Prologue The Stepmother Has Left

It was the day after the youngest of the Dukes, Nick’s, coming-of-age banquet.

The Duke’s family woke up unusually late, as they fell soon fell asleep after attending the lavish banquet. As Nick woke up to the pouring sunlight, he looked for this stepmother for the first time, whom he had never paid much attention to before.

“Where did stepmother go?”

“I do not know. We have not seen her since early morning.”

Nick skimmed the whole mansion, feeling puzzled at the sudden disappearance of his stepmother, who was nowhere to be found no matter how much he looked and asked for. He stopped the working servants of the mansion, but no one knew where his mother was.

Nick, who was climbing down the stairs, feeling a bit uneasy from within, found his father through the open door of the Duke’s office and approached him.

“Father, where did stepmother go?”

The Duke didn’t answer, as he was looking at something of his with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Where is the stepmother…?”

Nick, who opened the door and stood next to his father, glanced at the paper he was looking at, stopped.

Her stepmother’s handwriting, as neat as her personality, caught his eye.

[It’s been a while since I came here as a new wife, a stepmother and Diana’s dear friend. I am writing this letter as Cassia.

As Nick had his coming-of-age banquet yesterday, I have fulfilled all of my contracts with Your Excellency to be the stepmother for 7 years. Even so, I’m glad that I’ve been able to keep this family safe on Diana’s behalf.

When I finally made up my mind to leave, I felt a strange feeling from within, both sad and happy…

Having done my part, I am now ready to leave the Duke and live my own life.

Diana was a beautiful friend of mine and your one and only family. Thank you for accepting me, who was never enough to replace Diana, and will never be.

I will take my leave now. Thank you for the 7 years we have spent together.

May the door of the Whidrian family be constantly filled with divine blessings.]

“…What does all this mean, Father? Has stepmother left the mansion?”

Nick muttered blankly as he looked at his letter with shocked eyes, without speaking any further.

How long has it been?

The Duke finally opened his mouth and spoke softly.

“…Contact your brother. Tell him that mother is gone.”

At the Duke’s words, Nick bit his lip and looked at the letter once, gave a small reply and ran out of the office.

Being the only one left in the room, the Duke looked at the divorce papers laid out as they had been saved for a long period, along with the letter.

A heavy silence fell.

HELLO GUYS THIS IS  MY NEW STORY PLS SOW YOUR SUPPORT TO THIS A S WELL!!

t was the day after the youngest of the Dukes, Nick’s, coming-of-age banquet.

The Duke’s family woke up unusually late, as they fell soon fell asleep after attending the lavish banquet. As Nick woke up to the pouring sunlight, he looked for this stepmother for the first time, whom he had never paid much attention to before.

“Where did stepmother go?”

“I do not know. We have not seen her since early morning.”

Nick skimmed the whole mansion, feeling puzzled at the sudden disappearance of his stepmother, who was nowhere to be found no matter how much he looked and asked for. He stopped the working servants of the mansion, but no one knew where his mother was.

Nick, who was climbing down the stairs, feeling a bit uneasy from within, found his father through the open door of the Duke’s office and approached him.

“Father, where did stepmother go?”

The Duke didn’t answer, as he was looking at something of his with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Where is the stepmother…?”

Nick, who opened the door and stood next to his father, glanced at the paper he was looking at, stopped.

Her stepmother’s handwriting, as neat as her personality, caught his eye.

[It’s been a while since I came here as a new wife, a stepmother and Diana’s dear friend. I am writing this letter as Cassia.

As Nick had his coming-of-age banquet yesterday, I have fulfilled all of my contracts with Your Excellency to be the stepmother for 7 years. Even so, I’m glad that I’ve been able to keep this family safe on Diana’s behalf.

When I finally made up my mind to leave, I felt a strange feeling from within, both sad and happy…

Having done my part, I am now ready to leave the Duke and live my own life.

Diana was a beautiful friend of mine and your one and only family. Thank you for accepting me, who was never enough to replace Diana, and will never be.

I will take my leave now. Thank you for the 7 years we have spent together.

May the door of the Whidrian family be constantly filled with divine blessings.]

“…What does all this mean, Father? Has stepmother left the mansion?”

Nick muttered blankly as he looked at his letter with shocked eyes, without speaking any further.

How long has it been?

The Duke finally opened his mouth and spoke softly.

“…Contact your brother. Tell him that mother is gone.”

At the Duke’s words, Nick bit his lip and looked at the letter once, gave a small reply and ran out of the office.

Being the only one left in the room, the Duke looked at the divorce papers laid out as they had been saved for a long period, along with the letter.

A heavy silence fell.

