Chapter 39
The man she met when she went to his room spoke little and quietly listened to everything she said. His silver hair, reflecting the light, had a deep color like melted pure silver, and the slightly upturned corners of his eyes gave him a sharp, sensitive impression.
On the other hand, the man who came to her room always responded whenever she spoke. Whether it was praise or teasing, he always reacted. His silver hair, sparkling in the morning sunlight, was clear and bright like rippling light, almost like silver ornaments swaying in the breeze, and the ends of his eyes stretched gently to the sides, giving him a warm impression.
The man she knew was certainly an attractive one, with rare silver hair and intense red eyes. Quiet and somewhat cold, yet at times very gentle.
Leaving the study, she headed straight to the bedroom on the second floor. As she passed through the lived-in space, goosebumps suddenly rose on her skin. Once she became certain this was not an abandoned annex, her heart began to pound.
It felt as though a massive secret was right before her. As if opening the door would reveal everything, her breathing grew faster.
After entering the bedroom, she went straight to the dressing room. The clothes he usually wore when he came to her room and had breakfast with her were hung neatly on the racks.
When she found the shirt and jacket she had seen just yesterday, she reached out with trembling hands. The fabric felt extremely soft to the touch. She had known it was high-quality just by looking, but touching it made it certain. In the ducal household, there was only one man who wore clothing made of such fine material.
No matter how much the head butler or other aides cared about their appearance, they would never come to work at the ducal manor dressed in clothes of this quality.
Lost in thought, she noticed something on the jacket. What caught the light was a short strand of hair.
“……”
Elaria stopped breathing as she pinched the silver strand from the jacket with her fingers. Her eyes shook violently. She had realized that the person using this annex was her husband, but she hadn’t thought beyond that.
Too confused to think, she collapsed to the floor while clutching the jacket. Then she bit down hard on her lower lip and muttered,
“I’ve known him since I was seven…”
How could it be possible not to know?
She was the one who had watched him more closely than anyone else. Others might not know, but she should have known everything about him.
They had broken up once, but compared to the time they had spent together, it hadn’t been long at all. Then how had she failed to notice?
No, in truth, she had noticed sooner than anyone. She had simply thought he was being temperamental.
“Honestly… how can I be this slow…”
It was because she had set everything aside and believed whatever he said, but even so, she couldn’t forgive herself.
There had always been many women around him. As the only direct heir to the sole ducal house of the Karserion Empire, there was no way other noblewomen would leave him alone.
Whenever that happened, she would think…
Why did you choose me?
She had nothing outstanding, her appearance was utterly ordinary, and her family was only a baron’s house. It was a situation that could only breed inferiority, yet there was one reason she had been able to remain by his side.
Her heart.
Her sincerity toward him.
That alone, she was confident, was deeper and greater than anyone else’s.
And yet…
“How foolish…”
She remembered the day he had suddenly broken up with her. In the middle of tea, he had casually said they should break up, and at first she hadn’t even understood. It was such a strange contrast that the man who had been smiling warmly and chatting just moments before would say such a thing.
“…Why?”
If he had broken up with her because she had failed to notice until then, why had he proposed afterward?
She recalled the faces of the two men when she had asked that question. Both had given only vague answers. Their expressions overlapped in her mind, as if they were waiting for something.
“Ah…”
Elaria understood their intention far too late. They had been waiting for her to realize it first.
Why had they lived pretending to be one person?
She wanted to know the reason. At the same time, she realized she could no longer deny the truth.
Her husband was two people.
No.
From the very beginning, the man she loved had been two.
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