I’ve Decided to Let You Go - Chapter 67

“By the way, what’s your schedule for this week?”

With that, Sieghart changed the topic abruptly, making it difficult for Natasha to clarify what she had originally planned to say.

Not intending to explain any further, Natasha smoothly switched to the topic he introduced.

This week’s schedule…

Lately, Natasha had spent her days lying in bed, resting. With nothing to do, she counted the circles drawn on the ceiling.

Yesterday, she spent the entire day counting the number of squares on the marble floor.

After repeatedly making small mistakes and almost causing a major issue for the Duchy’s finances due to a clerical error, she had given up her duties as Duchess.

For now, Jenkins had taken over the correspondence sent to her.

It had been a long time since she had attended any social events. Now, replying to personal letters was the only thing she did, corresponding with five or six pen pals.

To others, it seemed like Natasha Aschart led a boring, uneventful life, spending her days in meaningless monotony.

In truth, she had been going through much inner turmoil. After recovering, she was constantly debating what her first step should be.

Should she host a grand banquet to prove she hadn’t fallen apart? Or should she immerse herself in the Duchy’s affairs and demonstrate her worth once again?

Or perhaps, should she send letters and host a small tea gathering to restore her fading friendships?

After much internal conflict, she reached a single conclusion.

“I want to meet His Imperial Majesty. I need to go to the Imperial Palace.”

Meeting Kail Letius.

“…You mean, you want to go to the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes.”

Kail Letius, another person who had wished for Natasha’s misfortune, an accomplice of Kayeina Ten. She needed to meet him.

There was no grand reason for it.

It was to bring a definitive end to the tiresome conflict and to ensure that Natasha Aschart’s pure intentions to protect those she loved would be fully undermined.

“I know it might seem odd, especially after I asked you to prevent any contact with the Imperial family, but I’m shamelessly asking for your help.”

“Natasha, but…”

“Please, Sieghart.”

Interrupting his words, Natasha spoke his name slowly, using the situation to her advantage.

Seeing the reflection of the red sunset in her eyes, Sieghart finally agreed to her request.

After much persuasion, Natasha was allowed to go to the Imperial Palace, but with the condition that Sieghart would accompany her.

Her request for an audience was quickly accepted. On the very day the letter arrived, the Imperial Palace sent a servant to deliver the Emperor’s command to grant the audience.

The date was set for two days later, the day of the full moon.

Two days later, a carriage from the Imperial Palace arrived.

Sieghart paid the coachman and sent the royal carriage back. The carriage bound for the Imperial Palace had to be from the Aschart Duchy, as it was customary.

Soon, the Aschart family crest appeared in the distance, and a sleek black carriage arrived before them.

The weather was pleasant, and the journey to the Imperial Palace took only half a day.

At the appointed time, Natasha headed toward the audience room.

Sieghart, who had insisted on accompanying her, stopped before the grand door, stating that he would protect her rather than trust the Imperial guards.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Without responding to his farewell, Sieghart continued to watch her steadily, showing his desire to enter the room with her.

Instead of replying with words, Natasha simply nodded. It was a signal that they had already agreed on the plan.

The two had arranged for Sieghart to accompany her to the Imperial Palace but for Natasha to enter the audience room alone.

“If anything happens to me…”

“I’ll break the door down to get in.”

“Alright, come in then.”

Her response was intense, but it showed her trust in him.

“…But, don’t worry. Nothing will happen. I’ll make sure the Duchy doesn’t owe anything to the Imperial family.”

She smiled brightly and knocked on the door. After a moment, it opened.

As Natasha walked across the red carpet, she glanced around. The interior hadn’t changed at all since her previous life.

When she reached Kail’s position, she lowered her head slightly.

“I pay my respects to the Sun of the Empire,” she murmured briefly and kept her bowed posture until the Emperor’s command was given.

“Everyone, leave.”

The arrogant man ignored her and dismissed the attendants and knights, who hurriedly exited the room as if under some kind of expulsion.

The sound of their footsteps filled the room until Natasha straightened her head.

As the footsteps grew quieter, a profound silence followed. Only then did Kail notice Natasha’s uncomfortable posture and retract his earlier command.

“I didn’t expect you to come to find me first. What brings you here?”

“You must already know.”

This time, she raised her head and looked directly at him.

“If His Majesty, focused on the Aschart Duchy, knows anything about my unfortunate situation, then he must already know everything.”

“Oh, is this about the story where your maid unknowingly turned her back on you? I’ve heard the rumors. I know them well.”

“Isn’t it all thanks to His Majesty’s excellent care of his dogs?”

His eyelids fluttered shut. When they reopened, his red eyes, now even more striking—moved slowly, scanning her.

Well-polished shoes, a splendid uniform, skin as flawless as white jade, and a mischievous face.

And finally, the blue eyes.

A cool red tint spread over the bluish irises. A deep, almost severed gaze followed by an overwhelming silence.

