《I Got Divorced And Abandoned My Family》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Waah¡ª! Waah¡ª! The child loudly cried out as soon as she stepped foot in the drawing room. ¡°A child¡¯s cries?¡± Helia stopped in her tracks. In the balmy, ornate drawing room, the lone crib did not fit in. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Inside the crib, there was a newborn slightly below the average size. Due to the child¡¯s rambunctious cries, Helia had to come to a standstill as soon as she entered the room. Hwaaah¡ª! Within the drawing room she was directed to, frozen in place, she peered at the small, wailing critter. Bewildered, she looked around, but there was no one to ask for help. Helia, feigning ignorance, sat down on the sofa, but not even 10 seconds later, got up and moved towards the crib. She reflexively reached out a hand to comfort the child, but her hand hovered in the air and did not reach it. Widening her eyes, which some considered chilling, she furrowed her brows as soon as she saw the hand she moved instinctively almost touch the child. As if it was frightened by a giant hand advancing toward it through its blurry vision, the child started to yowl even more raucously. Hwaaargh! Unsure what to do about the child, who began to cry harder as soon as Helia reached out her hand, she remained frozen. After standing still for a while, she pulled her hand back. ¡®Why did they put this child here?¡¯ No nurse or any other caretaker was present near the child. Since they couldn¡¯t have left the child on purpose all this time, Helia¡¯s most reasonable guess was that they were waiting for her to walk by and retreated as she was. Inside the drawing room Helia was guided to by the servant, the existence of a child that came out of her own womb made her feel even more strange than she expected. She remembered how this child looked when it was just born as if it was yesterday. As a newborn, it had been covered in wrinkles, but now, the child was plump with baby fat, and its skin, once scarlet like an overripe plum about to rupture, had turned pure white, with only a bright red flush coloring its cheeks. As she watched the child¡¯s body darken as it howled, Helia stretched her right index finger. Her finger, which had been twitching in midair, slowly moved forward, as if it was acting upon its own adamant resolution. Tap. Helia¡¯s index finger lightly pressed the child¡¯s forehead. As soon as the child¡¯s skin gave way, the child¡¯s sweltering body heat surged through the tip of her finger, and she yanked her hand away. Grimacing, Helia clutched the finger with her free hand. The unpleasant sensation traveled through her skin and sent chills down her spine. Still, maybe thanks to Helia¡¯s cold hand, the child stopped incessantly wailing as if it had never happened. ¡°It stopped.¡± A feather floats downward until a gust of wind blows it away, and her finger was the same way. Just for a split second, it had made contact briefly. Despite that, the child seemed to be aware of someone else¡¯s presence and stopped crying, while Helia shuddered as if the hot sensation had burned her finger. Clumsily massaging her hand over and over, she backed away. ¡°Aww¡­?¡± The child¡¯s voice assaulted her ears. Helia turned away, trying not to look in the direction of the child. The recognizable yet slightly unfamiliar scene came into view. The mansion she returned to after a long time was still filled with pleasant warmth and was still as uncomfortable as walking on a thorny path. Awkwardly standing around, Helia observed the now-quiet child from a distance. The child lifted its swollen, pink eyelids, revealing golden-yellow eyes tinged with red, like the sun. Whenever they came under the sunlight, they glowed gold. While Helia was deep in thoughts, the doorknob turned suddenly and she heard a dull sound. Although she expected the door to open right away, the doorknob, which had been partially turned, sprung back to its original position in a bizarre way. Shortly after, the movement was followed by an ungainly knock. Helia distanced herself from the child and sat down on the sofa. ¡°Yes, come in.¡± At her impassive voice, the doorknob turned once again. The visitor revealed himself to be a man with dark red¡ªalmost black¡ªhair and red eyes. His unmistakably sun-tanned, rather than pale skin, was especially conspicuous. Over his well-muscled figure, he wore a uniform tightly fitted to his frame. ¡°¡­It¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Yes, have you been well?¡± There was an invisible wall between the pair exchanging impartial greetings as if they were reading from a prescribed manual. The distant feeling made Caligo breathed a drawn-out sigh as he slowly sat down, facing her. He looked around, then motioned with his hand. Trailing him, the nurse held the child to her chest. Helia glanced dryly, then turned her attention on Caligo again. She opened her mouth, taciturn. ¡°Where are the divorce papers?¡± ¡°¡­..Are you sure you¡¯re leaving like this?