divorce chapter 16

“Huh?” Nina’s sudden question caught me off guard. Was Lennard this popular? 

“He’s always on the battlefield, so we only hear rumors about his looks. What was he like in person?” 

“He is handsome.” He was breathtakingly handsome. His arrogant demeanor was as cold as an ice prince, but it only enhanced his aloof attractiveness. However, I much preferred the gray rabbit Lennard who had been kind to me. I preferred his gentle, upright nature and those blue eyes that saw only me. He acted so awkward that day. I was annoyed by the stark contrast between his behavior then and now. It felt like the gray rabbit Lennard had become an unattainable dream. 

The more I thought about it, the more my stomach churned. Even though it was brief, Lennard, as the gray rabbit, had been a good person. Good enough to momentarily sway me. But nothing was more important than my life. “Ugh, whatever. We’re already broken off. What does it matter if he’s handsome or not?” I threw myself onto the bed and yelled in frustration.

***

Lennard opened the box that had arrived from the Schneider county. Benedict, who had been sent by the Crown Prince to spy on Lennard, peered over his shoulder. Inside were the jacket he had lent her and a few purple flowers. “Wow, I didn’t think Lady Schneider was so cold.” He muttered, looking at the contents of the box. “What do you mean?” 

Lennard looked up at Benedict. He hesitated for a moment, gauging Lennard’s reaction before speaking. “Those flowers. They’re violets.”

“So?” 

“They’re the flowers women typically send to men they want to get rid of. The flower language is ‘forget me,’ you know.” Lennard’s face hardened at Benedict’s words. He slumped into his chair, lost in thought as he stared at the flowers Estelle had sent. He remembered the warmth of Estelle’s embrace. 

Despite the burning fever on the surface, he had been freezing. The incident had occurred because he’d been trying to raise his body temperature with magic while suffering from an intense chill. Estelle had saved him when he feared he might freeze to death. The moment her hand touched him, the surrounding chill had melted away. My body felt so light and better. 

And he, too, remembered the butterfly-shaped birthmark on her shoulder. He’d investigated her whereabouts and confirmed she had been in Dalie during the same period he had been. All the evidence pointed to her being the Red Fox. But flowers that meant “forget me”? Lennard felt abandoned once again. Abandoned. She had probably disappeared so abruptly because she never intended to continue their connection. 

Lennard was starting to get angry with Estelle. It would have been better if she had rejected him outright instead of sending such a mixed message. His confused affection had transformed into resentment. 

“H-hey, Lenn. What are you thinking?” 

Benedict was alarmed to see the room temperature plummet to the point where he could see his breath. He was worried because Lennard’s magic seemed to be going haywire more easily without a proper partner. He was also afraid of what kind of trouble Lennard might cause. 

“Go to His Highness and tell him I’ll participate in the western subjugation.” 

“Huh? Do you think you’re up for it?” The monster wave in the western part of the empire had barely been contained. The church and the imperial family wanted to send Lennard, but the schedule had been postponed because he hadn’t found his partner. 

“Yes.” Lennard replied, his voice raspy. He wanted to forget her, and quickly. To do that, it was better to focus on something else. Maybe participating in the subjugation, which he had been ignoring out of laziness despite the Emperor’s repeated requests, would help him forget. Lennard muttered as he froze the violets with magic. 

“Tell them I don’t care if they assign me a temporary partner if they think it’s dangerous.” 

A temporary partner was literally someone who temporarily filled the role of a partner. The church had the authority to forcibly assign partners, regardless of their wishes, if deemed necessary. However, there had been an incident in the past where the church abused the temporary partner system to seize power. As a result, the system was abolished and now required the approval of both the imperial family and the church. 

“A t-temporary partner? Lady Sierra? I doubt the Saintess will easily agree to that.” 

Benedict was right. The imperial family would be wary of the Saintess’s daughter forming a bond with Lennard, and the church wouldn’t be pleased to place the Saintess’s daughter in a temporary position. 

“I don’t care anymore.” Lennard tossed the frozen violets onto the desk. He muttered as he watched the shattered flowers. Watching his downcast eyes, Benedict thought to himself, This is my chance. I’d rather die than become Lennard’s partner. He began to formulate a grand plan to sacrifice himself for his friend.