The Full Story of an Incomplete Divorce - Chapter 41

Charlotte’s shoulders jerked violently, causing her teacup to overturn. The tea soaked her hand and sleeve, but she simply stared blankly at Sonia, seemingly not even feeling the heat.
“What did you just say?”

Drip. Drip. The sound of tea falling to the floor seemed unnaturally loud. In the heavily stifling atmosphere, Sonia recalled the story Ben had told her years ago.

“Even as his older brother was dying, impaled by his own sword right before his eyes, he showed not a trace of emotion, let alone tears. It was as if he was only waiting for his breath to be cut off.
I still can’t forget that expression. That cold, frozen expression where no emotion could be felt… The moment our eyes met, I was so horrified I couldn’t move a single step.
Everyone is fooled by the Young Master’s outward appearance. I am the only one who knows his true nature.”
Sonia hid her trembling hands under the table and clasped them tightly. Hesitating, her lips moving several times, she finally shut her eyes tightly and then opened them.
“They said the Eldest Young Master passed away during a sparring match with him, the Young Master. They said it was a terrible accident.”
“…….”
“It was only then that I found out. Where the source of that unidentified money came from. The fact that he received it from the current Duke in exchange for taking the blame for the events of that day. That is all I know.”
Charlotte, overwhelmed by shock, was unable to speak for a while.
“Lucius… Linert…”
She had so desperately wished it weren’t true.
Ultimately, it was a fact that Lucius had killed Linert. She was confused, unsure whether to despair over that fact or to feel relieved that it was an unfortunate accident, not intentional.
“But if what happened that day was simply an accident, why did Lucius…”
Why didn’t he tell the truth? Why did he go so far as to make a servant give false testimony to cover it up? As Charlotte muttered with her hand on her forehead, a sudden realization flashed through her mind.
The previous Duke and Duchess Valentin had doted on Linert exceptionally. Considering how Lucius was treated at the time, they might have instead looked for a suitable successor among close Valentin relatives to pass the title to, or even adopted an heir and outright expelled Lucius from the family. They were fully capable of such a thing, and Lucius himself probably knew that better than anyone.
But the Lucius she knew was not a man with any greed for power or title. Quite the opposite, if anything. If he went so far as to cover up his brother’s death with a lie to obtain something…
‘It was me.’
A hollow laugh escaped her.
His reluctance to grow close to her after they married, his stubborn refusal to consummate the marriage, his severe insomnia so bad he took medicine in secret. All the questions about his puzzling behavior until now were finally answered.
‘So this was it. This is what he was trying to hide from me.’

***

It was around the time the inspection of Lucius’s territory was nearly over. The knight he had sent out returned to report.
“It was just as you said, Your Grace. Her Ladyship met with that woman.”
The knight reported in meticulous detail: when Charlotte had met Sonia, whether she had any companions, exactly how long she had stayed at that house before leaving, and so on.
“After Her Ladyship left, I went to see the woman to confirm. Fortunately, it seems she did not speak out of turn. She said she did as you instructed, Your Grace.”
“Anything else?”
“She also begged me to remind you to please keep your promise.”
Shortly after returning from Kelston, Lucius, having located Sonia, sent a knight to deliver the news of Ben’s death and secretly secure her silence. In exchange, he promised financial support. For a widow who had lost two husbands, with a child to support, it must have been an offer she couldn’t refuse.