“...What are you talking about?”
The Marchioness frowned and looked around at her group as if she was dumbfounded.
The Marchioness entourage snapped back as if they had been waiting for it.
The Marchioness entourage snapped back as if they had been waiting for it.
“You seem to be very nervous because it’s the day you become the Marchioness daughter-in-law. It’s crazy to see you talking nonsense.”
“No matter what, you’re so shameless... You’re truly not worthy of being the Marquis’s mistress.”
It was a familiar situation.
When I lived as the Marquis of Pedegreen, the person who bothered me the most was not Lucas, who rarely came into the house, but his mother, the Marchioness.
Including the noblewoman, the Marchioness kept around like a maid.
“I already feel bad for my son for having him get married in such a low-class marriage, but you’re still acting so unattractive on a day like this?”
“A low-class marriage.”
As I slowly repeated the words, the Marchioness's eyes widened.
“Of course! If it weren’t for a kind and innocent man like my son, how could a child from a fallen family like you marry into a family of our level? It’s impossible.”
The Marchioness continued, scoffing sharply.
“So think of it as the luck of your life, and take good care of my son. Do you understand?”
“Well, Marchioness.”
“Yes. So- huh? ...What did you just say?”
“My maternal grandfather was a renowned musician. My mother was a model for many ladies with her character and education.”
“Huh! What’s wrong with that? A family whose fortunes were so low that they were worse off than merchants!”
“On the other hand, the Marquis who cheats every day, and the Marchioness who borrows money from a loan shark because she doesn’t have enough money for luxuries.”
The Marchioness's eyes widened in an instant as she pronounced the words clearly.
“Wouldn’t a family with such people in the same house be even more degraded?”
There was silence as if time had stopped.
The attendants looked at me and the Marchioness in turn with astonished faces.
The Marchioness, with her eyes wide open as if she was going to burst out, shouted.
“T-this... What the hell is this crazy woman talking about?!”
As the mistress of a prestigious family, the Marchioness, who had been acting all sorts of orphaned, was actually struggling to pay the interest on the money she had borrowed.
Before time went back, the money I earned from my music had filled that hole.
And this time...
Well. You’ll have to find another way.
“You! Do you think you’re the real mistress of the Marquis because you’re marrying Lucas? It’s not funny. You are just like a servant girl for our prestigious Pedegreen family!”
The Marchioness rolled her eyes and glared.
I lightly dodged her index finger as it threatened to stab me in the face.
“The corset is too tight. I should go get some fresh air.”
“What, what? Are you really out of your mind?! Apologize for what you said earlier. Now!”
“Then, I’ll see you at the main event.”
“I told you to come here! That crazy girl?! Hey!”
“Oh my, my, my. Miss Ariana! Is she really out of her mind?”
“You’re going to collapse at this rate, Madame! My goodness, what kind of worthless girl is this?! This is why they grew up without anything!”
I left the room, leaving the Marchioness nagging and the attendants chattering behind me.
“Young lady, young lady! The Marchioness has collapsed!”
Sophie, who came out of the room a beat later, whispered excitedly.
“She just grabbed the back of her neck like this and fell over? She was foaming at the mouth!”
“I see?”
I smiled broadly as I walked down the hallway.
“She should come to her senses by the main event.”
That way, I won’t miss the most exciting sight.
As I walked, checking that there were less than thirty minutes left, a man quickly approached me from the other side.
“Customer. It’s me!”
It was an employee of the Information Guild Yor.
When I saw him in the bright light, the young man with a rather solid impression stared blankly at me.
“Oh my, you’re really dazzlingly beautiful today... No, that’s not it! There’s a place you need to go right now!”
If this person is doing this to me... That’s all.
Suppressing my thoughts that I shouldn’t be, I followed him.
No matter what, I wondered if I would do something like that until my wedding day.
And that’s where we arrived.
“Sob, he really said that while looking straight at me. That I was, uh, shallow... Sob!”
“Oh, Ellie. Don’t cry, okay?”
I saw a woman burying her head in the wide arms of a man who was patting a slender woman.
“I’ll fix that bad habit. How could she say something like that to your own sister... So, stop feeling bad, Ellie. Okay?”
“Marchioness.”
“Ah...Ellie.”
“Ha...”
The dark room was quickly soaked in a sticky heat.
I stared blankly at the scene.
It wasn’t that I felt betrayed now. I felt numb, unable to feel anything anymore.
It was just that I felt a little dumbfounded.
“I’ve already obtained the evidence... But I think you should see it with your own eyes.”
The Yor employee whispered, watching me closely. I nodded slowly.
“Thank you. For bringing me.”
“No matter what, you’re so shameless... You’re truly not worthy of being the Marquis’s mistress.”
It was a familiar situation.
When I lived as the Marquis of Pedegreen, the person who bothered me the most was not Lucas, who rarely came into the house, but his mother, the Marchioness.
Including the noblewoman, the Marchioness kept around like a maid.
“I already feel bad for my son for having him get married in such a low-class marriage, but you’re still acting so unattractive on a day like this?”