¡± Caligo asked, in response to her straight to the point question. He brushed his hair back with a rough sweep. Out of frustration, he scrambled to undo one of the usually well-fastened buttons. Helia¡¯s eyes were chilly, and her frigid voice was devoid of emotion. After only a few months of separation, the wall in front of her had hardened even more. ¡°Yes, is there anything else to settle between us?¡± Settle. The word underlined the wall between them. Feeling like he was about to drown, Caligo took a deep breath. ¡°¡­A settlement.¡± ¡°Our contracted marriage is over. By your condition, I gave birth to a child, stayed for the full five years, and accomplished my goal in the meantime.¡± There was no trace of lingering attachment in her eyes, which seemed to be asking whether there was anything else to settle. Her expression was immaculate as if she had made up her mind when she gave birth and recovered. Caligo jerked his head away, the veins in his neck bulging from the indignation bubbling up inside his chest. The room was balmier than the others and received plenty of sunlight, but the air between the two was frigid and icy. ¡°About the child¡¯s name-¡± ¡°Did you decide on one?¡± Helia asked, interrupting Caligo in the process. ¡°No, not yet. Anyway, since it¡¯s both our child, I thought asking for your opinion would be the right thing to do.¡± In response to Caligo¡¯s words, Helia lowered her lengthy eyelashes. ¡°If¡­ you had picked out a name, I was going to tell you not to talk to me about it.¡± Caligo¡¯s eyebrows twitched. One corner of his lip twisted, revealing his aggravation. He calmly opened his mouth, swallowing the harsh words threatening to spill out of him. ¡°What an absurd thing to say. In any case, Helia, isn¡¯t that child the one you gave birth to? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re never going to see the child again, so it would be better if we can talk over something like a name¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to see it again,¡± Helia adamantly interrupted Caligo. ¡°You know what, Caligo?¡± At Helia¡¯s call, Caligo¡¯s plans to argue with her escaped his mind. How long had it been since his name came out of her mouth? He did not know. Judging by how foreign it felt, she probably had not addressed him by name in a long time despite sharing a mansion for five years. Choked up by that fact and at a loss for words, Caligo stupidly stared at Helia. ¡°Even if it¡¯s my child, I can still not love them,¡± Helia indifferently commented as she shifted her eyes away to watch the child in the nurse¡¯s arm. Though her words were not particularly thorny, it was clear that the room temperature had plummeted. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Caligo, I won¡¯t love that child.¡± To be precise, she couldn¡¯t, but Helia kept that fact to herself. ¡°I won¡¯t be that child¡¯s parent or declare rights over them, and after forgetting about the child day by day, I won¡¯t remember that I even had a child.¡± ¡°Someone like you¡­¡± Caligo muttered with a sickened expression on his face when Helia faced him with a chilly gaze. ¡°Did we ever love each other?¡± At that one sentence, Caligo, who was about to lash out at her, went silent, dumbfounded. To him, Helia had been an arduous dilemma during their time together, and to her, Caligo had simply been a catastrophe that was better to steer clear of. Their life together for the past year flashed by in Caligo¡¯s head. It was bizarre, as it wasn¡¯t like death was imminent or anything. ¡°What, did you say just now¡­.¡± ¡°You and I didn¡¯t love each other, and this child was only born out of necessity¡­¡± She trailed off. ¡°How could you expect me to possibly love this child.¡± Her remark was as obstinate and as harsh as it could be. The silence descended like lead and crushed Caligo¡¯s heart. Helia opened her mouth towards the still tongue-tied Caligo as if to rub it in his face. ¡°So, don¡¯t bring up anything about the child to me.¡± She drew the line. ¡°Pick whatever name you want. You probably won¡¯t need my opinion.¡± Caligo¡¯s clenched fists trembled at the blatant apathy. ¡°Damn it! From when I first met you till now, you¡¯re as selfish as they come! Does iron run through your heart instead of blood?¡± Caligo, who had been trying to keep his composure, raised his voice at last. He could not resist the feeling of rage, like molten lava, surging inside him. His glacial face flushed with blood, and veins throbbed on his neck as he cried out. Helia¡¯s shoulders became rigid. However, her expression did not change much, and because of that, she was apt at hiding her emotions without anyone noticing. Caligo was the one person who was quick to discern her feelings, but in his agitated state, there was very little chance that he would be able to gauge them now. Waaah! Seemingly sensing the prickly air and its father¡¯s rage, the previously calm child scrunched up its face and let out a loud wail soon after. The nurse holding the child tapped her foot repeatedly, at a loss for what to do; ultimately, she lowered her head and rushed out toward the hallway. The nurse¡¯s gentle voice soothing the child mixed with the child¡¯s incessant, pitiful cries behind the heavily shut, bulky door. ¡°I¡­¡± Helia, who had been listening to Caligo¡¯s fit of anger without a word, broke the silence. