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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Just Got Divorced
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Pregnancy. I had expected it, but I didn't think she'd act on it so quickly.
‘She did seem strangely confident today.’
Doana usually played the sly fox, watching my every move. Did she now believe she had the upper hand? Carrying a child, she was already intoxicated with victory, like someone clutching a victory flag. Her face, still disfigured from the stolen cosmetics, was hideous. Though one cheek was covered with gauze, it was clear at a glance that the scar wouldn't heal easily.
‘Did Eric promise to completely heal her? She's too quiet, unlike when she was throwing a fit.’
Indeed, Doana didn't seem to think much of her injury. Perhaps she hadn't yet realized how different the medical practices of this era were from modern times. What was important to her now wasn't her 'skin,' but the 'child.' Worrying about her skin could wait until after Roje was driven out.
"You've been bragging about your boyfriend so much. Congratulations. Does he know you're pregnant?"
At Roje's words, a smile that seemed about to burst bloomed on Doana's face. Yes, it must be laughable. To congratulate a woman pregnant with her own husband's child. Doana struggled to hide her sneering laughter and raised her chin.
"Yes. I told him, and he was so happy. He said he'd marry me. And that he'd talk to his wife about it."
"So he's already married, then. Well, the system of 'concubines' is quite common in this world, isn't it? They're usually called 'mistresses.' That's good for you. Don't be too ashamed of your conduct. While it might be frowned upon in Korea, committing adultery isn't much of a flaw here."
Roje spoke to Doana with a subtly sarcastic tone. There was no way Doana wouldn't notice. She arrogantly twitched an eyebrow and leaned back.
"A mistress, you say..."
Doana's voice trailed off at Roje's words, and she narrowed her eyes as she spoke. *Could you truly be so calm if you knew the whole truth?*
‘Pfft, she'd probably be sobbing, snot and tears everywhere.’
Doana wanted to see Roje, who was pretending to be so dignified in front of her, collapse. Taking something from a seemingly happy person was simply too enjoyable. Doana couldn't hide her excitement for what hadn't even happened yet, fidgeting in her seat.
"Well... he said he'd give me the position of 'Countess,' not a mistress."
She curled the corners of her lips, looking at Roje with a provocative gaze. *There, I've given you a hint. What will your expression be like when you hear 'Countess'?* Doana, staring at Roje with a crazed glint in her eyes, continued speaking without pause.
"Honestly, I was puzzled. Me, just a 'maid'? A Countess is more fitting for my level."
Doana rose from her seat and slowly approached Roje. She went behind Roje, placed her hands on her shoulders, and gazed into the mirror in front of them. Reflected were Roje in a splendid dress and Doana in a plain uniform. Doana idly touched Roje's dress, then spoke softly.
"You'll congratulate me on my marriage, won't you?"
At the word "congratulations," Roje's face nearly froze. *You're saying the exact same words, not a single syllable different. Just like that day...* Roje gritted her teeth, recalling the past. In her previous life, Gyeoru had betrayed her and smiled brightly, claiming to carry her husband's child, and it was just as repulsive now. Eric? She didn't care if he slept with Doana or not. But the rage of experiencing the same thing again wouldn't easily subside. A surge of emotion welled up. Old memories washed over her like a wave. Roje glared at Doana with cold, hardened eyes. *I mustn't get swept away. I can't...*
"He's my husband's child, isn't he? Count Wens's?"
Her anger was not easily controlled. Doana watched Roje get agitated exactly as she'd intended, feeling a thrill. Yes, this was the feeling she had longed to experience again. She wanted to utterly crush Roje. Doana, without surprise or apology at how Roje knew, nodded her head with a happier expression than anyone else. Roje's face, as she watched Doana, was frighteningly rigid. She had intended to leave gracefully, with a smile. But it seemed that wouldn't do. To see that expression twice and just let it pass...
‘I'd be a fool.’
Roje had vowed never to live the life of a fool again. Slowly, Roje picked up the cooled teacup. Leaping from her seat, she poured the remaining tea water over Doana's head without hesitation.
"Kyaaaah!"
She shrieked loud enough to shake the mansion as the damp tea water soaked her body. It was an act she had never been able to commit in her previous life. Back then, she had said nothing, merely cried like an idiot, and fled.
‘I should have done this back then.’
For three years, in a cramped studio apartment, she had regretted it over and over again. *I should have grabbed her hair instead of running away, or at least slapped her before leaving.* Being able to repay that debt, even like this, felt incredibly refreshing. Roje gazed coldly at Doana, who was trembling like a drowned rat.
"Aren't you even sorry to me? He's my husband. To be messing around with Eric behind my back. If you're a human being, you should at least say you're sorry!"
