It would be normal to feel sick to her stomach. How could anyone remain calm after seeing that insignificant face?

‘I no longer have feelings for your husband.’

Gloria’s words irritated her. How could she say that? What was she trying to do now?

“She told me to get a divorce.”

Of course, Gloria hadn’t said that exactly, but,

‘Could it be that you want a divorce?’

Wasn’t that essentially telling her to get divorced?

Dale’s sharp eyes twitched slightly.

“Dale, aren’t you curious? Whether that woman truly lost her memory, what she did with my husband all this time.”

“Not particularly.”

“I thought so. You’d only be curious about how I feel.”

“Yes. You’re right.”

Isabel’s mood improved slightly at his seamless response.

“Then come here. Comfort me.”

She patted the sofa beside her again. This time, Dale rose from his seat.

Dale and Isabel sat facing each other on the same sofa. Isabel slowly rested her forehead against his shoulder. She felt his hand gently patting her back. Isabel chuckled at this genuine attempt to comfort her.

“He’s never done this for me.”

It couldn’t be helped. Only Jack Deviers could make her sad.

Dale’s hand paused briefly, but Isabel ignored it. She closed her eyes tightly.

He said he wasn’t curious, but Isabel was.

How on earth had things turned out this way?

Gloria Peyton. That woman was supposed to love her husband.

That had been the plan.

Gloria acting so independently was extremely inconvenient for Isabel.

※※※

Gloria mixed paint on her brush. Once the desired color appeared on her palette, she applied it to the sketch. The process repeated itself.

The reception room was always quiet, but today the silence felt particularly heavy.

Gloria had been in a bad mood even before arriving at the mansion. No, since meeting Isabel, her mood showed no signs of improving.

Just because Dona had confessed everything didn’t mean she had become trustworthy.

Due to potential risks, Gloria hadn’t gone to Peter’s studio. Confined to the annex for days like when she first arrived, she felt utterly depressed.

When the day to meet Dale came around again, Gloria left the mansion with Dona.

Dona’s story had been true. The shabby house, siblings wearing worn clothes greeting their eldest, and her mother lying in a room with thin rays of sunlight filtering through.

‘Mother, has a doctor visited you recently?’

The middle-aged woman, in the midst of coughing, shook her head. After looking around inside, Gloria silently left the house.

She handed a ring to Dona who followed her out. It was one of many accessories piled in her jewelry box.

‘Sell this and use it for medicine.’

‘Miss……’

‘I can’t recruit a physician. Take your mother to a clinic, and tell me if you need more money.’

‘Miss, you don’t have to go this far for me, I……’

‘Dona, be smart. Would you leave your mother like that?’

Gloria couldn’t treat Dona like before. Doing so wouldn’t immediately restore their relationship. Seeing how Dona still couldn’t meet her eyes, being cold seemed better.

‘I’m not helping you. I’m exploiting your weakness. You dealt well enough with the Duchess.’

‘But…… you’re different, Miss.’

Though it wasn’t much of a reason, Gloria couldn’t find a retort. So she changed the subject.

‘I’ll be watching you for a while. I’ll send people here regularly too.’

‘I understand.’

She had tried to be cold, but it wasn’t easy. It simply didn’t suit her temperament.

‘I must be the only mistress in the world begging her maid to use her.’

Gloria forcibly placed the ring in Dona’s hand.

‘Who else would guard the annex but you? You know too much, and at this point, it’s not easy to lock you in the basement and find a new maid. I don’t have time for that. As you know, I’m quite busy.’

Even to herself, it sounded incredibly naive. Gloria swallowed a sigh.

She’d only recently realized that being a villain required talent. Just because she’d transmigrated into a rude person’s body didn’t mean her own decency had disappeared.

But anxiety was anxiety, so Gloria accompanied Dona until she sold the ring, took her mother to a clinic, and returned to the mansion before heading to Peter’s studio.

‘It’s been a while since you came.’

When she finally showed her face at the studio she usually visited daily, Peter subtly showed his pleasure.

