Episode 50. You're My Woman
'You've been here all this time, thinking you were my bride? You're pathetic.'
Rose's voice echoed endlessly in Doana's head.
'I believed it was a lie...!'
Rose, blinded by jealousy, had been playing a prank.
But everything Rose said was true.
'Why... Didn't anyone tell me!'
Everyone in the Count's household was in on it.
Not only Tercia, but even the servants and Eric...!
What must everyone have been thinking, watching her arrogantly act like she knew nothing?
"Hehe."
"I think that woman keeps staring at the Lasy Dikar?"
"She wouldn't be grabbing her hair and fighting her, would she?"
"You should know your place. If that were to happen, the Marquis of Dikar would be in trouble."
"Oh my, how cruel."
The nobles whispered secretly, as if they were hoping something like this would happen. The whispers reached Doana's ears.
"Pfft."
"Hey, don't laugh. Heh heh."
The servants were busy laughing at Doana, too.
Doana clenched her trembling hands into fists and bit her lips.
Anger was there, but shame was greater.
If only she could hide, she would hide in a hole. The tip of her nose stung. Her eyes, too, were moist.
But Doana tried not to cry.
'Come on... If you cry here, you'll only make yourself look even more ridiculous.'
She swallowed back her tears, her voice thick with venom.
'First, I have to find Eric.'
Doana turned her head to find Eric. In the crowd, the first person to catch Doana's eye was not Eric, but Rose.
Rose had a relaxed expression, one corner of her mouth raised.
Rose met Doana's eyes, folding her eyes into crescent moons and giving her a small smile.
'...!'
Doana frowned at Rose's mocking behavior and turned her head.
'Irritating!'
She must find herself ridiculous now. She had boasted so loudly about becoming a Countess.
Doana stood there blankly, searching for Eric, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Then, she felt a sharp gaze from beside her.
It was Beliana.
Doana instinctively clutched her stomach at Beliana's cold gaze.
She felt threatened. It wouldn't be pleasant for a bride-to-be to know that her groom had a lover.
Beliana thought as she looked at Doana in her white dress.
'...I never heard anyone say he had a lover.'
She knew he had a previous wife. The real Beliana had told her everything.
However, she had no idea there was another woman.
Beliana looked at Doana with a harmless gaze, but Doana felt otherwise. Her eyes wavered, then she locked eyes with Beliana.
She didn't want to lose.
If she went in with a loss from the start, she'd be looked down upon.
Beliana didn't avoid Doana's gaze either. However, it wasn't her intention. She didn't know what to do with Doana's gaze staring at her.
'Why are you looking at me like that?'
If it were the real Beliana, she would have slapped Doana across the face as if to show off, but it wasn't the fake Beliana.
She had no idea how to react in this situation.
However, to others, Beliana's appearance was incredibly chilling.
"Oh my, look over there. Count Wence's mistress is really determined to attack."
"Tsk tsk, Lady Dikar won't stay still."
"She's famous for her personality, just like the Marquis."
At that moment, a bell began to ring, as if pouring cold water on the bustling atmosphere.
Ding- ding.
The clear sound of the bell emanated from the top of the temple. The bell rang at 12 o'clock.
Those who had been chattering and watching Doana and Beliana seemed to have lost their excitement at the sudden sound of the bell.
"The wedding ceremony will begin."
"Let's go now."
They had expected an interesting spectacle, but Doana and Beliana only glared at each other and did nothing.
"Your Highness, shall we go back now?"
Rose whispered to the Grand Duke.
"You don't plan on having a wedding, do you?"
Rose nodded and said,
"I've already seen everything I wanted to see."
Their goal had already been achieved. Rose didn't want to waste any time.
“...Are you leaving?”
Jane grabbed Rose’s sleeve as she was about to leave without a second thought. Seeing her tearful eyes, he couldn’t move easily.
“Jane, what time do you finish today? Can I see you after work?”
“Um, really?”
Jane nodded, her eyes wide at Rose’s unexpected question.
“Six o’clock!”
“Yes. Then I’ll wait for you at the ‘D’ cafe in the square.”
“Yes!”
With that, Rose took a light step forward. As the twelfth, final bell rang, Eric slowly walked in from afar.
Beliana naturally turned her gaze to Eric.
'That man is going to be my husband...'
Eric had been in the waiting room before the ceremony, but he had only briefly glanced at her. She glanced at Eric. As expected of a well-bred nobleman, he looked quite dignified.
