Chapter 3

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As if immersed in cold water for a long time, her body felt numb and heavy.

“Lady!!”

“…”

In an instant, Ines opened her eyes.

“Haaaaa… !”

“Oh my God, Lady! What is this, look at the cold sweat!”

The startled maid wiped Ines’ forehead with a handkerchief.

“You must have been tired, and on such an important day, you fainted.”

“… … … … An important day?”

Ines blinked blankly.

Then the maid made a bewildered face.

“Today is your wedding anniversary. You were so looking forward to it and prepared the supper yourself.”

“Wedding anniversary…?”

For a moment, Ines trembled.

Wedding anniversary.

The word struck her as eerily as a blade.

“Oh, what’s the date today?”

“It is May 28, 1825.”

In response to that strange answer, Ines froze.

That was the day.

Three years ago from the day she lost her life.

The day she first witnessed an affair between her husband and her close friend.

It was the worst wedding anniversary of her life, and she’s back once again.

‘…… Unbelievable.’

Ines bit her lip hard.

Her whole body trembled like an aspen tree.

Shethought she was going to vomit right away, so she covered her mouth.

“Madam, your face is so haggard. Should I call the doctor?” 

The maid spoke carefully.

Ines, who was in confusion, suddenly came to her senses. 

‘Yeah, this is not the time for me to do this.’

At this moment, there was someone whom she should find out about his whereabouts first. That man.

“No, it’s okay. What about Ryan?”

For a moment, the maid stopped.

“That…..”

“He still hasn’t returned?”

The maid bowed her head sullenly, as if she had done something wrong.

“Yes…”

Feeling indescribable, Ines bit her molars.

“I see….”

It seemed that Ryan was having a hot time with Charlotte at the Studio right now.

It was rather fortunate.

If she sees his face right now, she will definitely not be able to overcome the feeling of being humiliated.

“I was preparing supper……”

Ines, who muttered like a sigh, got up.

She walked slowly to the dining room.

A clean dining with no dust left behind.

In the middle was a table that was carefully set up. It was the table that Ines had set up with her own hands.

Wine, candlesticks, food, tablecloths, and even the flowers that decorated the table.

There was nothing she couldn’t reach. Among them, Ines looked down at the flowers in the vase.

The roses that were bright red to the point of making her eyes blinded.

It resembled Charlotte’s hair.

“It really wasn’t a dream.”

Ines muttered in a frustrated voice.

She sincerely hoped all of this to be a bad dream.

However, on the day of her wedding anniversary, Ryan was absent, and painfully, everything she went through was a reality. 

‘Maybe if I go to the studio now…I’ll see Ryan and Charlotte mixing bodies.’

Ines, who was standing there blankly staring at the roses, picked up a rose and crushed it.

“Oh, Lady?”

The startled maid raised her voice.

Ines brushed away the crushed rose petals from her hands as if throwing away trash.

Then she ordered coldly.

“Take them all away.”

“Yes?”

“My husband won’t come home anyway.”

After saying those words, Ines turned around.

One step, two steps, three steps.

She was moving slowly, but eventually she could not stand it and fell to the floor.

“Lady? Lady!”

The startled maid tried to support Ines. Ines shook her head violently and pushed the maid’s hand away.

“It’s okay, it’s okay… “

As she habitually muttered, ‘It’s okay,’ she burst into tears.

It’s okay, what do you mean it’s okay?

It hurts my heart so much.

People who once thought she was everything in the world actually never loved her.

‘Just today, just today.’

I’m just going to be sad today and throw it all away.

She felt sorry for her former foolish self, for the affection she had for Ryan, for the friendship she had with Charlotte was so precious.

“Ahhhhhhhh……”

Ines cried out loud like a child.

****

A few days passed.

In the meantime, Ryan had been locked up in the studio under the pretext of painting, so he couldn’t even go home.

In the meantime, Ines made up her mind. 

‘I guess the secret meeting with Charlotte is that sweet.’

Ines sneered coldly.

Let the sadness that felt like the whole world collapsed pass by.

Now, deep in her heart, only icy anger and betrayal remained.

‘I’ve been sad enough so far.’

‘I can’t cry forever.’

Anyway, the relationship with Ryan was already over.

If so, shouldn’t she have to change a little more realistically now?

The first thing to do was…..

‘Get back everything that was stolen by Ryan.’

Ines clenched her fists.

It was Ryan who currently held the Brierton. There was no problem for women to inherit titles under the kingdom law, but the social atmosphere was a little different. 

