Chapter 05
“Chelsea always ate only the fruit sent from her family. Even though she must have had terrible experiences there… she must have liked it a lot.”
The Marquis murmured, his voice dripping with affection and lingering attachment.
Sorry, but you’ve completely got the wrong idea.
‘More importantly… why did she eat fruit she didn’t even like? And from the Larmin Viscount family, of all places?’
Even in the letters from her family, they told her to ask if she needed fruit.
Fruit sent from a family that wouldn’t give her even the smallest asset aside from the forced dowry.
And contrary to what the Marquis believed, Chelsea didn’t even like fruit—yet she forced herself to eat it.
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
“Did you also eat it with her, by any chance?”
“Usually, yes. But at some point, she told me not to touch it.”
“Why was that?”
“Because she liked it, obviously. I’m not the kind of man who steals his wife’s food.”
The Marquis looked at me like I was an idiot.
That look basically said, ‘You fool who doesn’t understand women.’
Excuse me? I understand women just fine.
And your wife doesn’t even like fruit.
“I also instructed the servants not to touch it. Her portion was always kept separately.”
“Hm…”
Something clicked.
Connecting it with everything I had gathered so far…
“Did the Marchioness have any other unusual habits related to the fruit? Like storing the seeds separately?”
“…How did you know?”
Bingo.
The C+ danger-level seeds in her room came from the fruit sent by the Larmin family.
“Trade secret.”
“…I see. After a full day of investigation, you should at least have that much to show for it.”
The trust level of Marquis Graydan has slightly increased.
Based on updated information, the location’s danger level has been adjusted.
New Danger Level: C
Because I correctly identified Chelsea’s behavior, the Marquis trusted me a bit more, lowering the danger level.
That should make things a little easier.
Still not enough to rummage through documents, though.
With a bit more ease, I continued searching the study.
You have found 100 cash from ‘a book she stared at all day without even looking at me.’
You have found 200 cash from ‘his chair, where he liked to sit and look down.’
You have found 200 cash from ‘the pen he used to write arbitrary commands.’
You have found 200 cash from ‘cookies she gifted him, which he never ate for some reason.’
You have found 600 cash from ‘his wedding ring, set aside on one corner of the desk.’
“……”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
I take it back.
I said they seemed like a close couple—but never mind.
I expected some issues, but how did he rack up this much bad karma?
What bothered me the most was…
“Why did you take off your wedding ring?”
“Do I have to answer that as well?”
“I’m asking because it might be related to the Marchioness’s change in feelings. You don’t have to answer if it’s uncomfortable.”
Everything else could be chalked up to poor expression—but the ring?
That’s way too easy to misunderstand.
“…I wanted to give her something better.”
The Marquis muttered, sounding slightly sulky.
“I recently acquired a pink diamond from a mine. I’m having it made into a new wedding ring for her.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just give it as a gift? Why make it a wedding ring?”
“The previous one was too cheap.”
He frowned.
…I see.
Since it was a contract marriage, he didn’t spend much on the ring.
And it kept bothering him.
‘Then you should’ve kept wearing it until the new one was ready!’
I knew it. These regretful male leads always do this.
They keep piling up misunderstandings with actions like this.
And those untouched cookies? Probably something like “saving them for later” or “too precious to eat.”
‘From Chelsea’s perspective, it’s easy to misunderstand that he lost interest. That must be one of the reasons she ran away.’
The 600 cash attached to the wedding ring practically confirms it.
The seeds from the Larmin family’s fruit.
The wedding ring the Marquis took off.
These two things are why Chelsea left the estate.
Hmm, but…
On the other hand, if those two issues remain unresolved, bringing Chelsea back won’t solve anything.
Sure, you could drag her back and lock her up.
But unless the root causes are fixed, the problem will just repeat.
Maybe that’s why the system emphasized the causes so much—even giving me a quiz.
‘It wants me to solve the cause, not just bring her back.’
