Chapter 3
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#3.
Bestia's eyes welled with tears as she perceived her brother cornered, and she feigned delicate fragility.
Her lovely golden hair cascaded past her shoulders in silken waves.
"Sob! Please stop."
"Bestia, do not cry."
The Grand Duke soothed her, and she continued speaking.
"Your Grace, my brother is more dedicated to his studies than anyone I know."
"Indeed, I know the Marquis's nature well."
"Exactly. There must have been a misunderstanding. The Grand Duchess arrived late and, not understanding the situation, blamed him based only on the outcome."
"A misunderstanding, you say..."
"According to my brother, the Grand Duke's son failed to prepare his lessons properly and frequently lied. He even refused corporal punishment, creating difficulties."
"..."
"Perhaps he merely intended a simple disciplinary measure. Everyone does it, after all, don't they?"
The Grand Duke said nothing. She took his silence as agreement with her words. How foolishly she miscalculated.
'How graciously she digs her own grave.'
I posed a gentle question to her.
"Are you suggesting, Lady Lorke, that it is natural for a tutor to strike a student?"
"If necessary, yes. I was frequently beaten by my governess in childhood, yet I never considered it abuse. It was an expression of love!"
Lady Lorke delivered her words with theatrical flair, burrowing deeper into the Grand Duke's embrace.
Her skill in weaving personal anecdotes was exquisite. Regrettably, she remained oblivious to how thoroughly she was provoking him.
'Farewell, fleeting paramour of the Grand Duke.'
I offered silent condolences. Moments later, the Grand Duke gently extracted her from his arms.
"Your Grace?"
Bestia looked up at him in surprise. His face had grown rigid and austere.
"Leave us for today. I am weary."
The Grand Duke issued his dismissal, and Bestia's eyes merely blinked.
She had not even witnessed him chastise me, yet he was sending her away—it seemed absurd to her.
"Just a moment, Your Grace. Am I to leave like this? Truly?"
Under ordinary circumstances, the Grand Duke would have indulged Lady Lorke's coquetry, but not today. Grand Duke Hadelus rejected her coldly.
"You are dismissed."
"I refuse! You promised you would punish the Grand Duchess!"
Bestia shook her head and threw a tantrum, and the Grand Duke's gaze transformed.
"Lady Lorke, since when have you presumed to defy and refuse my words?"
"That is... I..."
The shift in atmosphere made Bestia flinch. But the milk was already spilled.
"It seems I have regarded you far too favorably."
"Pardon?"
"I would prefer that you no longer visit my estate. I shall have your usual chamber cleared."
"That... that cannot be!"
Bestia trembled like one struck by a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
As the Grand Duke nodded, an Attendant standing nearby addressed her with formal courtesy.
"Please come with me, Lady Lorke."
"Not to enter the mansion? What do you mean by that, Your Grace?!"
What do I mean? I mean I'm done amusing myself with you.
I let my lips twitch upward like someone watching a house burn down.
"Drag her out."
"Yes, Your Grace."
The hesitant Attendants quickly obeyed and dragged Lady Lorke away.
"Your Grace! How could you do this to me!"
Bestia pleaded through tears, but the Grand Duke paid her no mind.
I hummed quietly to myself as I watched Bestia being dragged away by the Attendants with unhurried composure.
Bestia had just made a grave mistake.
She'd been standing on a precarious blade's edge ever since she learned only how to paint her face, never bothering to notice what the Grand Duke was doing.
Recently, the Grand Duke had submitted a bill to Parliament banning child abuse and corporal punishment.
While it was still under review, he couldn't possibly overlook witnessing his son being beaten—not even under the pretext that the victim was his lover's brother.
He would likely silence and dispose of the Marquis Lorke siblings out of fear this incident would leak.
Romance was romance, and business was business. No matter how permissive the Grand Duke was in his private affairs, he had no use for a lover who interfered with his work.
Moreover, Lady Lorke's recent whining had grown unbearably tiresome.
He'd conveniently found a place to dispose of her just as he was growing weary.
'Phew, that's one problem pair of fools handled.'
In the original story, the Grand Duchess had learned of Arkid's abuse and blackmailed the Grand Duke into giving her a mine.
But now, by chance, the Grand Duke had discovered it first.
It was originally something the Grand Duchess had stockpiled to humiliate the Grand Duke, but what did it matter? My husband was being beaten right now—I had to stop it.
I suppressed the smile threatening to spread across my face and chuckled inwardly.
Arkid gave me a strange look, but I pretended not to notice. That's when the Grand Duke called to me.
"Little one."
"Yes, Father."
"About this matter..."
"Don't worry. I won't breathe a word."
When I replied with clever assurance, the Grand Duke shrugged.
"Then both of you go now."
"Then I shall take my leave."
Arkid rose from his seat with a formal bow.
"Yes, Father! Have a good night!"