“It’s unusual for a woman to hold a title.”

Ryan’s voice, who had spoken like a sympathetic person, still resonated in her ears.

“I will take over the title. It would look good too.”

“But….”

“I should have at least one noble title to show others.”

Ryan gently comforted Ines, who was hesitating.

“Ines, you say you love me. Wouldn’t you hate to see your husband wandering around in exhaustion?”

When she came to her senses, the Brierton was suddenly seized by Ryan. Other than that, the fortune that flowed to the Viscount Gott, Ines’ in-laws, was considerable. Even though it was the amount that had already been applied, she found out that there were quite a few that received business funds in the name of Brierton.

‘Of course, the businesses are repeatedly being ruined.’

After removing the blind love for Ryan, the reality was so clear.

‘What the hell have I been doing all this time?’

Ines sighed deeply, feeling pathetic.

First of all, divorce from Ryan was an urgent priority. However, according to the Kingdom Law, in order for the divorce of nobles to be established, they must obtain the king’s permission.

It was conservative country.

‘There is no way the divorce will be granted unless it becomes an issue.’

At that moment.

Dark green eyes turned to the small painting on the table. It was a picture drawn by Ines herself.

Because it was known to the world as Ryan’s work, it recited a huge amount of money because it was the work of a famous painter.

‘Wait a minute.’

Ines jumped up from her seat and picked up the frame.

‘By the way, I painted this picture, right?’

In fact, Ryan barely learned basic painting skills.

He only knew how to play with brushes, but he didn’t have the ability to draw a complete picture.

‘Then.’ 

As was the case with women taking over the title, Kingdom Lancaster did not think positively about women engaging in outdoor activities.

The woman took care of the house and stayed inside, and the man took care of the house by demonstrating his abilities outside.

That was the foundation of the kingdom.

Even so, if Ryan’s reputation as an artist was in fact fake was revealed?

‘It’s going to be a huge blow to Ryan.’

If his affair with Charlotte was added to that, it would be a huge scandal. 

‘Then I may be able to get permission from His Majesty!’

Ines’ eyes twinkled.

‘However, in order to scale up a scandal to the extent that divorce is possible, the help of the media is essential.’

Ines was once again deeply troubled. The most famous news agency in the kingdom today was Elton corporation, which published the best daily newspaper in the kingdom.

For its accuracy and excellent articles, Elton had a reputation not only in the kingdom but also in the entire continent.

And who currently owned Elton was.

‘The Duke of Sussex.’

Enoch Fitzroy von Lancaster.

A man whose nickname was more famous than the king. Enoch was a man with a unique background in many ways.

As a direct line of the royal family, he was a prince who had the right to succession to the throne after the current king.

However, he wanted to take over a media company that was suddenly in decline, but it had grown into one of the leading media companies in the kingdom.

Concentrating on business, he completely distanced himself from politics, and has now turned into a full-fledged businessman.

Besides, his privacy was also clean.

Even though he has won the hearts of many women with his outstanding appearance, he had absolutely no history with women that could hurt the royal family.

However, that beauty and the basic aesthetic sense of Enoch were combined, everything that Enoch wore, ate, and used became a trend in the kingdom.

Of course, it was unknown if Enoch used his beauty strategically or if it happened somehow.

And Enoch generously showed his aesthetic sense in his own newspaper…

‘By the way, my work was once featured on the art page of Elton magazine.’

Since her work was published in Elton magazine, her husband, who was occasionally known, quickly became one of the best painters in the empire.

Now that she has returned to the past, her connection with Elton has disappeared.

‘To be honest… … I was a little happy back then.’

Although she couldn’t claim that it was her work, she still felt like her talent was recognized.

Ines’ expression, which had been relaxed for a while, soon became determined. 

‘Then I must somehow get help from the Duke of Sussex.’

How to get the Duke of Sussex’s attention?

There was no way to meet the Duke of Sussex in the first place….

While Ines was in trouble for a long time.

Bump!

The door suddenly opened without knocking.

A man strode into the room.

He combed his black hair back sleekly and wore a suit that fitted his body perfectly.

However, it was noticeable that his clothes were a little messy.

The features themselves were quite beautiful, but the pale lips and shiny gray eyes gave a mean feeling.

“Ines.”

Ines faced the man with an expressionless face.

The person who was fiercely glaring at her was Ines’s husband.

It was Count Brierton, Ryan Gott.