Chapter 1

Cedric Jedburgh. He was the second son of the powerful Jedburgh family, at the center of power in the Avenca Empire. I had been married to him for over three years.

He was a strange man. His face often had a faint smile, but still looked expressionless and cold. He always acted politely, but somehow always felt distant.

I was able to marry him only because I was lucky. My father, Baron Dert, also pulled some strings.

Our family had a solid reputation in trade, and since the Jedburgh family wanted diamond imports, my father’s help made the marriage happen quickly.

And now, I sat in an empty parlor, staring blankly at some blooming roses.
This mansion was quiet and cold, like a haunted house. Cedric always came home late at night.

From the beginning, we had separate rooms. That meant we didn’t even spend our first night together.
Loneliness would suddenly come lightly, then press down heavily. It didn’t happen often, but today was especially hard. Maybe because it was my birthday.

I looked at the papers in front of me. The back side was full of messy doodles from when I was zoning out, but the front side was an official divorce paper declaring the end of our marriage.

Cedric was always polite to me. And when I started to have bad thoughts, he would act kind.

“If that’s what you want, then that’s fine.”

That only made me feel worse. It’s also why I never brought up divorce before—I was afraid he’d agree so easily.

While I was staring blankly at the divorce papers, the butler approached. I looked up and he said,

“Baron Dert is here to see you.”

“Father?”

It was surprising. My father had only written letters to check on me, never visited. He was busy with work and never really cared about me.

‘Why is he here now?’

One thing was certain—it wasn’t to wish me a happy birthday. The butler looked at me nervously. Leaving my father waiting at the door might upset him.

So I told him to bring Father in.

A moment later, my father entered the parlor with a servant. He looked around with his head held high, like he was judging the value of things.
His eyes stopped at a large statue, then moved to me. His eyebrows twitched strangely.

I sighed inwardly and said,
“It’s been a while, Father.”

“Yes, it has.”

It was the first time I’d seen my father since I got married. Until now, he had never come to this mansion.

He was never a kind man. He saw even his own child as money and always criticized me because he was never satisfied.

He sat down and picked up a teacup. When he was displeased, he always drank tea with a frown.

The loud sipping sound filled the room. After tasting the tea, he put the cup down.

“You must’ve heard about your husband by now.”

“What news?”

His eyebrows twisted.

“What have you even been doing in this mansion? You don’t even know about your husband’s affairs?”

I didn’t really care what Cedric did or what kind of person he was outside. He was probably just as distant out there as he was with me.

When I didn’t answer, my father clicked his tongue.

“So he said you were doing well, and I didn’t visit… and this is what happens.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

My father looked me up and down with disgust.

“You really didn’t know?”

His tone made me nervous. Judging from his face, it wasn’t anything good.

But no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t think of anything. Still, if he was bringing up Cedric, something must have happened.

When I still looked lost, my father shouted in frustration.

“They say Duke Jedburgh has a mistress.”

The word “mistress” made my heart go cold. My father shook his head at me.

“Apparently, the rumor has already spread across the capital. What have you been doing, not even knowing this?”

I couldn’t speak. I was shocked and couldn’t believe it.
Someone who didn’t care about love had a mistress?

I asked, not trusting my ears.
“Is it true?”

“Of course it’s true.”

He threw a photo at me. I slowly looked at it.
It was definitely Cedric in the picture. He was smiling with a woman.

My chest stung. I thought he only showed lukewarm interest to anyone, just like he did with me.

While I sat in a daze, my father shouted again.

“What have you been doing, not knowing about this? Living in this mansion, you should’ve known first!”

I didn’t answer. I just stared at the photo. Cedric’s smile looked familiar. The same cold smile he always gave me.

I felt a bit of relief. That kind of emotionless smile was common for him.
Trying to calm myself, I said,
“It must be work-related.”

Since I knew what kind of person Cedric was, I felt a little better.

“Work? I heard he even meets her at the capital house these days.”

I flinched, but forced myself to speak.
“There must be a reason.”

“A reason? What reason would a man and woman have to meet at a house?”

I had nothing more to say. My heart, once calm, began to beat faster. I tried to look calm, facing my father, whose gaze was now fierce.

“Why are you acting so naive? You’ve been married for three years! You should have had one or two children by now.”

“Father, that’s…”

“He’s wandering around because you haven’t had a child!”

It wasn’t because I didn’t want to. Cedric didn’t want to. Whenever I tried to get close, he pulled away.

At first, I thought it was a coincidence. He was kind and polite, so I thought he might care a little.

But I was wrong. That was just his personality.

“Do whatever it takes to have a child! Because of you, our family is about to collapse. Now that there’s a mistress, your position will get even worse.”

I stared blankly at the table.
In the photo, the man and woman looked very happy—on the surface.

“If your husband isn’t interested in you, then have a child with another man!”