Chapter 62 ……………………………….
That day, just as the sun disappeared and darkness began to settle, raindrops started to fall.
Even after I left, Leandro remained standing there in the rain, motionless. His shoulders hung limp at his sides.
After having dinner with Diana’s family and even playing cards for a while, I returned to my room late—and was startled.
“Wow. He’s still doing that.”
Because the room I was staying in happened to be near the back gate, I could faintly see Leandro sulking outside through the window. He stood as if nailed to the spot, staring endlessly at the ambassador’s residence.
Just yesterday, Ambassador Leok had mobilized every possible official and unofficial method to drive away the reporters who had been prowling around the estate like a pack of wolves. Thanks to that, Leandro standing there alone was especially noticeable.
“Ugh. What an eyesore.”
Did he think that standing there like some male lead in a romance novel would soften my heart?
“Soften? Yeah, right. It just gives me goosebumps.”
Stay there your whole life for all I care. Even if you catch pneumonia from standing in the rain, I won’t bat an eye.
Swish. I pulled the curtains shut decisively and lay sprawled across the bed in comfortable pajamas. At times like this, the best solution was to fall asleep quickly.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
I must have just drifted off when a strange noise mixed with the sound of rain disturbed my sleep.
“…What now.”
My drowsiness evaporated instantly. Something small and hard was hitting the window.
“Ah, damn it. This guy.”
Had he lost his mind from standing in the rain too long? Why was he throwing pebbles at someone else’s window?
At this very moment, if someone asked me to name the two people I hated most in the world, I’d answer without hesitation. First, Leandro. Second, anyone who wakes me up.
I yanked open the curtains and window in irritation. Even if it meant waking up the entire neighborhood, I was going to hurl a stream of curses at him.
“Hey! You stu—”
All the colorful insults that had been about to pour out of my mouth vanished.
“Tey?”
Though he was wearing a robe just like Leandro had been, the person standing beyond the wall wasn’t Leandro—it was Terrence. There was no way I would confuse the two.
After confirming it was me, Terrence pushed back the hood of his robe slightly. It really was him.
“W-what brings you here?”
I almost shouted instinctively but lowered my voice, worried someone might notice. I might not care, but he was at a particularly important time in his life and needed to be cautious.
Terrence pointed to himself, then to the wall, and then to me. Roughly interpreted, it seemed he was asking if he could come over to my side.
“Sure.”
When I made a large circle with both arms, his body—surrounded by a dark crimson aura—rose into the air. As if he were used to flying, he landed lightly on the tree right in front of my window.
“What’s going on?!”
For Terrence to come see me like this in the middle of the night, it had to be something urgent.
“Did I wake you?”
Yet he seemed more at ease than I expected. Or perhaps not at ease—there was a subtle excitement in his expression.
“It’s fine. I wasn’t deeply asleep, just drifting off.”
“My apologies. There was news I wanted to tell you as soon as possible.”
“Did something happen?”
“If you consider it something big… then yes.”
“What is it?!”
He scratched his cheek awkwardly, then cleared his throat.
“Congratulations on your divorce, Idel.”
At his gentle voice, I stared blankly for a moment.
“…What?”
“I’m actually coming from the Grand Temple. I had business there for another matter and happened to hear.”
“My divorce has been approved?”
“Yes. It’s late, so the official announcement will likely be tomorrow morning.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Idel?”
“I don’t know what to say… It just doesn’t feel real yet.”
I was finally divorced. No longer Leandro’s wife. No longer Idel Cassius. At last, I had severed that stubborn tie.
Slowly, warmth filled my chest, and a surge of elation spread through my body. A shout burst out of me naturally.
“Waaah! I’m divorced!—Oh!”
I quickly clamped my hand over my mouth. I’d gotten so happy that I forgot the situation for a moment. Careful. Careful.
Hehe. Still, I couldn’t stop the grin that kept slipping out. I looked at Terrence with a wide smile.
“Did you come all the way here just to tell me this?”
Terrence’s lips curved upward slightly.
“I wanted to be the first to deliver the good news. And… I wanted to be the very first to congratulate you.”
“The very first?”
Only then did I properly notice his hair and clothes. They were soaked, as if he had ridden through the rain.
“Why do you go this far for me?”