He was someone she couldn’t even face as a slave. She still couldn’t quite grasp the idea that such a man would become her husband.
Doana was also looking at Eric. She snorted as he appeared and approached him.
“Eric.”
She deliberately called him “Eric” instead of “Count,” trying to flaunt their relationship.
There were many things she wanted to question Eric, but protesting now would only make her look more ridiculous. She could ask him anything she wanted after the ceremony. Now, she had to make it clear to Beliana, who had usurped her position, that she had no place between him and Eric.
However, Doana’s plan was completely ruined.
Eric glanced at Doana, frowned, and passed her by.
“Pfft.”
The people entering the ceremony burst into laughter at the sight of Doana.
Their laughter made Doana even more miserable.
Unable to contain the rising shame, Doana hung her head. The composure she had been struggling to maintain crumbled in an instant.
Doana followed Eric's back, her face flushed red, unable to even raise it.
'You're ignoring me and going to that woman...!'
To others, she looked quite pitiful, but Doana's eyes were filled with venom.
Beliana watched Eric nervously, wondering if he would approach her.
'Still, I guess I'm the bride at the wedding, so he's coming this way.'
She blinked her large eyes and waited for Eric to approach.
However, Eric passed her without even a glance at Beliana.
'... Huh?'
Beliana quickly put down her outstretched hand. Then, with a puzzled expression, she stared at Eric's back.
His confident, arrogant steps stopped in front of a woman.
It was Rose.
Eric looked at Rose with an expression of utter arrogance. Rose's expression hardened at Eric, who had stepped forward.
Doana's eyes, watching this, wavered.
'Ha...!'
Eric wasn't heading for his new wife, Beliana, but for Rose!
Anger welled up in her throat. Doana saw the tenderness between Rose and Eric.
Unable to look at them with her mind, she finally stormed out of the wedding hall.
Of course, it was embarrassing to be humiliated in front of so many people, but even more unbearable was the feeling of losing to Rose, the woman she had ignored.
She didn't want to see Rose being affectionate with Eric.
As Doana left the room like a tragic heroine, the servants burst into laughter.
"Haha. That's what I mean!"
Having been forced to snicker, they finally let out a loud laugh for the first time.
"You should know your place. How could you possibly become a Countess?"
They couldn't hide their delight, exulting in their excitement. Their anticipation that Tercia, today's hero, might kick Doana out grew even stronger.
But that was short-lived, as one of the maids, who had been watching Eric and Rose, cautiously spoke up.
“But... what on earth are you thinking, Rose?”
“Well... I really don’t understand your intentions.”
Rose, all dolled up for her ex-husband’s wedding, and Eric standing in front of her?
It was truly an exciting sight.
“You’ve really dressed up.”
Eric chuckled and spoke to Rose.
The Grand Duke, who was escorting Rose, twitched his hand on his own. It was extremely irritating that Eric, her ex-husband, was talking to Rose.
“I’m just dressed up like usual, but you can tell, can you?”
Rose replied in a dry, unsmiling voice. Eric immediately burst out laughing.
“You must have gone to great lengths to impress me.”
Eric cocked his head arrogantly and casually reached out to Rose. He then grabbed a handful of Rose’s hair.
The soft strands flowed through his fingers. He played with the remaining strands of Rose’s hair in his hand and muttered,
“It’s the kind of hair I like.”
Despite his arrogance, Rose was still Rose. He was quite pleased to see Rose back on her feet.
He still held the hair, gently raising his hand to his face. The fragrant scent of shampoo tickled his nostrils.
He seemed to have forgotten the people watching him and tried to kiss Rose’s hair.
Slap.
However, his actions were stopped by the Grand Duke of Artaeum. The Grand Duke roughly slapped Eric’s hand away.
“You’re being rude, Count Wence.”
Grand Duke Artaeum glared at Eric with cold eyes.
Eric narrowed his eyes and glared at Grand Duke Artaeum.
“…Flirting? It’s just a greeting to my ex-wife.”
“If you act like that, others will misunderstand. Greetings are nice, but I think it’s more important to take care of the bride standing alone over there, Count Wence.”
“I’ll take care of it. It’s truly an honor to have you all come to our wedding.”
For someone who says it’s an honor, his attitude was remarkably polite.
Eric quirked an eyebrow and looked at Rose beside him. The sight of Rose next to the Grand Duke made his stomach turn.
“You didn’t even show your face at our first wedding, but you came today.”
Eric took a step toward the Grand Duke with a blank expression.
“With my woman,”
He whispered softly in the Grand Duke's ear.