Episode 1

Seven years ago, the Duke’s mansion was filled with great grief. Two young aristocrats, who don’t seem to have even made their debut, a gentleman in a black tuxedo, and numerous people dressed in black.

Each of them held a letter with the Duke’s emblem on it.

It was the same for him and Cassia. What they had in their hands was a barrel of sorrow. The letter proved how fleeting happiness can be. Because of that, many people had been flocking to the Duke’s mansion since morning. People’s reactions varied. Some were shocked by the sudden news, and some had their faces covered with sleeves and handkerchiefs that couldn’t stop the tears from pouring out.

Some moved quickly with an expression different from usual, while hiding their gloomy feelings.

And she, perhaps, has the most expressionless face at the moment.

***

“Who are you?”

She remembered the voice that seemed to come from the rustle, on the day she first met Diana.

On the day when she first entered the academy the nobles attended, someone stood next to her while she was standing alone on the terrace.

Diana Allison, the daughter of Count Allison, received the most attention among the aristocrats.

“Why are you out here? You must have entered the school this time, too.”

“It bothers me that there are so many people.”

Seeing her different from her peers, Diana seemed curious.

She talked for a long time until the entrance dinner party that day passed.

Diana started to keep her close, and they started hanging out together.

It didn’t take long for the little girls to overturn the class distinction and grow the seeds of friendship. People said she was nothing like Diana’s maid, but she didn’t have any problems.

Because ‘Diana is the daughter of a prosperous countess and Cassia is just a young girl from a poor family’ was correct.

Wouldn’t being a friend be better than a maid? And she really liked Diana.

As they entered puberty, Diana fell in love and got married, and they couldn’t get along like immature girls anymore. But their relationship continued. Cassia stood always by Diana’s side, right from watching her give birth to her children, attending every birthday party, and watching them grow and enter the academy. She was invited to every party, and she used to regularly visit the Duke’s mansion.

They were both friends and family like sisters – not blood-related.

***

“Dear nobles, here is the obituary of Duchess Diana Whidrian.”

Looking at the obituary written in the treasure, she couldn’t believe how cold her body felt. The sudden loss of the woman who was healthier and brighter than anyone else, she thought it was natural for Diana to live happily ever after, and everyone would have thought the same.

“How did this happen… Wasn’t Madam so healthy?”

“She died in a wagon accident.”

She could hear the voices of several nobles whispering in from her side.

Wagon accident…

Stopped footsteps.

She remembered what Diana said a few days ago.

***

“Cassia, if I die suddenly… I will entrust my family to you.”

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“Well, you don’t know people. Even if you live well, accidents can happen suddenly.”

“I’m just going to let it go. I shouldn’t say anything unpleasant.” Diana said.

“Come on, Cassia, just answer me. If I disappear, you will definitely protect my family, right?”

“…Of course. How can you say that?”

Cassia thought it was strange because Diana spoke in a solemn voice, and she answered so lightly at the spur of the moment.

She was lost in her thoughts for a moment, but soon moved on.

***

Upon entering the Duke’s house, the maidservant welcomed the incoming guests with a sad face.

The Duke’s family had a chaotic atmosphere, but more solemn than ever.

People with various expressions were standing in every corner of the living room of the Duke’s mansion.

As they approached the hour, the room door, presumably where Diana was, opened, and the butler slowly walked out.

People, including Cassia, walked into Diana’s room one after the other, following the guidance of the butler. A large coffin was placed in the middle of the room. In the middle of the overall darkness, there were candles all around.

“It seems that the body will not be disclosed. She died in an accident, so the condition is…”

Cassia quietly listened to the voices of people around her.

The funeral started soon.

“Diana Whidrian was the most kind and loving Duchess…”

Words reminiscent of Diana, prepared by the butler, echoed through the room. The funeral procession ended finally.

Cassia stood expressionless the whole time inside the room, and the nobles around her stumbled and wiped their tears. Soon after, everyone took turns carrying flowers and began to say their final goodbyes in front of Diana’s coffin.

Starting with Diana’s husband and her two sons, Diana’s parents walked out. The Duke’s maids, servants, and other nobles came to the funeral, and Diana’s casket was piled up with flowers all around.

The person in front of her moved away from Diana’s coffin, and she slowly approached the casket following the butler’s guidance.

Diana was in it.

Her dear friend, who had been with her all over the world since childhood.

“…I want to see her for one last time.”

Cassia, who was standing still in front of the coffin, turned her head to the butler.

“Please let me see Diana.”

“But that is…”

The butler hesitated at the command of wanting to open the coffin lid.

Then a man’s voice was heard.

“Open it.”

“…Your Grace.”

