I’ve Decided to Let You Go - Chapter 25

For the first time, the red eyes that always looked at her with indifference began to carry a shadow of something darker.

Sieghart’s brows briefly drew together, then relaxed just as quickly. His gaze lifted slightly in silent irritation, clearly finding Natasha’s terms bothersome.

She wasn’t surprised. His reaction made sense, considering the list of strict and inconvenient demands she had written.

“Please.”

But Natasha couldn’t afford to back down. Just because she had endured suffering before didn’t mean she was immune to it now.

These conditions were her way of preventing another tragedy. Even so, she knew they were only a temporary fix.

“Your Grace might think I benefit the most from this marriage, but honestly, it was never something I wanted. I just wanted you to know that.”

“So, you plan to replace an unwelcome proposal with these conditions?”

“Think of them as a way to make it fair.”

Despite his sharp tone, Natasha answered calmly and directly. Then she raised her head to look at him.

“By agreeing today, you’ve gained quite a lot.”

He didn’t respond.

But Natasha, having spent enough time around him, understood what that silence meant. Sieghart rarely asked for clarification. Instead, he waited silently, expecting the other person to explain.

“For reasons I don’t know, you proposed to me. You even tracked me down in Vyle. Please don’t pretend it was a coincidence. I know that meeting was planned, even if it looked like fate.”

Still, he said nothing. Another silent cue, urging her to continue.

“In any case, by accepting your proposal today, I’ve saved you the time and emotional energy you would’ve spent forcing the outcome you wanted.”

“Time and emotional energy?”

His dark brows lifted slightly, the faintest crease forming. When he finally spoke, it was a quiet question.

“You always get what you want. If I had refused, I believe you would have created the perfect situation to make sure I agreed. No matter how long it took or how much effort it required.”

For a brief moment, Sieghart’s face went rigid. His usually unreadable expression turned cold, his sharp features more intense than before. He looked like someone who had just been hit squarely with the truth.

Then, slowly, he regained control of his expression. With a quiet exhale, he picked up the paper and carefully read through it.

“Fine. I understand your position. Then it’s time I shared mine.”

His voice was lower now, calm and serious. His red eyes rested on the top of the page as he scanned her list of terms.

“Let’s start with the first one. Why the demand for divorce after two years?”

She had expected him to let that one slide, but he brought it up first.

“I don’t know exactly what you’re hoping to gain from this marriage, but I believe two years is enough time to achieve it.”

“So you’re saying I proposed to you with ulterior motives?”

“It was a sudden proposal. Are you going to claim you fell in love with someone you’ve never met? Just because we crossed paths once by chance?”

Even in a tense moment like this, Natasha spoke confidently. Her calm but pointed response made Sieghart fall silent. He was the one hesitating now.

He waved a hand in her direction, tired but gesturing for her to continue.

“Two years seems fair for both of us. You’ll get what you wanted out of this marriage, and I’ll have time to find a stable life of my own.”

He gave a small, detached nod.

As she thought, he never said anything about refusing the idea of a divorce. It confirmed what she had begun to understand. This marriage would serve a specific goal for him.

She didn’t need fake affection or empty words. As long as he didn’t pretend to love her, living together wouldn’t be impossible.

With the hope of eventual freedom, Natasha accepted the marriage as a step toward a stable future. These two years would simply be a pause—a grace period to secure what came next.

But that didn’t mean she had to suffer during the process. Even if a better future waited ahead, she still wanted peace while living in the Duke’s estate.

The next conditions were all written for that peace.

“What do you mean by requesting the rights of a duchess?”

“I mean I want to personally carry out the duties expected of a duchess. I’d also like the Aschart family’s support in entering high society.”

To avoid repeating past misery, Natasha needed to succeed as Duchess of Aschart through her own merit. A title earned only through marriage, with no power of her own, would be meaningless.

“And why are you so interested in high society?”

“It will be quite the scandal. A royal thought to be extinct suddenly becomes a duchess. The attention that comes with it won’t be kind. People drawn in by sensational gossip rarely show kindness.”