“A low-class marriage.”
As I slowly repeated the words, the Marchioness's eyes widened.
“Of course! If it weren’t for a kind and innocent man like my son, how could a child from a fallen family like you marry into a family of our level? It’s impossible.”
The Marchioness continued, scoffing sharply.
“So think of it as the luck of your life, and take good care of my son. Do you understand?”
“Well, Marchioness.”
“Yes. So- huh? ...What did you just say?”
“My maternal grandfather was a renowned musician. My mother was a model for many ladies with her character and education.”
“Huh! What’s wrong with that? A family whose fortunes were so low that they were worse off than merchants!”
“On the other hand, the Marquis who cheats every day, and the Marchioness who borrows money from a loan shark because she doesn’t have enough money for luxuries.”
The Marchioness's eyes widened in an instant as she pronounced the words clearly.
“Wouldn’t a family with such people in the same house be even more degraded?”
There was silence as if time had stopped.
The attendants looked at me and the Marchioness in turn with astonished faces.
The Marchioness, with her eyes wide open as if she was going to burst out, shouted.
“T-this... What the hell is this crazy woman talking about?!”
As the mistress of a prestigious family, the Marchioness, who had been acting all sorts of orphaned, was actually struggling to pay the interest on the money she had borrowed.
Before time went back, the money I earned from my music had filled that hole.
And this time...
Well. You’ll have to find another way.
“You! Do you think you’re the real mistress of the Marquis because you’re marrying Lucas? It’s not funny. You are just like a servant girl for our prestigious Pedegreen family!”
The Marchioness rolled her eyes and glared.
I lightly dodged her index finger as it threatened to stab me in the face.
“The corset is too tight. I should go get some fresh air.”
“What, what? Are you really out of your mind?! Apologize for what you said earlier. Now!”
“Then, I’ll see you at the main event.”
“I told you to come here! That crazy girl?! Hey!”
“Oh my, my, my. Miss Ariana! Is she really out of her mind?”
“You’re going to collapse at this rate, Madame! My goodness, what kind of worthless girl is this?! This is why they grew up without anything!”
I left the room, leaving the Marchioness nagging and the attendants chattering behind me.
“Young lady, young lady! The Marchioness has collapsed!”
Sophie, who came out of the room a beat later, whispered excitedly.
“She just grabbed the back of her neck like this and fell over? She was foaming at the mouth!”
“I see?”
I smiled broadly as I walked down the hallway.
“She should come to her senses by the main event.”
That way, I won’t miss the most exciting sight.
As I walked, checking that there were less than thirty minutes left, a man quickly approached me from the other side.
“Customer. It’s me!”
It was an employee of the Information Guild Yor.
When I saw him in the bright light, the young man with a rather solid impression stared blankly at me.
“Oh my, you’re really dazzlingly beautiful today... No, that’s not it! There’s a place you need to go right now!”
If this person is doing this to me... That’s all.
Suppressing my thoughts that I shouldn’t be, I followed him.
No matter what, I wondered if I would do something like that until my wedding day.
And that’s where we arrived.
“Sob, he really said that while looking straight at me. That I was, uh, shallow... Sob!”
“Oh, Ellie. Don’t cry, okay?”
I saw a woman burying her head in the wide arms of a man who was patting a slender woman.
“I’ll fix that bad habit. How could she say something like that to your own sister... So, stop feeling bad, Ellie. Okay?”
“Marchioness.”
“Ah...Ellie.”
“Ha...”
The dark room was quickly soaked in a sticky heat.
I stared blankly at the scene.
It wasn’t that I felt betrayed now. I felt numb, unable to feel anything anymore.
It was just that I felt a little dumbfounded.
“I’ve already obtained the evidence... But I think you should see it with your own eyes.”
The Yor employee whispered, watching me closely. I nodded slowly.
“Thank you. For bringing me.”
I was truly grateful. To those two people, too. It completely rekindled my already firm resolve.
I stepped out into the hallway again, and this time I saw Edward walking toward me from the other side.
“Ariana! The meal is about to start, why are you here!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I faced my brother who was approaching me with a snarl as if he had a big grin on his face.
“Where the hell is the Marchioness? Damn, the wedding is just around the corner, why is it so chaotic... But why are you laughing?”
“I just like it.”
“What the hell?”
“My dear family all in one place like this.”
“What the... Stop talking nonsense and go and guard your seat! For the life of me, why did the Marchioness suddenly collapse again? Did something go wrong at the wedding... And who was in charge of managing the guests?”
Edward muttered to himself with a face that was paler than usual.
“Why on earth is that person in the guest seat...”
His face was as dazed as if he had seen a ghost.
“For the life of me, that’s not important. Ariana, where the hell is your husband-to-be!”
At that moment, I heard footsteps coming from the direction I had come from.
I turned my head and saw Lucas walking briskly from afar.
His hair and pants were strangely disheveled as if he had just dealt with Elena.
“Oh, there you are.”
Edward muttered as if he had let go of his worries.
Then he quickly whispered to me.
