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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Your husband doesn't even spare you a glance
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“Roje, what were you doing?”
Early in the morning, Doana flung open Roje’s door. Doana was in quite a good mood. Last night, Eric had declared he would divorce Roje.
‘Does she know? That her husband is planning to divorce her.’
She probably has no idea. That’s why she’s so leisurely scribbling letters. Doana scoffed at Roje, who was writing a letter.
‘I want to tell her right now.’
Doana tried her best to keep her itching mouth shut. Eric had given her a warning.
‘You. Don’t blabber about what I just said unnecessarily. It’s obvious that leech of a woman will cling to me if I say I want a divorce.’
Eric had sternly instructed Doana to avoid any trouble, stating that he had too much to deal with and didn’t want to face Roje immediately.
‘It’s a shame, but for now, I have to listen to the Count.’
What would Roje’s reaction be when the Count told her he wanted a divorce? Doana was curious. How would Roje, who always acted so elegant, behave? Roje, who had become the Countess by sheer luck, made Doana feel unpleasant every time she felt Roje looking down on her. If they had met in her original life, Roje wouldn’t have dared utter a peep to her, and there were countless times Doana wanted to slap her for holding her head high so arrogantly.
‘Soon, your position and mine will be reversed. When that happens… I will definitely repay all the humiliation I’ve suffered.’
Doana, with her strong pride, seemed quite bitter about not being able to say anything to Roje all this time. Her eyes, glaring fiercely at Roje, were filled with malice. Roje felt a stinging gaze on her head as she was about to write a letter. Slowly, she raised her head and looked at Doana. Doana, who had been wearing a bitter smile, instantly changed her expression as if nothing had happened. Doana put on a warm expression and acted very friendly.
“Huh? What are you doing?”
Doana scurried over and spoke in an endearing voice. It was a disturbing smile that felt out of place. A smile that seemed to look down on her. One she had felt enough times in her previous life. It was always like this, but today, Doana’s expression was subtly more irritating.
“I was about to write a letter.”
Roje answered curtly and averted her gaze.
“A letter? To whom?”
Doana peeked her face from behind and looked down at Roje’s desk. Then, she suddenly snatched the pen. Since Roje had just been about to write, there was nothing written on the paper. Doana sat brazenly on Roje’s desk, facing her. Doana, who had pushed her hips onto the desk, crossed her legs tightly as if to flaunt her sensuality. She tapped one leg, looking down at Roje arrogantly. In the novel, she couldn’t defeat Roje. But that would change soon. Doana, who had been tapping her leg, slowly stopped. She stared at Roje without a word, then blinked her large eyes and spoke.
“Are you… alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“You and the Count haven’t seemed to be getting along lately.”
Her beginning was ordinary and kind.
“Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Really? The Count didn’t seem to think so at all…”
Doana trailed off, throwing out a loaded remark.
“I feel so sorry for you. What good is wearing beautiful dresses and eating delicious food? Your life is nothing but an empty shell, isn’t it?”
Doana’s voice was a low whisper. If one listened casually, it sounded like concern, but it was clearly mockery.
“Still, I think living as the Countess, enjoying everything, is better than living as a maid with nothing.”
At Roje’s words, Doana’s eyebrows twitched fiercely. Roje looked at Doana and continued speaking, as if to show off.
“I’m truly satisfied. If I were the mistress of an old noble, it would be a different story, but Eric is young and capable, isn’t he?”
Talking about Eric in front of Doana made Roje feel somewhat queasy. If Eric were an item in a department store, he’d be a bargain sale item. A clearance item that wouldn’t sell at its original price. If left alone, it wouldn’t sell, so she had to promote it diligently.
“Besides, he’s so handsome. He’s a romance novel protagonist for a reason, don’t you think?”
Roje racked her brain to find good things to say about Eric, but…
‘Aside from his good family and handsome face, there’s not much else to say.’
No other commendable qualities came to mind. At Roje’s praise for Eric, Doana’s shoulders naturally puffed up. The Eric she was boasting about would soon be her man.
