Chapter 5

When Asla regained consciousness, the first person she saw was Enoch.   

She quickly sat up, flustered for some reason, as her eyes met his dark gaze looking down at her.   

Fixing her clothes and smoothing her hair, she glanced around.   

A clean white bed, simple furniture, and the faint smell of disinfectant suggested she was in a hospital.   

Since they had been traveling toward the city of Dainus near the Ventus estate, she guessed this must be Dainus Municipal Hospital. 

“You fainted from the shaking of the carriage? Why is your body so fragile?” 

‘…What?’   

Asla stared at him, unsure whether that was meant as concern or criticism.   

She quickly made up her mind.   

There was no way this man would be worried about her—obviously the latter. 

‘Who faints just because a carriage jolts?’   

Asla found this foolish side of Enoch strangely unfamiliar. 

“I’ll call the doctor again.” 

“There’s no need.” 

Asla knew exactly why she had fainted, so she didn’t think seeing a doctor was necessary. 

“Lie down.” 

But Enoch firmly guided her back into the bed and pulled the blanket up to her neck.   

Feeling oddly unsettled by his care, Asla quietly lay back and stared at his sharp jawline and firm mouth.   

Then he twisted his lips and said: 

“You still have that habit of staring.” 

“Does it bother you?” 

Startled by his words, Asla quickly lowered her gaze. Enoch brought his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. 

“…Would you understand if I said it feels like my soul is being pierced?” 

Muttering under his breath, he added that he’d call the doctor and hurried out of the room.   

Once he was gone, Asla sighed and turned her gaze to the ceiling.   

It had been so long since she had such a normal conversation with her husband—   

No, maybe this was the first time.   

Now that they were finally acting like a typical married couple, she felt oddly empty. 

She hated herself for starting to hope that things with Enoch might improve.   

Regardless of who was at fault, she was the one who first asked for a divorce.   

She was the one who loved him—  And the one trying to end this lonely and difficult marriage. 

At the very least, she didn’t want to be remembered by Enoch as a pathetic woman who took back her request for divorce. 

‘Ugh… my head.’ 

The faint smell of disinfectant made her head throb, and she scrunched her nose. 

‘Maybe it’s because I’m lying in a hospital when there’s nothing wrong with me.’ 

She knew exactly why she had fainted—   

That strange dream she’d had in the carriage. 

In the dream, she had been swept away by the blue waves—the symbol of the gods. 

Asla didn’t have much divine power, but as a princess of the Holy Kingdom, she was more than well-versed in theory.   

A dream featuring the blue waves meant divine intervention. 

People who experienced such dreams often fainted or collapsed due to the overwhelming divine energy. 

<This divorce—I forbid it.> 

Asla scowled at the memory of the god’s judgment stamped smugly beneath her divorce petition. 

Why did the gods have to meddle in her dreams, feeding her such absurd visions?   

The same gods who had allowed the Holy Kingdom’s downfall were now interfering in her personal life? 

‘These spiteful gods—letting the kingdom fall and now trying to block my divorce.’ 

She clenched her jaw, resolving to enter the temple’s prayer room and go on a hunger strike if that’s what it took to receive a new divine revelation. 

While she was stewing alone in frustration, the doctor entered with Enoch in tow. 

“I’m Cayton, physician at Dainus Municipal Hospital. You must be quite exhausted lately, Lady Ventus. Have you been eating properly?” 

“…Of course.” 

Asla answered sincerely, as far as she was concerned she had been eating just fine, but the doctor didn’t look convinced.   

She glanced at Enoch. 

He was frowning slightly too—but rather than his face, her eyes were strangely drawn elsewhere. 

‘Oh my…’ 

Enoch was always meticulous—he wouldn’t even leave a single button of his shirt undone.   

But now, the cravat around his neck was gone, and the buttons near his collar were unfastened.   

As the usually-hidden line of his collarbone peeked through, Asla felt oddly flustered and couldn’t take her eyes off him. 

‘Even his collarbones were perfect?’   

She had never seen her husband’s bare body before.   

They had never shared physical intimacy—not even a kiss.   

Their relationship as a married couple was worse than that of lovers.   

It was, in its own twisted way, a perfectly “pure” divorce.   

Asla decided the god Teres, who had opposed such a divorce, must have gone senile. 

If the priests of the Holy Kingdom knew what she was thinking, they’d probably faint—but what did it matter?   

Even the once-sacred lands of the kingdom had aged, become polluted, and were turning to desert.   

Why should gods be immune to decay? She scoffed inwardly. 

“Just lie down a little longer.” 

As the doctor advised her to rest and eat properly, Asla tried to pull off the blanket and sit up.   

Enoch gently pressed her shoulder to stop her. 

“I’m really fine.” 

Asla looked down quickly, startled by how close his scent felt. 

“Even if you’re desperate to run off to the temple to finalize our divorce, rest for now.” 

Without waiting for her reply, Enoch left the room with the doctor.   

Once the door closed behind them, Asla turned her eyes toward the open window. 

