Chapter 6 – Part 11
“And isn’t it strange to come here and do this, leaving His Majesty behind, It’s not like you didn’t know that I’ve been your partner at every party in the past at his request? “
That’s why he couldn’t understand her actions.
Eli had noticed Shannua and Arlen’s relationship when they were children.
Since Shannua never intended to hide his feelings, he had always said that Arlen would naturally become the Empress.
However, one day, out of the blue, Shannua announced his marriage to the daughter of the Marquis of Tules.
Since then, Eli knew there was something amiss in their relationship.
But seeing him still send longing glances toward Arlen even after marriage made him think their relationship was still ongoing.
It wasn’t long before he witnessed the two kissing, confirming his suspicions.
He had turned a blind eye to the matter, not wanting to get involved, until Shannua approached him for a favor shortly after witnessing the kiss.
It was a good way for him to get rid of the young ladies at the party who were bothering him, and since Shannua had offered him a good deal, he had no reason to resist him.
After he was married, he didn’t attend parties unless he was forced to leave for work, and even then, Arlen remained his partner because it was better than tiring Ruby out by driving her back and forth from the estate.
That was only a few times in the early years of their marriage, but later he attended most events without a partner.
Of course, Arlen knew this too. Eli had said countless times that he couldn’t refuse His Majesty’s request.
Now that she had come all this way to ask him to marry her, he was flabbergasted.
“Are you just fooling around with His Majesty? Or is it because you don’t want to go under Her Majesty the Empress?”
Arlen remained stiff and speechless, but Eli stepped closer to her, undeterred.
“Either way, if you knew I didn’t like it, you should have found someone else. The position of our family’s mistress is not as unremarkable as your current position. It’s not a place where you can do whatever you want.”
Eli, who had approached Arlen closely, erased even the slight smile he had.
“If you thought I would give you the position of the Marchioness Grit as I did with the consideration I gave you as a friend, I would feel very bad. It’s disrespectful to ignore the Marquess of Grit to that extent, isn’t it?”
Arlen, with a displeased face, stared at Eli with fiery eyes.
“Now that question is answered. I never understood why you were so fond of that unremarkable woman.”
One of Eli’s eyebrows twitched at the reference to Ruby, but he was willing to wait for an answer.
“You were attracted to that type of woman because you were nothing special yourself.”
‘Yeah, that makes sense.’
Arlen muttered to herself and nodded.
Receiving attention and love from everyone was too natural for Arlen, and she was a priority for anyone. It meant that life was too obvious, without missing anything, from wealth, and appearance, to family.
Eli was no exception, as evidenced by his lack of interest in women and the fact that she was the only woman and partner he kept around.
So Eli’s sudden change was enough to baffle Arlen.
But when he announces his intention to abdicate the title, it makes sense.
He was not a man worthy of the lofty title of Marquis. It was only natural that he would prioritize and favor such a lowly woman over her.
People of the same worth are drawn to each other.
She felt somewhat relieved to solve the problem that had bothered her all along.
“Now that you understand, should I be thankful?”
Eli was glad to know that there would be no more trouble. Even though he had a smug smile on his face.
The sudden change in behavior made her laugh awkwardly, but part of her also thought that this should have happened sooner.
“You’re no better than I am, being beneath the Marchioness and disrespecting Ruby, and yet you can’t see your own shortcomings.”
“…….”
“I don’t know your standards, but it seems your standards are pathetic if you say you’re better than my wife, just like you are now.”
He looked at Arlen with a stern face, all smiles gone, and Eli leaned a little closer to him.
“I don’t excuse ignorance, Arlen Miles. Moreover, it’s not like you were unaware. Isn’t that so?”
The words were like a warning, and Arlen took a reflexive step back, then quickly realized what he’d done and glared at Eli again, pretending to be fine.
Even though she knew he couldn’t do anything to her, she felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
“Are you going to keep doing this?”
Eli gestured towards the entrance of the mansion as if inviting her to leave.
With a stiff face, Arlen turned roughly and left the mansion, ignoring Eli completely.
The Duke of Mile’s carriage was waiting at the manor’s entrance.
She swept her eyes over the Marquis of Grit before climbing into the carriage. Her eyes were uncharacteristically unimpressed.
Then she climbed into the carriage and left Shuban.
Arlen didn’t look back once until she was gone.
“So… His Majesty and Lady Miles are having an affair?”
Emily asked Leton, who had unwittingly eavesdropped on the conversation without leaving the hall.
“That’s right.”
Even Leton, who had been at Eli’s side for years, had only recently learned of the affair.
After hearing the conversation between the two, he felt like he understood why Eli had denied his relationship with Lady Miles so firmly and why he had ignored the rumors surrounding her and him.
Emily was thinking similarly to Leton.
Arlen’s mysterious behavior is now explained. Though it didn’t make any sense to Emily.
“Leton.”
Eli’s voice sounded as if he had known of their presence beforehand.
“Yes, My Lord.”
Leton stepped out of the hall.
“What about the rumors?”
“I’m sure it’s all over social circles by now. The Marquis may be in trouble for a while. As for Lady Miles, it goes without saying.”
Eli had timed the rumor to coincide with Marie’s departure for Shuban.
The family meeting had only just been concluded, but to him, the outcome had been a foregone conclusion from the moment he left Zenfield.
So, he had already involved Marie Grit along with Arlen Mile.
