CH 2

“Your residence looks amazing! It has always been a dream of mine to live in a place like this,” Jane exclaimed as she looked around the mansion excitedly and Theodore’s attentive gaze remained fixated on her.

It looked like he would have hugged and kissed her if only Rachel wasn’t in the room with them.

‘Seriously? Was he really planning to do that with his wife in the room?’

How did the original Rachel not notice when it was this obvious?

Even though Rachel knew about his infidelity and had no feelings for him, it still annoyed her. She felt exasperated and irritated.

However, she could not express her true feelings.

If she showed them that she knew about their affair now, all her plans would be ruined.

She had to welcome Jane just like Rachel from the novel did.

“Since you’re here, how about a meal before you leave?”

“Oh, can I? Okay then!”

Theodore nodded in satisfaction.

“Thank you, you must’ve been flustered by the unexpected guest. You’re a really nice person, Rachel. I need to go upstairs to change, so you two can make small talk while I’m gone.”

It wouldn’t be small talk, but crazy talk instead.

Climbing the stairs that led from the hall to the second floor, Theodore winked at Jane.

‘Try not to be too lonely while I’m gone.’

‘Don’t be sad and just wait for me.’

Rachel swore she could hear the conversation they were having with their eyes.

It was only after Theodore had disappeared that Jane finally locked eyes with her’s.

Rachel smiled sweetly at her.

“How about we wait in the living room, Jane?”

In the original story, Rachel took Jane to the largest and most beautiful living room in the mansion.

Not just anyone could go in there. It was a place where they only invited important guests.

Rachel wanted to treat the guest her husband brought home, with great care, even though she was jealous that it was a young lady.

But not this time. She took Jane to the closest and modest living room in the hall.

She didn’t care if Theodore jumped around asking why she took his guest to such a place later on.

Jane did live in a good house for a commoner, but she didn’t know much about noble residences.

Thanks to that, she simply looked around the room she had been taken to and wondered if this was really the living room.

As soon as she sat down, Jane leaned forward and whispered to me, “Um… Countess. I wanted to mention something earlier. May I please speak freely?”

Rachel suppressed the desire to say, ‘I know what you’re about to say, so don’t.’

“Of course. What is it?”

“I wanted to say this back in the hallway…”

“Yes?”

“Ma’am, why don’t you take care of your skin? There is a rumor that the perfumed oil sold at the new general store makes your skin smooth. If you don’t mind, I’ll give it to you as a gift when I return to visit next time!”

Foolish Rachel had heard this and was pleased. She had called her a ‘nice, young lady’ and then bragged to Theodore about receiving a gift from her.

She had no idea that Jane secretly looked down on her.

Jane was 9 years younger than Theodore while Rachel was 5 years younger. Rachel had been the same age as Jane when she began preparations to marry to her husband.

Even though those were her prime years, she never got the chance to be in a relationship and instead got stuck in a marriage with a man like Theodore.

Although she hadn’t realized it, Rachel was quite the beauty herself with her light pink hair, sky blue eyes, soft features and a slim body. Unlike the younger Jane, she also had a mature charm.

Unfortunately, Rachel was starved for affection and didn’t perceive herself in that way.

So, she took care of her skin just as Jane suggested, wore racy underwear, and tried way too hard to be cute. She dressed herself up all in a bid to finally get the attention of her husband.

It was quite funny, actually.

Rachel’s face hardened. “You want to give me perfumed oil as a gift? How could you say something so foolish?

“H-Huh…? Foolish? I just…” Jane said, voice subdued, perhaps surprised by the unexpected response.

“Since you have the time to worry about my skin, why don’t you worry about yours instead? I don’t wish to receive skin care advice from someone like you.”

“Oh… I apologize. I didn’t know you wouldn’t like that… It’s a scent that the Count likes so… I thought you would like it as well…”

“A scent that Theo likes?”

Perfumed oil is mainly applied after taking a bath. But apparently, Theodore likes that kind of scent?

Which means the two of them had been naked, and smelled each other’s scent after taking a bath. She pretty much admitted that she had slept with Theodore.

No matter how flustered she was, how could she make such a dumb mistake?

Jane’s face turned red at the realization of her mistake.

“Oh… I’m sorry. I don’t mean I shared the same bed with the Count or anyth…”

Slap!

Rachel’s palm eventually flew upwards.

“Sharing the same bed? You shamelessly mentioned my husband liking a scent and now you’re talking about sharing a bed with him? Did you two really sleep together?

“H-How could you slap me? I’m the Count’s g-guest!”

“Should I just listen to you run your mouth then? You seem to forget this since Theodore is being nice to you, but you are a commoner and I’m a Countess. It makes absolutely no sense for you to speak to me in this manner. I tried my best to be polite to you, but you’re trying to walk over me without knowing your place?”