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re so upset about it. Is it that problematic to talk about taking care of the expired contract? Instead of answering, he took out several documents from the cabinet and dumped them on the table, the outrage still visible on his face. The words ¡®Divorce Agreement¡¯ was clearly written on the white paper. Since Caligo no longer seemed interested in continuing the conversation, Helia picked up the form and carefully read its content. One side of her heart was heavy, but she made a conscious attempt to ignore it. She looked over the terms and conditions with an upright posture, then printed her name and signed it. Flipping through the papers page by page, she signed her name and stamped her fingerprint with red ink to finish. After thoroughly checking the document for the last time, Helia organized the papers and thrust it towards him. ¡°May I ask you one thing, Helia?¡± Caligo asked in a low voice, suggesting he had calmed down somewhat. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Did you really not feel anything for the past year? No love towards the child, no affection? Were you not fond of me at all?¡± Caligo prompted as he slowly accepted the form from her. Unlike her, he signed without bothering to read the papers and printed his fingerprint without delay. Was it because she was thrown off guard by that? Helia had trouble processing Caligo¡¯s questions and analyzed them over and over in her head. After silently reflecting on them for what seemed like an eternity, she gave her answer at last. ¡°Yes.¡± At that firm, unequivocal response, Caligo let out a hollow chuckle. It signified their end. ¡°We will process the document on our end.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it. It might be more straightforward that way.¡± She reached out a hand. Facing the pale yet subtly calloused hand, Caligo stiffened. ¡°Do you really have no faith in me?¡± ¡°I just want to finish it without any complications.¡± ¡°For the past five years, I thought of you as a friend, at the very least. I would like to ask what I was to you during those five years.¡± One side of his mouth twisted bitterly. Caligo handed Helia the papers. She inspected the papers and rose from her seat. ¡°You were¡­¡± She slowly lowered her eyelids. ¡°Nothing to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At that aloof declaration, Caligo¡¯s pupils gradually dilated. His eyes widened, revealing the whites of his eyes. Desolation and rage stormed through his red irises simultaneously. Because Helia was aware of Caligo¡¯s sudden aggression, she avoided looking at the man in the eyes. ¡°Unlike you, I¡¯m someone who can¡¯t love a single thing,¡± she expressed herself in a rare display of frankness. ¡°Take care, Your Grace.¡± After saying her farewells, she turned away and left the drawing room without hesitation. Your Grace. Those words turned them into complete strangers. ¡°Ha!¡± Caligo sneered jadedly, then took out a cigar and gnawed at it with his teeth, as if planning to crush it. A fortnight later, the notice approving the divorce by agreement arrived from the temple. The five year contractual marriage was terminated precisely five years and two-and-a-half months later. He was 28, and she was 25. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 [A year ago] ¡°Helia, do you know how much my parents are nagging me about a child between us? Did you ever get yourself checked with the doctor?¡± In the late night, inside the still room in which the man and the woman were facing each other, the sounds that came out first were neither moans of ecstasy nor sweet nothings whispering words of love, but rather an unpleasant¡­ Yes, to tell the truth, an uncomfortable conversation. As Caligo perched on the edge of the bed, his sigh-like voice was not exactly sharp, but it could not be called mild either. It only sounded tired and fatigued. ¡°Do we really need to talk about something like this right now?¡± Helia wrinkled her forehead slightly as if irritated, as she stopped unbuttoning her shirt. Caligo Halos, who had already taken his top off and was sitting on the bed, brushed his messy red hair back, looking exasperated by the unresponsive woman. ¡°Helia,¡± He called out the wordless woman¡¯s name, but despite that, Helia said nothing. ¡°Isn¡¯t our contract still valid? At this rate, we will not be able to see even a strand of hair of the child.¡± Normally, he was ever so polite, but at this moment, his voice was tinged with annoyance. Helia¡¯s fingers froze, stopping the unbuttoning. Before Caligo could even raise his bowed head again, Helia put on an impassive face and undid the remaining buttons. ¡°We¡¯ll have one soon. We¡¯re doing it by the calendar, after all.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± He concurred with the long-awaited response with a sigh; immediately after, the piece of cloth dropped, revealing Helia¡¯s pale, bare figure. They remained blas¨¦, despite facing each other¡¯s naked bodies. The woman was as stiff as an upright log, and the man was looking at her with an apathetic gaze. As Helia laid down, Caligo clicked his tongue mentally. ¡®Even sleeping with a wooden doll would be better than this.