I’ve Decided to Let You Go - Chapter 86

Natasha brought up the contract she and Duke Kshant had signed two years ago. It was a subtle way to remind him of his mistake, the moment he gave up Charlier’s royal seal.

“I understand. My decision must have felt like a betrayal to you. I truly do. I can only say that I’m sorry.”

But the Duke remained steady.

“The principality had no other choice.”

“You’re defending your actions with that excuse?”

“If it sounds like an excuse, I can’t stop you from hearing it that way. But I ask you to consider it an explanation instead. As the last royal of Charlier, I believe you can understand.”

Natasha stared at him without speaking. Her silence was a prompt, urging him to continue.

“I never wanted the seal. I believed it was better to reclaim all of Charlier’s land than to pretend to rule over half of it.”

“All of it, you say?”

“The Duke of Aschart offered to support us. More specifically, he offered to support our rebellion.”

“…”

“A rebellion. He promised to return every inch of Charlier’s territory.”

She noticed the weight he gave the word rebellion, as if to highlight how critical and powerful that offer truly was.

“The military strength of House Aschart speaks for itself. While they are not yet strong enough to rival the ancient Letius Imperial Knights, that balance could change. If the knights weaken and the Aschart forces grow, we will have our moment. Then we strike.”

He was speaking with such certainty, as if the outcome was already decided.

“You talk as if you’ve already won.”

“I’ve heard the rumors. Ever since the Duke was named a Knight of Honor, the prestige of the imperial knights has started to decline. It’s not surprising. When the one you once looked up to shows weakness, the people who serve him lose strength too.”

“…”

“We’ll take advantage of that decline, bit by bit. We’ll expose the cracks in their ranks, loosen their defenses, and break into the palace.”

“But doing that would risk drawing the entire continent into war. The Galonde Empire is close, and the other empires may see the fall of Letius as an opportunity. Are you saying you want the Letius Empire to collapse?”

Letius had become a superpower only because of the imperial knights. Their bravery and strength had led them to countless victories, and those victories had turned small neighboring nations into vassals, feeding Letius with land and resources.

“Not entirely. A war that large would be too dangerous. If we’re not careful, we could lose Charlier all over again. That’s why the Duke and I plan to gain the cooperation of surrounding nations.”

“Cooperation?”

“We will ask them to stay out of the war, to hold off and not strike Letius while we move.”

He added that the plan still needed more refinement, but he clearly believed in it. He spoke with confidence, as if it was already in motion.

And in truth, his idea wasn’t baseless. But hearing all of it so suddenly, without warning, left Natasha overwhelmed. It felt like being thrown into deep water with no way out.

“Please, I ask for your support. You are the last princess of Charlier. I know this isn’t the life you wanted, but if standing beside the Duke is the only way to restore your homeland, wouldn’t that make your sacrifice worth something?”

His request was cruel, and the cruelty came from how logical it sounded.

“Be smart, Princess. The Duke says he’ll betray the empire for you. Use that. Command him to pierce the emperor’s heart. Tell him to tear up the Letius treaty. Ask him to bring Charlier back to you.”

He wasn’t wrong.

If Natasha used him, she would succeed. Right now, he was clinging to her. He would act, even if it was out of guilt. He might not think twice about rebellion if it meant making up for everything.

She knew that.

But still.

“You want a future, don’t you, Princess? And to get there safely, you’ll have to take the Duke’s hand.”

“I’ll stay with the Duke. For two years. Will that be enough?”

Natasha couldn’t accept that her future, no matter how many paths she tried to take, always seemed to circle back to Sieghart.

The same outcome. The same story. And now she felt powerless again, as if no choice she made would ever truly be her own.

It felt like she was trapped in him, sinking into the swamp that was Sieghart, with no way out.

Before she was Natasha Aschart, she was the last heir of Charlier. If she truly believed in noble responsibility, then the Duke’s words made sense. She should give herself up for the greater good.

Natasha knew what the logical choice was.

