The Full Story of an Incomplete Divorce - Chapter 33

Though the body heat against her was warm, she somehow felt cold again. As the chill seeped in, Charlotte curled up and burrowed deeper under the covers.

‘Is that really true?’

Linert’s death, quiet for years, suddenly resurfacing, and encountering his servant in the bustling streets… It felt too uneasy to dismiss as mere coincidence. Above all, she couldn’t forget the expression on Lucius’s face when they encountered Ben.

Yes, perhaps it was nothing. Maybe, as Lucius said, she was just wasting time on a pointless matter.

But she wanted to see for herself. Even if the servant’s words ultimately turned out to be nothing but the ravings of a madman, she needed to know. That way, no matter what decision she made when the divorce contemplation period ended, she would have no regrets.

“……”

She had to meet that man, Ben.

It didn’t take long to find out Ben’s address through a messenger. The problem was that Ben’s residence was quite far from here, making it difficult to go and return without Lucius noticing.

“There must be a way……”

Charlotte rummaged through her desk drawer and pulled out a small notebook. As she scanned the densely packed list of monthly external events, her expression suddenly brightened. Coincidentally, in three days, there was a volunteer event for free meal distribution in Kelston, which was adjacent to the village where Ben lived. It was a common social activity for noblewomen to participate in, so Lucius wouldn’t be able to suspect any other motive.

Having made up her mind, Charlotte immediately went to his study.

“You wish to go to Kelston?”
“Yes.”

Lucius looked up from his documents and gazed at Charlotte.
“It seems a rather distant place. Will you not be tired?”

His voice was as quiet and calm as usual. His gaze showed no suspicion or any particular sign of concern.
“It’s fine. I won’t be that tired. Since I donated to the establishment of the Kelston hospital last time, the director himself expressed a desire to host a meal. I thought it would be good to kill two birds with one stone.”

Lucius nodded as if he understood.
“Very well. I would like to accompany you, but I will likely be away for a territory inspection. Please travel safely.”

A territory inspection would take at least a few days, giving her plenty of time to meet Ben. Charlotte inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed things were going smoothly from the start.

***

The free meal distribution in Kelston didn’t finish until late afternoon. After excusing herself early by telling the other noblewomen involved in the volunteer work that she was heading in to rest, Charlotte made her way to the village where Ben currently resided.

Though immediately adjacent, the village had a distinctly different atmosphere from Kelston. Arriving in front of a dilapidated house with cracked walls, Charlotte took a deep breath and knocked on the door. However, even after knocking several times, there was no sound or sign of movement from inside.

Just then, the door next door burst open and a man came out.
“Who’s there?”
“Does a man named Ben happen to live in this house?”
“He does, but he hasn’t been home for a few days.”
“Did he say anything about where he was going, or when he might be back?”

The man looked Charlotte over with a suspicious glance, then shrugged his shoulders indifferently as if to say,
‘Well, whatever.’
“That good-for-nothing’s destination is obvious. He’s probably holed up in a gambling den.”
“A gambling den?”
“He was a worthless drunk who couldn’t even pay his tab, but a few days ago he was bragging loudly about hitting some kind of jackpot and going on a big spree before he left. There’s no gambling den in this tiny little village. Go look for him in Kelston.”