IELNDMH - Chapter 40 < A Chance to Stand Next to You >
I Ended Up Living Up Next Door With My Ex-Husband
Rebecca, the daughter who was always obedient to Duke Bold.
Not only did she repeatedly ignore his requests to meet, she even tore up his letters. His complacency in thinking that Rebecca would soon cry in front of him and apologize for her mistake was almost pitiful.
He knew she had changed, but he never thought he had changed this much. Moreover, Duke Bold, who had only recently learned that Rebecca had disposed of her artwork and jewelry all at once, could not help but feel even more anxious.
'That idiot doesn't really want to divorce, does she?'
Duke Bold rubbed his face nervously. There was only one reason why he, a fallen nobleman, poured everything into making Rebecca the Grand Duchess of Twins.
Lillian's Heart. To obtain it, Rebecca had to spend the night with Cedric. Because she had to gain the imprint and have the ability to control him.
Then all he had to do was give a simple command to his daughter Rebecca, who was like a tongue in his mouth, to take the item.
Then, thanks to that item, the Kingdom of Katsis would regain hegemony over this continent, and the King of Katsis would treat himself as a public servant.
'It's not just about continuing the title of Duke in name only in a defeated country, nor is it about surviving as a noble from a defeated country in an unfamiliar empire... I will gain second power only under the Emperor in the empire I am familiar with!'
So he was scolding Rebecca the whole time.
In the five years of Rebecca's marriage, she has not been able to obtain Cedric's imprint, nor has she discovered the location of Lillian's heart.
'Ugly bitch. I can't believe she's now even rebelling against such a topic.'
Duke Bold took a swig of his drink and roughly stroked his chin. He couldn't just watch Rebecca's cheeky deviation like this.
"If you keep being this useless... What can I do but get rid of you, find a child who can help me, and put her in your place."
Duke Bold, who had been staggering around drunk, chuckled with his grim, sunken face.
***
Several weeks have already passed since I returned from the futures exchange.
In the meantime, the imperial family gradually began to release special carriages into the market. Naturally, the market reaction was explosive. Buyers who were hesitant at first soon fell in love with the convenience of the special carriage and began spreading word of mouth. In addition, as articles about the safety and popularity of special carriages continued to appear, their value began to soar day by day.
"Your Highness, here is today's newspaper."
After I finished washing my face, Mina naturally handed me a newspaper. I immediately went to open the economics page and noticed a familiar name in the headlights on the front page.
'Rebecca Twins.'
It was my name. When I blinked in surprise, Mina giggled as if she knew I would do that.
"I was so surprised when I brought the newspaper this morning. Your Highness, you are truly so wonderful!"
The title of the article was like this, "Grand Duchess Rebecca Twins recognized the value of special carriages! - Is she the new investment genius?"
It was an article about me, who had researched the value of a special carriage in advance and invested in it.
However, since many of the contents were exaggerated, I turned the pages of the newspaper with a disgruntled expression.
"It's too inflated. They wrote it as if I were already a billionaire."
"It's not a lie because you will soon become a billionaire anyway. By the way, when do you plan to put the special carriage back on the market?"
"Well..."
I picked up the pen I had been using to underline in the newspaper and tapped my lower jaw.
"I plan to trade about 20 units in a few days. For the highest price I can, of course."
"Eyy, only in the twenties? Wouldn't it be better to dispose of it quickly when prices are at their peak?"
Mina blinked her cute eyes and tilted her head.
"No, we will release it little by little until the value reaches its highest level. The greater the scarcity, the more desperate people will be to have a special carriage."
According to information, special carriages would be released in large quantities to the world in six months at the earliest, or one year at the latest. That means that until then, the prices of special carriages will continue to skyrocket. Rather, it was to my advantage to wait quietly.
That time when I was casually skimming through an article while humming. A forgotten face suddenly came to mind.
Duke Bold.
After the day I warned him, he didn't come to me unexpectedly like before. However, Duke Bold's attempts to make an appointment became more persistent, and I began to ignore all his communications.
'I wonder if Duke Bold would have read this article by now.'
He was a man who showed off his pride as the head of the family over the right to dispose of my divorce alimony. Now that his only means of threatening me was gone, it was clear that Duke Bold was furious and didn't know what to do.
Moreover, since he can't come to me right away like before, his insides must be burning even more.
'I feel sorry for you, you old man.'
I pursed my lips and got up from the chair.
"Your Highness, where are you going?"
"Huh. The weather is nice, so I'm going for a morning walk.
"Shall I follow you?"
At Mina's question, I shook my head and walked straight toward the door.
"No. I want to go alone today."