¡¯ To be blunt, it was ridiculous that he had to undress himself while waiting for his partner to take her own clothes off and lie down. But that was the first thing Helia demanded when they were filling out their marriage contract¨Dwhich wasn¡¯t even funny. Even though the contract was basically giving away a woman¡¯s entire life, Helia only asked for three things from Caligo. First, always maintaining formal language. Second, paying off her house¡¯s remaining small debt she was responsible for. And last, never supporting her family under any circumstances. There was another condition hidden in the first one¨Dnever touching her without permission. It was only a marriage under a contract and the law, but still, the conditions could not have been bleaker. ¡®I don¡¯t think she was this standoffish back then.¡¯ Although she was still deadpan and straight-laced in the past, she used to occasionally smile and start conversations. However, now they did not talk even in bed. An obligatory interaction¨Dthat was all that could be said about Helia and Caligo¡¯s actions. ¡°Please don¡¯t be nervous.¡± Caligo uttered the words signifying the start of their intercourse, as usual. Like he was trying to relax her stiff body, he stroked his hand down the back of her torso and grabbed her firmly. But in reality, no matter how much he moved, she had never been relaxed, and they had never had a pleasurable intercourse. It was something they were forced to do, despite being so uncomfortable with each other that they couldn¡¯t stand it. As if biting her lips, turning her head away, and covering her eyes with her arm was some sort of a signal, Caligo started to move mechanically. It was the start of a short copulation, without any moans or pleasure. *** Crinkle. At the soft sound of a paper rustling, Caligo opened his eyes reflexively. Because he had never slept properly during his time at the western front, where explosives went off, swords clashed, arrows flew through the air, and poison spread, Caligo would occasionally wake at the slightest sounds. Although he had not participated in a war in a long time, the ensuing aftereffects still tormented him every so often. Fumbling with his hand, he clutched his aching head and turned his sight upwards, where the moonlight was shining through the clear window. The sky was still dim and dusky; since winter brought longer nights than usual, it seemed like it would be a while before the day breaks. Even though a significant amount of money had gone into the heating system, presumably, perhaps because one person was absent, the wintry night¡¯s cold air seeped into the heavy blanket. The thing was, it was not the first time Caligo had woken at this hour, meaning that to him, this situation did not feel surprising at all. He had sex with her twice a week, taking into account each other¡¯s schedule. It was also typical for her to leave afterwards when the sun hadn¡¯t even risen. ¡®Did I wake up too early?¡¯ For whatever reason, she was still in the room. Caligo squinted and watched the alabaster body in front of him move around. Helia, who was adeptly putting on her undergarments and clothes, possessed a long scar that cut across her pale back. From the left shoulder blade, traversing through her back, to her hip, the scar looked fairly old. Nevertheless, it was covered by the white gown before he could take a closer look. ¡®She must have gotten hurt when she was young.¡¯ According to the rumors, she had been a rambunctious child who often caused accidents, so presumably, she must have been injured in one of them. Although Helia had been adopted, the scar was not something one expected a noble lady to have. Perhaps because of her pride as a lady, Helia did not show her back even when having intercourse with him. The first time Caligo saw the scar was actually during a night when the faint moonlight shone on his eyes. Waking from a fruitless reverie, Caligo curled his mouth into a brittle smile and closed his eyes in silence. Whenever they looked at each other, they never really had good things to say, anyway. To be brutally honest, like Helia, Caligo felt more comfortable when his spouse was not there when he opened his eyes. He thought that she would leave the room without hesitation, as she normally did. However, because Helia was present in the room longer than usual, he opened his eyes reluctantly. In order to not provoke her, Caligo only shifted his eyes from side to side. He saw Helia standing tall near the table, still dressed in a gown. She was reading a letter delivered by an attendant just before their intercourse started. Clearly, something was different from usual as her eyes motioned slowly, and her visage became progressively rock-solid each time she read a line. Even during the intercourse, an indignation spread as if an ink permeated into her unfaltering ice mask, and then slowly, but painfully distorted. Eventually, he pulled himself up as he was unable to remain tacit at her peculiar expression. ¡°Hilia, what¡¯s the matter?