Doana shot up from her seat. Wearing high heels that made her at least ten centimeters taller than Roje, Doana looked down at Roje and yelled.
"Ha? What do you think you're doing? He's not even someone you love, is he? You just got lucky and snagged the Countess's position!"
Smack! No sooner had Doana finished speaking than her face snapped to the right. Doana massaged her stinging cheek. From her expression, it seemed she hadn't expected Roje to hit her. With wide, bulging eyes, she raised a hand towards Roje.
"You--!"
Roje lightly seized Doana's arm, which was aimed at her face. Then, she slapped the bewildered Doana once more.
"Ack!"
Not just once, but twice she'd been struck!
Doana lost her balance and staggered from Roje's fiercer blow. Wearing heels over ten centimeters high, she let out a single shriek and ultimately collapsed to the floor. She couldn't just stand there and take it. She glared at Roje, venom in her eyes. Doana glanced around, looking for something to retaliate with. She'd been slapped, so she'd do something far worse to Roje. A still-boiling kettle came into Doana's sight. If she poured that hot water on the table onto Roje's face...! Just as Doana, filled with wicked thoughts, began to move, Roje's door burst open.
"What's all this commotion?"
It was Eric. Doana, who had been glaring with fury, changed her expression the moment Eric entered. Her eyes were already brimming with transparent tears. Now that Eric was here, she'd have to change her strategy. Doana conspicuously clutched her stomach and pitifully called his name.
"Eric..."
"Doana!"
Eric helped Doana, who was weeping with a pitiable expression, to her feet. Seeing Doana's swollen cheek and wet hair, anger surged within him. *Blinded by jealousy, she actually resorted to such an act!* Doana carried his child, a precious life he had struggled to gain, a life he had failed to obtain during his marriage to Roje. Eric glared at Roje with a sharp gaze.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Perhaps it was because her feverish body made her disoriented. She had hit someone for the first time in her life. But she didn't particularly regret it.
"My hand slipped."
Roje shrugged at Eric. Doana glared at Roje and said,
"I told her I was carrying the Count's child. She seemed very angry..."
Her voice was frail, unlike her venomous glare.
"How utterly shameless. To tell such an obvious lie."
Hearing Doana's words, Eric exuded killing intent towards Roje. *Why were unfaithful people always so alike? Who was truly shameless here?* He tightly embraced Doana, who carried his child, and glared at Roje.
"Congratulations. You're becoming a father, just as you'd always wanted."
"Yes. Something you couldn't accomplish in years."
He looked at Roje with a pathetic gaze. Then, he continued with thorny words.
"And you couldn't even manage your body properly and caused a miscarriage. How could you...!"
Smack! Before Eric could finish his sentence, Roje slapped him hard across the cheek.
‘That scoundrel, how could he say such a thing to a woman he'd been with for three years!’
Though it wasn't *her* miscarriage, anger surged within her. Even so, he was her husband, and Eric, who uttered such cruel words, was despicable.
‘And whose fault was it that the child was miscarried...!’
The original Roje had done nothing wrong. She had miscarried because she witnessed Eric having an affair with her own eyes. Her only sin was loving that damned Eric to distraction. Eric held his cheek, which was turned to the right, and let out a bewildered laugh.
"Let's get a divorce. I don't want to spend another moment with a woman like you."
At the word "divorce," a faint smile surfaced on Doana's face.
‘I thought I'd have to threaten her to get rid of her if she clung on, but our Count is taking care of it himself.’
Roje's eyes met Doana's, who was nestled in Eric's arms. Doana didn't avert her gaze; instead, she smiled sweetly.
"Yes. Let's get divorced."
At Roje's immediate agreement, Eric's eyes twitched.
‘I thought she'd kneel and beg...’
She should have been wailing, begging him to give her one more chance, admitting her mistakes, saying she couldn't live without him... Roje's reaction was somehow strange. Eric eyed Roje with an incredulous expression.
"Did you eat something wrong? Why are you so confident?"
"You don't love me anyway, do you? Does Doana know you've been seeing other women every day?"
At Roje's words, Doana's face stiffened slightly. It seemed she, who was committing adultery herself, disliked the idea of her man seeing other women.
"Don't you know the child in her belly can hear you? There's nothing you won't say in front of a child."
"I didn't say anything wrong, did I? I'm just stating facts."
Roje slowly approached Eric. Then, she looked him in the face and spoke.
"I can't say congratulations, but thank you. I really wanted to divorce you."
"What?"
At Roje's words, Eric looked as if he'd been struck on the head with a hammer.
‘...Is this woman crazy? *You* want to live without me?’