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
“I mean, I’m not saying I dislike it. It just feels like you’re being far too kind to me…”
I’d felt it since the trial. Thanks to him bringing the head steward as a witness, we were able to steer things in our favor. He had truly been a tremendous help.
“But what about me?”
Was I really worth all that effort to him? Was it necessary to go so far as to use the imperial power that came with side effects?
Before, he’d explained it was because I had given him the recipe for medicinal tea, but it still seemed excessive. That was simply a transaction.
His attitude now felt emotional. Or maybe it had been from the start…
A ridiculous thought brushed my mind. Completely ridiculous—and yet one that would instantly explain everything.
Just then, Terrence, who had been quietly watching me, spoke.
“Because we’re comrades.”
His tone was utterly casual.
“Isn’t it only natural to want to look after a comrade?”
“Ah… because we’re comrades.”
“And besides, Idel, you’re a friend I made after a very long time.”
A friend. That was the first time that word had come up between us.
“It’s embarrassing to admit, but I’ve hardly had anyone I could call a friend. Jack, who assists me, is the closest—but his role is to serve me.”
That had been mentioned briefly in Return and Walk Only on the Flower Path. The villain met a lonely end without a single true friend.
“The others at the marquisate are similar. None can ever truly be my equal, and due to circumstances, I frequently replaced most of the staff.”
Since any one of them could have been a spy planted by the Empress’s family.
“I have met people outside while hiding my identity, but relationships built on lies rarely last. I’ve never even had a personal conversation with Vineta.”
“The two of you both take time to warm up to people.”
Terrence was especially wary of anyone who knew his identity, and Vineta was naturally taciturn.
“But you and I are collaborators without a hierarchy. We met not because I approached you or you approached me, but by chance.”
He spread his arms theatrically.
“Isn’t it remarkable? That the person you met by coincidence could help you—and that you possessed that extraordinary medicinal tea.”
“Haha, yes. It’s remarkable…”
It wasn’t coincidence. I had known who he was from the start and approached him under the guise of chance.
“At this point, wouldn’t you call it fate?”
Seeing his bright eyes, my conscience pricked sharply.
“Y-yes. It really is amazing.”
“Would it be presumptuous of me to consider you my friend?”
“Of course not. There’s no question—we’re friends.”
Feeling guilty, I quickly moved to end the topic. Still, some of my doubts were cleared.
Right. Terrence had no friends.
In the novel, even when he temporarily cooperated with other villains, it was always described as a fragile alliance ready to collapse at any moment. No emotional bonds whatsoever.
But I had met him before he fully turned dark. We’d had honest conversations. And though it wasn’t true, he believed our relationship had begun by pure chance.
Friend, huh.
Not bad. No—good. Come to think of it, I’d been treating him like a friend for a while now.
Still…
Wow, I’m incredibly self-conscious.
I felt mortified. For a moment, I’d thought Terrence might have feelings for me as a woman.
As if that were possible. He hadn’t even shown the slightest interest in Riena, who had enchanted practically every man her age—why would he like me?
In any case, it was a relief. If my delusion had been reality, I wouldn’t have known how to reject him. He was a good person, and honestly, his looks were my type.
But romance and marriage? I’d had enough.
I’d married in pursuit of those fluttering feelings and look how that turned out. While preparing for the divorce, I’d resolved to remain single from now on.
Hiding my embarrassment, I spoke as casually as possible.
“You’ll catch a cold like that. Come inside. I’ll get you a towel—and see if there are any clothes you can change into…”
Terrence stiffened slightly.
“It’s fine. The rain has stopped.”
“Oh. You’re right.”
“I have an early schedule tomorrow, so I should get going.”
“You should hurry and rest.”
He shifted as if to jump down from the tree, then asked,
“How is it here?”
“It’s good. Everyone treats me very well.”
“I’m glad. Invite your friends freely. It wasn’t easy to do that at my villa.”
Since it was a secret villa, there had been many restrictions.
“Oh, it wasn’t stifling at all. It was actually nice not having visitors.”
“…Then perhaps I sent you here for nothing.”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
He muttered something too quietly for me to hear.
“Just talking to myself. I really should go now.”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, Tey, I’ll be able to sleep happily tonight.”
Just a few hours ago, I’d been miserable because of Leandro.
“If you’re truly grateful, would you grant me one wish?”
A wish?