“Ariana. You will soon become a member of the Marquis family, so as your older brother, I will give you my last piece of advice. You must serve the Marquis like heaven. Do you understand? We will never have this kind of connection again, so you will work hard to support the Marquis’ family, determined to die for them-.”
“Lucas.”
My voice cut off Edward’s words and rang out clearly.
Lucas, who had come up to me, looked at me with a slightly bewildered expression.
“...Huh?”
I looked at Lucas and tapped the corner of my mouth.
“There’s lipstick here.”
A pinkish trace was shamelessly left on the corner of Lucas’ mouth.
Of course, it was Elena’s.
Lucas’s eyes widened for a moment. But soon he wiped his mouth without a care.
“Oh, I must have gotten some fruit juice somewhere.”
I suddenly wondered at that shameless appearance.
“Even if Elena is like that, you. Did you love Elena that much?”
To the point of doing something right up until my wedding.
To the point of enduring the thrill of being caught by anyone and holding that child...
“Ah.”
At that moment, memories suddenly came to mind.
Lucas and I didn’t have sex often. To be exact, our attempts failed every time.
It was because Lucas’ manhood just didn’t work out.
“Damn it! Next time, you, put on some perfume.”
I thought it was because I lacked charm as a woman.
However, it wasn’t like we never had sex at all.
Sometimes Lucas would take me to a secluded backyard. A backyard where the guests hadn’t left yet and where they could chat.
“This... place like this?”
Or in an empty room where the servants might come and go. In a dark hallway.
“...Ha.”
I stepped out into the hallway again, and this time I saw Edward walking toward me from the other side.
“Ariana! The meal is about to start, why are you here!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I faced my brother who was approaching me with a snarl as if he had a big grin on his face.
“Where the hell is the Marchioness? Damn, the wedding is just around the corner, why is it so chaotic... But why are you laughing?”
“I just like it.”
“What the hell?”
“My dear family all in one place like this.”
“What the... Stop talking nonsense and go and guard your seat! For the life of me, why did the Marchioness suddenly collapse again? Did something go wrong at the wedding... And who was in charge of managing the guests?”
Edward muttered to himself with a face that was paler than usual.
“Why on earth is that person in the guest seat...”
His face was as dazed as if he had seen a ghost.
“For the life of me, that’s not important. Ariana, where the hell is your husband-to-be!”
At that moment, I heard footsteps coming from the direction I had come from.
I turned my head and saw Lucas walking briskly from afar.
His hair and pants were strangely disheveled as if he had just dealt with Elena.
“Oh, there you are.”
Edward muttered as if he had let go of his worries.
Then he quickly whispered to me.
“Ariana. You will soon become a member of the Marquis family, so as your older brother, I will give you my last piece of advice. You must serve the Marquis like heaven. Do you understand? We will never have this kind of connection again, so you will work hard to support the Marquis’ family, determined to die for them-.”
“Lucas.”
My voice cut off Edward’s words and rang out clearly.
Lucas, who had come up to me, looked at me with a slightly bewildered expression.
“...Huh?”
I looked at Lucas and tapped the corner of my mouth.
“There’s lipstick here.”
A pinkish trace was shamelessly left on the corner of Lucas’ mouth.
Of course, it was Elena’s.
Lucas’s eyes widened for a moment. But soon he wiped his mouth without a care.
“Oh, I must have gotten some fruit juice somewhere.”
I suddenly wondered at that shameless appearance.
“Even if Elena is like that, you. Did you love Elena that much?”
To the point of doing something right up until my wedding.
To the point of enduring the thrill of being caught by anyone and holding that child...
“Ah.”
At that moment, memories suddenly came to mind.
Lucas and I didn’t have sex often. To be exact, our attempts failed every time.
It was because Lucas’ manhood just didn’t work out.
“Damn it! Next time, you, put on some perfume.”
I thought it was because I lacked charm as a woman.
However, it wasn’t like we never had sex at all.
Sometimes Lucas would take me to a secluded backyard. A backyard where the guests hadn’t left yet and where they could chat.
“This... place like this?”
Or in an empty room where the servants might come and go. In a dark hallway.
“...Ha.”
I let out a breath of relief as I recalled old memories.
Looking back, all the days I had sex with Lucas had something in common.
The commonality was that there were situations where I 'couldn't get caught.
'... That's how it was.'
I laughed as if sighing in emptiness.
A place where people might see me. Or a secret meeting with my wife's sister.
The man who was my husband was so impotent that he couldn't feel urges unless it was that thrilling.
And then, after barely setting it up...
“...It was over pretty quickly.”
I said, staring at Lucas as I recalled old memories.
Looking back, all the days I had sex with Lucas had something in common.
The commonality was that there were situations where I 'couldn't get caught.
'... That's how it was.'
I laughed as if sighing in emptiness.
A place where people might see me. Or a secret meeting with my wife's sister.
The man who was my husband was so impotent that he couldn't feel urges unless it was that thrilling.
And then, after barely setting it up...
“...It was over pretty quickly.”
I said, staring at Lucas as I recalled old memories.
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