Without a moment to think, Hainer took a couple of steps back and rammed the door with his shoulder. A loud **BANG!** thundered out.
He rammed the door again and again as if he couldn’t feel pain. **Bang! Bang!** The deafening roar reverberated through the entire hallway. Soon, with a splintering crunch, the door tilted inward into the room.
Between the collapsing door and its frame—a slender figure faintly entered his vision.
For an instant, time flowed excruciatingly slowly.
Reflected in his dilated pupils was the scene inside the room. A red cord hanging from the ceiling. A bloodlessly pale face. A body thrashing in mid-air. Two swaying feet…….
He heard the sound of a thread snapping clean in his head. Hainer’s feet slammed against the floor. Leaping over the fallen door, he pulled a knife from his inner pocket.
The blade sliced through the air. The red cord severed, and the body suspended in the air plummeted downward.
Hainer caught her and rolled across the floor. The knife that fell with him clattered noisily, spinning several times across the ground.
The two entangled bodies came to a halt. The woman cradled in his arms was cold as a corpse. A wheezing, hacking cough erupted from below.
With a completely vacant expression, Hainer looked down at the woman in his embrace. The hands holding her trembled violently.
Hah.
Hah.
Huhk.
His ragged breathing filled his ears. His brain buzzed as if struck by a blunt weapon. Anette’s coughing gradually subsided.
Hainer rose from the floor and grasped her shoulders, lifting her up. Anette’s blue eyes brimmed with tears. His face contorted.
“What is…….”
His lips trembled violently.
“What on earth is this…….”
Strength entered the hands gripping her shoulders. Hainer shouted in a cracked voice.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing……!”
Tears rolled down Anette’s pale cheeks. Before they even had a chance to flow, they poured down her chin in a steady patter.
Strength drained from Hainer’s hands. One side of his chest constricted so tightly it hurt. He clenched his jaw, then spat out the words as if vomiting blood.
“What on earth…… what is this…… what are you……!”
Anette only let tears fall drop by drop, without answering. Sitting slumped on the floor, she looked like a child who had lost her way.
Hainer exhaled raggedly for a long while, then—half out of his mind—falteringly pulled her into an embrace. Her gaunt body leaned against him without any resistance.
Faint breath brushed against his shoulder. His reason had long since fled. Swallowing down the emotions surging up like nausea, he forced out words with great effort.
“Anette.”
“…….”
“Anette, please……. What on earth can I do…….”
He had no idea what he should do.
Hainer babbled incoherently without knowing what he was saying. Stop it. What can I do for you. What can I give you. Please, Anette. Please stop.
“I…….”
Between stifled sobs, a thin voice emerged.
“I don’t want to live anymore…….”
At the small whisper, Hainer’s body stiffened like a stone statue. He stared straight ahead, unable even to breathe. His vision shook dizzyily.
Suddenly something red and slender entered his vision. It was the cord Anette used to bind document folders or knitting supplies.
The one she had chosen to strangle her own neck.
In a sudden flash, Hainer realized.
She could decide her own life and death at any time. And if she wished, she could leave him forever at any moment.
Truly…… it had been a simple story from the very beginning.
So simple that he cursed himself for not realizing it until now—a matter of such a basic dimension.
*‘Then…… what on earth should I do…….’*
They were legally bound under the name of marriage. And using the power he possessed, Hainer could lock her away in the estate or a mental hospital for as long as he wanted.
Even if it was an unethical act, he had no shortage of excuses. That she had joined the royalist restoration faction, that she had tried to flee to France with confidential information, or that his wife was ill, that she had gone mad.
If he said such things—not a soul in the world would blame him. If he imprisoned her under perfect surveillance, perhaps he could even prevent her death.
She would think of death, and think, and think again, but if she could remain alive that way. If he could hold onto her body alone.
*We could remain together, broken and shattered…….*
*‘You crazy bastard.’*
The breath he had been holding burst from him. Hainer closed his eyes with a hollow laugh. The one who should be locked up in a mental hospital wasn’t her, but him. His agitated breathing slowly subsided.
He opened his eyes again.
“Anette.”
Hainer called her name in a low voice.
“What can I do for you.”
“…….”
“Shall I grant you a divorce.”
“…….”