¡± A slight, hushed tone came out. Along with an irked expression, he touched his adam¡¯s apple a few times before setting his eyes back on her again. Undeterred by Caligo¡¯s words, Hilia didn¡¯t even show any indication of turning her gaze. He didn¡¯t know when would her lifeless eyes ever steered clear of the letter. ¡®Are you ignoring me again?¡¯ In fact, if not in front of other people, Hilia often ignored Caligo¡¯s questions. Fortunately, just before Caligo was about to lean back in bed, her lips parted after a long time. ¡°Dead, in a carriage accident.¡± Her voice was even more dreary than the sand in the desert when she spoke of other people¡¯s deaths. But for Caligo, it¡¯s not something he could easily overlook. Caligo sprung out at once and took the letter from Hilia¡¯s hand. He was still naked, as if he hadn¡¯t thought of wearing a nearby robe. ¡°Dead? Who?¡± Caligo¡¯s voice was rather fierce. Even while reading the letter which he had snatched from Hilia¡¯s hand, he couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°My family.¡± However, after hearing the answer, Caligo was compelled to drop the letter, which he had been reading promptly. Along with the shifting of the pendulum clock, the letter fluttered from side to side and fell at her feet. Caligo brushed his mouth in dismay. Her voice was too frigid and dry to be the voice of a person who notified the death of her family, who had been with her all her life. Yes, she was like a midwinter dry branch. Her expression, voice, emotion, and even her inhuman aspects. Helia bowed down to pick the letters, and with her expressionless face, she tossed them into the fireplace. *slide* The burning paper couldn¡¯t even create a crackling sound and rapidly swiveled into ashes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I think we need to put off our relationship for a while. I need to take care of the estate first. It¡¯s alright if we extend the contract period to make up for the time I¡¯m not working.¡± ¡°You¡­.are you serious right now?¡± Caligo, who unintentionally blurted out a harsh word, quickly swept his mouth. His red eyes shone as he questioned her with faint sarcasm. Staring at him, Helia didn¡¯t flinch at all and soon turned around as quietly as always. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave first.¡± ¡°Helia!¡± Caligo tried to call out to her but all he heard in return was a dull sound of a door closing. Soon the lingering warmth inside the room vanished, replaced by a deadly silence. ¡°Ha!¡± Caligo roughly swept his hair and clicked his tongue. As he felt a tremendous frustration welled up in his chest, he took out a cigar and bit it in his mouth. As the smoke filled up his lungs, he felt a little less stuffy. However, when he was reminded of her, he came to be frustrated again. ¡°Damn it.¡± After opening up the window and hovering around the place a few times, Caligo eventually broke his cigar, threw it to the floor, and followed after her. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still under contract with me. I was simply doing my duty.¡± Helia uttered frightening words in her dry voice, while her face remained unchanged. Caligo¡¯s handsome image crumbled away as he looked at the black hair hanging over her shoulder. Even when he tried to converse with her, her deep-blue eyes were still looking elsewhere today. In the first place, he wondered if those eyes had ever reached him. ¡°As long as I¡¯m your husband, I can¡¯t be indifferent to my in-laws, can I?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing more than a five-year marriage contract, though¡­¡± She spat out a cynical remark right away, stabbed him with her knife-like rebuttal. His lips slightly twitched, and he hurriedly shut his mouth as the embarrassment struck him. Because she wasn¡¯t wrong. There was no promise of marriage filled with love or future together, instead, they only exchanged money and contracts. Not even a wedding ceremony, since everything was done ahead of time. Four years out of their promised five years marriage contract had already passed. The season changed a dozen times and only a year remained. It¡¯s time to end the remaining period of this monotonous marriage with minimal courtesy. The slight anticipation and excitement at the beginning of their married life had turned into a somber grey color. It had been a long time since both of them saw each other up-close like this. The two would never stay in the same space for this long unless they had intercourse. Caligo looked carefully at her who was looking out the window. Her expression didn¡¯t change a bit. How could you keep the same unperturbed expression as you always had when your family member just died? Caligo shook his head in frustration as he flung open the carriage window in his side. ¡®I knew it already, but she¡¯s really tough.¡¯ In fact, for the past 4 years, Caligo knew better than anyone else that Helia was unexpectedly more tough and relentless than other young ladies of noble families. But her being different also made him feel uneasy. Caligo rubbed both of his arms as a cold chill crept up his body. After hearing the sad news, she looked normal on her way to the carriage. She even looked calm and relaxed. