Chapter 23

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“What the hell is going on?”

“Isn’t that Countess Brierton?”

“I saw her at Elton. She had a painting at the exhibition of the Duke of Sussex this time…”

The hotel guests lowered their voices and whispered, but the Viscountess could hear everything. Viscountess Gott’s  face was wrinkled.

“What are you doing, Ines?”

“Mother.”

“An elder came to visit you, but you don’t even welcome me inside.” 

Despite Ines’ defensive attitude, the Viscountess did not care at all.

Rather, without Ines’ permission, she strode into the room and looked around.

Suite room with separate living room, parlor and bedroom. The wallpaper, bedding, and even the smallest daily necessities were luxurious.

“You have the pride of the Duke of Sussex, I can’t let you live inconveniently.”

It was a room that Enoch had personally reserved for Ines. The Viscountess’ eyes, who had been observing the room, became thin.

“You are so lucky, aren’t you?”

Then she began to guilt Ines.

“After you left the house like that, your husband stopped eating and drinking and became ill.”

‘No way.’

Ines almost burst out laughing out loud.

Maybe Ryan was hugging Charlotte and rolling around in bed right now.

‘I dared to confront my husband.’ Ines, who thought cynically, looked at the Viscountess.

“How did you get here?”

“That’s what you’re asking me now?!”

The Viscountess raised her voice in a rage.

“You don’t even ask if I had a hard time coming here! How can you be so selfish?”

“Mother.”

“As I said, I haven’t come to a place I shouldn’t have come.” 

The Viscountess looked at Ines without blinking.

“What’s wrong with me visiting my daughter-in-law?”

“Mother, as you may already have heard of it, I am going to divorce Ryan.”

“Divorce? Divorce?!”

The Viscountess burst out laughing as if amazed.

“Ines, what the hell are you thinking?”

“It’s just like I said.”

Contrary to the over-excited Viscountess, Ines still had a face as calm as a frozen lake.

“I don’t want to live with Ryan anymore.”

“Hey, it’s ridiculous! what? You don’t want to live as a married couple?”

The Viscountess narrowed her brow and approached Ines.

The long outstretched index finger poked Ines’ forehead. 

“You should know your subject, the orphaned girl who couldn’t even have a child!”

“…”

“How dare you try to drive out my precious son?!”

The Viscountess glared at Ines.

“Do you think it would be good for Brierton for you to behave this way?”

For a moment, Ines’ eyes flamed red. But the Viscountess had no idea of Ines’ anger.

It was because she was so obsessed with yelling as she used the excuse of being an elder.

“Do you want to see your family’s honor roll to the ground because of you?”

With that, the Viscountess raised the tip of her lips with satisfaction.

“Okay, at this point, you would have understood what I was saying, right?”

In fact, the judgment of the Viscountess was not so wrong.

If it was the Ines of the past, she would have bowed her head obediently if the Viscountess put pressure on her like this. 

But.

Ines reached out and grabbed the wrist of the Viscountess, who was about to poke Ines’s forehead once more. The Viscountess was astonished.

“Hey, what is this!”

“Touching people’s bodies recklessly is not an act that suits the dignity of a noblewoman.”

Seriously, what’s that girl talking about right now?

The Viscountess doubted her ears.

But Ines’s words were not over yet.

“Also, I fully understand your concern for the honor of the Brierton, mother.”

Ines smiled brightly.

Facing that smile, the Viscountess felt a chill down her spine for some reason. 

“But mother is a bit presumptuous.”

“Presumptuous?!”

“Yes. The reason Ryan was able to become Count of Brierton from the beginning was because I married him. Shouldn’t you be thankful instead?”

“What!”

The Viscountess squeaked, but Ines’s face remained calm.

“That means, from the moment the divorce is established.”

“Ines, what are you saying… … … !”

“Ryan is no longer Count of Brierton.”

It was like saying, ‘I’m going to have steak for lunch today’, just in a casual tone.

Ines dropped a bomb.

“That means, mother is also an outsider to the Brierton.”

“No, you don’t even know the manners, you, this… … !”

“I am telling you that there is no need for mother to worry about unnecessary things like that.”

Surprised, the Viscountess could not even speak properly.

She just moved her lips like a carp.

Either way, Ines added, without raising an eyebrow. 

“Also, it is necessary to examine whether it is my fault or Ryan’s fault for not having children.”

“Wow, what? So you mean my son has a problem?!”

“It could be. Because…… .”

As if unable to continue speaking, Ines blurted out the end of her speech.

Then, she took a deep breath, covering her cheek with one hand.

“You know Ryan had countless nights with Charlotte as well as me, but Charlotte hasn’t had children yet.”

“You, my God, what are you talking about now!”

“Ryan must have slept with Charlotte a lot more than with me.” Ines shrugged her shoulders slyly.

“Looking at the fact that neither of the two women has been able to conceive yet, it seems that Ryan’s problem is bigger than mine when it comes to fertility…”

“Hey!!”

Unable to bear it for a moment, the Viscountess shouted once more.

However, Ines was not surprised or withdrawn, but only tilted her head by the exaggerated movements.

“Hey? Mother, such a vulgar word is against the dignity of a noble.”

“How dare you talk back to your elders!”

“Come to think of it, Ryan was very vulgar at the exhibition hall of the Duke of Sussex this time, and the reaction from the audience wasn’t very good…… .”

“Can’t you stop?!”

The Viscountess shouted like a seizure. Ines raised her eyebrows and closed her mouth for a moment.

The Viscountess took a deep breath. ‘Since when did that girl start being so aggressive towards an elder?’

Ines, who was so obedient, was gone. Rather, she was now scratching people’s nerves with a smiling face. 

But.

‘Hold on. I have to be patient.’

The Viscountess took a brief deep breath. The voice of her son rang in her ears.

“Mother, do you know how much our family benefits from the Brierton? Never let the divorce happen.”

Those were the desperate words of her son, who was now no longer a Count.

“If I divorce Ines, we’ll have nothing left! Wouldn’t it be more helpful to our family in the future if I’m the Count of Brierton?”

Ryan pleaded with tears.

‘Yes, I have to do what I can for my son.’

The Viscountess, who was determined, opened her mouth with a soft voice this time.

“Ines, you’re too young to understand.”

‘What is this again?’

Ines looked at the Viscountess with cold eyes.

After realizing that the intimidation didn’t work, she was moving on to conciliation.

“Of course, it could be bad from your point of view that your husband is dating another woman. How upset you must be.”

“…..?”

Ines narrowed her eyes. Sure enough, the Viscountess only talked about Ryan’s affair.

The hottest issue at present, the fact that Ryan had deprived Ines of her reputation as a painter, seemed to be of no concern to the Viscountess.

“But all men are like that. Even if he goes out for a bit, one day he will come back to his wife.”

“…”

“I’ll talk to Ryan. So you too, relax, okay?” 

Facing the Viscountess, who was comforting her, Ines felt a faint sadness. 

In the past, Ines thought that it was a mother’s affection that the Viscountess meddled in her married relationship. 

Ines was starving for parental love, because she lost her parents when she was not even an adult.