“Would that be enough? It’s what you wanted so badly. You wanted so much…… to be apart from me.”
“…….”
“If you want to go to France, go. If you want to follow Ansga Stetter, do so. I’ll let you have your way. Since I’ll let you have your way…….”
Anette lay quietly in his arms like a broken doll. Holding her as if he would never let her go again, Hainer spoke as if collapsing.
“……Stop it now, please…….”
Daughter of Rosenberg, bloodline of a count, daughter of the military chief, the target of his longstanding hatred……. None of it mattered anymore.
“Answer me—if I grant you a divorce, you’ll live.”
“…….”
“You want to get away from me quickly too. So hurry.”
“…….”
“Please answer me, Anette…….”
Hainer spoke desperately, like a man stripped of all pride. Now, truly, nothing mattered anymore.
Anette, who had been quietly catching her breath, slowly nodded.
***
After Hainer’s decision, the divorce proceedings moved swiftly. Anette was able to see the divorce papers the very next morning.
She simply stayed still, yet everything rolled along smoothly.
The lawyer explained to her various things regarding the grounds for divorce and the division of assets. But nothing entered her ears.
“……and…… due to various circumstances, intangible assets such as buildings or securities are difficult to divide…… cash and…… will be paid out.”
During the meeting with the lawyer, Anette frequently looked out the window. As he said, this was the divorce she had wanted so badly, yet she felt no emotion.
Thinking back, she didn’t know why she had wanted a divorce so desperately then. It would be the same life even if she divorced and left. A life worse than death.
“Here are the bank-related documents. The alimony will be paid out within a day or two. If you have any questions, please contact me here……. Once you sign here, the divorce will be finalized.”
Anette picked up the pen as the lawyer instructed. Above where the lawyer pointed, Hainer’s signature was written.
She stared at it for a moment, then signed in a corner of the document. The lawyer took the papers and spoke as if suddenly remembering.
“Ah, and your ex-husband said that if you wish to stay here longer, you may do so.”
“…….”
“He said he could provide you with a separate building within the estate…… Would you like to stay longer?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“Ah, I see. Then, might you need help finding a residence? I know of some decent properties. I could introduce you to a broker as well.”
Anette shook her head expressionlessly, without even forcing a polite smile.
“I’m fine. I’ll leave right away.”
“……Ah, yes. Understood.”
Anette picked up one of the divorce documents before her and rose from her seat. When she returned to her room, several servants and a nurse were standing around awkwardly.
“Um, Madame—no, Lady Rosenberg……? Might you be staying here a bit longer?”
“No.”
“Then shall we pack your belongings right away? Is there anything you must take with you?”
“I’ll do it myself.”
“Ah, yes. If you need more bags, please let us know. And if you need a carriage when you depart, we will arrange one for you.”
Anette stared blankly at the faces smiling so kindly at her. Everyone was excessively friendly. Had they received orders from above?
“……Yes, thank you. I’ll pack my things, so would you please leave?”
The servants exchanged glances for a moment, then bowed their heads and left the room.
Anette sat blankly for a while, then began to pack. However, it merely amounted to haphazardly throwing whatever her hands found into the bag.
It didn’t matter what she packed. Truthfully, it wouldn’t have mattered even if she packed nothing at all.
Having recklessly filled her bag, Anette rose. The documents regarding asset division and banking that the lawyer had given her remained on the bed.
Carrying only a single suitcase, Anette left the room. The servants glanced at her and offered their greetings. She walked down the hallway, acknowledging them only with a nod.
Hainer stood like a shadow at the first-floor entrance. Anette paused and quietly looked at him. He walked up to her with heavy steps and spoke.
“So you won’t stay here any longer.”
“…….”
“Do as you please. ……Only keep your promise.”
Hainer, standing before her, slipped a pair of gloves onto her hands. Anette silently watched what he was doing.
Hainer placed something on her palm and closed her fingers around it. When she opened her hand again, a purple brooch and a business card lay inside.
It was Ansga Stetter’s business card—the one he had taken from her.
Anette raised her head again and met his gaze. Hainer took a step back.
“Have a warm year’s end, Anette Rosenberg.”
That low voice lingered in her ears for a strangely long time. Anette fiddled with the brooch in her hand. Then she parted her lips slightly.
“You too.”