Chapter 7

Returning to the mansion, she entered her room and prepared to leave.

She wanted to rest alone for some time, so she ordered the maids not to come in, and then locked the door. 

The panoramic view of the antique room she had been in so far caught her eyes. Soft beds, sofas, and small tables and chairs where she could simply have a cup of tea that she would never have used if she hadn’t lived the life of Duchess Whidrian.

She found herself touching the objects in her room with pretty patterns on them, with a smile. It was a very subtle and complex feeling. 

She felt a little sad when she thought of leaving everything behind and leaving.

When she became the new Duchess, Cassia struggled with rumours and conflicts with the family, but that won’t be the case anymore.

Now, she knows the line. 

The line that she has to keep in front of the family. 

A line she must never cross. 

She now knew well that if she stood behind the line and never crossed it, no problems would arise in her life anymore.

So far, it was a pretty good life, except that she had a family that was a bit indifferent to her. 

Eating luxurious food every day, baths filled with various fragrances, and the users who did everything without saying anything…

At least materially, it must have been the most luxurious time of her life.

As she approached the front of the table and sat down on the chair, she saw the massive garden of the Duke’s mansion outside the window. 

When her mind was in a mess during her time as the Duchess, she would always sit there over a cup of tea to organize her thoughts.

As usual, she looked at the garden for a while, took the sheet of paper and quill from the stand she had prepared beforehand. 

Contemplating on the rough texture of the paper, she began to move the quill, slowly.

[It’s been a while since I came here as a new wife, a stepmother and Diana’s dear friend. I am writing this letter as Cassia.]

Cassia struggled quite a bit before writing the first sentence, but after writing it, the writing flow continued as if she had been waiting to write this letter.

She held the quill firmly and continued.

[As Nick had his coming-of-age banquet yesterday, I have fulfilled all of my contracts with Your Excellency to be the stepmother for 7 years. Even so, I’m glad that I’ve been able to keep this family safe on Diana’s behalf. 

When I finally made up my mind to leave, I felt a strange feeling from within, both sad and happy…

Having done my part, I am now ready to leave the Duke and live my own life.]

After she had written that far, she paused the quill for a moment, and thought again. She let out a bitter smile as she thought carefully about what more words to use.

[Diana was a beautiful friend of mine and your one and only family.]

Cassia thought that she would have been with them for more than 7 years if her friend’s family had accepted her well and if a miraculously well-established relationship had been formed. 

Regardless, it doesn’t matter whether she remains ‘Stepmother’ or ‘Aunt Cassia’ after the divorce.

Anyway, they were the people who shared the pain of losing Diana along with her, and she thought she could live well by overcoming the remaining sadness with them.

But now, she knew too well that it is not, and never would have.

This marriage was wrong. 

She lived with the idea, planting it in the corner of her heart and mind.

Even if it was to protect her dead friend’s family, as she had invaded Diana’s place, she had crossed the line. 

So now, she was trying to fix it. 

This relationship was wrong from the beginning. 

Now that the promise of 7 years has passed, she can fix it.

[Thank you for accepting me, who was never enough to replace Diana, and will never be.]

And she, too, wanted to draw a line for them. 

Because she was Cassia.

…Because she has her own life, too.

That was the decisive reason for her to leave the Duke’s family.

[I will take my leave now. Thank you for the 7 years we have spent together. 

May the door of the Whidrian family be constantly filled with divine blessings.]

After she finished writing the letter, she folded it neatly and put it in an envelope. She opened the bedside table drawer lock to take out the divorce papers she had prepared in advance.

Cassia Whidrian. 

After she signed the divorce papers, she put them in the drawer along with the pre-written letter.

As if nothing had happened, she sat still for a while, staring out the window. 

All preparations are done.

Now, the only work left was to leave.

***

Nick’s banquet was held magnificently.

The banquet hall was filled with nobles of all ages under the chandelier, which poured bright lights like a waterfall.

Upon hearing the news that the youngest son of Duke Whidrian had come of age, hundreds of nobles from all over the country were believed to have attended. The aristocratic boys of Nick’s age, dressed in tuxedos, went to Nick and greeted him a happy birthday, and joking around as peers. Young girls of his age, dressed in luxurious dresses and accessories, glanced at Nick and whispered amongst themselves.

It was a successful banquet. 

There were no emergencies. 

Everything went smoothly as planned.

Cassia sat with Axion in front of the podium, eating food and watching the guests, while often accepting greetings from nobles of different titles who came to shine upon them. 

Ken was not present. 

The kid had never been to the place since he left the Duke’s mansion, and it was the exact reason for not holding a banquet for Ken’s coming-of-age birthday.

The Duke and Nick went to the Imperial Palace separately and had a meal with Ken. It was a little sad that they couldn’t see Ken’s face until the end, but that’s probably the best thing for them. 

