I’ve Decided to Let You Go - Chapter 85

Natasha walked into the room without asking for permission. Her steps were firm, as if she had already decided that greetings were unnecessary. Without hesitation, she got straight to the point.

From beneath the sleeve of her dress, her bandaged arm was visible, wrapped tightly like a mummy’s. She placed the paper she had been holding on the table in front of Sieghart.

“I have something to say.”

He looked away from her and turned his eyes toward the paper.

The first thing he noticed was the clean, precise handwriting. It was as neat and orderly as Natasha herself.

Then, the title at the top caught his attention.

Marriage Contract.

As he read it, Sieghart let out a short laugh, followed by a deep, tired sigh. He already had a good idea of what she was about to say.

“You remember this, don’t you?”

Her voice, torn and fragile, broke the silence. Still, Sieghart said nothing.

“I know I haven’t acted like a proper duchess these past few days. I sincerely apologize for that.”

Even though she knew he would never blame her for it, Natasha still chose to acknowledge her part. She knew that a man like him would quickly see that this was just the beginning of something bigger.

“I will do my best to fulfill the contract until the end. But once the agreed term is over, I want a clean divorce, just as we discussed.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the tension in her stiff posture began to ease. But the stillness in the room was quickly replaced by a rising wave of emotion.

“Divorce,” Sieghart repeated.

His eyes grew colder. The concern that had been there before was now gone. All that remained was a sharp, unreadable expression in his red eyes.

“That’s not going to happen. I would never send you back into the cruel world outside. I built this place to protect you. Do you really think I would let you walk away from it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Natasha, I can give you anything you want. Anything except a divorce. I won’t let you leave me.”

He could give her everything else, but not that. Even though he knew how selfish it was, he could not give up that one last part of himself.

He never wanted to face the pain of watching her walk away again.

He slid the contract across the table, pushing it back toward her. His refusal to even look at it made her face twist with disbelief.

“Are you insane? This is a legal contract. The terms are written clearly right here.”

“I don’t need to follow every condition. If I’m willing to pay the penalty, then it’s all just numbers, isn’t it?”

As shameless as his words were, they weren’t wrong. If he could afford the cost, then he didn’t have to follow the contract’s conditions.

“I’ll give you half the Aschart estate, just as the contract says. If it means keeping you here, I would give it all up without a second thought.”

The problem was, that “half” was no small thing. It was everything.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I’m not playing games.”

Natasha, ready to shout, was stopped by his calm, low voice. She fell silent, startled by how genuine he sounded.

He continued.

“I’ve already spoken with Duke Kshant. I told him that in exchange for keeping you here, the Aschart family would support the principality’s rebellion. He agreed. He prefers this arrangement over having you return to him and raising suspicion.”

“You went to Duke Kshant and offered that? Using me as part of some deal?”

“It was a negotiation.”

She could hardly believe it.

So he had gone to Duke Kshant, made a deal to keep her locked inside the duchy, and offered political support in return. She would have gone back to her homeland and secured a place through the Duke, but instead, Sieghart had cut that path off completely.

She had always known he was selfish. But not like this.

“Stay with me, Natasha. Let’s pretend the contract never existed.”

She glared at him with tearful, angry eyes. Her pride resisted, but she could feel the pressure of tears rising.

Before she realized it, Sieghart had crossed the room and was standing in front of her. The expression on his face was the kind someone else should have worn—someone on the edge of being abandoned. Then he pulled her into his arms.

He held her gently, like she was glass that could break at any moment.

“I’ll do anything,” he said.

She didn’t look up to see his face, but she didn’t have to. She could already tell what kind of expression he had. She could feel how much pain he was holding inside.

There was no reason for Natasha to be shaken by something like that.

He was the sworn enemy of Charlier, the man who had deceived her more than once.

Feeling sorry for him would be like a mouse feeling sorry for a cat.

And yet, why?

“Stupid. Foolish. Weak.”

Even if it lasted only a moment, why had she let herself waver?

Frustrated, Natasha snapped her eyes open. She couldn’t forgive herself for slipping, not even briefly. To punish herself for that weakness, she shoved Sieghart away with all the strength she had.

“You never loved me. If you really did, you would’ve wished for my peace. Doing this while knowing how unhappy I am by your side, that’s not love. That’s selfish.”

She shouted those words after pushing him aside.

Yes, selfish. That man always acted like he cared, but in the end, he only ever did what served him best.

That alone proved he didn’t truly love her.

So there was no reason to listen to him. His words were nothing but lies and manipulation.

She kept repeating that to herself, over and over, trying to stay in control.

“I love you.”

But then his voice cut through her defenses. Steady and low, it pulled at her chest. His words clung to her like they refused to be forgotten.

“That’s why I want you to be happy.”

“…”

“That’s why I want you to stay with me. Natasha Aschart, you’ll only be happy if you’re by my side.”

It was ridiculous.

He had been part of the pain that had ruined her, and now he was saying that she’d only be happy with him. It was like tearing open a wound that hadn’t even started to heal.

“There’s no point talking to someone who doesn’t listen. I’ve already wasted enough time. I’ll be leaving now.”

She pushed aside his absurd words and walked away.

After leaving the study, Natasha went straight to Meliana.

Meliana, happy but also nervous that the Duchess had come to see her, was more serious than usual.

“I’m thinking of going out tomorrow. Can you arrange a carriage? Not from the estate. One from the village. I want to leave without anyone knowing.”

“You mean… in secret?”

“Yes.”

Meliana’s wide eyes said it all. She looked like she wanted to stop her, like she thought the idea was reckless and dangerous.

“In your condition? If you really must go out, you should take the Aschart carriage and go with the Duke. It’s not safe otherwise.”

Meliana tried to convince her. If Natasha insisted on going, at least she should be protected.

But the very person Natasha needed to avoid was the Duke.

She couldn’t say that, so instead, she gave a gentle, practiced smile.

“Please. Just this once.”

She reached out and took Meliana’s hand, locking eyes with her. Her calm red eyes rested gently over Meliana’s nervous ones.

Usually, when she looked at someone like that, they gave in.

“…Fine. Just once.”

Meliana was no different.

However, Natasha wasn’t allowed to travel completely alone. Three knights were assigned to accompany her.

Meliana told them she had already received the Duke’s permission. She even added that the carriage was just a cover to keep the trip discreet.

Because the Duke and Duchess were known to have a good relationship, the knights didn’t question it.

And in truth, it was better this way. Showing up with an escort would make a stronger impression on the Duke of Kshant than arriving alone. Grateful for Meliana’s thoughtful handling of the situation, Natasha quietly stepped into the carriage.

At first, the knights assumed they were escorting her on a short outing to a nearby town. But as the trip dragged on, they began to feel something was off.

“Excuse me, my lady. May I ask where exactly we’re headed?”

“We’ve arrived!”

Before Natasha could answer, the carriage came to a stop, and the coachman’s loud voice echoed outside.

Natasha gently pushed aside the curtain with the back of her hand. Through the narrow opening, the knights caught sight of their destination. She smiled, as if that alone answered their question.

They had arrived at the estate of Duke Kshant.

“I always seem to come to you like this, don’t I, Your Grace?”

Natasha gave a faint smile to Duke Kshant, who welcomed her despite her sudden appearance.

He was the one she always turned to when she was desperate.

And it made sense. He was the only one who held the key.

“I never expected you to betray me.”

But this time, like before, Duke Kshant had chosen Sieghart Aschart over her.

“It seems you’re not interested in the seal after all, Your Grace.”

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