"Sia. We're here."
Instead of returning straight home, Lily, Shimizu, and Jerina went to another building within the Duke's estate. Sia was there handling business. As the three women entered, she stopped looking at her documents and glanced up.
"Did you speak well?"
Lily, Shimizu, and Jerina were pawns carefully selected by Sia. They were people who appeared to have no major flaws on the surface, enjoyed gossip, and were not difficult to manipulate from behind the scenes. Lily liked Sia, who had the ability to lead the atmosphere and enjoyed being the center of attention in social circles, and she introduced a boyfriend to Shimizu.
"Yeah. I did exactly as you told me. She didn't even think to suspect anything. She's so naive."
And since Jerina liked luxury goods, she liked Sia and followed her when she was given a few nice gifts.
"I wonder how someone so clueless became Adrian's mistress. Tsk. You, Sia, are a much better match for Lord Kendrick."
At Shimizu's words, Sia stepped back, pretending to be humble.
"Don't say that. What if someone hears you?"
However, she did not disagree with Shimizu. No matter how much she thought about it, Stella was not the right match for Kendrick. Lanedict and Adrian were rightfully hers from the start.
"Why? It's not wrong, either. Sia."
"More importantly, what about Stella's reaction?"
Lily and Shimizu answered Sia's words.
"She was practically on the verge of tears. I'm telling you, she was sobbing right up until we came out."
"It was pure comedy."
Lily spoke of pity for Stella in her characteristically weak and coquettish voice.
"She seemed really hurt."
At this, Sia coldly scoffed.
"It can't be helped. It was something she was bound to hear eventually."
There was a reason she was acting so arrogantly. It was because the three of them were flattering her. Sia could not understand why a woman as incompetent and unattractive as Stella was superior to her.
"Keep saying like this that Kendrick is seeing a woman. That's all you have to do."
At this, Lily fidgeted with her fingers with a worried expression.
"But, is it really okay to keep doing this? The Duke earnestly warned us not to spread strange rumors about Stella last time, too."
Kendrick's stern expression wouldn't leave her mind.
"Strange rumors that Stella is having an affair?"
The three people nodded.
"It's okay. She's too timid to even speak up anyway."
"What? But still, her husband is having an affair, so wouldn't she at least check?"
Sia let out a chuckle. She felt that living in this house, she had grasped the woman named Stella inside out. Moreover, the more she subtly disparaged Stella, the softer her voice became, and the more timid her personality grew.
"She must think you looked into it for her out of concern, so do you think she would go and tell you exactly that? She’ll probably suffer in silence, tormented by her own feelings."
"That's right. She did seem like that kind of person."
They looked down on Stella very easily.
"Honestly, I bet everyone thinks Kendrick is too good for Stella. Kendrick indeed hangs out at bars. And I bet some of them have women working there. Don't you agree, Jerry?"
They talked about uncertain facts as if they were the truth.
"Huh? Yeah. That's right."
Jerina was completely lost in thought about the large pearl necklace Stella had given her. Sia looked at Jerina with a strange expression. Jerina deliberately exaggerated to avoid suspicion.
"Of course. Sia, do you think you belong as a secretary? From your looks to your abilities and personality, you lack nothing."
At this, Sia shyly accepted the compliment. Their warm conversation continued for a few minutes. Just as the sound of their laughter was starting to become tiresome.
Click.
Stella turned off the recording magic device.
"So you're saying they talk about me behind my back like this."
The conversation between Sia and her three playmates was all transmitted to Stella through the magic tool. They probably wouldn't have suspected that a recording spell had been cast on them.
Because it was rare for civilians to use magic tools in this country.
"Hmm."
Stella lay in bed, leaning to the left. Needless to say, she felt bad. She let out a sigh, trying to suppress her anger. To her, Sia seemed no different from herself. A bundle of an inferiority complex.
'I wonder how I should handle this.'
Stella inflicted wounds on herself to gain attention out of her inferiority complex, while Sia is a case of tormenting others to hide her own inferiority complex. She had no intention of leaving Sia in tatters.
'But it would be good to hold at least one of Sia's weaknesses.'
Although she had put the divorce on hold for the time being, thanks to the deal with Fabian, she never knew what might happen. Also, she couldn't keep these cunning playmates by her side forever.
A few days later, Stella's door opened again. Her playmates always visited during the day and returned in the evening. However, this time, the situation was different. Jerina came to Stella's room alone around evening, without Lily or Shimizu. It was at this time that Stella had ordered her to visit.
"Ah, Jerina. Thank you. That must have been a difficult request."
Stella's face lit up as she saw the documents in Jerina's hand. Realizing this, she lowered her gaze and composed herself. A wife rejoicing at receiving documents proving her husband's infidelity? It made no sense.