‘How pathetic. She’s happily chattering away, completely oblivious that her husband is having an affair.’
Doana swallowed her scoff at Roje and looked at her.
“Still, what’s so good about a loveless marriage? He’s just the husband of a transmigrated body, after all. Someone you have no feelings for…”
Doana narrowed her large, blinking eyes and stared at Roje. Then, she whispered lowly.
“Your husband doesn’t even spare you a glance.”
Doana didn’t stop her attack on Roje. She hoped Roje would be sad from her words, that she would grow further apart from Eric. Doana’s words were like sharp fangs, relentlessly tearing at Roje. If Roje had truly loved Eric, Doana’s words would have been enough to deeply wound her. However, to Roje, who didn’t love Eric, they had no effect.
“I’m planning to properly reconcile with him soon. I’ll prepare wine, too… He seems to have sulked because I haven’t embraced him these past few days.”
Roje pretended not to understand Doana’s words, maintaining an oblivious demeanor. Doana’s eyes, meeting hers, twisted unpleasantly. It must be because she hated the thought of Roje and Eric together. Roje found Doana’s reaction amusing. She was the wife, yet seeing Doana consumed by jealousy was quite interesting. But Doana didn’t back down easily. She kept her gaze on Roje, slowly moving to re-cross her legs to the other side. Then, as if she were thinking of Roje, she spoke in a gentle voice.
“Oh dear. You’re so naive. Don’t you know men dislike women who throw themselves at them? They say husbands pretend to be asleep when their wives even try to initiate intimacy.”
These were things she had heard countless times from married men in her previous life. Doana put on a pitiful expression and clasped Roje’s hands.
“Well, Dohyeon never did that, but I hear other men are like that.”
Roje flinched. At the mention of Lee Dohyeon’s name, her expression instantly turned cold.
“Dohyeon…?”
“Ah. My husband from my previous life. Well, he had to be good at that, at least. He was a worthless man, after all.”
Roje clenched her teeth at Doana’s words. Lee Dohyeon, who succumbed to Gyeoru’s temptation, and Gyeoru, who seduced a man she considered worthless, were both sickeningly vulgar.
“Make the man come running to you, Roje. For girls like you, it’s always best to just wait and do nothing. Honestly, I know the Count much better than you do, don’t I?”
Roje maintained her expressionless face, staring at Doana.
“You’re not misunderstanding me, are you? I’m just saying this because I’m the Count’s exclusive maid, because I’m with him every day…”
“I’m not misunderstanding anything. You’re just a ‘maid,’ Doana. What could I possibly misunderstand?”
Roje cut Doana off and curved her eyes into crescent moons.
“You’re not in a position to dictate how a married couple conducts their affairs, are you?”
At Roje’s dismissive attitude, Doana was furious inside. Normally, she would have lashed out at Roje’s disrespectful behavior, but she couldn’t now. She was still in a disadvantaged position, at least until Roje divorced. Doana, who had been sitting on the desk, slowly stood up. She gently embraced Roje, who was sitting still in her chair.
“Still, what are friends for? Lean on me anytime something difficult happens.”
Her hands, stroking Roje, were very warm, accompanied by a gentle voice. However, only her venomous, malevolent gaze remained unconcealed.
***
“Welcome.”
At that moment, the garden was extremely bustling. An unexpected guest had arrived early in the morning. Gwen respectfully greeted the man alighting from the carriage. It was Eric’s father, Cedric.
“Bring Roje.”
To ask for Roje the moment he stepped out of the carriage.
“Excuse me? The Countess?”
At the word ‘Countess,’ Cedric’s expression twisted. He had never once acknowledged Roje as his daughter-in-law. In front of Eric’s father, Cedric, and his mother, Tersia, it was implicitly forbidden to call Roje ‘Countess Wens.’ Gwen realized his slip of the tongue and hastily shut his mouth. He bowed his head and replied in a low voice.
“Understood.”
Gwen ordered a maid to fetch Roje. The maid was already worried at Cedric’s request for Roje. Every time he visited, Roje would always cry silently all day.