It was Diana’s husband, Duke Whidrian.

She glanced back at him, and saw his face immersed in devastating grief.

“Lady Bennett had a special relationship with my wife. Do whatever she wants.”

“…Yes, Your Grace.”

As soon as the butler answered, the knights standing nearby came and opened the coffin lid.

The figure of Diana in the coffin caught her eye. Cassia looked closely at the body. Diana with pure white skin and long, beautiful brown hair. Dressed in a pristine white shroud, she slept peacefully with her eyes closed.

The body was not so terribly injured that it could not be seen as someone killed in an accident. She might have hurt her head, as a part of her skull was broken. She was still a beautiful and lovely friend, at least in Cassia’s opinion.

She slowly reached out her trembling hand to the coffin. As she gathered courage, she held her dead friend’s hand.

“Goodbye, Diana.”

She smiled while stroking the cold hand that no longer had any warmth.

“Thank you for the time we spent together.”

A painful cry erupted.

‘And that was the last time Diana and I had been together for more than 20 years…’

Only the Duke and Diana’s family participated in the ceremony held at the cemetery.

It was the last rite to think of Diana, who usually lived a simple life. Seven people, dressed in black, stood in front of the Duchess’ tombstone.

Diana’s husband, Duke Whidrian.

Diana’s two sons.

Diana’s father, Count Allison.

Diana’s mother, Countess Allison.

Diana’s older brother.

And Cassia.

Yes, she was the only ‘other’ person who could attend the ceremony.

When the two families, in-laws to each other, gathered, the solemn atmosphere was lifted.

“Our Cassia. How should we deal with this?”

Diana’s mother, Countess Allison, hugged her and shed tears as if she were going to faint anytime.

“How can Diana leave us like this…? Aren’t you close to Diana, too?”

“I’m just a friend, but she is your daughter.”

Cassia hugged back the Countess, who was crying while hugging her.

Cassia comforted the old mother with all her heart by patting her on the back. She was worried because the Countess was already weak. She has always been grateful to the people who allowed her to get along with Diana.

None of Diana’s family members was against their deep friendship. They loved Cassia.

All of them were high-ranking aristocrats, such as Counts and Dukes, so it was hard for Cassia to get along with Diana, keeping in mind that she was a young woman belonging to a lowly family. They did the best they could for Cassia because she was a dear friend to Diana.

It was the same even now when Diana was no more. So, it wasn’t just because of her friendship with Diana that she cared about them.

“I can’t be a daughter to you, but I will always stop by Count Alison regularly. When you think of Diana, please feel free to visit me.”

“Thank you as always, Cassia. Thank you so much for being with Diana as a close friend.”

The Count patted Cassia on the back with a sad look on his face.

Diana’s brother, Michael, stood in the corner and was silent throughout the ceremony. He kept staring blankly at his younger sister’s coffin, which lay beneath the ground, with sunken eyes.

After completing the ceremony, he took his grieving parents and looked at Cassia.

“… I’ll see you later. Take care of yourself.”

“I will. Please take good care of your parents, Michael.”

His face was drenched with sorrow. He answered by barely raising the corners of his mouth, which barely raised.

They all left like that.

Soon, the late Duchess’ maid came out to take her two children. Diana’s two children did not even cry despite being so young, and they steadfastly observed their mother’s funeral until the end.

The children returned to the mansion holding the maid’s hands on both sides, with a clear sign of exhaustion on their faces.

It was her turn to return now.

Cassia looked at Diana’s tomb, which was now covered with soil.

It was really time to go back to reality. Even for Diana, whose life ended early, Cassia has to live well. That’s all Diana had left for her. She didn’t want to collapse, which would be a courtesy to the one who left first.

As Cassia was about to turn around and step out of the cemetery, someone called her from behind.

“Lady Benette.”

“Yes? Ah.”

Axion Whidrian.

The head of the Whidrian family and Diana’s widow.

As she turned back, she found him looking at her, and it was the first time she saw his face properly throughout the funeral.

To be honest, he was a man with an appearance that suited the word ‘handsome’, and it seemed like he could not hide the sadness of losing his loved one.

His face was emaciated and shrunk in half, and his complexion revealed his heart as he lost his beloved wife, Diana.

The only thing that didn’t change was his voice. He spoke in a soft, polite tone.

“It’s nothing much, but I have something to say.”

“…”

Cassia seldom talked to Axion, but she had known him for quite a long time. From the moment he started dating Diana, she unintentionally watched everything from the sidelines. One day at the academy, Diana was walking with her arms crossed. As he approached, he poked out a piece of paper to Diana and disappeared. Diana, who took his letter, stood with a puzzled face, and she looked at his back as he walked away.

