My New Love That Isn’t Fated - Episode 35

His cheek was swollen, and a large bruise had formed on his abdomen. The doctor said there were no broken bones or internal injuries, but the inside of his mouth throbbed with pain from a split caused just by drinking.
Elad was lying on the sofa, empty bottles of liquor lined up on the table.

“Lilia… you traitor… Lilia…”

The image of Lilia, her face twisted in sorrow and on the verge of tears, flashed through his mind. What had she said again?

“You’re afraid of your father too, aren’t you?”

Her words echoed in his head, and Elad hurled a bottle against the wall.
The bottle shattered, spilling liquor across the floor. The loud crash startled the nearby servants and maids, making them scream.

“Master, please stop this at once.”
“You’re still here, Irma? I told you—you’re fired. Get out.”
“Lord Elad, please forget about Lady Lilia. You should understand how kind it was of her and Prince Owen to forgive you.”
“Silence, Heinz! She was cheating on me, wasn’t she? She betrayed me…”

Elad glared at Irma and Heinz, who had stepped forward to shield the others from him.
Every gaze turned on him seemed full of scorn and disgust.
Irma, Heinz, and all the rest had never once condemned his father for his behavior—how dare they look down on him now?

“Master, Lady Lilia did no such thing. You’re the one who was unfaithful. Do you even know what that woman Louise said to Lilia? That’s why she chose to leave. She was trying to walk away with dignity.”
“I never agreed to a divorce! She must have been seeing Owen even before that!”
“That’s not true. Lady Lilia has done nothing improper. All of us know her far better than you do, Master.”

To get away from Irma’s relentless voice, Elad stood up.
He staggered, nearly falling from the dizziness caused by both pain and alcohol. Heinz reached out to steady him, but Elad ignored the hand and straightened up by himself.

“I’ll bring Lilia back. She belongs to me.”
“Please, Lord Elad, let her go. You’ll only make her suffer. You plan to take Louise as your mistress, don’t you? We’ll arrange compensation for Lady Lilia for the pain you caused her. I’ll handle the process.”
“You’re giving her money? For betraying me? That’s ridiculous! If anything, she should be paying me! I don’t care about the money—Lilia is still my wife! She might even be pregnant… with my child…”

Louise had said she was expecting.
A child growing in her belly—his child.
Of course, he loved Louise. And yes, he was happy about the baby.
But the heir to the marquisate should be Lilia’s child. If a child born of a woman with no noble bl00d were to inherit the house, his father would be furious—no, worse, disappointed.

“Even if Lady Lilia is carrying your child, she is not your possession.”
“Master… it breaks my heart that someone like Lady Lilia was hurt by you.”

Trying to escape the voices of Irma and Heinz, Elad stumbled into his bedroom and collapsed onto the bed.
He was supposed to meet Louise, but he no longer had the energy to go through with it.

The day after Lilia left, the marquisate household was in chaos.
Before noon, a carriage flanked by royal guards stopped in front of the house.
From it stepped King Harvey, wearing fine clothes and a cloak, followed by someone who clearly looked like a prince—Owen.

Woken by Irma, Elad headed to them in a disheveled state, still groggy from sleep and a hangover, his body aching and dulled by painkillers.

“Owen… Your Highness. And… Your Majesty…”

Elad managed a formal bow with the last bit of composure he had left.
As furious as he was with Owen, he couldn’t afford to show disrespect to the King.
Even showing disdain to Owen, a member of the royal family, would be out of line. But Owen had no title—just a scholar. Harvey, though, was different.

Every noble was a vassal of the King. Even Elad understood that much.

“What happened to your arrogance yesterday, Elad? You’re looking dashing,” Owen said with a sharp smirk.

Covered in bandages and gauze, Elad looked like a wreck.
He had always thought of Owen as a quiet, dull man who only got attention because of his looks.
But Owen hadn’t hesitated to beat him to a pulp.
And now, he was clearly provoking Elad again—his gaze cold, but burning with anger beneath the surface.

“Owen, no need to be so combative. Why do you think I came with you in the first place?”
“To use your power, brother?”
“Exactly. As long as you know it.”

Harvey pulled out a divorce document and placed it in front of Elad.
Lilia’s name was already signed. Elad had torn up the last one, but they had prepared a new copy.
If it had just been Lilia or Owen bringing it, Elad could have refused.
But this was from Harvey.

Elad slumped weakly onto the sofa opposite them.

“I’ve heard everything from my brother. There’s nothing you need to explain to me. You assaulted Lilia and locked her in a room. Even within a marriage, that is not acceptable. Still, these matters are hard for outsiders to handle—so I came in person.”
“So he ran crying to the King? The man who defiled my wife?”
“Owen only spoke to Lilia a few days ago. If there’s going to be any affair, it’s still ahead. And if Lilia is already divorced, it’s not adultery. It’s just a relationship.”

How can he say that so calmly? Elad glared at Owen with dark eyes.
Owen just narrowed his gaze, unreadable.
But one thing was clear—he was trying to take Lilia away.

“None of that matters. Elad, I order you to finalize this divorce. If you refuse, we’ll take appropriate legal action for your abuse of Lilia. But that’s not what she wants.”
“…Your Majesty, Lilia is my—”
“A wife is not a possession. Marriage is just a contract. And in this kingdom, anyone has the right to end that contract, regardless of status. This isn’t the past, when women had no choice but to endure.”

With that, Harvey lightly tapped the divorce papers on the table with his finger.
Heinz brought over a fountain pen.

Elad clenched his jaw and signed his name.
His usually elegant handwriting was now crooked and distorted.