<Chapter 1>
Where did it all go wrong?
I lifted my head and gazed at the scene unfolding before me at the long dining table.
“Riena, eat your carrots too.”
The eldest brother, lecturing his younger sister who still refused to eat certain foods despite being grown.
“It’s not like I’m going to die just because I don’t eat carrots.”
The beautiful girl pouted.
“Bunny, your nickname is literally Bunny, so why don’t you eat carrots?”
The younger brother teased her as if he found her adorable.
“Enough. No one can force my daughter to eat something she doesn’t like.”
Their father glared at his sons for trying to correct their sister’s picky eating.
Honestly, it was heartwarming… no, too heartwarming, to the point of being excessive.
“How dare you forget Riena’s food preferences and serve carrots at this table?”
At the duke’s icy voice, the servants serving the meal paled.
“Punish with the cane and dismiss the head chef and everyone involved in preparing this meal.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
And just like that, the head chef who had served the ducal house faithfully for over thirty years, along with several servants, were about to lose their jobs—and be beaten on top of it.
“Dad! That’s not necessary!”
Riena hurried to stop her father.
“All they did was put carrots on the table! That’s no reason to go that far!”
I couldn’t agree more.
“Riena…”
Three men looked at their daughter or little sister as if gazing upon something radiant.
“For you, I’ll let it slide just this once.”
“You really are too kind.”
“You’re too soft. Keep living like that and you’ll just get taken advantage of.”
…This is ridiculous. Seriously.
Noticing my inability to keep my expression neutral, Leandro—Riena’s eldest brother—turned to me.
“My lady. Are you unwell?”
His cold tone was a stark contrast to how he spoke to his sister.
“…I just don’t have much of an appetite.”
Because watching you people act like this makes me lose it—though I couldn’t exactly say that out loud.
Leandro’s brow twitched.
“Leaving food on your plate after the cooks worked so hard… If they saw, they’d be heartbroken.”
Oh, really?
Who was the one nodding along when Father just said he’d punish those same cooks moments ago?
I wanted to throw my fork at him, but restrained myself.
Calm down, calm down.
Anyway, once I got through today, I wouldn’t have to see them for another month.
In the Cassius ducal family, there’s a tradition where all family members—including married ones—gather for a meal once a month.
Aside from this tradition, Leandro didn’t demand much from me as a wife.
In other words, if I could endure just a few hours each month, I could enjoy a life of luxury as the wife of the Cassius heir.
Only a fool would throw away such an easy, carefree life.
So I forced a faint smile and replied,
“You’re right. My apologies.”
Leandro turned away without easing the frown between his brows.
Perhaps sensing the tense air, the duke’s second son, Rehaim, changed the subject.
“Bunny, if you finish your carrots, this oppa will give you a present.”
“A present? What kind of present?”
“It’s no fun if I tell you beforehand. Hurry and eat.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll eat it.”
Though nearly an adult, the girl still behaved like a child as she resolutely put the carrot in her mouth.
Grimacing, she chewed and swallowed.
“There! I ate it all!”
Proudly showing off her empty plate, Riena looked unbearably cute.
White hair, red eyes—did her nickname “Bunny” need any more explanation?
The men’s faces softened with fond smiles at the sight of their beloved girl.
Leandro, as if he’d never frowned, gently patted his sister’s head.
“Well done. I’ll give you a present too.”
“You prepared a gift too, Leandro oppa?”
“Yes. I’ll have the servants bring it after the meal.”
“It’s not even my birthday, why are you all making such a fuss with gifts?”
“It’s just something small, so don’t refuse.”
These days, I guess a wagonload of gifts is considered “something small.”
My lips jutted out unconsciously.
“No gift for your wife? She might get upset, you know.”
Rehaim glanced at me as if reading my mood and asked his brother.
Yes, finally someone said it. Even if I’d decided to put up with things, I’d still take what I was owed.
“That’s right. Don’t I get a gift?”
Perhaps catching the sarcasm, Leandro’s expression hardened again.
“Does my lady need a gift from me? It’s not a special occasion.”
Oh, and it is some special occasion for Miss Riena, then?
Instead of snapping back, I pressed my lips into a thin line. This wasn’t new.
It wasn’t the first—or the hundredth—time I’d seen Leandro shower his sister with gifts.
Unlike the duke or Rehaim, Leandro had lived in the Cassius territory ever since we married, far from the capital. Perhaps because he couldn’t see his sister often, he spoiled her all the more.
So normally, this wouldn’t bother me much.
…Normally.
“It’s our wedding anniversary.”
I tried to say it evenly, but my voice came out weaker than intended.
That’s right—exactly two years ago today, Leandro and I had wed.
Which also meant it had been two years since this family had treated me like a decorative screen.
“Wedding… anniversary…”
After repeating my words, a shadow crossed Leandro’s face.
Ah, so he is embarrassed.
“Oh my! Now that you mention it, it really is big brother’s wedding anniversary today! How could you!”
Riena gasped dramatically.
“How can you forget your wedding anniversary? That’s grounds for disqualification as a husband.”
“If you’ve made a home, you should put some thought into it,” Rehaim and the duke each added.
The Cassius family, bound by their deep familial affection, was actually siding with me and scolding Leandro.
I hadn’t lived all that long, but I’d truly seen everything now.
Under their pointed gazes—especially his sister’s—Leandro spoke with an awkward expression.
“It’s true that forgetting was my fault. However…”
However?
This was the time to simply apologize, not tack on a ‘but.’
“Is there a law that says only the husband must give the wife a gift on their anniversary?”
Oh, so that’s how you want to play it?
“A wedding anniversary is something both partners should celebrate. Since you didn’t prepare a gift for me either…”
I didn’t bother listening to the rest. I could already imagine the petty ‘so we’re even’ conclusion.
I took a deep breath.
I’d endured a lot.
If I said this to anyone else, they’d probably call me spoiled.
A handsome, capable, wealthy husband who didn’t meddle in my affairs—what was there to complain about?
And yes, my life had been comfortable since marrying him.
Before marriage, and even before I transmigrated into this world, I’d never dreamed of such luxury.
But there was just one problem… I wanted his affection.
So I endured. I had no choice but to endure.
When he’d turned cold the moment we married.
When he’d left me alone on our honeymoon, claiming urgent business.
When he’d sent my first anniversary gift through his aide.
And through countless other moments that made me feel small.
But I couldn’t anymore.
Maybe the breaking point always comes at an unexpected moment.
Two years’ worth of pent-up resentment quietly exploded inside me.
If he’d at least acknowledged our anniversary through someone else, like last year, maybe I would have swallowed it down again.
But my hand moved faster than my head.
I hurled the object I’d been hiding in my lap.
Thud!
“Ugh.”
It hit Leandro’s oh-so-handsome face dead on.
The neatly wrapped small box rolled across the table.
The wedding anniversary gift I’d prepared for him days ago no longer meant anything.
“Let’s get divorced.”
And just like that, I ended it.