Listening to Sieghart’s stories and being consumed by fear, Natasha had failed in her previous life to fulfill her duties as Duchess of Aschart.

This time, she intended to live differently. Instead of hiding from the attention, she would use it to step forward and win the public’s favor.

“I didn’t expect you to have thought that far ahead.”

“This is the only way someone like me survives.”

“What I meant is that you’re worrying over something that’s already guaranteed.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Once you become Duchess, all authority will be yours. Whether it’s managing responsibilities or entering high society, you’ll be free to handle everything as you see fit.”

His detached answer seemed strangely out of sync with what she knew about the future. Hadn’t he once blocked her from entering high society himself?

It was obvious he was putting on an act to make her more cooperative. If they had only made a verbal agreement instead of writing a contract, he would’ve pretended later that none of it had happened.

While continuing to read through the contract, Sieghart stopped at one specific clause.

“What exactly does it mean to protect you from the imperial family?”

He was referring to the fifth clause, which stated that any connection between Natasha and the Empire should be blocked.

“If the imperial family tries to make contact with the Duchess, I want the House of Aschart to prevent it. For the entire two years of this marriage.”

Kail Letius. The man who had once called her a toy and chased her obsessively. A cruel tyrant who fed off her suffering and found joy in watching her cry.

He was the one disaster she could never stop on her own. That was why she needed the Duke’s help more than anything else.

“We’ve had no contact with the imperial family for a long time, so there’s no reason for that to change. Still, I’ll make sure to protect you.”

“Thank you.”

She didn’t trust his words. In the past, he had left her completely defenseless. But this time, the contract was different. If he violated any of the terms, she would have something to hold against him.

“That’s everything I’m asking for. I think it’s simple enough. Especially if what you truly want is marriage, and you genuinely want me to become Duchess.”

The candlelight faintly illuminated the writing on the back side of the paper. Natasha stared at the bottom of the page, where the signature line waited.

As if reading her thoughts, Sieghart reached for the quill.

He held it like he was ready to sign, but didn’t move right away. His fingers lingered on the parchment, as if sensing the warmth it held from her touch.

Sieghart Aschart

His signature was just as refined and elegant as his appearance. With it, the contract was officially complete.

When he handed the paper back to her, he held it tightly for a second, preventing her from taking it right away. She glanced at him, puzzled, and he spoke before she could ask.

“It seems you’re misunderstanding something, so let me clear it up. The only thing I want is you. This proposal has no hidden motive.”

His serious words unexpectedly made Natasha laugh.

“Is that so? Then tell me, what are you hoping to gain from a marriage that offers you nothing?”

In his red eyes, her reflection flickered. In her own red eyes, she saw Sieghart’s calm expression mirrored.

“Even if I told you the truth, I doubt you’d believe me.”

He tilted his chin upward for a moment, not in a shrug, but in a gesture of quiet pride.

Sieghart took off one of his black gloves, the same deep shade as his hair. A ring on his pinky finger caught the candlelight and gleamed.

“I’m honored that you accepted, especially considering how sudden the proposal must have felt.”

“Well, I didn’t want to waste time.”

“And thanks to that, I get to be with you sooner.”

Before she could even react to the smooth reply, he slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly, as if it had always belonged there.

There was one more condition Natasha added: they would be officially married in six months. She wanted to align the date with her previous life, when she had first married Sieghart Aschart.

She had nothing else to her name except her knowledge of what was to come.

Since she would be stepping into House Aschart again, using the future to her advantage was the wisest move.

Sieghart had accepted the request without hesitation.

And so, six months later, the day of her move to House Aschart arrived.

True to his word, Sieghart did his part to help her adjust. He personally guided her through the estate, introduced the staff, and even hosted a grand dinner in her honor as the future Duchess.

Up to that point, it was all understandable.

It was, after all, a display. Something to show he was attentive and committed. Especially since he continued to call her “my beloved fiancée” without fail.

“…Why are you here?”

“Why? Isn’t it obvious, Princess?”

But what she couldn’t accept was this—him entering her bedroom in the middle of the night, acting like it was completely normal.

“For a married couple to share a room is more than natural. It’s expected.”

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