“What a small world this is! So, the Duchess is the daughter of the cousin of the Count’s father’s son? That makes you seventh cousins—basically family!”
The real estate agent exaggerated cheerfully, trying to lighten the sunken atmosphere, but the already grim mood didn’t budge. Karia and Count Lowell sat across from each other on the sofa, glaring at one another without even blinking.
The ones who felt most uncomfortable were the servants. A twin-braided maid who had brought tea for the guests trembled as she poured, afraid frost might form on the air between them.
“These are the sales conditions. Read them.”
“Very well.”
Neither the Count nor Karia raised their voices after that. In terms of lineage, Count Lowell was Karia’s elder; in terms of status, he was beneath her. It was a situation where mutual respect was customary, yet neither of them made the first move to be polite.
This only made the already icy atmosphere even more unbearable, but neither seemed to care.
With a flick of his brow and clear displeasure on his face, Count Lowell shoved a densely written contract across the table.
—
[Townhouse Sale Terms]
In this contract, “Party A” refers to the seller, and “Party B” to the buyer.
1. Party B shall take over the employment of all current household staff.
2. Party B may use the mansion freely, but must not disturb the two locked rooms on the second floor.
3. Party B is strictly forbidden from accessing the terrace on the third floor.
4. Party B must cultivate and maintain the rose garden every June.
5. Party B must feed the stray cat that occasionally visits the backyard.
…
If Party B agrees to abide by the above terms, Party A shall transfer ownership of the house for 100,000 gold.
However, should Party B be found in violation of any clause, Party B must pay a fine of 1,000,000 gold to Party A.
Additionally, Party A may make unannounced visits to verify compliance with the contract.
—
Karia read through the lengthy contract thoroughly on the spot. The real estate agent watched her anxiously.
Many potential buyers had shown interest in the beautiful property, but upon seeing the conditions, they all either got angry or left, bewildered.
The clause allowing unannounced inspections to ensure compliance was especially problematic. Who would accept such interference after purchasing a house? That’s why, despite the bargain price of 100,000 gold, the property remained unsold for three years.
“I’ll sign the contract.”
Unexpectedly, Karia expressed her intent to proceed without a word of protest. After signing, she took out a checkbook and handed over a check for 100,000 gold to the agent.
“This is a check from the Rubens Trading Company. When can we cash it, Duchess?”
“The 100,000 gold one can be cashed immediately. Wait about three days for this one.”
Without stopping, Karia wrote out another check—for 1,000,000 gold. As she handed it over, Count Lowell’s face twisted in fury.
“1.1 million gold might be above market price, but since it’s a unique listing, it can’t be helped. I’ll move in as soon as possible, so please vacate the house. Oh, and I’ll keep the staff, so don’t worry.”
—
—
“What an insufferable woman.”
Count Lowell tore up the checks she’d given him and threw her out of the mansion. Karia couldn’t understand his behavior.
Wasn’t he the one who had set the 1,000,000 gold condition? She wasn’t pushing for something unreasonable—so why was he so enraged?
Instead of the Count, an elderly butler saw her off and bowed politely.
> “It seems the master is not quite ready yet.”
In the end, Karia had no choice but to stay at a hotel. While it was better than sleeping in her empty castle, it came with many inconveniences: no personal staff, having to go down to the lobby for meals…
Worst of all was the lack of privacy. Barely a few hours after checking in, an unwanted visitor arrived.
“Duchess, here you are.”
Just as she was about to take her first bite from a table filled with food, a familiar voice made her frown deeply. She didn’t even have to look to know who it was.
Karia didn’t turn toward the voice or respond. But the ever-thick-skinned Hessis Livne, seasoned from years in social circles, ignored her obvious snub and sat at her table without hesitation.
“Quite late for dinner, isn’t it?”
“Did I say you could sit?”
She slammed her utensils down loudly and glared at him, drawing the attention of nearby diners.
“I want to talk more about what you said to His Grace.”
“What, about the divorce proposal?”
Hessis flinched and glanced around at her blunt words.
So typical of a Pandion man—ignoring her discomfort while worrying about strangers’ opinions.
“Let’s speak somewhere private.”
“Can’t you see I’m eating?”
“I’ll wait, then.”
Suit yourself. Karia resumed eating, completely unbothered by his presence. Calm and graceful, she enjoyed her meal bite by bite, as if he weren’t there.
Watching her, Hessis grimaced.
“You ordered so much food, knowing you won’t finish it. Meanwhile, the commoners are boiling tree bark to survive the winter—”
“Is that why you turned a blind eye to the Dowager’s embezzlement?”
She countered without blinking. And unfortunately for Hessis, she was right. He had indeed let it slide.
He’d assumed the Dowager’s extravagance was just her indulging after years of frugality under the previous Duke. He hadn’t expected it to blow up into something so serious.
> “Since the embezzled funds were nominally Karia’s ‘noble maintenance’ allowance, it didn’t seem like a big deal,”
he’d reasoned. But he couldn’t deny that she had sniffed out the truth and exposed it completely.
“You must be very angry.”
“If I seem so, then I must be.”
“If cursing me would help, I’ll take it. If you want an apology, I’ll even kneel. But… just one question. Why now? Why today?”
“‘Suddenly’?”
When she detonated the truth and filed for divorce, the entire Pandion household plunged into chaos. The Duke locked himself in his room. The Dowager collapsed. The children were confused by the sudden upheaval.
If she’d spoken up when she first uncovered the wrongdoing, things wouldn’t have escalated like this.
From Hessis’s perspective, it was hard to believe this wasn’t premeditated.
> “They said you changed after falling down the stairs. Did something happen?”
“I thought you were smart, but maybe not.”
“What do you mean?”
“You really think this came out of nowhere?”
Karia smiled at him—not the warm, harmless smile she used to greet the Duke at the door. This was bitter, sarcastic, and venomous. So cold it could freeze hellfire. Hessis flinched instinctively.
> “My mother-in-law couldn’t see me without snapping at me. The children looked down on me. Even the servants treated me with disrespect. And you say this was ‘sudden’?”
“But—”
“The knight captain, supposedly my guard, was some clueless brat—as if you wanted me to die by accident. And you, the Duke’s dear friend, helped the Dowager tighten her leash around my neck. The Duke? Who knows if he even noticed. Even if he did, he didn’t care. And yet, you say this was ‘sudden’?”
Hessis wanted to claim it was all a misunderstanding—but he couldn’t. He had known her position was precarious. He just didn’t realize how much she was suffering.
Or rather, he didn’t want to know. He had too much on his plate helping the Duke rebuild the territory. The Duchess’s feelings? Not his responsibility.
“If she had a problem, she should h
ave said something,”
“If she was unhappy, she should’ve spoken up.”
He thought it was up to her to initiate. His job was to manage the estate, not her mental health.