“Who are you?”

The first to speak was Natasha.

“Who reached out first?”

The reason she had stepped into enemy territory was simple.

To thoroughly investigate the relationship between the man and Kayeina.

It wasn’t the right time to have a deep conversation with a woman who was barely coherent, so she needed to hear the rest of the story directly from the Emperor.

It was like opening Pandora’s box—although she knew the contents could harm her, she couldn’t help but check what was inside.

Yes, if it was the story of Kayeina Ten.

“Who reached out first, you ask?”

“I’m asking who proposed such a ridiculous alliance.”

“Ah…”

The Emperor groaned briefly, stretched his legs, and then crossed them in the opposite direction.

His tangled legs swam above the surface like they were floating, rising and falling repeatedly. He was clearly stalling, delaying his prepared answer.

“If you’re planning to make up a story that contradicts the facts…”

“Ah, it’s not like that, so don’t misunderstand. I was just thinking about who actually reached out first.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Natasha asked in confusion, unable to understand. Kail raised an eyebrow mischievously before beginning to speak.

“It was me who first made a connection with the woman, and it was she who suggested changing targets.”

Then came unbelievable revelations from his lips, details Natasha hadn’t known.

Several months before, Kail Letius had visited the Aschart Duchy. While observing the maids working in the mansion, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

The Emperor only remembered two kinds of faces—either those who were excessively beautiful or those he needed to eliminate. From looking at the face, it wasn’t the former, and since she was still alive, it couldn’t have been the latter either.

When he asked a passing maid about the identity of the woman, he learned that she had been a village maid working at the palace.

As he left the mansion, Kail commanded that this woman, Kayeina Ten, be sent to the Imperial Palace.

It wasn’t uncommon for a maid from the Duchy to be favored by the Emperor and then become a palace maid, so Kail sent Kayeina without any suspicion.

The frightened maid spilled everything before the Emperor.

Ah, that’s why a head rolled at the guillotine. He thought she had gone mad from her youth, but he hadn’t realized that a beast had been killed with fewer casualties.

Now, he had no intention of chasing after the runaway princess. Half of the kingdom’s territory was his, and the Duchy was beneath his feet. Why would he announce a failed plan to the whole world?

However, punishing the maid who almost ruined his plan was another matter. A lower-class woman who might spread word of the Emperor’s mistake.

Should he pull out her tongue, stitch her mouth shut, cut off her ears so she couldn’t hear, or simply kill her to avoid the trouble?

“I have no reason to keep alive a maid who knows my only flaw and was about to die…”

“……”

“I figured she might still be useful. Since she worked as a maid in the Duchy, I made good use of her as an informant.”

Then the woman, crawling before him, began begging for her life, promising to do any dirty work without complaint.

It was a fresh scene, unlike the long-time dog who never showed such loyalty. The despair that the woman offered was perfect for soothing his appetite.

Instead of killing her, Kail ordered her to return to the Duchy and keep an eye on Sieghart. If she didn’t carry out her task well, he threatened to kill her and her entire family.

Kayeina Ten surprisingly made a good spy.

“She was a well-behaved subordinate. That’s why I took care of her… before.”

“Before Sieghart stopped playing the dog, that is.”

“I never imagined she was planning to strike from behind without anyone knowing.”

The long-time dog, having betrayed him, yearned for freedom while mentioning old agreements.

Without shame, Kail added impossible conditions: the dog, if alive, must marry the last princess of the Charlier family, whose whereabouts he didn’t even know.

It seemed almost impossible to achieve, and honestly, how could he do it? Even if he remembered the princess, finding her would be a task beyond reason.

But Sieghart Aschart broke Kail’s expectations and boldly married the princess.

To find a woman whose identity was unknown in just six months? The size of the continent alone made it impossible, even with agents scouring the country.

Kail Letius thought there must have been outside help for such a success.

The only person who could have such close ties to the princess, and was physically close enough to the Duke to easily and quickly relay such information, was none other than Kayeina Ten.

“Now, the new dog who married into the royal family leaked confidential information.”

The woman, unable to endure the torture, confessed everything.

It was true that she had told Sieghart the princess’s whereabouts, but the princess was not found in that village. It was the Duke who had found her location.

—According to her.

What a ridiculous story. Wasn’t the intention to betray him all along? In the end, the long-time dog had left his side.

Kail regretted not killing the woman. After all, he had traded some information and a dog. Losing the beloved dog was a bitter blow.

“Isn’t it right to eliminate a traitor? That’s why I drew my sword and was about to cut off her head. But do you know what she said at that moment?”

Kail Letius recalled one of the most unforgettable moments of his life.

The woman, crouched on the floor, turned pale when she saw the sword pointed at her. Like any other creature facing death, she begged for her life repeatedly, then, in a voice filled with anger, she cried out.

‘I will offer you a new dog!’

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