You Said You Wanted Us to Break Up - Chapter 96

“That concludes today’s lesson.”

The man who was standing in front of my desk said, closing a book.

He was the relative who had held my hand instead of Iswen’s at the wedding hall and the man Iswen had assigned to be my tutor.

“I am Ian Melin, and I will be conducting the upcoming lessons in accounting, economic law, and jurisprudence.”

Introducing himself with a name that rolled off his tongue, Ian taught me the basics of estate management for the past week.

Studying wasn’t easy. However, it wasn’t so difficult that I couldn’t keep up, and more than anything, the thought that I needed to know this to completely break free from my family pushed me to somehow manage it.

As was always the case when the lesson ended, Ian mumbled while checking the last assignment.

“You really do your homework well, don’t you?”

Ian was one to easily give compliments for minor things.

I answered him half-heartedly.

“Yes.”

Even if he had a pleasant, friendly smile, Ian Melin was Iswen’s man.

Which meant he would watch carefully what I said and did and wouldn’t hesitate to report it to Iswen.

Ian drew a hexagonal star on the corner of the paper, signifying he had finished checking the assignment.

“The weather is quite lovely today. The spring flowers, the pride of the South, are in full bloom, so a walk wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

The notebook with the star on it was returned to my desk. The man’s bright smile came with it.

“Have a good day.”

Soon, the sound of the door closing followed.

Left alone in the room, I turned my head to look out the window.

The man hadn’t lied about the lovely weather; the trailing vine flowers that had climbed up the open window were radiant.

In the past, when I lived in Rowen, Apple would always lead me outside around the time those flowers bloomed.

‘Miss, they say this is the best time for flower viewing. Let’s go for a walk.’

I stared wistfully at the flowers swaying in the gentle spring breeze before getting up from my seat.

—

Just as Ian had said, the weather was truly wonderful today.

The sunlight was just warm enough to be pleasant, and the gentle, southern breeze mixed with the scent of flowers, sweetly caressing my cheek. It was a spring breeze I hadn’t felt for the past few years.

I walked through a garden with a structure that felt familiar despite not having seen it during my marriage and shook my head to dismiss the maid and knight who tried to follow me.

Rowen was similar to Raslet Castle but had a few key differences, one of which was the ability to dismiss people whenever I felt like it.

In Raslet, if I wanted to be alone, I had to stay locked in my room. There weren’t many ways to completely avoid people’s eyes, and besides, Sioden had forbidden me from wandering around alone.

He used to worry about something happening to me, even back when he didn’t like me.

Or perhaps he intended to stop me before I could cause any trouble.

It didn’t matter now anyway.

Our lives, which once seemed destined to run parallel until death, diverged without a single point of intersection the moment I left Raslet.

Sioden must be doing well.

He hadn’t looked very happy the last time I saw him, but no one was happy at that moment. Even I, who was leaving Raslet, felt more exhaustion than relief, didn’t I?

Enough time has passed now.

During this time, I’ve planned a future where neither Raslet nor Rowen exists. It was enough time for Sioden to build a future without me, too.

Besides, who am I for him to still be preoccupied with me?

Unlike me, whose life once contained nothing good besides Sioden, Sioden’s life held many good things besides me.

…Didn’t he even have that distinguished doctor as a friend?

‘I should have broken that wretched bastard’s neck a long time ago.’

Apple’s frustrated mutterings came to mind.

After encountering Luke Ailac at the harbor, Apple no longer hid her hostility toward him.

If she hadn’t needed to be sent out of the castle quickly, the doctor would have been in trouble one way or another.

Apple had also tried to silence my father’s aide in various ways.

I wished I had given her time to vent her resentment toward Luke before leaving Raslet anyway.

That way, I could have made Apple happy, even if only for a little while.

As I walked through the garden lost in thought, a laborer carrying straw caught my eye.

The only place in the mansion that requires straw is the stable.

When I was little, I wanted to see the stables.

Both Iswen and Demian had their own horses and rode them at every event.

When a horse with a magnificent mane galloped with a rider, even the clothes fluttering in the wind looked refreshing.

But my father, unlike my two brothers, did not allow me to ride.

I vividly remembered the answer my father gave me when I asked him if I could learn to ride a horse when I was young.

‘If you know how to ride a horse, wouldn’t someone want to take you and run away?’

Or, perhaps, you might run away.

And my father looked at Iswen, seeking his agreement.

Iswen, who wasn’t an adult yet but was clearly much bigger than Demian and me, met my father’s eyes and nodded.

As if he completely agreed with the sentiment.

Just then, the laborer carrying the straw spoke to me.

“Are you here to see the horses?”

Only then did I realize I had followed the laborer to the entrance of the stable.

See the horses?

It wasn’t something I had thought about since I was forbidden from riding as a child, so I couldn’t readily give a positive answer.

When I remained silent, the laborer smiled good-naturedly and stepped aside for me.

I didn’t refuse his offer and walked into the stable.

The laborer pointed to the horse standing closest to the door.

“That one is the gentlest.”

It was a horse with bright brown fur, almost gold in color.

Up close, the horse’s eyes were large and beautiful.