'You've been here all this time, thinking you were my bride? You're pathetic.'
Rose's voice echoed endlessly in Doana's head.
'I believed it was a lie...!'
Rose, blinded by jealousy, had been playing a prank.
But everything Rose said was true.
'Why... Didn't anyone tell me!'
Everyone in the Count's household was in on it.
Not only Tercia, but even the servants and Eric...!
What must everyone have been thinking, watching her arrogantly act like she knew nothing?
"Hehe."
"I think that woman keeps staring at the Lasy Dikar?"
"She wouldn't be grabbing her hair and fighting her, would she?"
"You should know your place. If that were to happen, the Marquis of Dikar would be in trouble."
"Oh my, how cruel."
The nobles whispered secretly, as if they were hoping something like this would happen. The whispers reached Doana's ears.
"Pfft."
"Hey, don't laugh. Heh heh."
The servants were busy laughing at Doana, too.
Doana clenched her trembling hands into fists and bit her lips.
Anger was there, but shame was greater.
If only she could hide, she would hide in a hole. The tip of her nose stung. Her eyes, too, were moist.
But Doana tried not to cry.
'Come on... If you cry here, you'll only make yourself look even more ridiculous.'
She swallowed back her tears, her voice thick with venom.
'First, I have to find Eric.'
Doana turned her head to find Eric. In the crowd, the first person to catch Doana's eye was not Eric, but Rose.
Rose had a relaxed expression, one corner of her mouth raised.
Rose met Doana's eyes, folding her eyes into crescent moons and giving her a small smile.
'...!'
Doana frowned at Rose's mocking behavior and turned her head.
'Irritating!'
She must find herself ridiculous now. She had boasted so loudly about becoming a Countess.
Doana stood there blankly, searching for Eric, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Then, she felt a sharp gaze from beside her.
It was Beliana.
Doana instinctively clutched her stomach at Beliana's cold gaze.
She felt threatened. It wouldn't be pleasant for a bride-to-be to know that her groom had a lover.
Beliana thought as she looked at Doana in her white dress.
'...I never heard anyone say he had a lover.'
She knew he had a previous wife. The real Beliana had told her everything.
However, she had no idea there was another woman.
Beliana looked at Doana with a harmless gaze, but Doana felt otherwise. Her eyes wavered, then she locked eyes with Beliana.
She didn't want to lose.
If she went in with a loss from the start, she'd be looked down upon.
Beliana didn't avoid Doana's gaze either. However, it wasn't her intention. She didn't know what to do with Doana's gaze staring at her.
'Why are you looking at me like that?'
If it were the real Beliana, she would have slapped Doana across the face as if to show off, but it wasn't the fake Beliana.
She had no idea how to react in this situation.
However, to others, Beliana's appearance was incredibly chilling.
"Oh my, look over there. Count Wence's mistress is really determined to attack."
"Tsk tsk, Lady Dikar won't stay still."
"She's famous for her personality, just like the Marquis."
At that moment, a bell began to ring, as if pouring cold water on the bustling atmosphere.
Ding- ding.
The clear sound of the bell emanated from the top of the temple. The bell rang at 12 o'clock.
Those who had been chattering and watching Doana and Beliana seemed to have lost their excitement at the sudden sound of the bell.
"The wedding ceremony will begin."
"Let's go now."
They had expected an interesting spectacle, but Doana and Beliana only glared at each other and did nothing.
"Your Highness, shall we go back now?"
Rose whispered to the Grand Duke.
"You don't plan on having a wedding, do you?"
Rose nodded and said,
"I've already seen everything I wanted to see."
Their goal had already been achieved. Rose didn't want to waste any time.
“...Are you leaving?”
Jane grabbed Rose’s sleeve as she was about to leave without a second thought. Seeing her tearful eyes, he couldn’t move easily.
“Jane, what time do you finish today? Can I see you after work?”
“Um, really?”
Jane nodded, her eyes wide at Rose’s unexpected question.
“Six o’clock!”
“Yes. Then I’ll wait for you at the ‘D’ cafe in the square.”
“Yes!”
With that, Rose took a light step forward. As the twelfth, final bell rang, Eric slowly walked in from afar.
Beliana naturally turned her gaze to Eric.
'That man is going to be my husband...'
Eric had been in the waiting room before the ceremony, but he had only briefly glanced at her. She glanced at Eric. As expected of a well-bred nobleman, he looked quite dignified.
He was someone she couldn’t even face as a slave. She still couldn’t quite grasp the idea that such a man would become her husband.
