Chapter 21

“Let’s focus on staying alive. That’s all that matters.”

Her once tangled thoughts became clear.

With new determination, her steps were steady as she made her way directly to the dining room. The Grand Duke was there, just as the servant said.

“Oh, Lady Anais.”

He seemed surprised and quickly rose to his feet. The chair he had been sitting in scraped loudly against the quiet room, but for some reason, he couldn’t open his mouth.

Silence settled between them again.

Anais didn’t pause. She walked right up to the table, no longer avoiding him or shrinking back like before. She was simply doing what she had to do.

In contrast, the Grand Duke stood there, a little stunned, watching her as she sat down.

Tilting her head slightly, Anais asked.

“If you haven’t eaten yet, would you like to eat together?”

“Oh. Yes, of course. I was waiting for you.”

Only then did his expression soften into a gentle smile, as if her invitation made him happy. He quickly instructed the servants to prepare the meal.

His words, his expressions, his actions… He seemed so genuinely kind, like someone who truly cared for her.

“….”

Anais’s violet eyes wavered faintly. However, she quickly lowered her gaze, steadying herself, then looked back up.

‘Don’t let yourself be swayed.’

Reminding herself, she spoke in a clear voice.

“I think it’s about time we finished up the contract.”

“Ah.”

Just then, a servant came in to set the table, and the conversation was cut off by the Grand Duke’s brief exclamation. His cutlery set was placed beside a cup of strong black coffee.

After a short pause, Anais got to the main point. Straightening her posture, she asked.

“Have you considered the terms to include in the contract?”

The Grand Duke’s face, which had been stiff with fluster, softened as he answered.

“…I’ll go along with your opinion, Lady Anais. I only have one request.”

His lips curled softly as if urging her to speak freely. His forearm, resting on the table, leaned slightly toward her. Nonetheless, with the two of them seated at opposite ends of a wide table, the distance between them felt hard to bridge.

A firm voice flowed from Anais, who still sat rigidly upright.

“There are three conditions I want to include.”

Meeting his gaze directly, she made her intentions clear.

The Grand Duke nodded, quickly accepting the pen and paper from the servant, and focused on her words.

“First, the marriage contract will last for a maximum of three years. However, if His Majesty orders that the marriage be extended, we’ll discuss it again at that time.”

“….”

“Second, unless we have to act as husband and wife in official events, there will be absolutely no physical contact.”

He dutifully wrote down each condition as Anais spoke. She paused briefly, waiting until his red eyes lifted back to her.

“Third. Should we divorce, we part ways cleanly.”

Even after she finished speaking, the Grand Duke remained still. His hardened gaze eventually fell to the paper in front of him.

Scratch, scratch.

The sound of his pen scratching across the page echoed through the quiet dining room. Even though it was only a few lines, it took considerable time.

At last, his hand came to a stop.

The Grand Duke seemed oddly dazed, as his crimson eyes, now tangled with complexity, returned to her. His reaction was a little strange. It was as if he wasn’t someone who had ever considered divorce.

Anais’s brows furrowed slightly, but she pressed on without pause.

“As for what I mean by ‘parting cleanly’…”

She deliberately paused to emphasize the point.

His gaze, which had lowered again, returned to her. After setting his pen aside, he quietly met her eyes. His face looked calm now, unlike before. For some reason, Anais felt her heart sink at that expression.

She forced herself to ignore it, meeting his gaze and speaking clearly.

“I mean, we shouldn’t see each other again or get involved in each other’s lives. I hope we can separate safely.”

“….”

“As long as you can agree to that, that’s all I ask. Do you accept my conditions?”

Anais had said everything she needed. Now, it was his turn. She waited, giving him time to think.

But the Grand Duke remained silent.

“….”

His eyes lingered on the paper where he had written down Anais’s words for a long time. Only after quite a while did he finally reply, his voice strained.

“…I agree.”

Anais swallowed a sigh of relief inwardly. She was glad that he had accepted her conditions.

“Then, those are the three conditions I have. What’s the one condition you wanted to include, Your Highness?”

Anais asked, turning her composed gaze toward the man in front of her.