"Yes, that's right. It was very difficult. It cost quite a bit of money, too."
Stella handed her another necklace with a benevolent face. This time, it was a crystal necklace.
'I was planning to let it slide if you confessed it was a lie.'
Jerina struggled to maintain her composure as she took the necklace and placed it on the desk. She couldn't help but admire the crystal sparkling in the sunlight. Stella, who had been watching Jerina, quickly turned her head away.
'I don't think it's going to work out.'
She poured the tea. She couldn't let Jerina go like this. When she checked the documents, a detailed description of a woman was written there. Stella scanned the papers with her eyes and looked at Jerina.
"So you're saying this woman is Kendrick's mistress?"
"...Yes, that's right."
Stella's gaze was displeased. Feeling uneasy, Jerina added.
"I put a portrait in the back as well."
"Yes?"
Hmm. The portrait captured a lovely woman with a pure and innocent aura. Jerina briefly set down her crystal necklace and sipped the tea Stella had poured. Stella knew that someday Kendrick would fall for a woman other than her. However, that would be at least three or four years away. In other words, the current rumors were lies.
'And even when I found out.'
Kendrick didn't have a girlfriend yet.
Not long after she returned to the past, shr tried to investigate Kendrick to file for divorce. Even then, she didn't hear anything about Kendrick having another woman.
'It should be time for him to come by now. I'll know by his reaction.
The clock struck seven. Kendrick had said he would be here earlier than usual today, so it should be time for him to arrive. Stella looked at Jerina with a calm expression when she heard the sound of a door opening wide.
Pfft.
Jerina turned her head to see who had entered and spat out the tea she was drinking. She was startled.
'Why is Kendrick here at this hour?'
She couldn't even think to wipe the moisture from the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. Stella couldn't let Kendrick see the documents she was holding.
Thump.
Jerina reached out her arm as if to take the documents. However, Stella snatched them away to the other side with a flick. Jerina's face instantly turned into a tearful expression.
"There were still guests."
"It's okay. Come in."
Stella smiled with satisfaction as she watched Kendrick enter just in time. As Kendrick's footsteps drew closer, Jerina squeezed her eyes shut. She seemed afraid of what was about to happen. Stella pretended to examine the portrait, as if to show off.
"What is that portrait?"
"Honey, I heard a funny story."
And she spread the portrait out so that Kendrick could see it clearly.
"They say you are having an affair with this woman."
Kendrick paused for a moment at her words. An affair? He glanced at Jerina, who was sitting next to Stella and unable to lift her head. That woman surely had some influence on Stella, suddenly saying such strange things. Jerina flinched at his sharp gaze.
"Who is that?"
Kendrick's voice, which had been quite calm until just moments ago, turned as cold as ice. There was also a chilling smile in it.
"I wouldn't know. I guess our reputation in social circles is really ridiculous."
"Stella, that's not it..."
Jerina tried to interrupt Stella. She paused for a moment and looked at Jerina, her gaze daring her to say whatever she had to say. However, Jerina kept her mouth shut tight. She wanted to stop her for now, but she couldn't think of an excuse. At this, Stella chuckled and continued speaking.
"What was it again? Everyone says it's a pity you married a woman like me."
Kendrick's expression grew increasingly dark. Before anyone realized it, he was right in front of Jerina and Stella. His shadow enveloped Jerina's back.
"Who would say such a thing?"
"I heard you enjoy spending the night with bar girls and have a special relationship with your secretary."
Kendrick wore a look of dumbfoundedness. Seeing that expression, Stella was convinced that Kendrick had no connection to the woman in the portrait. He looked at Stella with eyes that seemed to say, "Say more."
"They say you would have married another woman if it weren't for my interfering. Is that true?"
Sia. This had been a problematic name all along. In the past, one might have thought Stella was just harping on Sia's name for no reason. But not anymore. At this point, his distrust of Sia has truly grown. However, first and foremost, what Kendrick needs to do right now is...
"That's nonsense."
It was to prove his innocence to Stella. Fortunately, they had not spread rumors about Stella to her. This was something he had warned them about several times, even before introducing them to her as playmates.
'But did you mean they spread a distorted rumor like this?'
Jerina's back trembled violently. Kendrick felt not a shred of pity as he looked at her. Why was such nonsense coming out of Stella's mouth? He was solely concerned with the mental stress Stella must have felt.
"Ah. And they say things like this, too."
She paused her speech as if deliberately taking a moment to speak.
"Adrian's mistress might change soon."
In an instant, the atmosphere turned cold.
"Do you happen to have someone in mind to be the next Duchess, Kendrick?"
This remark crossed the line.