As I stared at its black, transparent eyes—so clear they reflected my image—the laborer called out while carrying the straw.

“Its name is Goldie.”

“…”

“He absolutely loves it when you stroke his muzzle.”

At those words, I carefully reached out my hand toward Goldie’s muzzle, only for a shadow to fall over me from behind.

“Thinking of riding?”

Startled, I turned around to see Iswen looking down at me.

As usual, his expression was cold, and his clothes were meticulously tailored without a single crease.

The yellow gaze fixed on me was as indifferent as my father’s.

But the difference now was that I had been through too much to be intimidated by that look.

Meeting Iswen’s eyes without flinching, I spoke.

“I don’t know how to ride a horse.”

Iswen and Father had prevented me from learning.

So, this time wouldn’t be much different.

It didn’t matter.

I’d go to Resebel, find a tutor separately, get two horses as cute as Goldie—one for me and one for Apple—and…

“You can learn.”

My eyes widened involuntarily at the words I hadn’t expected to come from Iswen’s mouth.

Iswen glanced quickly at me, who was staring blankly at him, and turned his back.

“Go change your clothes and come out. Your riding clothes should still be in your wardrobe.”

Only after returning to the mansion and checking my closet did I fully understand Iswen’s words.

There really was a riding habit in my wardrobe.

“Why is this dress here?”

The maid, who was nearby to help me dress, answered.

“It was tailored four years ago for a portrait.”

Hearing that, I finally recalled the memory of the family gathering before the wedding to pose for a portrait in hunting attire.

It felt strange that Iswen remembered an event that even I had forgotten.

Of course, the feeling wasn’t profound enough to dwell on.

—

After changing into the riding habit, I was escorted by the knight waiting outside the door to the open field attached to the mansion.

Iswen was waiting for me in the field, which was covered with green wild grass interspersed with occasional flowers.

He was holding Goldie’s reins.

He inspected me, as if checking my turnout, and then said.

“Since this is your first time riding, someone must hold the reins.”

“Are you planning to hold the reins, Duke Rowen?”

“There is no reason why I shouldn’t.”

“But you injured your leg.”

No one had told me why Iswen limped, but I could tell just by looking that he hadn’t fully recovered.

Iswen carried a cane wherever he went now.

Having a physical flaw was a serious drawback in Southern high society, so if he were well enough to walk without it, he would have left it behind long ago.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Then he gestured with his chin toward the small ladder set up next to the horse.

“Get on.”

With the help of the ladder, I awkwardly sat in the saddle.

Iswen helped me place my feet in the stirrups and adjusted the length.

As his hands worked, the persistent question in my mind surfaced again.

“Why not just order a knight to do it?”

Iswen once again gave a near-monosyllabic answer.

“The knights are not idle.”

Was the lord of the house, then, idle?

I decided to let it go.

All that mattered was not getting entangled in whatever ridiculous argument Iswen might present.

Afterward, Iswen held Goldie’s reins and walked slowly, teaching me the basics.

“Straighten your back. Lift your chin, and look straight ahead.”

The instructions were difficult to follow perfectly from the start, but Iswen did not get angry.

He simply repeated the same words every time my posture faltered.

“A horse hears the rider’s heartbeat. It will easily sense it if you are afraid, so always maintain composure when riding.”

How much time had passed?

Iswen, who was guiding the horse around the field quite skillfully despite leaning on his cane with one hand, asked,

“Are you planning to head down to Resebel?”

Someday, yes—but not right now.

Sioden had given me a certificate that could nullify the marriage.

It was a document that would take legal effect as soon as I signed it.

‘Submit it to the Imperial Palace when you feel safe making the choice you desire. Then I will go to the capital.’

It seemed more efficient to submit that document before leaving for Resebel.

Resebel was a southern territory, closer to Emerta than the capital.

If I went down to Resebel without annulling the marriage, I would have the disadvantage of having to travel all the way back up to the capital later.

Rather than moving so inconveniently, submitting the annulment papers to the Imperial Palace just before leaving for the territory would be cleaner.

However, I didn’t want to talk about the marriage annulment with Iswen.

Especially not now, when he was, surprisingly, saying nothing about my marriage.

“I don’t wish to tell you.”

Iswen did not press the matter further.

Afterward, we circled the field a couple more times and decided to finish the riding lesson.

Iswen stopped Goldie in front of the ladder and helped me dismount.

“Riding becomes more ingrained the more frequently you do it, so if you want to ride properly, come out at the same time tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

I nodded at his words, and Iswen’s gaze shifted behind me.

The moment I turned my head to see what he was looking at, a familiar voice reached my ears.

“My Lady.”

Did I hear things?

The voice—one there was no way I could hear at this very moment—made my spine stiffen involuntarily.

When I rigidly turned around, the first thing that caught my eye was the red hair, slightly longer than the last time I saw it.

Against the backdrop of hair like a blazing sunset, a hazel eye was curved in a smile.

It was a face I had never forgotten, even in my dreams.

The name of that girl escaped my trembling tongue.

“Apple.”

As if she had been waiting for those very words, Apple smiled brightly at me.