Perhaps when Arlen arrived in the capital, she too would find herself in quite a predicament. No matter how much of an image she had built up, scandals with the Emperor were sure to stir everyone’s interest.
Eli nodded in understanding.
“Mother is allowed to communicate until her expulsion is finalized. That way, she’ll know all the facts.”
He’d sent a separate letter to the Emperor, Arlen’s scandalous counterpart. It should have arrived by now, Eli thought as he paced.
* * *
“A letter from the Marquis of Grit.”
“I haven’t heard that name in a long time.”
With a subtle sneer, Shannua took the letter.
It was rare for Eli to send him letters, so he opened it with a puzzled expression.
“He’s finally back from my long vacation……”
But before he could finish reading, Shannua frowned.
“Dice. I want you to confirm all the rumors going around the social circle.”
“What?”
“Right now.”
“Yes.”
The chamberlain hurried out, and Shannua finished reading the letter.
It was a kindly note, warning him that the scandal with Arlen would spread and that he would now claim the wedding gift he’d promised, and it was not to harm his wife or the whole marquisate of Grit.
He even added that he wouldn’t question Shannua for not telling him about Ruby’s contact with Sorvan. This left him speechless.
The purpose was to let them deal with it themselves, as it was Shannua who stabbed him in the back first.
“It’s time to make a decision…….”
Shannua thought back to the words in Eli’s last letter.
He wasn’t surprised, as he’d figured it was something he’d have to face at some point unless he let go of Arlen. It was just a feeling of what was coming.
He wondered how Arlen would react to the news.
A while later, Dice returned with the already-well-known rumors.
* * *
“Welcome.”
Dominic welcomed Aaron, and he naturally kissed her cheek.
“Hey, how was your day?”
“Just the same as always.”
Ruby smiled wryly, their conversation sounding like that of a married couple.
“Ruby.”
“It’s always a struggle.”
“Don’t be silly; it’s an honor.”
Aaron said it as if it were no big deal.
The house felt quieter now that Eli and Leton were gone than it had before.
Aaron and Dominic, who had enjoyed going out on dates when they were together, now spend most of their evenings with Ruby.
He was a little worried about Ruby being on her own.
“Why don’t you sit down and I’ll get the wine.”
Dominic took more care of Ruby than before.
She didn’t seem to notice, but since the Marquis had left, she had lost a lot of energy.
Her lethargy had increased. Just this afternoon, for example.
“My lady.”
Dominic called Ruby, who had been standing still for a long time, holding laundry.
“Yes?”
Ruby snapped out of her daze and looked up at Dominic.
“Shall I take this?”
“Ah…….”
The basket brought back for laundry was empty. Ruby was left with just one piece of clothing, meaning Dominic had already finished the rest.
“Sorry. I’ll get the basket.”
Ruby quickly folded the last load of laundry and carried the basket back into the mansion.
Dominic sighed softly as he recalled the day’s events.
And it wasn’t just today.
She seemed so much happier here with the Marquis than she had been in Devenshire, which made the void seem even greater.
“It’s better with more space, isn’t it?”
Aaron asked, deliberately taking advantage of the lack of people.
“Yeah. Maybe I should have kicked them all out a long time ago.”
Ruby realized he meant it as a favor to her, so she returned it playfully.
Aaron couldn’t help but chuckle at her unexpected humor.
From what Dominic had heard, both Eli and his wife, Ruby, were of high nobility, but neither of them seemed to be pushy about their titles.
Aaron had tried to correct their titles once he confirmed the fact he had only vaguely known, but Eli and Ruby didn’t seem to pay much attention as usual.
“I’m just realizing how the house used to be.”
He looked around the parlor at Ruby’s words. The feeling of spaciousness and the clearer view of the house structure and decorations were noticeable.
As his eyes scanned the house, Aaron’s gaze landed on a spot.
“That’s where he put that.”
With that, Aaron got up, picked up the item he had referred to, and placed it on the table.
It was a bird-shaped sculpture.
“I made that.”
Aaron said it with pride.
“Really? You did a great job.”
Ruby replied, thinking that Aaron must have given it to Dominic as a gift.
“It’s a bird that’s famous in Zenfield for its good fortune, so a lot of newlyweds buy it. They say that if you place it in your house, it will improve your fortune.”
“I’ve never heard that before.”
“Really? I’ve explained it to him.”
He shook his head at Ruby’s puzzled response.
“The Lord himself bought it.”
“Eli?”
Ruby had never heard of him before. She hadn’t even realized it was there until Aaron said it.
“He bought it when he asked for the fence. He bought it as soon as I told him about the luck it brought in marriages.”
‘I see.’
Ruby couldn’t take her eyes off the bird sculpture as she listened.
One more thing to remind her of him.
Eli was everywhere in this mansion now. She couldn’t help but think of the ceramics, tea cups, utensils, and even cleaning supplies he’d bought for the house.
She even remembers the conversation she had with him when he brought her cleaning supplies.
Before accepting him, she had pushed him away for quite a while, she thought, but during that time, he had seeped into this mansion to this extent.
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kadycat88
Wow. This chapter made it worth it reading this utter trash romance
No offense on the translation team ofc. I just meant like the life of these imaginary people. Kind of like being annoyed at your noisy neighbours to the point you kept waking up at night to their noises, then finding police months after and see some stand off and get to witness it front seat.