguised as a wall.
The moment the interior was revealed, the bright smile frozen on her face completely shattered.
“What? Where did she go?”
The room where Sindy had been confined was completely empty.
Lucretia screamed, her face flushing crimson with boiling rage.
“Where is the thing that was in here?!”
* * *
My body felt completely limp and refused to move.
Instinctively, I knew.
It was that childhood dream again.
This happened when I was around ten years old.
I used to hate Arpeggio to death.
The moment he was brought in as the successor, my parents’ attention, which had been as rare and precious as rain during a drought, was cut off completely.
Under the pretext that growing attached to people would make me weak, my personal maids and nannies were replaced every two months, and even the butler never showed me any warmth.
I was so lonely.
Unlike me, Arpeggio always went everywhere with our parents.
If I was lucky, I only got to see their faces once every three months, or even once a year.
His position was originally supposed to be mine.
I wanted to take it back.
If I became smarter than Arpeggio, if I was recognized as the successor, then surely I would receive my parents’ love too, right?
I secretly continued my studies, which had been abruptly cut off.
Even without a tutor, I read books on my own and looked up the family genealogy.
When my parents returned, I recited the family lineage before them and proudly presented a math exam with a perfect score, looking at them with eyes that desperately begged for praise.
But all that returned was a heavy silence.
I still couldn’t forget that look in their eyes.
It was a piercing gaze, as if they were examining whether the newly sprouted shoot was a poisonous weed.
‘Who told you to study things you weren’t ordered to?’
‘You must make yourself useful. Ambition that exceeds your utility only turns into poison, sweetheart.’
Their voices were gentle, and the title they used was affectionate.
But it was a warning.
It was simply too cryptic for a ten-year-old to understand.
I believed my parents weren’t happy because I was still lacking.
I poured my energy into studying mathematics and foreign languages rather than practicing an elegant handwriting.
Though I was quite bright, I was no once-in-a-century genius, and there was a limit to self-study at such a young age.
Fatigue accumulated much faster than my skills improved.
I began to lose focus during my daytime lessons and social activities.
My parents took that as a sign of rebellion.
‘What should we do with that child?’
‘We need to run some calculations.’
‘Her retention rate from self-study suggests she isn’t stupid…’
‘But being good at studying and having a mind for business are two entirely different matters.’
‘On the other hand, Arpeggio is already a proven successor. He has also passed the age of majority.’
‘If a succession battle breaks out, the family will suffer massive losses. Especially if their capabilities are similar.’
‘If she is an ambitious child, it’s uncertain whether marrying her off would even benefit the family.’
‘It is foolish to continue an enterprise that guarantees a net loss.’
‘It would be better to clean things up before we incur any more expenses.’
I heard those voices through a crack in the door.
That evening, my parents did not show up to the banquet hall.
Even on the rare occasions they were home, it was common for them to work and eat in the study, so I didn’t find it strange.
Arpeggio sat at the opposite end of the long dining table. It was so far away that I couldn’t even see his face clearly.
It was a dinner no different from any other night when our parents were around.
Until I put the food into my mouth.
‘Ugh…!’
Before dinner could even finish, an excruciating abdominal pain seized me.
Arpeggio rushed over, forced me to throw up, and carried me to my room.
When I briefly regained consciousness, the sound that reached my ears was Arpeggio’s voice, trying to persuade our parents.
‘She might stand out even more than I do in the future. If that happens, I will step down from the position of successor. I will continue to work for the family even after that. So please, do not discard Amarynthis. She is a valuable resource.’
A resource. It was a cold word. But with that cold word, he succeeded in persuading them, and I survived.
Arpeggio placed Sindy by my side.
He had given me his childhood friend, the person he cherished and trusted the most.
‘Sindy will protect you, Lintis.’
‘I look forward to serving you, milady!’
Only after that incident did I finally realize.
Clumsiness is a poison.
Before you can do something perfectly, you must never reveal it.
I had to become the finished product my parents desired. A commodity that anyone would covet the moment it was put on the marriage market.
As I put in the effort, my reputation steadily climbed.
Receiving people’s attention and affection was also more enjoyable than I had expected.
Yet, on the inside, a persistent anxiety plagued me.
What would happen to me if a situation arose where marriage was no longer necessary?
That was why I couldn’t let go of my studies even late at night.
Even so, I didn’t foolishly doze off during the day or skip social gatherings like before.
I had to maintain my reputation while securing other achievements.
Something like an insurance policy that could prove my worth even if the demand in the marriage market vanished.
Maintaining a perfect appearance, being recognized by my parents.
To me, those two things were synonymous with survival.
* * *
“…tis, …lady, My Lady!”
A familiar voice reached me.
“Gasp!”
I woke up to a hand shaking my shoulder, panting heavily like someone who had just been dragged out of the water.
“Are you alright?”
“How long was I unconscious?”
“About two hours. You seemed to be having a nightmare, so I woke you.”
“Did the investigator come by?”
Scheit shook his head.
It meant the investigator hadn’t arrived yet.
Even though such an uproar had occurred right in front of the opera house.
As I sat up, Scheit supported my back.
I swung my feet down from the bed.
I tried to stand on both legs, but my knees buckled.
Scheit caught and supported me from the side.
“Where do you think you are going?”
“To Princess Isoldra.”
“To Isoldra?”
Scheit frowned and tilted his head.
It meant he couldn’t comprehend my words.
“Even if you go now, she will not grant you an audience.”
Rationally speaking, he wasn’t wrong.
But I had to go.
There was no time to explain.
Instead of leaning on Scheit, I pushed him away and forced myself to take a step.
I reached out to open the door, but my body froze.
The dozens of eyes that had been thrust upon me. The voices that condemned me, mocked me, dragged me down, and whispered how disappointed they were.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
My heart battered wildly against my ribs.
I had to find out what happened to Sindy, and if Tommy really ended up… like that.
…But I couldn’t bring myself to turn the doorknob.
The moment I opened this door, the maids and servants would be out there.
I was terrified of their gazes.
I was terrified of the rumors that would spread from their mouths and tongues.
I was terrified of how my perfect self would be torn apart by their gossip.
Clutching the doorknob, I collapsed to the floor as if breaking down. My breath caught, and I gripped my chest.
Drip, plop.
Water droplets began to splatter and spread across the floor.
Through my blurred vision, a firm hand appeared. A pale, slender, and delicate hand.
“Write it down. I will deliver it to Princess Isoldra myself.”
With a trembling hand, I picked up a pen.
The moment I barely managed to string a sentence together, Scheit dried the ink, folded the paper, and placed it in his breast pocket.
Then he helped me up to my feet.
I gripped his forearm, practically hanging onto him.
“…If Princess Isoldra rejects the note, please deliver it to Arpeggio.”
“I understand, My Lady. I shall return shortly, so please wash up and get some rest for now.”
Scheit escorted me to the bathroom.
Only then did I realize that my entire body was a complete mess from being pelted with eggs.
Scheit closed the bathroom door.
Click. With that sound, I was left utterly alone. Silence weighed heavily upon my shoulders.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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