Chapter 10

No way.

No, that’s just speculation.

Carlisle stopped thinking and let out a faint laugh. Even if Yvonne had merely stopped by and glanced at the blueprints inside, the possibility that she obtained other information was extremely low.

His gaze, fixed on the darkness outside the window, grew somber.

He couldn’t understand his wife’s sudden actions. The woman who seemed more satisfied than anyone with the life of a duchess had filed for divorce herself—something he never expected.

Not only did she demand a divorce, which he thought she would never do herself, she tried to slander him as a violent husband. And now, she was meeting with the representative of his biggest rival company.

None of it matched the woman he thought he knew.

They lived together for three years, but from the start, she was someone he accepted as part of a transaction. However, she seemed to want to make the marriage genuine, and just a month after they married, she confessed her love to him.

Of course, he couldn’t simply believe her words.

‘I am Yvonne of the Sellus Earldom.’

The moment he first met her, he felt something strange for the first time in his life.

With her late debut in society, Yvonne’s first impression caused a stir—she was so pure and beautiful that she naturally brought to mind a white flower, the symbol of innocence and nobility. Her graceful movements were as elegant as a swan, displaying the noble dignity of her class, and she was a model of etiquette with not a single flaw.

Lily of the Sellus Earldom.

Rumors said the Earl and Countess, who loved their daughter dearly, gave her the nickname Lily and raised her with great devotion, and it was no exaggeration.

Still, how could someone look like that?

Even someone like him, who was usually unimpressed by appearances, could understand why men would gape like fools in front of her.

But her next words immediately ruined his mood.

‘I have no room in my heart. The one I’m waiting for is on his way from Karau.’

She spoke something so out of place and then fell silent. Ha. Why did she come to this meeting, then? He was left speechless, and suddenly tears welled up in her eyes. It was bizarre.

He was annoyed by her crying at his face, but as a gentleman, he tried to hand her his handkerchief, only to drop it as he knelt to pick it up—just as the Earl burst in, making a fuss about a marriage proposal.

He could have ignored it, but there was no reason to refuse.

Four years ago, a civil war broke out in the Benoit Kingdom. The queen asked the king for help, and he ordered the royal family to assist the Benoit royal house.

Carlisle supplied munitions to the royal family, not the revolutionary rebels. But within a week, the royal family fell, and the revolutionaries who led the royals to the guillotine were found to have used weap*ns from Rein Kleint, leading to suspicions that he had aided them.

He faced the king’s wrath and nearly got accused of supporting revolutionary movements in Windfog—a charge of treason. The one who helped him then was Earl Sellus. At the time, Earl Sellus was in Benoit for trade, and testified that forces targeting his company’s goods had mistaken Sellus Trading Company’s warehouse for Rein Kleint’s munitions warehouse and stolen the weap*ns. Thanks to his testimony, Carlisle was cleared of the royal family’s suspicions. In exchange, Earl Sellus demanded marriage with Yvonne.

There were many doubts about how the Earl knew and suddenly testified, but at the time, it was the only way to easily overcome the king’s fiery anger for losing his family to the guillotine.

Since it was a political marriage, he thought repaying the debt to the Earl would be no problem.

He didn’t care if she secretly met the man she said she loved. She was perfect as a wife in name only.

But then, a month later, she shyly smiled and confessed her love to him, and since then, she constantly interfered in his affairs. Despite claiming to have a cherished man, she seemed to want excessive attention from him, which was bewildering.

Their married life was always rocky, as each wanted to live their own life. In truth, he and Yvonne were incompatible in every way.

In the first year, she acted as if she had separation anxiety, always hovering around him, and whenever something displeased her, she ran to her family and cried, making the Earl rush over and tire everyone out.

In the second year, she sought his attention with strange antics—showing up at his company in clothes fit for a courtesan, insisting on accompanying him on overseas business trips, and buying dresses only to tear them all up in a fit of extravagance.

In the third year, she rarely stayed at the mansion. Reports said she regularly visited questionable areas, and rumors spread that she had secret meetings with men.

