Chapter 1

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 1

Chapter Title: My Wife Has Changed

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My wife had changed.

That was the conclusion Johann Leopold reached as he stared at the woman standing rigidly straight, her neckline buttoned meticulously to the top, her gaze lowered in utter impassivity.

His wife, Olivia Blanchett, had always been a woman who craved love.

She acted as if she could only survive by loving something—anyone—and the problem was that her target happened to be the busiest man in the world, Johann Leopold.

Give what must be given, take what must be taken—a fair trade. To him, marriage was nothing more or less. But his wife was different.

She didn't know how to control her emotions with any grace, so her actions, always so blatantly obvious in intent, were perfectly suited to grating on his nerves.

Her extravagance was no issue at all. As long as she didn't make a nuisance of herself, he was even grateful for her sitting quietly at home, spending money.

Flirting with other men to get his attention or causing scenes in high society were trivial matters.

Then one day, when nothing worked, she didn't hesitate to slash her wrists. She was the kind of woman who would stoop to anything to drag him to her side.

And yet that woman...

"What did you just say?"

Johann asked again, even though he'd heard clearly.

"Divorce. Let's get divorced."

Her voice was impeccably even, devoid of any emotion.

The duchess had changed.

Rumors were swirling among the servants at Great Hill. Some dismissed it as just another ploy to draw attention, wondering how long her quiet demeanor would last.

Anne was one of them. But...

"I've gotten divorced, Anne."

The duchess's face, beaming with a pure smile, was utterly clean—free of any emotion or lingering attachment.

Great Hill was abuzz with talk of the ducal couple's divorce, but she remained serene, as if she belonged to another world entirely.

The divorce proceedings moved faster than expected. Just as everyone predicted, the duke didn't try to hold onto his wife. And more generously than anticipated, he gave her substantial alimony along with a villa in the resort city of Le Mont.

"Anne, will you come with me? I'd be so grateful if you did."

Bathed in dazzling sunlight pouring through branches heavy with spring blossoms, her radiant smile made Anne realize the truth.

The disgrace of the Blanchetts, proof of infidelity, the filthy illegitimate child.

Her young lady, who had always bristled with thorns and thirsted desperately for affection, had changed.

Anne answered gladly.

"Please, take me with you, miss."

Sitting side by side on the bed, packing her suitcase, Anne gently took hold of her scarred hands and spoke.

The young lady had never once been kind, but Anne had never disliked her. A lowly maid like her could still pity the hardships of her lady's life.

The duchess packed a simple travel bag and boarded the carriage.

"He's going too far. Even if it's the end."

Anne said bitterly, glancing up at the largest window on the second floor.

"He's a busy man, that one."

Her tone, wrapping up three years of marriage, was remarkably calm. Where had that blind, obsessive love gone—the kind that clung desperately, on the verge of crumbling to pieces?

Anne gazed quietly at her lady, who stared out the window.

Ever since that day of the early spring rain, she often gazed endlessly at some unreachable place. It reminded Anne of the eyes of the little girl locked in the penance room, yearning for freedom under the guise of discipline.

"Put someone on her."

"Understood."

Gazing coldly at the carriage speeding down the driveway lined with fir trees just past the main gate, Johann spoke.

A few days earlier, he'd received word that his wife had jumped into the lake. It was always like this, so he hadn't been particularly rattled. He finished his work and only returned to the mansion three days later.

His wife lay in bed, her face as pale as death. It was a sight he'd seen often lately, so it stirred no emotion. He was simply irritated by her latest attempt to cling to his ankle.

Four days passed. It was a drizzly spring day, teasing whether spring would truly come. Johann's patience was wearing thin as he endured the discomfort of handling urgent tasks in the mansion's study when his wife finally opened her eyes.

'Please grant me a divorce.'

What scheme was this now?

Even after the carriage shrank to a dot and vanished, Johann lingered by the window.

Le Mont, a nine-hour train ride from the capital, was a beautiful resort city. The villa called White Gable, with its sharply peaked white roofs overlooking the seaside, was the pride of the butler, Hermann.

The change in ownership from Duke Johann Leopold to the former duchess was anything but welcome to Hermann.

The duchess was the type even a seasoned butler found difficult to serve. And now she was coming here after a divorce—Hermann and the White Gable staff trembled at the thought of handling her tantrums. But...

"Call a real estate agent for me."

"Yes... Pardon? W-what did you say?"

The flustered butler blinked and asked again.

"I'm selling this villa. Find someone who can offer the best price."