At my cheerful greeting, the Grand Duke's eyes narrowed slightly. He seemed to wonder why she was suddenly being so familiar with him.
If I'd even attempted a goodnight kiss, he would have been startled. I shrugged and quickly grabbed Arkid's hand, calling out brightly.
"Let's go, dear!"
This time, Arkid stared blankly at the hand grasping his. The Grand Duke also seemed quite taken aback by my behavior.
'Oh, right. We're supposed to be a couple with a cold marriage.'
In my delight at disposing of the Lorke siblings, I'd acted affectionately without thinking.
And calling him "dear"—no less.
Rhoena Hadelus had never called Arkid that before.
'I spoke without thinking.'
Even before meeting him, I'd fallen into the habit of using "dear," "you," and "mine"—old patterns that stubbornly refused to break.
Withdrawing my hand now would seem strange. So I decided to simply wear an iron mask and play along.
Rather than pull away, I adjusted my grip and held his hand properly.
Then, with an innocent expression, I smiled sweetly, and the Grand Duke spoke.
"When did you two...."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. You're husband and wife—it's only natural. Now go."
The Grand Duke waved his hand dismissively. I bowed once more and left the room with Arkid.
Throughout the corridor, Arkid remained silent. And when we reached the bedroom.
"What exactly are you thinking?"
Arkid confronted me with a rigid expression.
"What do you mean? Is it wrong for me to protect my husband?"
"That's not what I meant...."
Arkid couldn't continue, his brow furrowed.
He looked utterly bewildered by my sudden attempt to shield him.
Truthfully, I hadn't intended to cause such a dramatic character collapse.
I'd planned to approach this slowly, but what was I supposed to do when that marquis provoked me?
After a moment, Arkid asked calmly.
"Did you do it on purpose?"
"Do what?"
"Provoke Lady Lorke."
Arkid pressed the point as if telling me not to dodge. But I blinked innocently and played dumb.
"Provoke? I was just acting as I normally do."
After all, Rhoena Hadelus had always been prone to such mischief whenever the mood struck.
When I responded as if to say there was nothing unusual about it, he fell silent. His expression was visibly confused.
I felt a pang of sympathy for him—suspicious of my motives even over such a small gesture of consideration.
"More importantly, are you hurt? It seems you did follow my advice and get treatment."
As I reached toward his forehead, he gently caught my hand and stopped me.
"I'm fine."
"I'll look and decide for myself whether you're fine or not."
"Why are you suddenly doing this? You didn't like me, did you?"
Between his dark hair, Arkid's grayish-blue eyes wavered faintly.
His grip was so cautious it seemed it would slip away with the slightest movement.
Despite his curt tone, he was the one who cared for his wife more than anyone.
He carried a sense of debt for being married off at such a young age through an unwanted political union.
Rhoena Hadelus had exploited his tender heart, freely tormenting him.
'If it were me, I would have understood his feelings so well....'
I had misbehaved throughout the entire year of marriage, so denying that I disliked him would only invite suspicion. Thus, I admitted it straightaway.
"Yes. I did dislike Arkid."
Seeing his expression harden at the word "dislike," my heart ached, and I hastily mumbled the rest. Before he could speak, I quickly offered an explanation.
"But that's not true anymore. I hope you'll believe me on this."
"Did you not attempt to drown yourself because you disliked me? Because my husband is a bastard, and you couldn't bear to be near me?"
Arkid forced out words that were difficult even for him to voice.
His lower lip trembled visibly, and he looked utterly strained.
He was right. Rhoena Hadelus had originally despised him—solely because he was illegitimate.
And on the day she drowned, I became Rhoena. Even though I possessed her body, that fact remained unchanged.
"Yes, that's how it was."
"What do you think I felt when I saw my wife drowning?"
Arkid clenched his fists, apparently angered by my unexpected response, and continued speaking.
"Even if my wife disliked me, I accepted it. But now you're trying to take your own life? How much more do you intend to torment me?"
The memory was vivid for him. He tilted his head back, covering his eyes with his hand as he struggled to breathe.
"Wait, Arkid—"
I was flustered, noticing that Arkid was visibly agitated.
I reached out to calm the somewhat heated atmosphere, but he pulled away. Arkid did not stop speaking.
"Don't confuse me like this again."
With those words, he entered his private bedroom, then returned and thrust a document at me.
"I'll grant your wish. Take it. It's what you desired."
"This is—"
"Divorce papers. As for alimony, I'll provide whatever amount you—"
"That won't do."
I tore up the divorce papers before he could finish speaking.
I made sure to shred them into tiny pieces so they couldn't possibly be reused.
White fragments fell to the floor like snow. Arkid's eyes widened as he watched my actions.
I declared to Arkid, who stood there in stunned silence.
"Divorce is absolutely out of the question. I don't want a divorce."
An alarm began blaring in my mind.
No returns, no refunds, no divorce!
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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