I’ve Decided to Let You Go - Chapter 82

Those eyes.

The same red, yet subtly brighter and tinged with gold, as if to mark a different bloodline altogether.

They were the very same eyes he had seen fifteen years ago, through the gap in a wardrobe, as a frightened boy hiding in the dark.

They were horrifying. Revolting.

He suddenly remembered the third prince of Charlier, who had driven a royal knight’s sword straight into his nanny’s heart without the slightest hesitation, then pulled it out without flinching.

“….”

One thing became painfully clear to Sieghart. The eyes of that knight and Natasha’s eyes matched exactly.

The same chilling gaze, once called the “sun of Charlier,” now gleamed in the woman he loved. The gems glittering under the chandelier were aimed directly at him.

The moment he looked at her, the memories he had buried deep for fifteen years stormed back into his mind. The scene he had forced himself to forget surged violently to the surface.

He had thought he could endure the shameful contradiction of his emotions. But he had been wrong.

It was those eyes.

She was of Charlier.

His love for her blinded him to that truth, and now that love stabbed him right in the heart. The truth, and those eyes he had locked away, surfaced one by one.

Blinded by his affection for Tisha Winter, he had failed to recognize it. That the woman standing before him belonged to Charlier.

And Charlier was his enemy. Anyone with those eyes was his sworn foe.

Sieghart could not bring himself to kiss her. He might have been able to promise eternity to Tisha Winter, but he could never swear love to Natasha Charlier.

How could Enoch Callete, wearing the mask of Sieghart Aschart, behave so boldly under the watchful gaze of his family from paradise?

“To think I believed I could love a woman bearing Charlier’s mark.”

He had truly believed he could be happy with her. That he would never regret choosing her. That he could build a beautiful life beside her and claim it as his own.

“How foolish.”

He hadn’t realized how arrogant that hope had been.

A woman who had followed him on nothing but love alone was, of course, crushed by his change. When Natasha looked at him with disappointment and asked for a divorce, Sieghart felt something inside him go cold.

Why?

“Is it because she’s trying to leave me?”

That couldn’t be. Natasha Charlier meant nothing. Even if she left his side, it didn’t matter.

Yes, this was because of Kail Letius’s condition. If he wanted to break free from that damned empire, he had to fulfill the terms. That was the only reason he kept trying to stop her from walking away.

He pretended to be a loving husband, staying close and doing everything he could to satisfy her.

“Those eyes, my son. Those eyes destroyed House Callete.”

“You don’t still love that woman, do you, young master? Look at her eyes. They’re the proof she’s from Charlier.”

Every time he looked into her eyes, the memories came back to torment him. But he forced himself to look away. He told himself that the woman standing in front of him was Tisha Winter, not Natasha Aschart.

And finally, when the long-awaited audience with the emperor was granted, he ran to the palace without hesitation.

“Bastard,” the emperor spat, his face twisted in fury.

Blood dripped from between Kail Letius’s fingers and soaked into the contract. With that, Enoch Callete’s bondage was finally broken.

At last, both Enoch Callete and House Aschart were freed from the Letius Empire.

“Have you forgotten that your house only rose because it had the empire at its back? Without us, your family is headed for ruin, you stupid bastard!”

Kail Letius had lost the wager and was furious. He cursed Sieghart without holding back, but Sieghart didn’t even flinch as he turned to leave.

He was just reaching for the door handle when the emperor spoke again.

“It’s a shame to end such a long relationship like this. Before you go, how about one last answer? Tell me, Sieghart, do you love that woman?”

Kail Letius knew exactly how to throw Sieghart off balance. That cruel question made him stop in his tracks.

“I’m really curious. I heard you chased after her for half a year. You could’ve just dragged her by the hair and thrown her into your house, yet you treated her so gently. Why did you do that? What made you give her a luxurious life?”

“….”

“My only conclusion is this. That woman is exactly your type.”

At first, of course, he had loved Tisha Winter. Things changed after he understood who she really was.

Or perhaps, a sliver of sincere emotion had lingered in his heart, and that had softened him.

“There’s no need to answer pointless questions. Not anymore.”

