Panic flashed across Sasha’s face. After all, her normally unflappable master was crying right in front of her.

“Madam! Calm down, please…! Your eyes are going to puff up. Handkerchief, handkerchief!”

Faking crocodile tears, Chloen glanced sideways. Luckily, Sasha seemed to fall for her act. To top it off, the flower she’d given him was the type usually offered to the deceased.

If she kept playing dumb, things were going to get irreparable.

So now was the time to use her maid to her advantage. Wiping away her faux tears, she quickly grabbed Sasha’s hand.

“Ah… I really didn’t know. I guess my situation is more serious than I thought.”

Quietly patting her shoulder, Sasha spoke in a doubtful tone.

“You really… don’t remember anything?”

“The after-effects of the accident are worse than I thought. I even forgot basic things. I can’t imagine how hurt he must be. Just the thought wounds.”

Her lips quivered while she maintained a woeful expression.

‘Go and spill the beans. Gossip is your forte, after all!’

Sensing Sasha’s somewhat softened gaze, she mentally cheered. Then, she drove the point home.

“I don’t want things to get worse with Edmund. How did we even get to this point, Sasha? Do you have any good ideas? You’re the only one I can trust right now.”

“Madam…”

Touched, Sasha teared up a bit before speaking.

“First off, I’ll talk to the Duke about your situation. Don’t worry too much.”

“I’m so grateful you’re here, Sasha.”

“Why, it’s only natural! Maybe you should also do something to make amends with the Duke.”

“Make amends?”

Resolve filled her face. Having spoken her piece, it was now time to employ her special skill.

* * *

The next morning, warm sunlight filtered into her closed eyes.

“Umm.”

Freed from the pressures of going to work, a languid hum naturally escaped her lips. Just as she was fully relishing the tranquility of the day, Sasha’s voice rang out.

“Madam, you have a visitor.”

A familiar morning, a familiar routine, and even familiar lines. Everything was going according to plan.

‘Sasha is really a gem.’

Suppressing a smile, she slowly shifted her gaze. Resting in her line of sight was the bouquet of flowers she had personally arranged for Edmund the night before.

‘Who knew that white chrysanthemums would symbolize good luck here?’

Before making the bouquet, she had even confirmed the meaning of the flowers with Sasha, so she was confident this time there wouldn’t be a mistake.

“Madam? Are you still asleep?”

During a brief moment of hesitation, Sasha prompted her again.

“I’m here.”

Perhaps tired of waiting, a deep voice sounded from beyond the door.

She immediately got up from her bed and picked up the pre-arranged bouquet. Once she was ready, she took a quiet, deep breath and turned the doorknob.

Then swiftly—

“H-here!”

She handed the bouquet of chrysanthemums that had been behind her back to Edmund. Almost instantly, his previously calm eyes seemed to flutter in what looked like surprise.

“I-I wanted to apologize. I made this in a rush. I had no idea the flower meant… what it did.”

Speechless, Edmund looked down at the bouquet. With his rugged features, the pristine chrysanthemums looked oddly out of place.

The gazes of the two people met in mid-air, and after a moment of silence, he pursed his lips tightly.

“Hmm, alright.”

His short answer was followed by an awkward silence. Soon, the image of Sasha awkwardly smiling behind Edmund entered Chloen’s line of sight.

Taking courage from Sasha’s hand gesture of urging her on, she spoke again.

“I heard these Happy-Happy flowers symbolize luck and happiness, so I got them for you… Do you not like them?”

Edmund glanced down at the bouquet of chrysanthemums, no, the Happy-Happy flowers, he was holding, and slightly parted his lips.

“…I do.”

“What? Couldn’t hear you clearly.”

“I said I like them.”

With his reply, Edmund’s stiff expression began to relax.

It seemed like the misunderstanding was cleared, but unfortunately, silence once again filled the space between them.

How much time had passed like that?

‘Say something.’

Chloen was burning up inside. Even so, the man in front of her remained silent as if he were some sort of monk in deep meditation.

‘Is this a new form of torture? Is it some kind of silent penance?’

If hell had a waiting room, this would be it. She was sure. Time passed, and she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Haha, the tea’s gone cold. Should we change spots? I heard Rettin’s making crab dishes today…”

She trailed off, eyeing Edmund’s reaction. Despite her subtle suggestion, Edmund’s face remained unreadable, showing no real response.

In the meantime, his focus lingered on the bright white flower. She wasn’t the only one who found the situation frustrating.

