Roberto nodded.

“And thank you for coming to pick me up like this.”

“…It was on my way. I thought it would be nice to pick you up on the way home, so I stopped by. Please don’t feel burdened. Ahem.”

Ah, this is a lie.

He really can’t tell a lie.

By adding an unnatural cough, it was clear that Roberto had deliberately come to pick up Berenice.

‘He’s really good at acting.’

Not only the others but Berenice herself was almost taken in.

In fact, it was true that Roberto had come this far because of Berenice. 

He couldn’t stay still ever since he heard the news of Berenice going out.

He still felt uneasy about the incident at the restaurant where Livio threatened Berenice.

Even though he knew there was security, he felt more at ease this way.

As Berenice mentioned, Cyrilov was playing a very effective role as a shield against Livio.

But Roberto didn’t want to unearth past wounds by being honest with Berenice about it.

“Even if you’re just stopping by on your way, thank you.”

Berenice spoke as she met Roberto’s gaze.

She felt her face getting hot, but she couldn’t avoid that gaze.

It was as though she was captivated by those golden eyes.

The one who loves first loses.

It was the affection and warmth that she had never felt from Livio Cornell.

Berenice added to the silent Roberto,

“Even if you came to pick me up on purpose, thank you.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes.”

“I seriously didn’t, Berenice.”

Berenice lightly nodded as if it didn’t matter, in response to Roberto’s straightforward answer.

Even at this moment, he was a sincere person.

A sense of gratitude for Roberto, who had made her feel a moment of excitement, took root within her.

It was insignificant and fragile, yet definite.

Chapter 4. Jealousy

Livio was fined, as Berenice had guessed.

But Livio did not see it that way. For him, the outcome was not just unfair, it was too unfair.

‘Even so, why go this far for me?’

Of course, Livio acknowledges his mistake to Berenice. But weren’t the emotions between him and Berenice enough to outweigh that mistake?

“I’ll never forgive you.”

Livio gritted his teeth.

No matter what, it’s true that the two spent time as a married couple. 

Adding to the already-burning Livio, Mrs. Cornell set him further on fire.

“If a woman is not very affectionate, the man will wander. I never liked her from the beginning, anyway. And look at how shameless she is with those rumors spreading when it’s still too soon since you’ve divorced? Thanks to her, the reputation of the Cornells is in ruins, it’s at rock bottom.”

Livio sat crookedly and pursed his lips.

‘What’s the big deal? You won’t even forgive me, or you won’t drop the charges. You think I’ll just have to stay still. What did I do to you!’

He internally repeated Berenice’s name while grinding his teeth.

The memory of Berenice’s gentle face, whispering like a flower, came vividly to mind.

She had always supported and accommodated Livio no matter what, but now that she seemed to be ignoring him, it only made Livio more furious.

As much as Berenice loved Livio, he hadn’t treated her the same way.

‘Even after saying you love me. You said you’d always be on my side, no matter what!’

It was all a lie.

That cunning woman had deceived Livio.

No matter how many times he thought about it, Berenice’s actions were unforgivable.

Livio, who had been lying slumped in his chair, suddenly rose to his feet.

“Where are you going?”

Livio responded gruffly to Mrs. Cornell’s words.

“What’s the point of staying at home feeling like this? I need a change of mood.”

“Where are you trying to go! Why are you making such a fuss over such a meager amount of money? Livio.”

“It’s not about the money, okay? Berenice is the problem! Don’t look for me for a while.”

Mrs. Cornell sighed as Livio walked past her.

He rushed down the stairs, unconcerned about his disheveled appearance, and called for the butler to prepare the carriage.

The coachman, keeping an eye on Livio, asked, 

“Where are you going?”

“Where else! I’m going to Lorellian.”

To Lorellian.

“Yes, Count.”

The coachman wrinkled his face discreetly.

Lorellian was a salon arranged by exotic women. However, unlike a typical salon, courtesans gathered in Lorellian.

It seemed pathetic that Livio was still playing with courtesans at this point and even in this situation.

Even when Berenice was in the mansion, he would sneak back and forth to Lorellian to mock her, so why would it be any different now?

With Berenice, he didn’t do more, but now that she’s gone, he’s taking things further.

The carriage carrying Livio soon arrived at Lorellian.

The road was so familiar that it almost felt like he was on the way home.

The ornate doors of Lorellian opened for Livio.

All the while, Livio was continuously pondering Berenice’s actions.