Sieghart calmly avoided giving a clear reply. He wasn’t even sure of the answer himself, and there was no reason to confess such things to Kail Letius.

“You’d better not love her. That would be a very unwise choice, Enoch Callete.”

The voice clung to him, dripping with mockery. Even when it sounded relaxed, the tone carried a sharp malice that made it clear he was being ridiculed.

“She’s the daughter of the royal family that destroyed your own.”

So that was it. Kail Letius wasn’t saying anything new. He was only repeating what Sieghart had realized long ago.

Of course. What else could that fool possibly say? The fact that Sieghart had even bothered to listen made him feel pathetic.

“And she’s also the last surviving daughter of the royal family you wiped out.”

“…”

“To her, you’re the one she should be seeking revenge on.”

The name Sieghart Aschart, the identity he had adopted, now felt like a brand scorching his chest. It weighed heavier than a sword pressed against his heart.

Even a broken clock is right once. And for once, Kail Letius had said something that made sense.

“Yes. To her, I am the enemy.”

He had focused so much on Natasha Charlier that he had forgotten who he really was, Sieghart Aschart.

“…One day, she’ll feel the same disgust I once did.”

Would she eventually look at him with hatred? Would she erase the love she once felt and say that his eyes were terrifying? Would she come to regret their time together?

Why should it matter? If she didn’t love him, if she despised him, what did it change?

The truth cut deep. It brought the answer with it. But Enoch Callete ignored it, just as Sieghart Aschart did.

Instead, he made a choice.

He would be the one to push her away first. He would shut her out and cast her aside, just like he had before.

If he did that, maybe one day he’d stop thinking about her. Maybe then, it wouldn’t hurt when she looked at him with cold eyes.

Just as he had planned, Sieghart completely avoided her. Whenever unfamiliar emotions began to rise, he stared at her eyes and reminded himself.

She is Charlier’s last remnant. She is my enemy.

Now, it’s my turn to become hers.

“That’s right. Ignore her. Push that wretched girl away.”

“Let Kail Letius visit her if he wants. Who cares? Let her feel pain for once. She deserves it.”

“What are you hesitating for, young master? Don’t tell me you still love her. Are you really going to disappoint your nanny again?”

Sieghart began to resent her, following the voices in his head.

If someone had to be the enemy, better her than me.

He had chased revenge his entire life. It felt unfair that, after finally succeeding, he had to be hated for it.

So, he rejected everything.

Always.

Constantly.

Sometimes, he slipped. Sometimes, his emotions got the better of him. But he covered them with lies, even to himself.

It’s not love. It’s pity. Sympathy for someone who also lost her family. Nothing more.

Then, one day, she discovered the truth.

“Was what I read in the papers true? Did you really plan all of this? Did you say that destroying the royal family would let you take over the kingdom?”

She looked at him, her eyes filled with sorrow and disbelief.

“You claimed that if you executed the royals and hung their heads from trees, the loyalist nobles would stay quiet and give up their lands… Is that what you said?”

He felt crushed.

He nearly let go of the fragile rope he had been holding onto.

Teetering on the edge, he somehow managed to keep his grip. Slowly, he started to pull himself back. His wrists felt like they were tearing, and though he wanted to let go, he held on.

He couldn’t let go yet.

“Later.”

“…”

“I have something urgent. We’ll talk about this another time.”

Holding on with everything he had, he left the palace. He convinced himself it was best to wait. That she needed time.

He went to confront Kail Letius. But when the emperor threatened to expose the shame of the Charlier royal family, Sieghart couldn’t do anything.

His grip on his sword tightened, then loosened. His face, once cold and composed, fell apart. He forced a bitter smile.

“Rebellion? Is that what you think this is?”

He had lost his mind.

He had considered killing the emperor, just because the woman hated him?

“Don’t be afraid of her hatred. You did what was right. You destroyed the ones who ruined, House Callete. You got your revenge and there’s no reason to fear her blame.”

The voice inside him twisted like a serpent. It mocked him, asking if he still loved her.

Sieghart shook his head.

In the end, he returned to the duke’s estate.

It had been ten days since he left.

And the news that welcomed him back—

“…What did you just say?”

It was that, the Duchess had disappeared.

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