Instead of returning straight home, Lily, Shimizu, and Jerina went to another building within the Duke's estate. Sia was there handling business. As the three women entered, she stopped looking at her documents and glanced up.
"Did you speak well?"
Lily, Shimizu, and Jerina were pawns carefully selected by Sia. They were people who appeared to have no major flaws on the surface, enjoyed gossip, and were not difficult to manipulate from behind the scenes. Lily liked Sia, who had the ability to lead the atmosphere and enjoyed being the center of attention in social circles, and she introduced a boyfriend to Shimizu.
"Yeah. I did exactly as you told me. She didn't even think to suspect anything. She's so naive."
And since Jerina liked luxury goods, she liked Sia and followed her when she was given a few nice gifts.
"I wonder how someone so clueless became Adrian's mistress. Tsk. You, Sia, are a much better match for Lord Kendrick."
At Shimizu's words, Sia stepped back, pretending to be humble.
"Don't say that. What if someone hears you?"
However, she did not disagree with Shimizu. No matter how much she thought about it, Stella was not the right match for Kendrick. Lanedict and Adrian were rightfully hers from the start.
"Why? It's not wrong, either. Sia."
"More importantly, what about Stella's reaction?"
Lily and Shimizu answered Sia's words.
"She was practically on the verge of tears. I'm telling you, she was sobbing right up until we came out."
"It was pure comedy."
Lily spoke of pity for Stella in her characteristically weak and coquettish voice.
"She seemed really hurt."
At this, Sia coldly scoffed.
"It can't be helped. It was something she was bound to hear eventually."
There was a reason she was acting so arrogantly. It was because the three of them were flattering her. Sia could not understand why a woman as incompetent and unattractive as Stella was superior to her.
"Keep saying like this that Kendrick is seeing a woman. That's all you have to do."
At this, Lily fidgeted with her fingers with a worried expression.
"But, is it really okay to keep doing this? The Duke earnestly warned us not to spread strange rumors about Stella last time, too."
Kendrick's stern expression wouldn't leave her mind.
"Strange rumors that Stella is having an affair?"
The three people nodded.
"It's okay. She's too timid to even speak up anyway."
"What? But still, her husband is having an affair, so wouldn't she at least check?"
Sia let out a chuckle. She felt that living in this house, she had grasped the woman named Stella inside out. Moreover, the more she subtly disparaged Stella, the softer her voice became, and the more timid her personality grew.
"She must think you looked into it for her out of concern, so do you think she would go and tell you exactly that? She’ll probably suffer in silence, tormented by her own feelings."
"That's right. She did seem like that kind of person."
They looked down on Stella very easily.
"Honestly, I bet everyone thinks Kendrick is too good for Stella. Kendrick indeed hangs out at bars. And I bet some of them have women working there. Don't you agree, Jerry?"
They talked about uncertain facts as if they were the truth.
"Huh? Yeah. That's right."
Jerina was completely lost in thought about the large pearl necklace Stella had given her. Sia looked at Jerina with a strange expression. Jerina deliberately exaggerated to avoid suspicion.
"Of course. Sia, do you think you belong as a secretary? From your looks to your abilities and personality, you lack nothing."
At this, Sia shyly accepted the compliment. Their warm conversation continued for a few minutes. Just as the sound of their laughter was starting to become tiresome.
Click.
Stella turned off the recording magic device.
"So you're saying they talk about me behind my back like this."
The conversation between Sia and her three playmates was all transmitted to Stella through the magic tool. They probably wouldn't have suspected that a recording spell had been cast on them.
Because it was rare for civilians to use magic tools in this country.
"Hmm."
Stella lay in bed, leaning to the left. Needless to say, she felt bad. She let out a sigh, trying to suppress her anger. To her, Sia seemed no different from herself. A bundle of an inferiority complex.
'I wonder how I should handle this.'
Stella inflicted wounds on herself to gain attention out of her inferiority complex, while Sia is a case of tormenting others to hide her own inferiority complex. She had no intention of leaving Sia in tatters.
'But it would be good to hold at least one of Sia's weaknesses.'
Although she had put the divorce on hold for the time being, thanks to the deal with Fabian, she never knew what might happen. Also, she couldn't keep these cunning playmates by her side forever.
***
A few days later, Stella's door opened again. Her playmates always visited during the day and returned in the evening. However, this time, the situation was different. Jerina came to Stella's room alone around evening, without Lily or Shimizu. It was at this time that Stella had ordered her to visit.
"Ah, Jerina. Thank you. That must have been a difficult request."
Stella's face lit up as she saw the documents in Jerina's hand. Realizing this, she lowered her gaze and composed herself. A wife rejoicing at receiving documents proving her husband's infidelity? It made no sense.
