The End of a Fake Marriage

“…Renee.”

When he opened his eyes, all he saw was Renee. Alexander wondered if he was still wandering in a dream.

This subtle floating feeling, a completely different view than usual, and Renee seen from a strange angle.

‘What on earth was going on? I was here, yet where was Renee looking?’

He could see the back of Renee as she sat in a chair pulled up next to the bed. His vision was subtly obscured, so he couldn’t clearly see the bed or Renee’s face.

‘Were her shoulders always that small?’

Her shoulders, curled up due to her leaning toward the bed, looked unusually thin and fragile.

“…It’s okay.”

After sitting silently for a long while, Renee spoke to someone lying on the bed. Her suppressed voice, as if she were holding back tears, was heart-wrenching.

‘Was she crying? Why? What on earth was she looking at…?’

Alexander wanted to check who Renee was desperately holding onto, but his body didn’t move well. At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“My lady, I’ve brought water and medicine. Also, a light meal.”

It was Gabriel’s voice.

Shortly after, the door opened, and an elderly man with neatly tied, graying hair approached Renee with quiet steps.

On the tray he carried were a bowl filled with ice and a chilled cotton towel.

“Thank you, Gabriel. Just leave it there; I’ll take care of it,” Renee said as she quickly wiped her eyes and stood up, moving to where Gabriel had set the tray.

Alexander, who had been following Renee’s back with his eyes, belatedly looked at the bed where she had been looking.

And then, startled, he shouted without realizing it.

“Meow?!”

It was truly the cry of an insignificant beast.

***

Meow!

Rene, who was holding a glass of water, turned around at the sudden sound of a kitten’s cry.

Lucky, who had been napping on the rocking chair in the corner of the bedroom, suddenly lifted his head and looked this way.

The small creature seemed startled by something, its bright blue eyes wide as it stared at Renee.

“Did you have a dream, Lucky? What’s with the sudden talking in your sleep?”

Renee smiled slightly at the cute kitten.

The kitten, with its fluffy dark gray fur, stared blankly at Renee as she approached, still not quite awake.

Renee gently picked up the small, precious life and cradled it in her arms.

It was one of the kittens Alexander had saved. Even when he had fallen to the ground, he hadn’t let go of the tiny cage holding these trembling little creatures.

The other kittens had quickly recovered and were running around as usual, but this little one was not in good condition.

The vet who had come said that there was nothing seriously wrong, that he was just very weak and that was why he kept falling asleep.

Renee approached the bed while holding Lucky.

He still hadn’t woken up. Judging by his peaceful expression, one might have thought he had simply fallen into a deep sleep. That is, if not for the fact that it had already been two days.

“Has the master still not woken up even once?”

At Gabriel’s question, Renee gave a bitter smile and nodded.

“No, it seems he’s catching up on lost sleep. There’s no sign of him waking. But since Dr. Rufus said there were no major injuries, we should just wait and see for now.”

“Don’t worry too much, My Lady. The master will be fine. He’s always been remarkably strong, even as a child. In fact, this isn’t the first time he’s fallen from a tree. From what I know, it’s happened at least… let’s see, three times.”

Renee turned to him, startled.

“Three times?”

“I assure you, if you count the incidents I’m unaware of, the number would be much higher.”

Renee felt the cat in his arms flinch, so he gently stroked its small head as if rubbing it.

“He always calls me a troublemaker, but it seems he was quite the rascal himself.”

“Did you hear that too, Madam? My, you two make quite the fitting pair.”

At the elderly butler’s lighthearted joke, Renee let out another small laugh.

After Gabriel left, Renee put the kitten on the bed and pulled a chair back to the bedside.

“Are you really planning to suddenly turn me into a widow of the Chambler family, Alexander?”

Whispering softly, Renee spoke as she gazed at his sleeping face. His calm, motionless expression only seemed more infuriating.

After staring at him for a while, Renee reached out and pressed his cheek softly.

“Wake up, Alexander. I have a lot of things I need to talk to you about. Let’s not fight anymore, and let’s try to talk for once.”

“…”

“Why didn’t you reply to my letter?”

Renee asked the questions she had been rehearsing in her mind as she lay on the bed, still pressing his cheek.

“You said you liked me. You even asked me to travel with you. So why did you suddenly start disliking me? Was it just because you were going through a hard time back then?”

Still leaning on his cheek, Renee shifted slightly, She pushed and pulled his thin cheek, but his handsome face didn’t become ugly.

“Or did I really become unbearable to you, like you said that time?”

“…”

“And you even stole my kiss. You worthless bastard.”

At his last words, the cat that had been quietly watching him got up from its seat with a meow. Renee smiled slightly and gently stroked the cat’s chin.

“Sorry. Did I startle you? But you don’t understand human speech, so how can you get startled?”

As if it was enjoying the touch of her hand, the cat’s eyes slowly closed and then snapped open again.

Renee, who had given her attention to its cute appearance for a moment, looked at Alexander again.

Her complex expression lingered on his deeply furrowed eyes and the motionless lips that had yet to speak.

Beyond the open window, the clear sky after the rain stretched wide, with tall trees casting dancing shadows over Renee’s feet.

Renee, after looking at the sunlight beyond the window for a while, slowly lowered her hand and took Alexander’s hand.

And he carefully rested his cheek on the back of his hand that still had warmth. Alexander’s hand was rough like sandpaper, unlike the hands of a nobleman.

‘I hate you.’

‘As much as I missed you, perhaps even more.’

‘But that doesn’t mean I want to end these feelings while still hating you.’

“You said it, didn’t you? That there is nothing that you’ll know naturally, without being told. So tell me, Alexander. I’ll listen carefully.”

‘The boy I once knew, where has he gone? Did he truly vanish, or is he hiding in some unseen place?’

“Wake up now, Alexander.”

‘…Or is he suffering alone, slowly slipping away?’

Renee let out a dry laugh and whispered, gently kissing the back of Alexander’s hand that he was holding with both hands.

“We should get a divorce. If we keep going like this, time will pass.”

Not knowing that a small cat was watching her the whole time without even closing its eyes.

***

Alexander woke with a slight fever, his hazy eyes staring at the familiar ceiling for a long time. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed; his mind was simply lost in the endless haze of a dream.

‘What was it?’

It was too vivid to be a dream, and it was a memory that didn’t make sense to be something that actually happened.

The memory from before he woke from the dream vividly resurfaced before his slowly blinking eyes.

After showering at night, she had quietly cuddled up beside Alexander.

For a while, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Then, she shifted onto her side and gazed at his face for a long moment.

Suddenly, she noticed a small kitten circling her feet, restless and unable to settle. With a soft smile, she gently rose and embraced the quiet, tiny creature.

“Can’t sleep either?” she whispered to the kitten as she held it close.

From her embrace, Alexander felt the tender warmth, the unique scent of Renee—a soothing, refreshing aroma that made the moment feel almost surreal.

The scent, so beautiful it made his head spin, made this moment feel even more like a dream.

Renee held him in her chest, which was so warm and soft it felt like he would melt, and lightly kissed his forehead.

An infinitely light affection was poured upon him, as she would on any small animal. Even though he thought it was a dream, my soul fluttered.