She pushed the word that was about to roll off her tongue away.

(T/N: There was a mistranslation on the prev. chapter. Canna thought ‘You scumbag!’ Instead of ‘This scumbag!’ Canna wanted to add it to her sentence but she decided against it.  I’m sorry for the mistake.
-note will be removed before posting the next chapter.)

But she can say it in another way. Through her eyes, lips, and facial expression.

“……”

Sylvien was making Canna frustrated.

The blue eyes, which looked bored just a while ago, became attentive. It was an unfamiliar sight.

He spoke slowly.

“I don’t expect you to treat me like a wife.”

“……”

“That is what you said, Miss Canna. Did you forget?”

She did.

Canna clenched her fist tightly.

Before getting married, Sylvien told her clearly.

He will not fulfill his duty as a husband, and he won’t even think of her as his wife.

Joo Hwa said, ‘It’s fine, so please marry me.’

The innocent girl believed that something would change when they got married, and that he would love her because they’re married anyway.

‘What love?’

They are married for 7 years already.

Not once did their fingers brush with each other.

“That’s right. I was fine with it before, but not now. I don’t want to live like this anymore.”

She answered him strongly and glared at him.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard it, but Mother kicked me out.”

“So?”

“I’m leaving this place. I’m going back to my parents’ mansion.”

Then for the first time, he showed a reaction.

Sylvien’s eyes slowly examined Canna’s face.

He’s doubting his ears.

He has a look that says he couldn’t believe what he heard.

Canna felt pleased at the scene.

The old me – Joo Hwa wouldn’t do that.

Because she always wanted to be next to him even if she dies.

But I don’t.

“Did you say you were leaving?”

Sylvien repeated the words as if to understand its meaning.

I’m leaving, I’m leaving……

I’m leaving.

She’s going to leave me?

The next moment, Sylvien’s eyes were crooked.

An emotion passed briefly.

It looked like interest, or maybe curiosity.

But it was only for a moment. The look on Sylvien’s eyes dissipated.

It became a bored look, just like from the beginning.

He quietly answered, sweeping his wet hair.

“Sure.”

“I’m also going to ask my father for a divorce.”

“Yes. I will be waiting.”

Fuck you.

Canna wanted to hit him.

Sylvien is not taking their conversation seriously.

He’s listening with one ear while letting it slip through the other ear.

‘He doesn’t believe what I’ve said so far.’

Not long ago, she was a woman who fell on her knees, cried, and clung to him.

It’s obvious that he thinks she cannot leave him first.

Rather, he seemed to regard it as a grumpy protest – a lie to get his attention.

Canna held back her sigh.

She doesn’t think there’s a point in this continuing this talk anymore.

“Then, I will leave now.”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

You bastard.

You think I’m just bluffing? I’m really going to divorce you!

I’ll do it!

* * *

The next morning, Canna set out for the Adice mansion.

She still has to worry about the next step.

The first step toward divorce, which is getting kicked out by her mother-in-law, has been achieved.

Now, she has to go back to her parents’ mansion and get her father’s permission for divorce.

‘Will the Adices accept me?’

In the first place, will they even open the gates for me?

Practical concerns have been creeping up this time.

It was actually easy to get kicked out.

Since everyone hates her anyway, just give them a reason to kick her out.

All of them.

Because everyone in this world hates me.

‘It’s easy to get kicked out…… but it’s hard to be accepted.’

Canna sighed deeply and lowered her gaze.

A long, eerie black hair. And black eyes.

This is why everyone hates her.

Because of all these black.

‘In this world, black is a symbol of mysery.’

Most of the people here hate black.

It’s because it’s the same color with the black fog.

Black fog – the color of that horrible incident.

A long time ago, a widespread of black mist appeared and completely swallowed the entire southern continent.

The south continent, which was called the Mado continent, was severely destroyed that the era in which the Mado continent existed was over.

Only those who survived the disaster came here to the west.

Survivors.

It was the beginning of their settlement here in the western continent.

The survivors had a new life in a new land, and more than a thousand years later, civilization has been built again.

But the west was not entirely safe either.

It was a very small scale compared to the one that covered the entire south continent, but a black fog also appeared in the west continent.

‘And it is the families of Adice and Valentino that protect the gates of the west continent from the black fog.’

Adice and Valentino family.

The founder of the two families was a saint who fought against the black fog on the southern continent.

The knights of the Mado continent are now just a legend.

But their descendants still defend the west from the black fog.

Thus, they were named the two guardian families and were given absolute power.

‘The black fog is very dangerous.’

Strange things pop out of the fog.

Unknown plants, objects, and…… monsters.

They are very ugly and they don’t exist in this world. Sometimes, there are monsters that are very powerful when out of control.

That’s not all.

Those who gets in contact with the black fog will get infected and they completely go insane.

Not just insane, but they also turn into monsters that eat humans.

And those who are severely infected will have their hair and eyes turn black……

‘That’s when the black priests come.’

They are heathens who have faith in the black fog. Many of the ‘black priests’ have black hair.

‘One of the reasons why people hate black is because it’s like a devil’s color.’

It’s a rare color here, but it’s common in Korea.

Canna sighed.

Anyway, to get a divorce, she has to get the approval of her father……

Her head throbbed when she thought about it.

‘My father hates me so Joo Hwa never visited the Adices ever since she got married.’

But now she has to go back to the Adices.

She has to get her father’s permission to divorce, even if she has to beg to him.

Then.

Then……

‘I’ll think about what happens afterwards.’

It’s hard for her to think that she will be living as Canna for the rest of her life, but she has to do what she can.

‘The question is, will the Adices accept me……?’

* * *

“Go back. We can’t open the gates for you.”

Her concerns turned into reality.

“The duke instructed us that we cannot open the gates when Duchess Valentino comes.”

“But……”

“Go back.”

The knight shook his head firmly.

She thought she should persuade him a little more, but she just shut her mouth.

It doesn’t seem like persuasion will work.

Just like what she thought.

Of course, she didn’t expect herself to be welcome, but she didn’t think they won’t even let her in.

‘I see. My father has totally forsaken me.’

As expected, he is a thoroughgoing man.

He was cautious in case Canna came back, so he had the gates closed for her in advance…… He is very elaborate.

‘He really hates me.’

Canna realized that she underestimated her father’s hatred.

There’s no easy way to meet Canna’s father who hated her all this time.

Then,

The sound of an approaching carriage is heard from behind.

It was a horse-drawn carriage with the Adice family emblem.

“The first young master is back! Open the gates!”

Then the grand gates of the mansion began to open.

The gates, which seemed to be closed forever in front of Canna.

For a moment, she had an urge to dash inside.

‘Then, should I just run inside, grab my father’s crotch and hang on it?’

Just when she was thinking about it,

KIIIK.

The carriage stopped just behind Canna.

She felt goosebumps down her back.

She slowly looked back with a sense of foreboding.

“……”

Then she made an eye contact.

Beyond the carriage window, a young man is quietly staring at her.