Chapter 15

“I heard everything from the maids.”

Even Lady Eteil’s always-elegant, noble voice was laced with fury.

It was a rage even deeper than Edward’s.

“Mother… it’s not what you think—”

“How vulgar. What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

The maid who’d followed Lady Eteil in shut the bedroom door tightly and stood guard in front of it, making sure that not a sound would escape.

In other words, whatever was said in this room would not make it outside.

She’s really furious. She means to see this through to the end.

Lady Eteil’s gaze was like a cat staring down a cornered mouse.

“Is this what you learned at the House of Scarlett? What kind of education makes you think it’s acceptable to use a potion like that on your husband? Lirie!”

“I swear I never intended to use the potion. My father gave it to me, but even that I disposed of. Shouldn’t you be more concerned with finding the real culprit who’s trying to frame me, rather than punishing me?”

Barely holding myself together, I spoke as calmly as I could, but Lady Eteil only laughed in disbelief and stepped closer, pressing her sharp-heeled shoe down onto my hand as I crouched on the floor.

The sudden, burning pain left me unable to even scream.

Seeing me like this, Betty covered her mouth with her hands, staring at Lady Eteil in horror.

“How vulgar—you can’t even admit your own fault and try to shift the blame onto the servants. To think my son’s wife would be this sort of person.”

“…Not once have you ever acknowledged me as the Duke’s wife,”

I said. At my words, Lady Eteil began to laugh, a sound full of scorn.

The elegant lady of noble society had vanished—she only looked terrifying now.

“If you know that so well, why not leave first? It’s not as if Edward will ever forgive you.”

“Staying at Winderton Castle will probably turn into hell for you.”

At those words, I realized it.

“…It was you, wasn’t it, Madame?”

That the one behind all this was Lady Eteil.

“So you’ve abandoned even calling me ‘Mother’ now?”

I’d grown careless after Sasha left Winderton Castle, failing to consider Lady Eteil.

“It was you. You’re the one who orchestrated all of this and told the Duke!”

Even as I spoke with certainty, she remained perfectly composed.

“Let’s be clear. The maid found the discarded vial, realized it was yours, and brought it to me for a solution, so I gave her one. Since Edward is the master of Winderton Castle, he needed to know about everything, didn’t he?”

“…Ha.”

The place where Lady Eteil’s heel had pressed against my hand was already turning dark with bruises.

But the pain was nothing compared to the cold betrayal that chilled me to my core.

In a way, I was almost grateful for that.

“If you wanted me gone, you could’ve used a different method.”

“As I said before, I didn’t orchestrate any of this. So, since I haven’t even started anything, you’d best leave now.”

With a voice full of false concern, Lady Eteil gave her advice and left the room.

Now that I knew the whole truth, my tears dried up.

Shaking out my aching hand, I slowly got up from the floor.

“My lady… what on earth is going on?”

Betty, gently holding my bruised hand, wept pitiful tears.

“Betty. Why are you crying? I’m all right, so stop now.”

“Why do you have to endure this, my lady? Why don’t we run away, right now, together?”

How sad must she be, to suggest we run away.

‘Really, Betty… maybe running away wouldn’t be so bad.’

But again, I hid my true feelings.

Foolishly, I still had Edward in my heart.

It was ridiculous to cling to him after everything, but I couldn’t help it.

‘No one can control their own emotions.’

So, I decided to endure.

Edward would never forgive me, and he’d push me right to the edge of the cliff.

If I couldn’t hold on at the edge he’d driven me to, only then would I finally find peace.

Until Edward drove me to that point, I planned to endure. It felt like that day was coming soon.

I knew myself well. I knew just how broken I already was, and how much longer I could possibly last.

***

After that day—the day the potion was discovered in my room—my situation changed for the worse.

“Hello, my lady.”

The maids now greeted me with lukewarm politeness.

“…Yes.”

I returned their greetings and nodded, but as soon as they passed, I could hear their sneering laughter behind me.

‘Honestly, I wish they wouldn’t greet me at all.’

I knew. I knew full well that they were gossiping behind my back.

Branded a vulgar woman—unloved, desperate for a child, trying to seduce my husband.

The servants considered it shameful that someone like me was the mistress of the house.

But more than their scorn and gossip, it was Edward’s suddenly colder attitude that hurt me most.

“Duke, you’re back.”

In the past, I at least tried to meet his gaze for the sake of appearances, but not anymore.

Meeting his eyes, full of brutal hatred, was unbearably painful.

“Why are you here? I told you clearly I didn’t want to see you.”

I greeted Edward as he returned from work, but he only sneered at me in a cold voice.

“…So you’ve decided to try a new method now?”

“What?”

Edward stepped closer to me.

“Since the potion failed, I’m curious how you’ll try to seduce me next, Madam.”

“No, it’s not like that…”

When Edward, so much larger than me, drew close, an instinctive fear overwhelmed me.

“With all this effort, I’m starting to think maybe I should give in just once.”

“……”

He spat a curse under his breath, then grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the bedroom.

“Duke!”

“Just shut that mouth of yours.”

Edward forced me down on the large bed.

His strength made it impossible for me to escape.

Tears rolled down my cheeks in fear.

“P-please, don’t do this. Please…”

“So now you’re trying to appeal to me with tears?”

As I lay on the bed crying, Edward looked at me as if I were a disgusting insect.

Not even a stray dog or a pauper in the slums could be as miserable as I was.

“Go tell your father this: I will never have a child with a Scarlett.”

“Just divorce me… please…”

At this point, divorce seemed better than living like this.

“Divorce is what I want most. Who do you think is keeping me from divorcing you!”

It was probably my father, the Duke of Scarlett, and His Majesty the Emperor.

Edward looked at me as if I utterly disgusted him.

Seeing him like that hurt even more.

“Don’t test my patience. If you want to remain the mistress of Winderton Castle until we divorce, then stay locked up in your room and keep quiet.”

“Hic…”

I asked him to listen to me, but Edward wouldn’t.

He believed every word from my mouth was a lie, and trying to convince him was nearly impossible.

“Stay quiet.”

“……”

Edward left only those words behind as he exited the bedroom.

All that remained was the sound of my sobbing, and bright red marks on my wrist.

The old scars from my childhood were hidden by the new marks.

“Ha… I can’t breathe, I really can’t…”

I was about to lose my mind.

It felt like someone was inside my head, crying, and my skull throbbed as if it might split open.

To numb the pain, I tore at my once-beautiful sky-blue hair, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Please… someone, anyone, save me…”

No one heard. I was crying for help in a place where no one could hear.

As I was struggling to breathe, about to lose consciousness, Betty entered the bedroom.

“My lady! Are you all right?”

Seeing how much I was suffering, Betty rushed to pat my back.

“I need a favor.”

“Anything, my lady.”

“I want to sleep… but I can’t. Could you get me some sleeping pills?”

Betty quickly nodded and ran out to get them. I took two pills and lay down on the bed.

“My lady, sleep well.”

“…Okay.”

I wished I wouldn’t wake up until morning—no, it would have been better if I never woke up again for the rest of my life…

Of course, that wouldn’t happen. But I let myself fall asleep, thinking such thoughts.