When My Contract with the Misanthropic Duke Ended, I Filed For Divorce, But My Husband's Obsession and Doting Became Unbearable - Chapter 3

And so, all that was left for the divorce to be finalized was the duke’s signature. It was still a little earlier than three years, but I decided to bring it up during our mealtime. I wasn’t prepared for what I saw next.

“Why did you start the divorce process? If there’s something you’re unhappy with, I’ll fix it. So please—don’t leave me.”

“…What?”

He was looking at me with eyes that almost seemed desperate. How could I not be confused? Wait… could it be that the duke actually forgot about the contract? We hadn’t spoken about it since the day we made it, that’s true, but still—

He’d continued to share meals with me all this time. I thought it meant he remembered and cared about the agreement. But if he really forgot, then why did he keep doing it…?

“I don’t think the time I’ve spent with you is unpleasant… If there’s something you’re dissatisfied with in our marriage, I’d like to fix it.”

When he said that, I couldn’t help but feel moved. I had noticed we’d been talking more lately, but hearing that he spent time with me not because of the contract—it made me feel like my feelings were being returned, just a little.

It felt like my years of patience were finally being rewarded. And if this was my prize for enduring so much, then maybe it hadn’t been in vain after all.

If I wanted, I could take this chance and quietly cancel the divorce without ever reminding him about the contract. But that felt too pitiful, too dishonest. So, I decided to remind him. After all, I couldn’t keep living like this forever, even if he had started to care for me.

Even if my family disowned me for it and I fell to commoner status, I was ready. The day I proposed this contract, I had already accepted that risk. To me, what I shared with the duke would remain a precious memory of being able to live beside the person I loved. Especially now that he had said something so kind to me in the end.

“Duke, it seems you’ve forgotten, but it’s already been three years. Well… to be precise, there are still a few weeks left.”

“Three years…? Ah…”

“Thank you for putting up with my selfishness all this time. Just being able to share meals with you, even though you’re so busy, made me truly happy. And hearing you acknowledge my feelings—it meant so much to me, especially in a world that still looks down on people like us. I’ll treasure these memories forever.”

“…I admit, I forgot about the contract. But every day I spent with you was… well, anyway—
Do you really intend to go through with the divorce?”

“It’s part of the contract.”

The way he kept asking made me think he actually didn’t want to let me go. The thought made my heart ache—in a good way. To think that, without realizing it, we had slowly built something between us. It gave me hope… maybe someday, I could love again, and maybe that love would be mutual.

Since we were speaking during our usual meal, the servants probably heard everything too. That was intentional. I figured that, with only a few weeks left, they might finally treat me a little better. And maybe—just maybe—I could spend my last days here enjoying the time I had left with the duke, without worrying about anything else.

Even if I talked about finding new love, the truth was, I wanted to savor these final moments with him. After all, unless he made time for me, our only conversations happened during meals. Still, with how much we’d started talking lately, maybe he’d spend a little more time with me before the end…
I couldn’t help but hope for that, foolish as it was.

“Now that I think about it,” the duke murmured, his voice dark and quiet, “our contract was for a white marriage… So, if it’s no longer white—there’s no reason for divorce.”

His tone was low, almost dangerous. I wasn’t sure if I’d heard right.

“Duke…?”

“If the divorce only applies under the terms of a white marriage, then… if it isn’t white anymore, we don’t have to divorce, right?”

“Eh, well… yes, technically…”

“Then what you’re saying is—you still want to leave me, even without the contract’s reason?”

Was it just me, or did he seem upset? And—was I imagining things, or did it sound like he didn’t want to divorce me? I knew I was probably reading too much into it. After all, this was the same duke who hated people.

“Um… it’s just that I can’t keep living like this. I mean, in our current situation, I…”

“What do you mean? Is there something you want?”

“No, it’s not that…”

I had expected him to simply sign and end it. But since he was actually listening, I decided to tell him everything I’d kept quiet about—everything I’d endured in this house. For some reason, I felt that he’d believe me now.

…Maybe deep down, I just wanted to test it—to see how much I truly mattered to the man I loved. And by confessing everything I had gone through, I never could have imagined the chaos that would follow.