[At most 3 months.]
Baroness Cassia Greze closed her eyes quietly as she recalled the words of the councilor.
It has been 4 months since she was diagnosed with an incurable disease of unknown cause. She survived a month longer than she had expected. In the meantime, she had done more for the people than during her entire 27 years of life. She wished she could live for herself in the end.
But she had no regrets.
However, this was still not enough to ensure her son and daughter would have a comfortable estate to live in. She has no choice but to entrust the butler Paul with that responsibility as he will serve as the host of the estate in the future.
Has she ever lived these 27 years for herself?
At the age of 17, she was basically 'sold' to the war hero, Baron Zester Greze, the infamous 'dog' of the emperor.
Her father, Count Ruberno, was unable to resist the threat posed by the emperor's insistence, and gave his daughter in marriage.
[If only she wasn't that pretty.]
Cassia was praised for her beautiful appearance, a noble status, and the best bride-to-be in the empire, but in the end, she was only destined to be sold to an appointed aristocrat who was once a commoner mercenary.
Still, she was optimistic about her marriage.
Dreaming of a happy married life in her own way, she took a fluttering step to the Greze Estate.
But there was no such thing as an exciting marriage.
Her husband was not the emperor's dog, but the rich man's dog.
Cassia wasn't sure whether he was a war hero or a mercenary. From small civil wars to large conflicts between nations, from distant warzones, as long as it was profitable, he wouldn't hesitate to head out of the Barony.
[Is he obsessed with accumulating wealth because he used to be a commoner living in poverty?]
[Or does he just enjoy hitting, cutting and killing people?]
Baron Zester Greze was never a good husband.
Occasionally, very occasionally, even when he was in the estate, their relationship was nothing more or less than an obligatory marital relationship. It goes without saying that there was no expression of affection or love for them during their 10 years of marriage.
No matter how arranged the marriage was, it was a bit too much.
"Uh, uh, mother… Die, don't die…"
"Ummm… ah ah ah…"
Cassia swallowed her sorrow as she sat in her bed and watched her two children wiping their tears and snot at her bedside.
The only reason she was able to survive the hellish marriage was because of her children, and she didn't feel sick whenever she saw them.
Her eldest son Rael, whose face resembled her husband's but his personality was different, her youngest daughter Lucy, who was loved by everyone in the estate because of her cuteness, they were only 8 and 5 years old, respectively.
They were too young to be left behind.
Everything she did by burning her last bit of strength before she died was for her children. She searched for Rael's tutor and Lucy's nanny, educated Rael's workers to take care of their young owners, and left her first and last wills to her husband, 'Please love the children.' .
"My babies… Even without your mo-."
"Ahhhhh!"
"Mother, mother!"
Blood gushed from Cassia's mouth as she was about to give her touching final farewell. Rael and Lucy looked at each other with surprise and embraced their mother with tears in their eyes.
"Madam… you don't have to go like this."
"Madam! Don't say it! Save a word! Please!"
Clara, the maid she loved, and Paul, the butler, also shed tears. There were four people who kept staying by the baroness, till her end.
Her cold-hearted husband did not show his face until the very end. It had been a month since he went to the army in the territory of Viscount of Viche, but he still hadn't returned home yet.
If he had known that she had very little time left, would her husband have stayed by her side and refused to go?
Cassia, who had asked herself that question, shook her head inwardly.
If she would have told him that she didn't have much time left, her husband's reaction would have been obvious.
'I'm so sorry about that.'
[He would have said that…]
'I am going to participate in the battle soon. When I come back, you will be dead. I should say goodbye in advance. Great job until now.'
Of course, that was what she believed he would say, but it was a pretty realistic reaction.
Those who knew Baron Greze well, may nod their heads, saying, "Maybe so."
Cassia nodded her head, thinking that it was the best decision she had ever made in her short 27-year life, to not inform her husband that she was going to die soon.
She didn't want to leave, but she didn't want to leave with her ugly husband in her memories until the very end.
"Am I not a good mother to my children?"
"Mother!"
"Mother! Mother!"
"No, my lady! Of course not! There is no one else in the world who cares more about the children than you, their mother!"
The maid, Clara, answered, hugging Rael and Lucy.
"Was I a good master to you?"
"Many of us will leave if Madame passes away. We are here as long as Madame is here… Please don't leave us, Madame… huh uh!"
The butler, Paul, who was barely holding back tears, finally broke into tears. It was very awkward to see him taking off his monocle and wiping the corners of his eyes.
"As the Madame of the house, I should have made your lives easier…"
"Ah, Madame! What are you saying? You will always be our Madame!"
"You are the master of the Greze Estate!"
Finally, Clara and Paul, who knelt down on their knees, cried as they held onto the bed like a child.
"By the way, I don't remember living for myself…"
"I'm…"
"Mother!"