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°The news of your family¡¯s accident. My heart sank the moment I heard about the news, and I thought you were too calm.¡± Helia listened to Caligo, later glanced at him. She lowered her lengthy eyelashes. It was an elegant movement, but her eyes looked stiff. ¡°The only one who died is the eldest son and successor of the family. I heard my parents survived.¡± ¡°¡­I heard their body is not even intact.¡± According to his informant, they were barely able to stay alive although their limbs were not intact. The Baroness seemed to be the most healthy. Though, they said she became crippled. ¡°Yes, I heard they were in bad condition, so I sent them far away to recuperate.¡± She said. It was such a suspicious accident. Why would a noble family get on the carriage and pass through a dangerous road, as if they were running away at night? ¡®What the heck¡­¡¯ Caligo, who glanced at her, lamented inwardly. The wrinkles were thick around Helia¡¯s eyes. She cast a cold-gaze as if saying; so what if they were alive. When Caligo saw those gazes, he quickly shut his mouth tight. That was what she did whenever she felt uncomfortable or didn¡¯t want to talk. Since talking to her in that state only made the atmosphere even colder than it was, Caligo chose to keep his mouth shut, suppressing his curiosity and frustration. ¡°I¡¯m just curious, but do I look calm?¡± When only stillness flowed for quite a while, she was the first to break the silence. After a short consideration, Caligo nodded his head. ¡°Objectively speaking, yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not calm. I think it¡¯s all just a dream right now.¡± Caligo looked at her unchanging deadpan face and detached voice. But did you still have human emotions left in you? He leaned back against the carriage with his arms crossed. The situation of facing each other was not very favorable. ¡°No, actually, I wish this was only a dream.¡± ¡°I see, it must have been a shock to you, too.¡± Caligo breathed out an unusually deep sigh. He even forgot to use honorifics which he habitually used. Caligo was a little bit relieved. No matter how vacant and apathetic Helia usually was, she couldn¡¯t be fine after hearing her brother and parents¡¯ death. Caligo pushed up his trickling down bangs once more. But he failed to push it back since he came out in a hurry. ¡°I should¡¯ve killed him.¡± If it wasn¡¯t for her cold voice that she added, Caligo would have thought of her as someone with emotion on her own ¡°¡­Did something happen at the barony by any chance?¡± ¡°No, nothing happened.¡± She wasn¡¯t such a cold-blooded woman without tears or blood as he thought she¡¯d be. *** Swooosh-! A dark cloud that found the wrong moment spilled a winter rain over the frigid air. The people held an umbrella and dressed in black mourning clothes, took out a handkerchief as though they needed it to wipe off their tears. No one knew if it was sincere tears or crocodile¡¯s tears. At the center of it, Helia stood still amid a heavy winter without an umbrella, wearing unkempt mourning clothes. She wore a black veil to cover her face and did not even move, as if she was frozen in cold winter weather. Her veil soaked wet by the heavy rain, the laces on her dress were in disarray, and her hair was tousled due to the intense rain. Also, her white cheeks were flushed red and her lips gradually turned blue. Even so, nobody came to put up an umbrella for her. She only stared silently at the tomb. ¡®So you¡¯re only ended up dead. How comfortable.¡¯ Helia¡¯s bleak gaze was fixated on the tall tombstone. After his death, will he be able to attain a peaceful sleep after all he¡¯d done to her? It wouldn¡¯t have been enough to tear his limbs to pieces, inflicting pain that would last for a lifetime, and killing him. She couldn¡¯t believe that he fell off the cliff and died while running away in a carriage. Such a vain death. She couldn¡¯t even burst out laughing. She just stayed still because this whole ordeal was hard to believe. ¡°Doggie, come here.¡± ¡°Yes¡­.?¡± At Helia¡¯s query, the fat boy with a body that resembled a sausage laughed. ¡°Since when did the dog speak?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She¡¯d only underwent hell in the attic again if she disobeyed his orders. In the dark space, she had to plead for forgiveness, squirming toward the door that she didn¡¯t know when it would open. The young Helia knelt before the cruel little tyrant and her body brushed against the cold floor. Helia¡¯s body trembled. ¡°Doggy.¡± He laughed. ¡°If you don¡¯t listen, I¡¯ll tell my father. Because you have violated my orders and be selfish.