I’ll Just Be Friends With My Ex-Husband

“How many food supplies do we have in the mansion?”

“It should be able to hold out for about two months, My Lady.”

“Assign five knights in front of the pantry. Here is a document with my seal on it.”

“Yes, My Lady.” The maid bowed her head. Her next step would be to tell the butler.

“Manage the armory and check the knights’ accommodations. If any of the weapons they use are old, then provide them with new ones. We have to be prepared because we don’t know what will happen.”

“I’ll do that, My Lady.” Mercé tapped her finger on the table.

These were all manuals when the civil war broke out, when foreign powers invaded islands, or when monsters broke out. She just picked out the ones she needed. If Arthur went out there and fought with his sword, Merce would have to assist him behind his back by managing the inside of the manor and the knights’ wellbeing.

“Make sure to buy enough medicinal herbs and send someone out to buy more food to stock. No one should come in after that. You can check and manage what you have to buy and always have a knight accompany you when doing something. I don’t know who’s going to come in here.”

The Crown Prince had gone mad. He even detained Louella and she didn’t know what else to do. The Crown Prince, who saw them at the temple that day, looked at Merce with contempt. She would never forget the hostility in his sharp gaze. With that feeling, it wouldn’t be strange to do something against Leander?

“Viscountess Keynes will be here soon. Once she arrives, show her to the drawing room right away. Take a close look at who she’s coming with and how many knights she has brought. If the number of knights exceeds three, let me know as soon as possible and bring me the knights so that I can meet them.”

“Yes, My Lady!”

Merce beckoned as if telling her to go. She also rose from her seat. All sorts of thoughts were running through her head. Merce hunched her shoulders and buried her face in her palms. They were there together but they couldn’t do anything and lost Louella.

It wasn’t Louella who had to be taken by the Crown Prince. It was supposed to be her. Who can guess how parents feel about not being able to protect their children?

She couldn’t help but pray and hope that she could turn back time. However, time passed by, and Louella didn’t return. Merce was still standing here alone.

She fervently hoped that Louella would come in through that door and give her a beautiful smile while shouting, “Mom!” What the child had inside made Merce’s heart heavy.

+++

“The white snake wasn’t a god. It was nothing more than a grim reaper who coveted human souls and drove them to their deaths. The God who created and protected humankind was the black snake. The white snake has dragged Louella to become its food.”

Despair filled Gerald’s face as he spoke the truth. It had to be Merce if the snake had to be fed. Louella was too young to suffer. The white snake wouldn’t stop until it was killed.

It must have taken control of the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince still had a will, the white snake wouldn’t be able to touch Louella carelessly.

Why didn’t she know anything? No. Why was she pretending not to know? She must have thought it was right to wait without asking. If she had known, the situation might have been a little better. Can she call herself a parent when she couldn’t even protect her own child? She was so confused, unable to define anything.

“Please, Louella.” Merce held her hands together.

The child who grew up too soon had a fate in her heart that Merce could have never imagined. Louella knew everything but she still laughed so brightly despite the danger that she was going to be in. She lived a hard life and she did what she had to do.

It reminded her of Louella, who was having fun talking about the dressing room until just before it happened. She wasn’t frustrated for a second. A fake god. A war between gods. Monsters. Even with these things in front of her, she would have tried to fight against the white snake.

Merce couldn’t pretend to know about Louella’s efforts. “Mom will protect you.”

Soon after, Viscountess Keynes arrived. If their tactic were too violent, they could provoke the mad Crown Prince. But if they use the media to spill the truth———

“Mrs. Keynes, thank you for coming.”

“No, Duchess. I heard that there was an accident in the temple. Are you all right?”

“No, but with your help, we might be able to overcome this situation.”

Viscountess Keynes looked tense.