To quietly walk into Sieghart’s trap, to stay by his side again, and to become a shell of a person, living beside the man who had betrayed her even in death.

As long as she stayed with him, he would support the rebellion. He would help her take back Charlier.

But.

It would be a hollow, meaningless life.

Her reason told her to take the hand of the man who could restore Charlier, even if it meant falling into darkness. In a harsh world like this, her despair didn’t matter.

But her instincts said something else.

After dying ten times and now living her eleventh life, she finally remembered what she truly wanted.

What had made her hold on to life, even after all the pain, was freedom. The kind of freedom only Tisha Winter had once known. Natasha had always wanted to be free. Free to build a future for Charlier, free to raise a royal line in a place of her choosing.

Yes, staying with him might bring back Charlier, and she might one day rebuild the royal family. But she would lose her freedom. And what kind of freedom was there in living her entire life beside a man she could never love?

If she had to give up the most important thing, then did the rest even matter?

Even if it took longer, choosing the path that could bring her happiness had to be the right decision. Not just for her, but for every version of Natasha Charlier who had come before.

She wasn’t abandoning her destiny. She was just taking a different road to get there.

“You’re right, Your Grace. So, I will do as the wise Duke suggests. I will be cunning.”

“Princess? What are you saying?”

“Choose, Duke. Will you let me die and throw away everything the Duke of Aschart offered, or will you help me live and carry at least one possible path forward?”

In the drawing room, Natasha pulled out a dagger and held it to her throat. She told him plainly, if he didn’t help her, she would take her own life.

She gave him two choices. Let her die and lose everything, or save her and leave a chance behind.

It was her last resort.

When the Duke, shocked, moved to stop her, she pushed the blade deeper. It cut into her skin, sinking further in.

“Are you really willing to throw away your kingdom, Princess?”

“Stop calling me something I never chose to be.”

Natasha shouted, her voice filled with emotion.

“The fall of the royal family wasn’t my fault. That day, I had gone to the village to buy a birthday gift for Prince Ludrio. I survived only because the imperial knights didn’t find me. I was just nineteen then. I’m only twenty-two now. What more do you want from me?”

She could no longer hold back the anger building inside her. Her voice was firm, even as the blade dug deeper.

“Two years ago, I agreed to a marriage I didn’t want because you said it was for Charlier. I sacrificed everything. And now you tell me to spend my life with him, and if I refuse, I’m a traitor? How far are you going to push me?”

In the end, the Duke gave in and helped her escape.

He prepared simple travel clothes and arranged a carriage. He even gave her a forged identity she could use somewhere far away.

To protect the principality from backlash, he left a letter for Sieghart.

Do not blame me. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for making me this way.

He added that if Sieghart truly wanted to atone, he should not sever ties with the principality. He also asked, in closing, that Meliana and the three knights who helped Natasha escape be spared.

Next to the letter, he placed the bloodstained dagger she had used.

Later, Natasha quietly slipped out through the back gate of the estate and climbed into the carriage the Duke had prepared.

“Where should I take you, my lady?”

“To Viscount Myrrhen’s estate in Vyle, please.”

“Understood. I’ll get you there quickly.”

With her hood pulled low, she gently lifted the curtain to check outside. At that exact moment, the carriage she now rode passed the one she had arrived in.

The knights were nearby. They glanced toward the passing carriage and began whispering among themselves.

What might have seemed ordinary now felt dangerously suspicious. Natasha’s breath caught as she leaned in, eyes fixed on the window.

They won’t recognize me. They won’t notice.

Please, just pass by.

Please, not now.

If they catch me, everything will fall apart.

Please.

She didn’t even dare to breathe. The knights watched for a few tense seconds, then looked away.

They checked their watches, seemingly wondering when the Duchess would return.

They didn’t realize she was already gone.

Relieved, Natasha let the curtain fall and pulled off her hood.

It was done. She was truly free.

That’s why I want you by my side, Natasha Aschart because you can only be happy with me.

She had escaped. Finally, she was free from the man who lied to her and tried to control her.

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