<Dainus Municipal Hospital.> 

It must’ve been located near a main road—she could clearly hear the bustle of people passing by. 

‘People’s voices.’ 

Having been isolated in the silent Ventus mansion, these sounds felt both unfamiliar and strangely exhilarating.   

Her plan to head straight to the Holy Kingdom of Sherita and quietly await death after the divorce was starting to waver. 

Asla looked wistfully out the window and murmured, 

“I want to go somewhere else.” 

Somewhere that wasn’t Sherita.   

She was just thinking she wanted to go somewhere—anywhere—she had never been before, when a knock sounded. 

“My Lady, it’s Talet.” 

“Come in.” 

As Talet opened the door and entered, a young woman followed, carrying food.   

When Asla’s eyes met those of the woman, who seemed a few years older than herself, the stranger stared blankly for a moment, then smiled warmly. 

“My Lady, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m May Bellos.” 

“My Lady…?” 

Asla had assumed the woman was a hospital servant, so she looked at Talet in surprise.   

Talet respectfully introduced her. 

“The master ordered me to find a capable handmaid to accompany you to the temple. He thought it would be too inconvenient for you to go without an attendant.” 

“I mean… that’s not really…” 

Flustered, Asla parted her lips but didn’t finish the sentence.   

She was afraid of handmaids. 

Though she had been called “Lady” in the Ventus manor, she had practically done everything herself.   

Especially the maids—they never served her properly. They bullied her and made her life harder. 

They had all been Margo’s people.   

The Ventus mansion was practically Margo’s personal kingdom. 

As Asla’s expression darkened, Talet felt as if a stone was pressing on his chest.   

He was still in the middle of investigating what had happened in the Ventus estate, so he couldn’t say anything carelessly to her. 

As the heavy silence weighed down the room, May hesitantly stepped closer. 

“You can just call me May, my Lady. I may be lacking, but I want to serve you so that you’re not uncomfortable.” 

Her tone was cautious, but her eyes and demeanor radiated bright and sincere kindness.   

Asla waved a hand, flustered. 

“No, no, I didn’t mean you were lacking. It’s just…” 

Asla trailed off.   

May watched her quietly, then gave a gentle smile.   

It was the kind of smile that somehow put people at ease—and it loosened the tight knot in Asla’s chest just a little. 

“I’m the daughter of the Bellos head butler and head maid, who have served the Marquis of Kreutz for generations. I’ll serve you with all my heart, my Lady.” 

“She’s definitely top-tier. She was in charge of VIP guests at the largest hotel in Dainus—Ruitel. She’s so well-known that we had to offer her three times her normal salary to bring her in.” 

“I never asked for three times,” May said, glancing at Asla before her cheeks flushed slightly.   

“It’s an honor to serve the Duchess of Ventus. But first, shall we have your meal, my Lady?” 

“Oh, the meal.” 

As May chatted cheerfully, she pulled a side table to Asla’s bed and began setting out the food. 

“I’d really like to know what kinds of food you enjoy, my Lady.” 

“I’m not picky, really.” 

“I see. Then I’ll learn slowly. But I hope you’ll definitely eat this one. It’s the most famous restorative dish in all of Dainus.” 

May looked at Asla’s slender wrist and let out a sympathetic sigh. 

“You’re so thin. There are many other delicious dishes besides this one—I want to make sure you eat well.” 

Swept up in May’s cheerful energy, Asla nodded. But when she looked at the side table, she was startled.   

The soup bowl was enormous.   

It was brimming with rich broth, chunks of meat, and large cuts of various vegetables—the aroma alone made her mouth water. 

“This might be too much for me to finish… but I’ll try,” Asla said seriously, eyeing the bowl.   

May widened her eyes and gave her a beaming smile. 

“Thank you, my Lady. I only said that because I want you to regain your strength. But please take your time—I wouldn’t want you to get indigestion.” 

“Ah, I see.” 

As Asla nodded, May added gently, 

“Still, you must finish more than half.” 

Before she realized it, Asla found herself speaking comfortably with May.   

May’s respectful yet warm personality touched her so deeply that her heart felt like it was fluttering. 

Just as she picked up her spoon, Talet rushed over with a serious expression. 

“My Lady. Please—more than half. I beg you.” 

Asla tilted her head, puzzled by his urgency. 

“Why?” 

“Actually… the master said you’re far too thin. He told me that if he doesn’t see visible weight gain soon, he’ll cut my salary in half. How is that even fair?” 

“He said that?” 

“He was completely serious. Isn’t that just too much?” 

“…He’s a strange man.” 

Asla agreed, and Talet—usually the picture of restraint—grumbled with a visible scowl.   

Asla was surprised. 

Talet, Enoch’s secretary, had always felt just as hard to approach as Enoch himself.   

And yet, now that she had left the Ventus mansion, even Talet felt almost familiar, and that made her unexpectedly happy. 

Asla decided to let herself relax just a little more.   

After all, this was a place where Margo didn’t exist.