‘It’s been three years; he should acknowledge her by now.’
The maid couldn’t help but pity Roje, who had married into the Count’s family purely for love.
“How wonderful it would have been if she had met someone else and lived happily.”
The maid muttered to herself and walked towards Roje’s room. *Knock, knock.* The maid knocked twice on Roje’s door. Roje quickly hid the letter she had been writing to Grand Duke Arteum in a drawer before replying.
“Come in.”
With a creaking sound, the door opened, and the maid appeared. The maid spoke cautiously to Roje.
“Um, the former Count is looking for you.”
The former Count…
‘That’s Eric’s father, Cedric, isn’t it?’
Why is he looking for me?
‘Is he going to reprimand me for what happened that day?’
Thanks to Roje’s testimony at the Grand Duke’s banquet, the Emperor’s faction’s plans had been thwarted. He must be fully prepared to scold her.
‘I don’t want to go. I’ll only hear unpleasant things anyway.’
“Tell him I have an engagement and cannot.”
“Ex-excuse me?!”
At Roje’s words, the maid’s eyes widened. Roje, who had never once defied Cedric’s orders, had refused his command. The maid’s mouth hung open, gasping for air at Roje’s words.
“Go on, hurry.”
Roje gestured for the maid to leave and smiled faintly. The maid, still looking bewildered, nodded and left the room. Meanwhile, Cedric, upon hearing Roje’s reply, was utterly enraged.
“Hmph?”
Cedric set his teacup down with a sharp *clack*. How dare she defy his words?
‘This wretched insect…!’
How little must he appear to her for her to act this way? The veins stood out on his forehead, looking ready to burst. Cedric decided he needed to teach her a lesson today, and he glared at the maid with a chilling expression.
“Tell her to come when she can still walk on her own two feet.”
A chilling, suppressed voice escaped his clenched lips. At Cedric’s words, the maid flinched and trembled. She knew what Cedric’s words implied. Compared to Cedric, Eric’s actions were mere child’s play; Cedric’s temperament was truly perverse. The maid nodded, trembling, and hastily ran to Roje. Standing in front of Roje’s room, the maid urgently knocked on the door.
“Cou-Countess!”
The knocking was quite loud. Roje, who had been sitting, stood up and opened her door. Outside, the maid’s pale face was visible. The maid, sweating profusely, urgently grabbed Roje’s arm.
“You must go, Countess.”
The maid’s trembling was felt through Roje’s fingertips. Seeing the maid looking at her with eyes brimming, as if tears could fall at any moment, Roje nodded.
“Alright, I understand. I’ll get ready quickly, so please call Jane.”
What did she hear to make her tremble like that? Roje instinctively realized that she shouldn’t disregard Cedric. After quickly preparing, Roje walked towards the reception room. The air in the corridor felt particularly cold and frozen today. A chill from the floor crept up Roje’s feet. Every time her footsteps echoed, the servants glanced at Roje, their faces etched with worry and concern for her. Jane, who was beside Roje, was no different. Upon arriving at the reception room, Jane tightly clasped Roje’s hand.
“You’ll be alright, Countess.”
There was a desperate plea, as if cheering on a soldier heading into battle. Roje offered Jane a faint smile and spoke as if to tell her not to worry.
“Open the door.”
As the massive doors opened to both sides, a middle-aged man sitting with an arrogant posture came into view. A man who, at first glance, bore a striking resemblance to Eric. But his aura, unlike Eric’s, was exceedingly murderous. A suffocating pressure that instantly took her breath away the moment she saw him. It was similar to facing Duke Pliche, but Cedric’s presence pressed down on Roje, as if crushing her. Even under the heavy, constricting pressure, Roje appeared composed. Because she had already dealt with the mad Grand Duke Arteum and Duke Pliche, the leader of the Emperor’s faction. Amusingly, she was accustomed to such situations.
“Hello, Father.”
Roje’s clear voice echoed brightly in the room. At Roje’s unchanging expression as she faced him, Cedric’s eyes glinted menacingly.