When was it that she clung to him so desperately for marriage? Did she not remember causing a suicide scare, claiming she couldn't live without him? Eric thought Roje's words were merely an act of defiance. She must have said it in a fit of pique because Doana was carrying his child.
"I'll have a maid bring my belongings."
"Wait."
Eric stopped Roje, who was about to leave the room. Doana, nestled in his arms, flinched uneasily.
‘What? Why is he stopping Roje? Surely... he's not going to say he's backing out of the divorce, is he?’
Doana, who had been feeling so relieved that everything was going according to plan, tensed automatically at Eric's voice. However, her worries were utterly unfounded.
"You need to sign the divorce papers before you go. Did you think I wouldn't know you'd try to tie me down if you just left vaguely like this?"
Roje slowly turned around at Eric's words. She looked directly into Eric's eyes and replied softly.
"That's the best news I've heard all day. I, too, no longer wish to be involved with 'you.'"
At the phrase "you," Eric's face twisted in bewilderment.
"I'll be watching to see how long that precious pride of yours lasts."
"Oh, my. Why would you keep watching me after we're divorced? I'd prefer if you didn't pay me any mind."
He let out a hollow laugh at Roje's audacious attitude.
"Fine, keep getting on my nerves like that. It won't do you any good. If you want even a penny more in alimony, it would be wise to stay in my good graces until the very end."
*Now he has nothing left to threaten me with, so he's resorting to money?* Roje sighed at his petty demeanor.
‘It truly was a good decision to join hands with Grand Duke Arteum. Otherwise, I might have had to utter words I didn't mean, just to get alimony from this rotten man.’
"It's fine. I don't need alimony. I have plenty of money myself."
Of course, she hadn't received it yet, but it was due soon. Roje stood tall and spoke confidently. With those final words, she exited her room. Her face was full of smiles as she left. She felt incredibly light. The woman who had cried over losing her husband was no more. Roje stamped the documents Eric had prepared. The servants, watching Roje bid her final farewell, didn't know what to do. Many of them had tears in their eyes and clutched her hand. To them, it must have seemed as though Roje was being unceremoniously expelled. Roje gave them a farewell with the brightest expression she could muster, then looked around.
‘Where did Sereun and Jane go...?’
She wanted to say a final goodbye, but she couldn't find them. Roje, eager to leave the mansion as soon as possible, left short notes for both of them. On the other hand, she also thought it might be better to leave without seeing their faces. It would pain her to see Jane rush out in tears. She exited the mansion after instructing someone to make sure the notes reached them both.
"It's the perfect weather for a divorce."
Having left the mansion, Roje basked in the warm sunlight and murmured to herself. Eric hadn't given her a single penny or even provided a carriage as she left. Something about her being 'ungrateful,' he claimed. A noblewoman would have felt humiliated by such treatment, but Roje, being from Korea, was not. She enjoyed jogging, especially on a beautiful day like this. The downtown area was quite close to the Count's mansion. A short walk, and she could probably sell the jewels on her dress to cover the fare.
"Hmm, I feel a little dizzy, though..."
Her steps felt heavy, likely due to the chills she'd had since yesterday. Roje took each step carefully. Her head felt feverish, but it was a manageable discomfort. Raised by parents who told her to go to school even when sick, she had received perfect attendance awards throughout her school years. So, this time, too, she would get through it just fine. *Yes, just a little more effort. First, sell the jewels, then buy medicine with the money.*
"...The ground here is really uneven."
Roje muttered nonsensically, steadying her swaying body. It felt like she hadn't walked far, but her forehead was covered in sweat. Roje, her face pale, looked around. She had reached the downtown area.
"Where... where was the jewelry store here?"
An familiar figure appeared before Roje as she looked around.
"Oh...?"
He was wearing a robe, but she could clearly see him. His brilliant platinum hair and sapphire-like blue eyes. It was undoubtedly Grand Duke Arteum. Roje rubbed her blurry eyes and waved at the Grand Duke. Why did Grand Duke Arteum, who usually felt intimidating, feel so welcoming today?
The Grand Duke saw Roje waving at him with a silly grin and approached her.
‘Countess Wens? Traveling alone without an escort.’
Roje murmured to herself as she saw the person approaching her.
"It really was Grand Duke Arteum after all."
The Grand Duke, who had by now approached, gazed intently at Roje.
"You seem to be in good spirits."
He questioned her, digging for details about why she was alone. Roje, as if she had been waiting, answered his words.
"I just got divorced."
Roje smiled, showing her white teeth, with a remarkably lighthearted expression. However, with those words, she lost consciousness. Her limp body toppled forward. The Grand Duke caught Roje's body as she collapsed weakly.
"...Lady Wens?"
He looked at Roje, slumped in his arms, with trembling eyes.