¡± Fragments of certain memories were always lodged on one side of her heart, occasionally tearing down her wounds. Those fragments become hundreds and thousands of pieces. Sometimes, she felt her life was a living hell. Suddenly, Helia shook her head. Caligo, who watched Helia from behind, stepped out to approach her due to his frustration. However, he hesitated as he reminded her cold hand that dismissing him, saying that it was a useless interference. Thinking of the cold-blooded Helia made him feel that way. The other day, he moved toward her to prevent the young men who were boldly bothering her with subjects that she didn¡¯t understand, but she got angry and chastised him not to meddle with her business in front of everyone. When he recalled the memory of that day, he felt terrible. Instead of approaching, he held an umbrella for himself and quietly looked at her back. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 As he stepped back, the sound of people¡¯s whispers reached his ears. ¡°Heaven punished us! Where did a sense of noblesse oblige that was protected and developed by the preceding nobles go?!¡± ¡°I heard that woman was so vicious? They took in a petty little rootless beggar and raised her without any lack of affection¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I hear you. Ptui-! their kindness was all for nothing since she repaid them by blocking off all the money. Their debt snowballed because they couldn¡¯t do business.¡± Then a woman who started talking hit the bull¡¯s eyes. ¡°I heard they took out a loan from Pennus¡¯ headquarters out of all places, which is famous for their bad attribute, no? Those bastards were mentally and physically harassing them night and day, and just two days ago, they brought mercenaries and broke one of their youngest son¡¯s legs.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I told you so! They must be unable to withstand it anymore and ended up having a nighttime getaway¡­.¡± The man who was explaining it shuddered and stayed silent for a while. People around him were all sighing as they were anticipating his next words. ¡°That¡¯s not all, though? She has always been gloomy since she was a child. She created accidents everywhere she goes. The blood can¡¯t lie, thus she stole and killed the animals since it¡¯s hard to break one¡¯s bad habits, perhaps. Anyway, the whole family must be a saint.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I heard she was also on drugs. Heaven punished us. They don¡¯t take that devilish woman, and only take angelic people.¡± Usually, at funerals, people would display sympathy toward those who were left behind, but all he heard today was all kinds of curses directed at her. As a result, Caligo learned more in less than half an hour than he had learned in four years with her. ¡°I should¡¯ve killed it.¡± ¡°¡­.Did something happen to the Baron by any chance?¡± ¡°No, nothing happened.¡± Suddenly, he remembered her cold voice that he heard in the carriage. It was monotonous and plain, but he could feel the killing intent stronger than anyone he had ever seen on the battlefield. That was why she only shook her shoulder when he asked her. ¡®Isn¡¯t it just a bad family relationship?¡¯ Caligo slowly closed his eyes as he fell into deep thoughts. It didn¡¯t feel short nor long, but the 4 years they had spent together wasn¡¯t enough to unravel a woman named Hilia. When he was with her, he felt like he was going back to the days when he was unable to break through the western frontier. ¡®I didn¡¯t even think you were on drugs.¡¯ Caligo lightly pressed on his stuffy chest. ¡°The Baron¡¯s all four limbs were handicapped and The Baroness also became limp¡­now the barony is going to be handed down to that woman while the surviving Baron and Baroness were living in hell.¡± Caligo leaned against the tree and lowered his gaze. In this empire, those who were not in a situation to continue their peerage title due to accident or other circumstances were forced to hand over their titles. At that time, the first person to have the right of succession were among those who already had their coming-of-age and a listed descendant on paper that had no ineligibility. Their son died in this accident, and Hilia was the only descendant left on their family register. Although they had cousins, as long as Hilia was listed as the direct descendant on paper, they had no right to inherit the title. The Baroness couldn¡¯t fight for succession because she did not have the Baron¡¯s blood in the first place. ¡®It all went in her favor.¡¯ If the successor was young, they could use the chance to exercise the authority to become Baron¡¯s substitute, but Hilia was an adult. ¡®She¡¯s going to be so powerful.