***
Arriving at the lobby on the first floor, I walked towards the reception room as usual. And then I stared at the picture frame hanging on the wall. It was the same picture frame that Vincent had appeared in the previous day.
'Is Vincent doing well when he returns?'
Perhaps because I learned the secret behind the painting, I didn't feel as bad as before. On the contrary, I felt friendly as I thought there was someone I knew across the street.
'Then perhaps... Can I go in there too?"
The moment I unconsciously stretched out my hand towards the painting.
"Do you want to go to the Demon World again?"
A soft voice echoed through the spacious lobby. As I turned around, a familiar face caught my eye.
"Uh? Adrian?"
When he made eye contact with me, he smiled softly and walked next to me. I gave Adrian a welcoming smile and then tilted my head.
"However... What do you mean 'again'?"
At that moment, the smile on Adrian's face slowly disappeared. Until he looked embarrassed. Eventually, there was an unsettling silence between him and me, and Adrian moved his lips a few times and then slowly opened his mouth.
"Really... Do you have no recollection of that day?"
Adrian looked at my face in silence for a while.
"I thought you were just pretending to have lost your memory because you couldn't forgive me after that. But now that I see it..."
"..."
"You really lost your memory."
He slightly lowered his head with a bitter expression. It was sometime later that the blue-violet eyes turned towards me again.
"Your Highness, would you like to go to the pond with me?"
The place Adrian led me to was the pond in the backyard connected to the Mansion of Light. It was a time when I was walking slowly, looking at the morning sunlight breaking over the water.
"This is the place."
Adrian's steps stopped in front of a small rock near the pond. He sat me down on a rock and continued talking.
"His Highness was sitting here at the time."
"We didn't first meet in the dark mansion?"
"Yes."
When I looked up with puzzled eyes, he smiled slightly.
"And that day, Your Highness Rain was crying sadly."
Rebecca was crying?
I slowly blinked at Adrian.
"I found out later, but that day was the wedding day of His Highness the Grand Duke and Her Highness."
"..."
"But His Highness had to leave for the Demon World in a hurry, and Her Highness, who was left alone, seemed very heartbroken."
Adrian, who had said that, bit his lower lip slightly.
"Afterwards, Her Highness Rain followed His Highness the Grand Duke to the mountain of Demon World, where he had secretly gone. I don't know what happened there. When you returned in the arms of His Highness the Grand Duke, you had already fainted."
Adrian closed his eyes tightly as if the memory of that time came to mind.
"And from that day on, the Grand Duke began to treat Her Highness coldly and with suspicion throughout his married life."
It wasn't just Rebecca's obsession, but what happened that night?
I blinked, embarrassed by Rebecca's story that I didn't know in advance. Adrian's expression darkened bitterly as he looked at me like that.
"What happened that day ultimately brought you two here."
After saying that, he slowly knelt down in front of me. "
Adrian, what are you doing?"
"That day, I was the one who helped Her Highness go to the Demon World."
Adrian looked up at me with blue-purple eyes filled with a deep sense of guilt.
"It was hard to bear to see Her Highness crying so sadly. So that day, I made a choice I shouldn't have made."
"..."
"I ruined His Highness's happiness."
I urgently shook my head towards him who was sad.
"Adrian, it's not like that..."
"I know you two decided to divorce after all."
My eyes opened wide in surprise. How on earth can you do that?
I quickly tried to deny it, but soon my mouth fell silent. I don't know how much he knew, but Adrian looked confident.
'... I don't think there's any use in lying.'
I looked at Adrian blankly and slowly opened my mouth.
"I don't know how you found out, but I want you to keep it a secret for the time being."
"... Of course, if that's what Her Highness wants."
Adrian slowly nodded his head with a bitter look on his face.
"And you don't have to feel too guilty. After all, this divorce was my choice."
I tapped Adrian on the shoulder. Then, he deliberately put on a relaxed expression and stood up.
"Even if what happened back then led to the current situation..."
"Because it has no meaning to me right now anyway."
As I smiled briefly and held out my hand, a small wave appeared in Adrian's eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he grabbed my hand and slowly stood up.
"I will be leaving here in a few months. Then, I plan to forget all my memories here and live freely."
I brightly raised the corners of my mouth.
"So, take care until then, Adrian."
Adrian's face was still dark, but he seemed much more at ease than before. A line was drawn on the corner of his mouth as he smiled brightly at me.
"... Your Highness."
He kissed lick lips a few times and then opened his mouth again.
"I know very well that even such a suggestion is shameless. But the day you leave this castle..."
Adrian paused for a moment, and then his blue-violet eyes twinkled at me.
"Could you please give me a chance to stand next to Her Highness?"
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