Although she wasn't happy, she had a life that was well lived in her own way. She was faithful to her duty. The only regret she had was that she had never taken care of herself. She might have been happier if she was just a little lazy and had lived a selfish life.
But her life was already running towards the end.
What was the use of this belated regret?
Baroness Cassia Greze, for some reason, was determined to humbly accept her imminent death as she chewed through her life in vain. She closed her eyes.
"…Cassia!"
It was then. Suddenly, an intruder appeared in the modest death scene of Cassia.
"…Master?"
Butler Paul looked surprised.
It was Baron Zester, who looked like he had just returned home. His face and body, clad in armor, was full of dirt and dried blood. As soon as he returned home, he seemed to have immediately ran to Cassia's room after hearing the news of his wife.
Zester's reaction was a little surprising. He knelt by Cassia's bed, staggering with dazed eyes like a man out of spirit. He seemed to be terribly shocked by the news of his wife.
"Why…?"
Everyone noticed what words he wanted to say but just ended up swallowing. It seemed like he wanted to question her on why she didn't tell him she was diagnosed with a terminal illness. He just swallowed the unfinished words.
"Mother!"
"Madame!"
Cassia spat blood once more.
Everyone was surprised.
"Madame! The master is also here, so tell him what you haven't been able to say before. You've always been like that to him. There are so many things you wanted to say!"
Clara felt that the baroness' death was near. So, she wanted to make her final journey a little bit more pleasant. Although she had no strength left, Cassia had looked forward to slapping her cold-hearted husband's cheeks.
"Okay, something you want? Ask me anything."
Zester mumbled with a blank expression on his face.
"…Anything?"
"Yes, anything."
"Then…"
Cassia closed her eyes. Her pooling tears were dripping down the corners of her eyes.
"Pearl necklace… I really want one…"
"No, why are you asking me for permission to wear it? If you want it, you can buy it!"
"How can I ask for such a luxurious item, when you are the one who works so hard to earn money for this house, your people…?"
Cassia, who had been brought up in the lap of luxury because of her wealthy family, tried her best to be frugal, looking at her husband, who seemed to be obsessed with collecting her fortune. Even if the fashion changes every year, there were only two coats and five dresses that matched when they first got married. Everyone knew how un-noble she lived as an aristocrat.
Zester shouted with bloodshot eyes.
"Why is it a luxury to buy one of those necklaces? Damn it, why did I make money in the first place!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Ahh! Madam!"
Cassia vomited blood again.
Now, just by looking at her face, she looked like a dead body. Her skin was pale without blood, and the corners of her mouth were stained red with multiple hematemesis.
"And… I want to visit the capital once again…"
"We can go!"
"You came from such a far place. How can I make you leave this place…?"
"Huh…"
"Again, there is another request…"
"Tell me."
"I, when I die, find a new hostess…"
"I will never do anything like that!"
"…I am telling you that I'm going to die. Come on, are you planning to live alone for the rest of your life, you rascal?"
It seemed that there was a lot that had accumulated. The candid and unfamiliar appearance of his wife, who usually bowed her head shyly, made Zester fall in love with her again.
"Will you fulfill my wishes?"
"Of course. I'll buy you another hundred damn necklaces. Might as well, damn it, I'll take you to the capital. And there will be no other wife in my life besides you in the name of Greze."
"Lord, it's my time to die, so treat me with kindness. Well then, listen to this too."
"Just say it."
Cassia stretched out her arms, skinny like a corpse, towards a piece of parchment that laid on the table next to her bed.
She had long wanted to push her husband to do this, but she held back. Because of her beloved children, because of the people she had to protect, because of her position as Baroness Greze.
"Please sign this…"
Zester's face hardened as he hurriedly took the piece of parchment she held out, and scanned it. It was divorce papers. The worn-out paper seemed to have been sleeping in Cassia's drawer for quite some time.
Although she thought it would be pointless to ask for a divorce at this juncture, she still opened her eyes, even with some difficulties, she was determined to get a divorce.
She wanted to ensure he knew. She wanted to be crystal clear that he knew that her unhappy life began with him, her husband.
"Cough…"
"Oh, mother!"
Cassia coughed blood once more. She suddenly grabbed Rael's shoulder causing him to look at Cassia with startled eyes.
"…Mother?"
"No, ma'am!"
"Uh-huh, madam! If you go like this!"
"Mommy!"
It was truly a sad death. Cassia's short life of 27-years ended but she was unable to even close her eyes as if she couldn't rest because she couldn't get Zester's agreement to a divorce.
Zester stared into the withered and dull eyes of his wife, who had lost her light.
Zester stood up from his knees, as everyone bowed their heads, weeping and mourning the tragic death of Cassia.
The divorce papers in his hands were torn once lengthwise.
Zester answered his wife's last request in a calm voice and before long, turned his back and left, as always, with his back towards Cassia.
"This can't be done."