After touring the villa, the duchess said she needed rest and headed to the second-floor bedroom. Midway up the central red mahogany staircase, she turned back.

"I'll make employment transfer a condition of the sale, so don't worry. Let everyone know."

Bathed in the slanting sunset from the large window by the stairs, her smile seemed saintly in its mercy.

The shrieking harpy from Hermann's memories was gone.

The butler stared blankly at her retreating figure before snapping to attention. He rushed to the city telegraph office and sent an urgent wire to Great Hill.

"She's putting the villa up for sale?"

"Yes, that's right."

His wife—no, former wife—whose every move he'd always seen coming, was starting to veer off script.

He'd expected her to live lavishly there, surrounded by men. What was she plotting now?

"What should we do?"

"Buy it."

The aide bowed and swiftly left the study.

Johann slammed shut the documents he was reviewing.

Was she planning to buy a mansion in the capital with the proceeds?

The reason he'd given her the Le Mont villa was simple: far enough from the capital, but with enough entertainment to keep her from getting bored. The pleasure city of Le Mont, a nobles' resort, fit perfectly.

But now, was she determined to come back and torment him?

No. That wouldn't do. Not at all, Olivia.

Johann opened the polished lid of the cigar box. He loosely placed the trimmed end between his lips and lit it with a match. His eyes narrowed.

The villa sold quickly to a generous buyer at a price slightly above market value. The kind-hearted purchaser agreed to hire all the staff on the same terms, and the lady rejoiced at her good fortune.

Anne rode into the city with her lady in the carriage. Whatever she did, wherever she went, Anne didn't pry. She simply stayed by her side in silence.

Anne had never seen her so full of life before, and the change was both unsettling and exhilarating.

The lady had the carriage stop in front of the bank. After careful consultations at three different banks, she finally settled on a deal with International Bank.

"Look at this, Anne. It's a certificate of deposit."

She waved the check with its astronomical sum like a child, grinning ear to ear.

"We'll have to pack again."

Back at White Gable, she handed Anne a brown envelope.

"What's this?"

"Thank you for everything. Take it."

"Miss!"

"This time, we're going far away, Anne."

Her blue eyes sparkled with pure transparency, as if she had no intention of ever returning.

The memory of that midsummer day, when monsoon rains poured down, flashed before Anne's eyes.

A young girl crossing the red rose garden with a middle-aged man holding a black umbrella, only to be chased out of the Blanchett earldom without stepping inside. The man stormed off in a rage, and the skinny girl stood frozen, drenched by the rain until she collapsed.

Ten-year-old Anne had dropped her mop while helping her mother clean the floor and run out to embrace the girl, dragging her inside with great effort.

That day, the girl was locked in the dark attic, and Anne received her first lashing from the lady of the house, bedridden for two days. Feverish and breathless, Anne still worried if the little girl had survived.

"Take me with you too... please, miss."

The illegitimate child left by Elena Blanchett, the noble rose of the Blanchetts. Poor thing, our lady.

"You won't see your mother often."

"She told me to look after you."

Anne recalled the lady, pulled from the lake, limp and soaked like a drenched bird. She seemed like she might vanish like a mirage, and it terrified Anne.

"So let's go together. Anywhere. We'll blow that money living it up. Right, miss?"

Anne gripped her lady's slender wrist tightly, refusing to let go. Genuine warmth emanated from that small hand. Olivia couldn't bring herself to shake it off.

The next day, unlike when they'd left Great Hill, the two departed the villa in simple travel attire by carriage.

"She has left White Gable."

"Destination?"

"She boarded a passenger ship bound for the Britt Kingdom."

"Britt."

Ha, Johann let out a short scoff.

Not the capital, but Britt...

If this was a new strategy to get his attention, his wife—no, former wife—was achieving some success.

Why Britt, of all places, where she had no connections?

This irritation felt different from her usual mischief under the same roof. Johann irritably furrowed his brow.

"What should we do?"

"Keep watching her."

"Understood."

As the aide withdrew, Johann rose from his seat despite trying to focus on documents and approached the window.

The blue sky was exceptionally clear. Like Olivia Blanchett's striking blue eyes.

His wife had always dulled her eyes with drugs and alcohol. He'd only recently realized they were blue.

Of all times, to show those eyes at the end.

As Johann gazed at the clear sky, recalling Olivia's eyes, she was staring at the same sky from the deck of a ship bound for Britt.

She finally smiled broadly.

Olivia—no, Han Ji-an—was escaping now. Forever from her husband's grasp.