‘I’m sorry. Something came up, so I might not be able to come often for a while. I’ll try to minimize any inconvenience to you, Master.’

Peter didn’t ask what had happened.

That was fortunate. Gloria quickly changed clothes behind the silent Peter. Having deliberately taken a longer route, she needed to leave for the Clyde comital residence right away to be on time.

Just as she finished preparing and was about to leave the studio, Peter stopped her.

‘Where will you be working?’

He was holding the gloves she had forgotten to take. Gloria received them and said:

‘I’ll do simple work at home. I’ll just stop by briefly on the days I visit Dale, since I need to borrow clothes.’

‘I don’t know what’s happening, but come back anytime when things are resolved.’

‘Thank you, Master. I should get my own studio soon anyway.’

The reason she sold paintings while living in a wealthy household wasn’t complicated. It was her personal desire not to use the Peyton family capital in establishing herself as J.

Peter, who knew Gloria was saving her earnings, didn’t add anything more.

Having rushed to the Count’s residence, she was distracted and in a poor mood even while meeting Dale.

—Have you been well?

To her ceremonial greeting, Dale replied briefly.

‘Yes.’

Gloria glanced at him while setting up her sketchbook on the easel. Dale didn’t look particularly happy either.

‘Well, when has he ever been in a good mood?’

She silently prepared to paint. Dale stood in exactly the same position, same posture, and same angle as last time.

After looking back and forth between the painting and him, Gloria confirmed she had no further instructions and quietly began to paint.

Normally, unless Gloria asked questions about the painting first, there was no lively conversation between them. So this silence was normal.

Even without speaking, there was plenty to think about.

Gloria let her mind, filled with thoughts of Isabel, wander freely.

Mostly about the possibility of Isabel interfering with Peter, Dona, herself, and her family.

No matter how powerful the Ducal family was, Gloria was also a high-ranking noble. Isabel would act cautiously to avoid turning this into an inter-family issue.

‘Perhaps that’s why she came to me directly instead of my brother.’

If she had come for a divorce, eventually it would become nationwide gossip. A ducal couple’s divorce would certainly be a major event.

Gloria’s reputation plummeting was an inevitable consequence.

‘Did she calculate that I care more about painting than high society? Or was she just threatening me blindly?’

In that sense, some of Isabel’s actions didn’t make sense.

‘How much does Isabel know about me? How much can she find out?’

Gloria picked up her brush and applied it flatly to the canvas. Perhaps even standing here wasn’t safe anymore.

If the information Isabel knew truly came only from Dona, it wasn’t sufficient. Did that mean she underestimated Gloria, or did she have more informants besides Dona?

These thoughts had consumed her for days. Adding Dona and Peter to the mix made things even more complicated.

In this world, was it easy for nobles to harm commoners? Wouldn’t crimes against people be strictly punished even for nobles?

Gloria knew little about this world. That’s why she’d been shutting herself in the library every morning, reading whatever she could find, and organizing her thoughts on paper when they became tangled.

No proper conclusions emerged, of course. She could only worry and fret.

The tea party invitation from Isabel had already arrived.

“I’ve always hated going to appointments.”

Even as Kang Jae-hee, she might enjoy meeting friends occasionally, but afterward she’d stay home for at least a week, recharging. She fundamentally disliked going out.

When appointments got canceled, she felt excited rather than disappointed, and rarely initiated contact.

Staying cooped up at home was the most fun thing in the world for her.

But that was no longer possible. People having affairs needed to be more diligent than anyone.

The invitation read:

To Dear Lady Gloria,

It seems like just yesterday that I watched your debutante from afar, but reflecting on that day, it’s been almost a year already.

I’ve heard that many things have happened to you since then.

I’m sending this letter hoping I might be of some help.

Do you know who I am, Miss Gloria?

While I’m still far from becoming an exemplary adult, as a senior who has formed a wonderful marriage and warm home, I think I have many stories to share with you.

Fate is something we never know when or where we might encounter. Sometimes, someone’s intention can be a coincidence for one person and destiny for another.