"Yes, that's right. It was very difficult. It cost quite a bit of money, too."
Stella handed her another necklace with a benevolent face. This time, it was a crystal necklace.
'I was planning to let it slide if you confessed it was a lie.'
Jerina struggled to maintain her composure as she took the necklace and placed it on the desk. She couldn't help but admire the crystal sparkling in the sunlight. Stella, who had been watching Jerina, quickly turned her head away.
'I don't think it's going to work out.'
She poured the tea. She couldn't let Jerina go like this. When she checked the documents, a detailed description of a woman was written there. Stella scanned the papers with her eyes and looked at Jerina.
"So you're saying this woman is Kendrick's mistress?"
"...Yes, that's right."
Stella's gaze was displeased. Feeling uneasy, Jerina added.
"I put a portrait in the back as well."
"Yes?"
Hmm. The portrait captured a lovely woman with a pure and innocent aura. Jerina briefly set down her crystal necklace and sipped the tea Stella had poured. Stella knew that someday Kendrick would fall for a woman other than her. However, that would be at least three or four years away. In other words, the current rumors were lies.
'And even when I found out.'
Kendrick didn't have a girlfriend yet.
Not long after she returned to the past, shr tried to investigate Kendrick to file for divorce. Even then, she didn't hear anything about Kendrick having another woman.
'It should be time for him to come by now. I'll know by his reaction.
The clock struck seven. Kendrick had said he would be here earlier than usual today, so it should be time for him to arrive. Stella looked at Jerina with a calm expression when she heard the sound of a door opening wide.
Pfft.
Jerina turned her head to see who had entered and spat out the tea she was drinking. She was startled.
'Why is Kendrick here at this hour?'
She couldn't even think to wipe the moisture from the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. Stella couldn't let Kendrick see the documents she was holding.
Thump.
Jerina reached out her arm as if to take the documents. However, Stella snatched them away to the other side with a flick. Jerina's face instantly turned into a tearful expression.
"There were still guests."
"It's okay. Come in."
Stella smiled with satisfaction as she watched Kendrick enter just in time. As Kendrick's footsteps drew closer, Jerina squeezed her eyes shut. She seemed afraid of what was about to happen. Stella pretended to examine the portrait, as if to show off.
"What is that portrait?"
"Honey, I heard a funny story."
And she spread the portrait out so that Kendrick could see it clearly.
"They say you are having an affair with this woman."
Kendrick paused for a moment at her words. An affair? He glanced at Jerina, who was sitting next to Stella and unable to lift her head. That woman surely had some influence on Stella, suddenly saying such strange things. Jerina flinched at his sharp gaze.
"Who is that?"
Kendrick's voice, which had been quite calm until just moments ago, turned as cold as ice. There was also a chilling smile in it.
"I wouldn't know. I guess our reputation in social circles is really ridiculous."
"Stella, that's not it..."
Jerina tried to interrupt Stella. She paused for a moment and looked at Jerina, her gaze daring her to say whatever she had to say. However, Jerina kept her mouth shut tight. She wanted to stop her for now, but she couldn't think of an excuse. At this, Stella chuckled and continued speaking.
"What was it again? Everyone says it's a pity you married a woman like me."
Kendrick's expression grew increasingly dark. Before anyone realized it, he was right in front of Jerina and Stella. His shadow enveloped Jerina's back.
"Who would say such a thing?"
"I heard you enjoy spending the night with bar girls and have a special relationship with your secretary."
Kendrick wore a look of dumbfoundedness. Seeing that expression, Stella was convinced that Kendrick had no connection to the woman in the portrait. He looked at Stella with eyes that seemed to say, "Say more."
"They say you would have married another woman if it weren't for my interfering. Is that true?"
Sia. This had been a problematic name all along. In the past, one might have thought Stella was just harping on Sia's name for no reason. But not anymore. At this point, his distrust of Sia has truly grown. However, first and foremost, what Kendrick needs to do right now is...
"That's nonsense."
It was to prove his innocence to Stella. Fortunately, they had not spread rumors about Stella to her. This was something he had warned them about several times, even before introducing them to her as playmates.
'But did you mean they spread a distorted rumor like this?'
Jerina's back trembled violently. Kendrick felt not a shred of pity as he looked at her. Why was such nonsense coming out of Stella's mouth? He was solely concerned with the mental stress Stella must have felt.
"Ah. And they say things like this, too."
She paused her speech as if deliberately taking a moment to speak.
"Adrian's mistress might change soon."
In an instant, the atmosphere turned cold.
"Do you happen to have someone in mind to be the next Duchess, Kendrick?"
This remark crossed the line.
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