Her erratic behavior was unpleasant, but the hardest thing to endure was her childish habit of running to her family and not returning at every opportunity.

Despite maintaining proper decorum, their relationship was completely broken by a childish act she committed six months ago.

Because of that, a deal he’d prepared for a year fell through, resulting in a huge compensation claim and serious damage to the company’s image.

‘Isn’t my birthday more important than some deal?’

Because of something as trivial as a birthday, she ruined his business, and instead of apologizing, she ran to her family and didn’t return for a month.

After that, when she suddenly brought divorce papers, he thought it was just another show.

She was devoted to her parents and knew she shouldn’t let go of him, who had invested a large sum in the almost-bankrupt Sellus Trading Company.

But she submitted the divorce papers and continued to act in ways he couldn’t understand.

Whatever her intentions, it was sure to cause him harm.

And now, choosing Ethan made him even more suspicious.

A hurried knock broke his thoughts. With his permission, Henry entered and bowed.

“We’ve received word from our informants in the palace.”

“What is it?”

“Queen Louise, who has been secluded for four years, has recovered and announced she will hold a salon.”

* * *

Ethan got into the car after leaving Lisian House, and Jayde gently started the engine.

“The meeting must have gone well. I don’t see any marks from a slap.”

“Jayde, you see me as too much of a scoundrel.”

“And why wouldn’t I? I’ve been running around to keep your name out of the news. If you pity me, try to restrain yourself.”

Ethan placed his hand on Jayde’s left shoulder and gently patted him.

“I pay you enough, don’t I? That salary includes keeping your mouth shut.”

“……”

Jayde read the implied meaning in Ethan’s playful words and shut his mouth. After ten years at Ethan’s side, he knew better than anyone that mistaking that smiling face could lead to trouble.

Still, no matter how intimidating the threats, it was part of his job to speak up when necessary.

“Even if the divorce papers were submitted, now that Duke Carlisle Polshared knows, he’ll suspect your intentions.”

“That’s what I want. The photos came out well, so he’s probably looking at them right now.”

“What will you do?”

“What else? She was Carlisle’s wife. Isn’t she a perfect shot?”

“I’m not sure. He signed the divorce papers without hesitation.”

“You don’t know enough. Maybe he did it out of pride, not because he wanted to. At least it’ll shake him up.”

Just as he hadn’t hidden things from Yvonne, Ethan had ordered the reporters to release the extra edition at the same time. He wanted Carlisle to see the photo during his meeting.

It was a government meeting, so he couldn’t lose his temper openly—he must have acted dignified.

“Too bad. I wish I could have seen his expression.”

Probably his usual stoic face.

Or maybe he lost his composure and showed his bad temper.

“If he knew it was me, he’d be furious.”

Thinking about Carlisle being upset made Ethan happy, even though he regretted not seeing it.

“Still, it was quite successful. Not bad.”

“Does Lady Yvonne really have information about Rein Kleint? That man would never share such secrets with anyone.”

“She does. And it’s better than expected.”

A sly smile curled on Ethan’s lips.

“It’s going to get interesting.”

Jayde realized Ethan had a solid plan. Despite his light demeanor, whenever Ethan was truly serious, he always used the word ‘interesting.’

He said the same when he expanded Goldright’s business into munitions, and when he founded Avandonasser before that.

“Let’s go to Avandonasser instead of the company.”

“Are you planning to celebrate already?”

Avandonasser was a club Ethan opened before Goldright.

At night, the social club on Fleet Avenue shone with dazzling lights, gathering information from politicians and businesspeople of various countries.

“No, it’s too soon for a toast. First, I need to dig up some information.”

The car, which had been heading toward Goldright’s headquarters on Crown Avenue, changed direction.

Ethan gazed lazily out the window as the scenery quickly changed.

The sky was cloudy, as if rain was coming. As expected, night brought gray clouds and rain to Aerondo.

That day, too, the sky was gloomy all day, as if a storm was about to break. The day he unexpectedly met Yvonne had a somber atmosphere, just like today.