Doana was also looking at Eric. She snorted as he appeared and approached him.
“Eric.”
She deliberately called him “Eric” instead of “Count,” trying to flaunt their relationship.
There were many things she wanted to question Eric, but protesting now would only make her look more ridiculous. She could ask him anything she wanted after the ceremony. Now, she had to make it clear to Beliana, who had usurped her position, that she had no place between him and Eric.
However, Doana’s plan was completely ruined.
Eric glanced at Doana, frowned, and passed her by.
“Pfft.”
The people entering the ceremony burst into laughter at the sight of Doana.
Their laughter made Doana even more miserable.
Unable to contain the rising shame, Doana hung her head. The composure she had been struggling to maintain crumbled in an instant.
Doana followed Eric's back, her face flushed red, unable to even raise it.
'You're ignoring me and going to that woman...!'
To others, she looked quite pitiful, but Doana's eyes were filled with venom.
Beliana watched Eric nervously, wondering if he would approach her.
'Still, I guess I'm the bride at the wedding, so he's coming this way.'
She blinked her large eyes and waited for Eric to approach.
However, Eric passed her without even a glance at Beliana.
'... Huh?'
Beliana quickly put down her outstretched hand. Then, with a puzzled expression, she stared at Eric's back.
His confident, arrogant steps stopped in front of a woman.
It was Rose.
Eric looked at Rose with an expression of utter arrogance. Rose's expression hardened at Eric, who had stepped forward.
Doana's eyes, watching this, wavered.
'Ha...!'
Eric wasn't heading for his new wife, Beliana, but for Rose!
Anger welled up in her throat. Doana saw the tenderness between Rose and Eric.
Unable to look at them with her mind, she finally stormed out of the wedding hall.
Of course, it was embarrassing to be humiliated in front of so many people, but even more unbearable was the feeling of losing to Rose, the woman she had ignored.
She didn't want to see Rose being affectionate with Eric.
As Doana left the room like a tragic heroine, the servants burst into laughter.
“Oh, go ahead and seduce him.”
Having been forced to snicker, they finally let out a loud laugh for the first time.
"You should know your place. How could you possibly become a Countess?"
They couldn't hide their delight, exulting in their excitement. Their anticipation that Tercia, today's hero, might kick Doana out grew even stronger.
But that was short-lived, as one of the maids, who had been watching Eric and Rose, cautiously spoke up.
“But... what on earth are you thinking, Rose?”
“Well... I really don’t understand your intentions.”
Rose, all dolled up for her ex-husband’s wedding, and Eric standing in front of her?
It was truly an exciting sight.
“You’ve really dressed up.”
Eric chuckled and spoke to Rose.
The Grand Duke, who was escorting Rose, twitched his hand on his own. It was extremely irritating that Eric, her ex-husband, was talking to Rose.
“I’m just dressed up like usual, but you can tell, can you?”
Rose replied in a dry, unsmiling voice. Eric immediately burst out laughing.
“You must have gone to great lengths to impress me.”
Eric cocked his head arrogantly and casually reached out to Rose. He then grabbed a handful of Rose’s hair.
The soft strands flowed through his fingers. He played with the remaining strands of Rose’s hair in his hand and muttered,
“It’s the kind of hair I like.”
Despite his arrogance, Rose was still Rose. He was quite pleased to see Rose back on her feet.
He still held the hair, gently raising his hand to his face. The fragrant scent of shampoo tickled his nostrils.
He seemed to have forgotten the people watching him and tried to kiss Rose’s hair.
Slap.
However, his actions were stopped by the Grand Duke of Artaeum. The Grand Duke roughly slapped Eric’s hand away.
“You’re being rude, Count Wence.”
Grand Duke Artaeum glared at Eric with cold eyes.
“You're not the one I'd be flirting with, are you?”
“…Flirting? It’s just a greeting to my ex-wife.”
“If you act like that, others will misunderstand. Greetings are nice, but I think it’s more important to take care of the bride standing alone over there, Count Wence.”
“I’ll take care of it. It’s truly an honor to have you all come to our wedding.”
For someone who says it’s an honor, his attitude was remarkably polite.
Eric quirked an eyebrow and looked at Rose beside him. The sight of Rose next to the Grand Duke made his stomach turn.
“You didn’t even show your face at our first wedding, but you came today.”
Eric took a step toward the Grand Duke with a blank expression.
“With my woman,”
He whispered softly in the Grand Duke's ear.
Comments
Post a Comment