Cassia could see both of them blushing up close. At the time, many men showed interest in Diana, but he was the first to approach Diana openly.

Approaching with a shy face, he naturally took the seat next to Diana.

Some of his rivals, who had been greedy for her, looked at him with resentment, but none of them was his opponents. Who could be rivals with the next successor to the Duke of Whidrian, one of the most famous families on the continent?

As the exchange of letters happened often, love naturally bloomed between the two.

The marriage happened quickly, and Diana gladly became his wife.

Even after their marriage, his love for Diana showed no sign of stopping. When Diana became pregnant, he bought a strawberry farm to the north for her, who said she wanted to eat strawberries in midsummer.

He would then take her there himself, allowing her to be indulged until the berries were no longer a sight to behold.

When their first child was born, he hired a representative for a while, and took care of the child by himself. To others, he may appear to be a dignified and blunt Duke, but as Diana’s best friend, she knew who he was.

He was Diana’s everything. Her life. If it was for her, he could be the person who would ruin the whole country.

Diana would have been happier because she had been with him all this time.

Cassia knew his heart was festering. Not even once she could see a solitary tear pour out of his eye, but she knew he was crying the most at his wife’s funeral. From within.

“Yes, go ahead.”

As she nodded with a short answer, he opened his mouth with a deep sigh.

“I’m going to burn all the things related to my wife soon. I… I don’t think I’ll be able to see what she has left behind.”

“…”

“Lady Benette also spent a lot of time in our mansion, so I’d like to ask you to organize it. It could be that it might have Lady’s belongings.”

“…Oh, yeah. Come to think of it, I still have work to organize.”

She used to visit Diana’s mansion often as a friend.

The Duke’s family even prepared a separate room for Cassia to stay in. The two children of the Duke called her ‘Aunt Cassia’ and followed her well, and the Duke also treated her with courtesy.

At the time, Cassia was running a small cafe in the corner of the Duke’s decree, and the two children really liked the cakes she made.

“I’ll go organize Diana’s belongings. In addition, I have to remove my belongings from the room you gave me.”

Now that Diana is dead, it will be hard for the Duke to see them as before. Seeing that he was not willing to deny it, she thought he agreed to some extent.

“The children… they follow Lady Benette well. Even if you don’t see them as often as before, I hope it wouldn’t make you feel uncomfortable.” The Duke cautiously spoke.

“… Thank you. Actually, I also wanted to keep seeing the children, and I’m looking forward to how the two children will grow up.”

She was grateful that he said so. Even if she couldn’t see Diana anymore, it was true that she wanted to keep seeing the children who looked just like her, even if it was rare. She was a person who had been watching Diana’s children grow since birth.

‘Diana will no longer see her children growing up, though.’

Her heart sank at the sudden thought and pounded vigorously. She bit her lip.

Axion, who was looking at her, frowned, “Are you okay, Lady Benette?”

“Oh, yes… I’m sorry. I thought of something else for a second.”

There was a tint of bitterness in the Duke’s eyes that were looking at her.

“Lady Benette, you should go back and rest soon, too. Thank you for keeping your seat throughout the funeral.”

“You should rest too, Your Excellency. And today, thank you for letting me Diana for the last time.”

It was such a sudden, tragic death.

She had never imagined that her last meeting with Diana would be like this.

It was fortunate that she was able to see her last appearance.

Thanks to the Duke’s consideration.

“I just did what I could. Lady Benette… is one of the closest people to my wife.”

“Thank you. I’ll rest at home today and come to the Duke’s mansion tomorrow.”

Dry greetings were exchanged.

Axion nodded once and turned around.

“Oh, Sir. I have a question, too.” Cassia hurriedly spoke.

“…?”

The Duke turned to look back at Cassia.

“It’s about Diana. Has she ever talked to Your Excellency about this situation before?”

It was a question that she had been asking herself continuously throughout the funeral.

Diana said she might die in an accident.

[Cassia, if I die suddenly… I will entrust my family to you.]

A few days before the accident, Diana told her that, and she continued thinking about it.

“So, like about… what would happen when she suddenly dies.”

“…Well.”

The Duke looked at her with a confused look, as he listened to her and fell into deep thought. Soon he shook his head.

“There was nothing she told me.”

Cassia looked at him. The look in his eyes, as if he couldn’t remember anything.

“…I see.”

When she answered, he nodded once and walked away from her.

‘Am I being too sensitive?’ She thought she was overthinking because she was tired.

Looking at the Duke’s distancing figure, Cassia turned around and walked out of the cemetery.

‘I should go home and rest for today.’

It was by far the toughest day of her life.