As Cassia slowly looked around the banquet hall, she felt as if she was looking back. 

Countless delicious foods spread out on the table, busy users walking around, and countless nobles drinking champagne while laughing. She’ll never see a scene like this again. It felt like she was in a dream. She had never been particularly interested in a party, but it’s also true that she felt nauseous when she realized that it was really the last time.

It was a time when she felt like she wanted to keep all of this in her eyes, so she captured every scene carefully, one by one.

The voice of the presenter was heard from the stage. 

“There will be a lighting ceremony for the youngest master’s birthday.”

The banquet hall was quiet. 

People’s eyes turned to the podium. 

In the meantime, Nick, wearing a tuxedo, climbed onto the podium.

Nick, with his striking Duke-like features, was now taller than her.

Nick was shorter than his peers, but seeing him grow up to be such a young adult, it felt very strange.

A birthday cake was placed in front of Nick. It was a chocolate cheesecake that Cassia made herself, a mixture of chocolate and cheese that Nick liked, so that he could taste both.

It was a simple cake compared to the usual gigantic birthday cakes stacked in two or three tiers, but Cassia wanted to do the best thing she could personally do for Nick.

When the host lit the fire, Nick made a wish and then blew out the candles. Thunderous applause poured in along with the sound of trumpets. It was a moment when Cassia, too, smiled and applauded proudly for Nick, who had grown up to be a man.

Nick looked back at Cassiaslowly. The eyes of the child and Cassia under the podium met directly. Nick smiled softly at her and slowly lowered his head.

Cassia became numb. 

She doubted her eyes.

Are you saying that the child who had never made eye contact with her, looked and smiled at her?

‘Was something wrong with the kid?’

‘Did he feel happy today?’

‘Did he notice that I have decided to leave this place and decided to give me a gift?’

Cassia’s heart was pounding. 

But as she stared blankly at him, the smile slowly faded from the corner of her lips.

She was happy.

She was happy, as if she had the whole world.

With Nick’s smile, it really felt like all her hard work was rewarded.

Cassia smiled brightly as if responding to Nick. 

Then, her eyes met Axion, who was standing next to her.

“He looks good.”

“…Yes. I think Nick has grown up to be quite mature.”

Cassia looked back at Nick and smiled as she spoke. 

At that moment, Axion looked at her without answering for a moment. 

He, too, smiled as he saw her smile.

“Thanks to you, Cassia,” he spat out.

With a sincere voice, he slowly continued to talk to her.

“You’ve done a great job so far.”

“…Thank you, Sir.”

Cassia looked at him and answered. 

“You did a great job, too.”

At their last words, it seemed that she could leave the mansion with a little remorse.

***

At dawn the next day, Cassia left the mansion, and it was early in the morning when even the workers did not wake up.

She looked at herself in the mirror.

In the mirror, she wore a simple dress of achromatic colour instead of the Duchess’s gorgeous dress she always wore. Instead of wearing high heels, she wore low-heeled shoes that were easy to move around.

She seemed to have become a different person even though she had gotten used to the life of the Duchess and only changed her attire.

However, it felt like she had returned to the original Cassia after a long time, and she felt strangely welcomed. 

Yes, this was Cassia. 

The person who hated bulky dresses, had never worn high heels before, and does not like complicated parties.

‘This is me.’

The luggage was light. She had to go on a long road, so she couldn’t carry a lot of luggage.

…Well, although the amount of luggage she brought in was small in the first place, but she once checked whether she had packed Diana’s diary with a small bag in her hand.

It was something Cassia didn’t want to leave behind, and finally, she put on a big cloak.

After turning around and leaving the room, she entered the Duke’s office and put down the letter she had written and divorce documents neatly on the desk.

‘It’ll be okay if I just inform him like this and leave, right?’

Even the Duke must know that after 7 years, she has the right to divorce.

Cassia suddenly became curious. 

How would her family react to her running away from home?

Will he just stamp the divorce papers in silence as if you knew it?

It didn’t matter what it was. 

It was just a question of curiosity. 

Standing idly in an empty office, she greeted herself.

“Goodbye, Axion.”

“And goodbye, Ken and Nick. Lovely kids.”

She wanted to take only good memories rather than painful and suffocating memories.

In that sense, what happened at the banquet yesterday was the best memory since she came to this mansion. 

Nick’s smile of acknowledging her hard work and Axion’s words of gratitude.

That’s enough. 

Cassia was genuinely grateful to them because she thought she could leave without any regrets.

After looking around the office one last time, she turned around and headed to the front door.

Thud, thud. 

Every step she took, her heart pounded to the sound of her feet.

The sound resonated inside her as if she had been looking forward to the moment she got out of the mansion. 

The moment the cool dawn air greeted her, she inhaled it and started running.

‘Run.’

‘Run…’

‘Keep running.’

Like escaping from something that locked her up for a long time, Cassia left the mansion without looking back.