¡¯ If she gets her nobility title, he has nothing to be disappointed with. It was four years ago that he and she, who didn¡¯t match each other at all, had a contract marriage. Around that time, there was a lot of pressure to get married. But Caligo didn¡¯t want to have a serious relationship with anyone. Caligo was obliged to produce a successor on behalf of his weak brother. But at that time, his body and mind were in a mess and he couldn¡¯t afford to do that. And around that time, the source of trouble came from his mother who suggested that it was common to have contract marriage in this case. Pretend to be married for a reasonable period of time and then naturally go through a divorce. It was such a sweet method. In addition, if a child is born between the contract marriage period, he wouldn¡¯t become a successor nor be tied up to someone forever. Why did that sound so attractive back then? If he had known five years would go this slowly, he wouldn¡¯t have given it a try in the first place. He would try to find another method for sure. In fact, it was Hilia who came first. The first meeting with her went better than he thought, and he felt like love would suddenly blooming between them. He was quite skeptical of the request that he asked from the information guild to find a contract marriage. They coincidentally stood on the terrace, drank champagne together, and accidentally talked about contract marriage, and by chance, they agreed to give it a try. Yes, his meeting with her was so coincidental. When he thought about it now, it was somewhat strange that everything went well. At that time, he was just glad that all the conditions matched up, so he didn¡¯t think further about it. Although there was a brief opposition from his father, who couldn¡¯t accept the young lady from the Barony, the work went faster than expected thanks to his mother¡¯s support. It was a contract marriage that was carried out at such a rapid pace. The conditions he wanted were to have children within five years and to have a clean divorce. And there were only three conditions she wanted. Of course, under common conditions, it was more about keeping each other¡¯s honor and fulfilling their marital obligations while they were in a contractual relationship. The deal must have been more detrimental than beneficial for Hilia, but she strangely didn¡¯t ask for anything. He was a little uneasy, but it was a perfect contract, so Caligo signed the contract without a hitch. At first, they did not avoid each other this much as it went smoothly, just like flowing water. But one day she changed. As the day went by, she became scarier and vicious. There were frequent accidents or fights in the banquet hall, and oftentimes she used her power or money to suppress people. Rumors had it that her nickname was ¡°Crazy Fox¡± Furthermore, at a banquet hosted under the name of the duke, she yanked the hair of a noble lady and made her kneel down. Her faint smile disappeared completely and she often got angry. He heard a lot of complaints coming from the servants and maids that were treated badly such as getting hit and even getting fired by her. She didn¡¯t even give a penny to her parents. She told him to not give them any support, so that was all he knew. However, it seemed like she didn¡¯t stop there. Caligo rubbed his arms with both hands. It was unknown whether this was simply because of the weather or because he got goosebumps after learning about her character that had changed these four years. ¡®It was a relief that she stayed faithful to the contract.¡¯ If she said she refused to get a divorce because she was so into power and money, it would be difficult for him. Of course, the original contract was kept in a safe, so he could hire a lawyer and took legal steps if things went south. How frustrating. Caligo rubbed his eyes with a tired face, reflexively biting the cigar, but then he realized what kind of place it was. He sighed deeply and pushed the cigar case back into his inner pocket. Even until the people who stayed out of courtesy left one by one and until there was no one left, Hilia stood there like a statue. Contrary to what she uttered earlier, that she wanted to kill them all, she stood there as if she had some lingering feelings left. She didn¡¯t budge until Caligo approached her, covered her with an umbrella, and forced her back into her house. *** At first glance, the mansion, which seemed to have been neglected for a long time, emitted a gloomy feeling. Hilia looked at the mansion dryly. For her, this place could be defined in a single word. Hell. There was no other word to express this place except that word. ¡°You there, bring some towels. Don¡¯t you know how to serve your own master?¡± Hilia blinked slowly as he heard the voice from her side. ¡®Why are you here?¡¯ She swallowed a smile inside when she recalled that Caligo had forced her to go in. This was familiar to Hilia. The servants of this mansion did not treat her as a person. She was just a disobedient dog. The worst of the worst. A lucky orphan. Most of the servants thought so. They didn¡¯t even know what she went through. ¡®Why on earth is no one coming?¡¯ Caligo saw the silent Hilia and immobile servants. The Baron couple¡¯s limbs were not intact anymore and she just lost her brother, but they didn¡¯t even say a single word of comfort. ¡°Can¡¯t you hear me!¡± Caligo couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and raised his voice. Only then did some of the servants start to move around. Among them, a maid approached Hilia and handed over a towel. But Caligo couldn¡¯t help but be shocked by the way the maid handed it. The maid held the tip of the towel as if she was handling something dirty, or to a dirty person, and distanced herself by stretching her arms out. The towel, which had been rolled up and folded well, was loosened like a mop.