“I understand what you're trying to say. But you can't blame me entirely, can you?” Ethan finally spoke after a long silence.
“You said I judged you one-sidedly, but that's not entirely true. The way you've presented yourself over the past five years doesn't inspire enough confidence to discuss matters like this.”
Well, that's fair.
It was a valid point. If I were Ethan, I wouldn't think to discuss Dumont's security issues with Camille either.
“Why did you hide your true self and pretend to be someone else in the first place?”
“I already answered this question. It was part of my external strategy in dealing with people.”
“And internally? There was no reason to continue acting in this house, in front of me.”
In other words, why should I even look foolish in his eyes? From Ethan's point of view, it was a natural question. I expected this and prepared an answer for him.
Upon taking the first step of my plan, I responded with a calm expression, “Because I wanted to impress you.”
Ethan's facial expression showed that he was caught off guard.
"…What?"
I shrugged as I saw him staring at me blankly.
“As your wife, I wanted you to love me. So I acted naively and ignorantly. I heard that men hate stubborn women.”
“……”
“In the end, it was a vain effort. She showed no interest in me throughout our five years of marriage.”
Ethan remained silent, his expression complicated, as if he was thinking about the past.
Because I did not know exactly what had happened between them, I would have been at a loss for words if he asked me: “Was it all just to impress me?” So, I quickly continued talking.
“Of course, now I understand. It's not that you have a grudge against me. You're just not the type to pretend to care or talk nicely unintentionally.”
“……”
Ethan looked very uncomfortable, as if he was sitting on a bed of thorns.
I laughed softly, "There's no need to be so worried. Like I said, it's all over, and I don't want to impress you anymore."
“……”
"And this brings me to the main point. Remember you promised me I would grant a wish if I read all those books?" As I was mentioning this, Ethan, who had been avoiding my gaze, suddenly looked wary.
But this was something that would work well for him as well.
'It's not a difficult request. It will not harm you in any way. You may even find it comfortable.”
“What is this?”
“Well… I was thinking that we should use this opportunity to resolve our relationship.”
“...what?” Ethan looked stunned. He stared at me in amazement and asked me again. “What did you just say? Solve what?
“Our relationship. “I am asking for a divorce.”
This was the final step in my plan.
I decided from the beginning: If I succeeded in avoiding the devastating path of the original story, I would safely part with Ethan.
Being the mistress of such a luxurious estate did not suit my temperament, and more importantly, I did not want to remain in a meaningless marriage with a man who did not love me.
If I were a citizen of this world, I might have accepted it without much thought, but I have lived my whole life in modern Korea.
It's a bit sad that I won't be able to see Elodie if we break up now.
Since the story has deviated from the original, Ethan may not adopt it as in the story. At worst, Elodie may end up with other unsuitable adoptive parents, and live an unhappy life.
I didn't want this to happen because of me.
But that doesn't mean I'm ready to sacrifice myself for Elodie's happiness. It was about minimizing the damage as much as possible.
“From the beginning, the reason you married me was simply to continue the Duke’s lineage. But after five long years without an heir, it seems logical to end this marriage.”
In truth, the absence of children was not necessarily a medical problem.
Perhaps our distant relationship meant that our intimate moments were rare. But from my point of view, the reason did not matter. What is important is that it was a valid reason for divorce.
Ethan, who had been staring at me blankly, suddenly shook his head vigorously.
“This is ridiculous. Many couples have children too late. We are both still young. Divorcing for not having children in just five years is ridiculous.”
“We have a good excuse now, don't we? The scandal between Baron Bernard and me is all over the place. Think of it as a way to get rid of a heavy burden.”
Ethan's frown deepened upon hearing my words, “…What?”
“Of course, asking me for a separation settlement is unreasonable. But let’s make it a mutual divorce in theory. Although my reputation has been damaged, and I don’t have much to say about it, it is unfair for me to lose my family assets as well.”
To ensure a free life after divorce, this part was extremely important.
Legally, in the case of a mutual divorce, the husband had to make a settlement to the wife.
Since Duke Dumont was one of the richest men in the empire, I expected a large settlement, enough to start a new life without any problems.
“Do you think I will take money from you in case of divorce?” Ethan looked more than angry; He looked really angry.
But that's exactly what happened in the original story. Camille ended up destitute, wandering the streets until she met her miserable death.
Although I didn't blame Ethan for this, this was simply the way things developed.
“Talk about divorce is nonsense. As I said before, we are still young. We can find a solution to the issue of heirs with time,” Ethan said in a firm tone.
'...Huh?'
His reaction was completely different from what I expected.
“Um, don't you want to?” I asked cautiously.
Ethan frowned, “Did you think I would happily agree if you suddenly brought up the topic of divorce?”
I thought he wouldn't be happy, but I didn't expect him to reject it outright.
“Honestly, you also didn't find any meaning in this marriage. This is a chance for all of us to be free. Why are you against it?”
"free?" Ethan repeated in astonishment, “I never said I wanted to be free. So what do you mean by ‘both of us’?”
…I am waiting. Didn't it say that in the original story?
In the first chapter, Ethan says to Victor, who proposes to him again: "Once is enough. Don't mention it again. I don't intend to give up my freedom now."
I felt like protesting because this was a different story than what I was prepared for.
“I understand that you have a lot of complaints about our marriage. But suddenly asking for a divorce is unreasonable. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“What? No...”
“It is true that we have experienced a lack of communication. I will try to accommodate your requests as much as possible, and we can discuss ways to improve things.”
Ethan stood up as if the conversation was over.
Before I could react in my dazed state, he walked out of the room.
***
Ethan walked down the hallway, soft wrinkles on his forehead. He never imagined that the word “divorce” would be uttered by Camille.
“I wanted to impress you. As your wife, I wanted you to love me.”
“In the end, it was a futile effort. “She showed no interest in me during our five years of marriage.”
Remembering Camille's words made him feel strangely uneasy.
Thinking about it, she used to get angry in the early days of their marriage, as if she was seeking to curry favor with him.
“Are you really not going to the party tonight? Then I won't go either!
“If you keep treating me like this... I'll go back to my family!” I'm serious!
Then, she had a tantrum, her face turned red, and her eyes filled with tears. But she never fulfilled her promise.
She went to the party alone that night, and even when she left for her family's house as if she would never return, she did not stay for more than three days.