The request is to “find the missing wife,” but it probably doesn’t just mean physically returning her.
Unless the root issues are resolved, Chelsea won’t be able to return peacefully.
“……”
After thinking for a moment, I turned to the Marquis.
“The Marchioness must have been hurt.”
At my sudden statement, he raised an eyebrow.
“By what?”
“By you taking off your ring. She must have been hurt when she saw it.”
“I only took it off because I wouldn’t be using it anymore. Why would that matter?”
“…Because she doesn’t know that.”
Stop saying clueless things with that innocent face!
I barely held back from smacking him.
“Finding the missing Marchioness is my job. But easing her heart when she returns—that’s your responsibility, isn’t it?”
“……”
“When she comes back, I hope you’ll have an honest conversation with her.”
Please. Just talk to each other.
At my polite advice, the Marquis fell silent in thought.
I was worried he might get angry for interfering in his marriage—but he’s not that terrible. (At least not in general.)
Marquis Graydan’s Room Cleared!
The Marquis believed he had a loving marriage with his wife, but he did not understand Chelsea’s true feelings.
Chelsea seems to have been hurt at times by his thoughtless behavior.
- Job experience has increased.
Congratulations! Your job rank has increased.
Current Rank: D
A new system has been unlocked.
As the clear window appeared, my job rank rose to D.
A new system, huh? What is it this time?
I quickly skimmed it while avoiding the Marquis’s sharp gaze.
‘Oh… this might actually be useful.’
I should check it properly later.
Closing the system window, I spoke to the Marquis again as if nothing happened.
“I’ve finished my investigation.”
“Have you found where my wife is?”
“Not yet. Once I organize the information back at my office, I think I’ll have a clearer picture.”
I already had 9500 cash saved.
Since each chapter costs 100, I could probably read close to the ending.
But before that, there was one more thing to confirm.
The fruit sent by the Larmin family.
The box of seeds collected from those fruits.
The inheritance left by the former Marchioness.
The unusual number of books focused on one topic.
All these clues pointed to one keyword:
Plants.
And in this novel, there was one place full of plants.
“Where is the greenhouse managed by the Marchioness?”
“The greenhouse? It’s a bit late to go there now.”
The Marquis glanced outside the window.
“It’s outside the estate. It takes some time to get there.”
“I see. Then I’ll visit next time.”
Seems like there’s no time today.
Given how many clues point to it, the greenhouse must hold something important.
But for now, I left the estate after a long day of investigation.
It was time to go home and read the novel with the cash I had collected.
‘I have to run away.’
Gently touching the strong arm wrapped around her waist, Chelsea made up her mind.
She couldn’t delay any longer.
This kind of marriage was poison for everyone involved.
‘…The Marquis would want that too.’
Her gaze fell on his left ring finger.
It was empty.
At some point, the Marquis had stopped wearing his wedding ring.
It must have been not long after the former Marchioness passed away.
The moment she noticed that empty finger, Chelsea felt her heart sink.
She already knew.
No matter how much she was loved by the former Marchioness…
No matter how hard she cared for the greenhouse left behind…
She could never truly become part of the Graydan family.
Because she was someone who could never be forgiven.
It was only natural that her husband treated her like a convenient mistress.
She knew all of that. And yet…
She must have still hoped.
Like a fool.
That the occasional affection he showed, the warm embraces, the gentle touches—
were all real.
She had truly wanted to believe it.
‘Let’s stop this pathetic act.’
The more she ignored reality, the more miserable she became.
She felt ashamed of herself for continuing to hope.
And now…
“…Ugh.”
A wave of nausea surged from deep within her stomach, and she hurried out of bed toward the bathroom.
“Ugh…!”
Dark red blood spilled onto the floor.
Afraid it might stain her clothes, she quickly washed it away with water.
Her hands trembled as they touched the ground.
One month.
It had already been a month since Chelsea stopped eating the fruit sent from the Larmin family.
Unable to endure any longer, her body was collapsing more and more with each passing day.