The woman who not only refused to meet him but also accused him.

In this world, what kind of woman would accuse her husband? Just thinking about it made his blood boil and anger build up in his chest.

“Ha…”

What’s more, she criticized Livio for meeting other women while she herself was meeting other men. There was hardly anyone in society who didn’t know about the rumored romance between Berenice and Roberto. So of course, Livio had also heard about their rumored romance.

He followed her to the opera, and they kept the curtain down the whole time?

And he had even followed her to a tea party without notice.

“This is ridiculous.”

Livio muttered to himself and stepped into Lorellian.

The courtesans who were guarding Lorellian chuckled and flocked around Livio.

From the moment he entered, the courtesans held back their discomfort and tried to lighten his mood with their flattering words.

“Oh my, why does our handsome Count look so sad? That doesn’t mean you look ugly, of course.”

“My dear Count, today you appear even more manly.”

“Even though you always dealt with difficult matters outside, you maintained such good looks… Count, you’re truly very handsome.”

They were all empty words.

They were merely praising Livio’s appearance, truly insignificant.

It seemed like they were saying that there was nothing to commend about Livio except his appearance.

However, as someone who valued his appearance, those words were more important to Livio than anything else.

As the courtesans observed Livio gradually loosening up, they inwardly sneered at him.

‘He’s truly an easy man.;

‘A noble lady like the countess couldn’t possibly handle a man like this. How did she endure it?’

Unaware of their thoughts, Livio wrapped his arms around the shoulders of the courtesans and said, 

“Who am I to cut off my feet when there are such pretty people around? My ex-wife, you see, she didn’t have a single charming side to her like this.”

“Ex-wife?”

“Yes, Berenice. Why not get a divorce? Lately, she seems like a completely different person, like she ate something wrong. Even though she doesn’t have a charming point, she still has that shy smile. She used to listen well.”

The courtesans grabbed Livio’s hand, smiled broadly, and led him inside.

But each of them shared the same thoughts.

‘Comparing his wife to a courtesan. He must be completely insane.’

‘No wonder he’s heading for a divorce, right?’

‘He looks like a pathetic fool.’

It’s stupid of him to take the courtesans’ words to heart.

People had been pointing fingers at Livio like that.

Fortunately, the courtesans of Lorellian were people with a strong sense of professionalism.

They did not make the mistake of revealing their true thoughts.

Instead, they echoed Livio’s words to cater to his mood.

“If someone is disturbing Count Livio, I will take care of them. Bring them all here!”

“Flatten the bridge on their noses¹used metaphorically to describe the act of humbling or defeating someone, bringing them down a notch in terms of pride or arrogance. Our Count is capable of anything, right?”

Livio snorted and sniffed in response to their whispering.

‘That’s right. I can’t just stay quiet like this.’

It was damaging to the reputation of the Cornells, and it’s tarnishing Livio’s honor.

He needed to give Berenice a proper lesson so she could come to her senses and return to her previous self. Seeing Berenice apologize and admit her wrongs to Livio seemed like the key to resolving the situation.

‘I shouldn’t just easily accept it. Whether she cries and begs for forgiveness, who knows. Whatever.’

Still, Berenice was the mistress of Cornell, so he had to accept it.

Livio chuckled and cleared his throat.

***

Of course, the news that had reached Livio had also reached Berenice.

It had adorned the headlines of the weekly newspapers.

It was rare for an ex-wife to accuse her ex-husband.

And since Roberto was involved in the incident, the weekly newspapers had been noisy for days.

People started to chatter about how the relationship between Roberto and Berenice had begun since that time and began to discuss their destiny.

As a result, the shade on Livio loomed large.

Some criticized Berenice for accusing Livio.

They questioned whether it was necessary for her to go to such lengths.

Considering they had lived together.

On the other hand, some supported Berenice.

People in similar situations supported Berenice in properly punishing her unfaithful husband.

‘Just a fine…?’

Berenice smiled bitterly as she worked in her office.

Even though she knew and suspected it, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Even if one is guilty, those with money and high status go unpunished.

Despite being part of this irrational world, Berenice was thoroughly fed up with the world, to the point of disgust.

Lately, things had been going well with Roberto, which had put her in a good mood, but now it felt like she was stuck in a swamp.

Still, if there was one thing she hoped for.

‘After all I’ve done, maybe Livio will stop obsessing over me.’

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  used metaphorically to describe the act of humbling or defeating someone, bringing them down a notch in terms of pride or arrogance