‘What the hell is she thinking?’

The story he’d heard last night from Chloen’s maid was shocking. No, to be more accurate, things had been confusing since the carriage accident.

It was hard to gauge what was true and what wasn’t, especially when she seemed to have forgotten not just simple memories but even the basics.

He was bothered by how Chloen looked so haggard after staying up all night. The bouquet of flowers in his arms was just a side note.

‘The lady is very sad. I barely managed to comfort her when she was crying earlier.’

At first, he’d been certain she was lying. But as he heard more from the maid, the weight of the possibility that Chloen had really lost her memory began to press on him.

‘No way. Don’t get fooled.’

After a moment’s consideration, he composed his expression and spoke in a flat voice.

“About yesterday.”

“Everything was my fault.”

Before he could finish, his wife, who had been so confident, suddenly lost her bravado.

‘Did she really get it wrong?’

The sight was enough to turn Edmund’s already complicated mind into a war zone.

‘No, that can’t be. Even that’s probably an act. Don’t waver. I mustn’t waver.’

Edmund moistened his dry lips and mentally drilled himself to not get fooled and to not waver.

With that, he laid down the happy-happy bouquet he’d been holding. At the same time, a dark shadow covered the blooming flowers.

“I’ve heard about the situation from the maid.”

“…”

Keeping a complex expression, Chloen remained silent. Edmund’s brow furrowed even more.

Ever since their marriage, Chloen had only left him with questions.

‘There’s gotta be something more.’

Trying to find an answer, his keen eyes scanned her face. The unkempt platinum hair and the dull violet eyes.

Despite her swollen eyes, as if she’d cried all night, he just couldn’t trust her.

It was a ruined relationship from the get-go. He knew, better than anyone else, that her anger and hatred toward him would eventually become arrows aimed at him.

Although it was well-packaged for now, he knew she’d stab him in the back when the time came.

Soon after, a weary sigh escaped Edmund’s lips.

“I’m not unaware of why you’re doing this.”

Chloen rejoiced in her heart. Finally, he understood her feelings.

‘See, my sincerity got through…!’

She eagerly awaited Edmund’s next words.

“It won’t take long. Not much longer.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about divorce.”

‘What the hell is he babbling about now?’

Her once sparkling lavender eyes dimmed. She’d never been cut off so abruptly, not even when accepting flowers.

‘Why’d he even bother holding those flowers then? And why is he suddenly doing this to me?’

Her breathing roughened; she needed to get her emotions in check.

If things kept going this way, divorce was inevitable. Then she would likely live a miserable life, without a home and even a husband.

A sudden feeling of sorrow hit her. As if getting reincarnated into a fate she never signed up for wasn’t enough, she was also doomed to die alone in a place she had no connection with. For an opportunity granted by fate, this was a harsh treatment.

‘Get a grip, Chloen. The guy’s a total hottie. They say fortune favors the brave, right? You can do this! You can fix this damn marriage! Don’t give up!’

Just as she was trying to pep herself up to resolve this desperate situation, he spoke in a somewhat tired voice.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do as you wish.”

“What exactly?”

“Divorce. It’s something you were willing to risk your life for, so let’s get divorced.”

Her heart pounded and adrenaline surged. Her active mind suddenly froze, and her face flushed like a grenade had just gone off.

“Are you talking about divorce right now?”

“Yes, divorce. I’ll take care of the paperwork as soon as things get better. So, please stay still until then.”

In that moment.

Tak!

Her barely-there string of sanity snapped. A long time ago, she had a special nickname.

Namely, the honey badger.

The most fearless animal in the world.

That creature, with its cute appearance and small body, had the crazy driving force to attack both lions and tigers and boasted a tremendous winning rate.

“Who said I wanted that?”

Two different gazes crossed. The lavender pupils were uncharacteristically cold.

‘I guess that’s also acting.’

Edmund immediately turned around, maintaining an expressionless face. His large hand was about to grab the closed door knob.

“I guess we’re talking the same language but with different meanings, right?”

Chloen took deliberate steps forward, emphasizing each word. Edmund’s grave gaze turned to her as he followed the approaching footsteps.

“What’s the problem with doing what you wanted?”

“What do you mean ‘what I want’ since earlier? There are limits to what I can tolerate, you know?”

Overwhelmed by rising frustration, Chloen bit her lip. Then, taking a step closer, she narrowed the distance between her and Edward.

Slender fingers grabbed his collar in the blink of an eye.