To be honest, Rachel had no idea she would hit her either.

She was planning to continue acting like the original Rachel until her divorce plans were finalized.

However, seeing the lady being so obvious about her affair with Theodore made Rachel’s insides twist in annoyance.

Jane trembled and cried as she had no clue about what to do.

‘How detestable.’

Jane ran to Theodore the moment he appeared. He immediately held her in his arms without any regard for Rachel’s presence.

“My Lord…!”

“Huh… Jane?”

Theodore was shocked to see his lover’s red cheeks.

“Rachel! What happened? Why is Jane’s cheek like this…?”

“She got hit for a reason. Isn’t that right, Jane?”

At the sound of Rachel’s clear voice, Jane began to tear up again, unable to make up any excuses.

She knew Theodore would scold her if he knew about the mistake she made.

Dinner was prepared, and Jane, Theodore, Graham and Rachel gathered in the dining hall.

Jane acted cute towards Theodore while trying to be cautious towards Rachel.

Unlike before, she looked quite confident, perhaps thanks to her boyfriend comforting her.

“It’s amazing that there are so many workers serving our dinner! So, this is how the count lives. I feel a sense of distance.”

“You’re feeling distant for nothing. You can come often and get used to it.”

They were really having fun, huh?

‘Come often? With whose permission?’

Rachel was trying to find a way to say that she didn’t want Jane to come again, but surprisingly, Graham opened his mouth first.

“I don’t like you, ma’am. Please don’t come again.”

“Graham?”

Jane didn’t know Graham was on his mother’s side and replied to him without realizing,

“Hello, Graham. I’ve heard a lot about you from the Count. You look so pretty. You’ll look so handsome when you grow up. Plus, you look just like the Count too.”

Even though Graham was a child, he was the next Count of the Elosa family.

She couldn’t believe that Jane was talking informally to someone of a higher rank than even Rachel. She had crossed the line even though she was Theodore’s lover.

What was even more surprising was Theodore. He did not stop Jane from speaking informally to his son, who would inherit the title of count.

Graham pouted his lips. “Are you dumb? I don’t look like my dad. I look like my mom.”

“Oh… no. You look like your dad. You have the same color of hair and eyes…”

She wasn’t wrong, but Graham seemed to be hurt. He began to tear up, tears sitting at the corner of his eyes.

“I don’t want to look like my dad. I want to look like mom, not my dad.”

Graham’s eyes turned to Rachel as if asking for help.

She quickly nodded her head. “Of course, you look like me. I gave birth to you. From what I can see, you don’t look like your dad, you like me.”

“Right? As expected, I look like you, right?” Graham smiled brightly.

Theodore cleared his throat, at a loss of what to do.

“Graham. Do you like your mom that much?”

“Yes! My mom is the prettiest person in the world and I like her the most.”

“What about dad? I’m quite pretty, too.”

“Dad is not pretty…?”

It sounded more like a question.

Theodore scratched his head awkwardly. “Do you hate calling me pretty because I’m a man? Then how about Jane? Jane is pretty, right?”

Graham, who was still looking at Jane sitting across from him, lowered his shoulder sullenly.

“Mom, I think there’s a problem.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“I think dad can’t see anymore because he’s old.”

He said it in such a serious tone, that Rachel struggled hold in her laughter.

“Dad, are your eyes becoming blurry?”

“Marsha said that she couldn’t see very well when she became older. My dad thinks he and that ugly woman are pretty, but never tells the prettiest mom in the world that she’s pretty. It’s because his eyes are becoming bad, right?”

‘How is he so good at speaking?’

He also managed to secretly scold Theodore and Jane. As expected, a young male lead is still a male lead.

Theodore and Jane’s expressions were one of a kind. They couldn’t argue or get angry at the child’s earnest words.

Rachel couldn’t show her joy or else she would have jumped up and down. She wanted to hug Graham and pinch his cheek right then and there.

It was hard to act calm in this situation.

She really wanted to get divorced soon and live alone with Graham.

As soon as Jane finished her meal, she fled the mansion in a hurry. Not much was done to her, but her face looked like it was about to burst into tears right away.

Rachel wondered how she would handle something even more awful in the future.

Theodore growled with a stern face. “Don’t go to bed and wait up for me, Rachel. I need to tell you something.”

“Okay.”

He seemed to blame her for the embarrassment Jane received during dinner.

Whatever… She didn’t care.

Theodore left the mansion to escort Jane, only to return late at night.

He approached her with menacing steps.

“Rachel, are you crazy?”

‘You’re the one who’s crazy.’ Rachel snorted, internally.