CH 1.03

My husband took me by the hand and escorted me away.

If only by the looks of us close to each other, we would have resembled a married couple getting along well.

The other woman had a beautiful face as always, and the clothes she usually wore were simple, but her charm remained undiminished. I, on the other hand, the wife of my escort, was a woman of a higher rank in terms of clothes, and with a slightly better appearance. Nevertheless, I could say with certainty that we were completely incompatible.

However, as expected of a Duke’s maid.

She changed my shabby and battered appearance to a slightly better looking one.

I put my dry hair back together and applied makeup on my pale skin, which made me feel much better.

“You look like you have something to ask me.”

“Yes, plenty.”

I really wanted to go back to my room and cozy up.

There was nothing better than hitting the sack after a full stomach.

However, a problem arose.

If it was an issue that didn’t concern me, I absolutely would have ignored it; straight line ignore.

I registered his real intention when he led me to a less populated direction step by step.

He didn’t want anyone to hear what he had to say.

That being the case, I could speak to him without hesitation.

Or rather, I must tell this man.

“You knew what that woman was up to, so why did you leave her alone? Don’t tell me, you’re making a mistress of a servant ・・・・Is that what you’re doing?”

I asked with partly downcast eyes, and my husband looked down at me as if he found that completely absurd.

“That’s bullshit. She’s not the kind of woman I’d mess with. Besides, I didn’t invite those women.”

“Ah, the former Duke did, I see. His intentions are noble, taking in the widow of one of his men who died in an accident.”

“My father has a soft spot for women. He is sympathetic to widows in need. It’s a very noble・・・・ thing.”

I caught the sarcastic note in his tone.

In other words, Mrs. Miriam was the former Duke’s mistress, and because of that, she had considerable rights and authority in the house.

My husband didn’t like her, but he couldn’t inhumanely kick out someone they took in. That was what he was saying.

In addition, from the way he implied, it seemed that she was still favored by my father-in-law.

It would be too much trouble to drive her out.

If that was the case, it would be better to have my father-in-law, who I didn’t even know where he was now, take her in. That reminded me.

That man was undoubtedly a womanizer.

Even I knew about it because he was quite famous.

In other words, he didn’t want to take in or enjoy an old mistress when he could have young mistresses, so he left her here to be taken care of. 

If she were just a mistress, he could have paid her off and gotten rid of her when he got tired of her. But since she was in control of the household affairs, once she was driven out of the house, there was a possibility that she would leak out information about the dukedom’s affairs.

Moreover, Mrs. Miriam, to all intents and purposes, was a Viscountess.

She might be penniless, but since he took her in, it was impossible to get rid of her unless something was wrong with her.　

Perhaps Mrs. Miriam knew that her favor was slipping away.

She has had immense power until now because of the former duke, my father-in-law.

But now that someone replaced her, her influence was waning.

That was why she planned on her next move.

And I was pretty sure that was why her daughter was staying in the mansion.

When I heard this, I felt so cheated that I wanted to step hard on the man next to me.

He said it right.

He said that as the Duchess, there was a possibility that I might get into some trouble.

I thought it was an external factor, but I didn’t realize he was suggesting an internal problem as well.

Mrs. Miriam, who was in charge of the household management of this house, obviously wanted her daughter to become my husband’s wife.

She had her eyes fixed on that ambition. She might have been confident about it too.

And yet, my husband sped-married me, a woman of unknown origins, and outsmarted her.

I had no idea what her daughter was like, but one thing I did know was that I’ve made an irresistible enemy of the queen-like lady of the house and would now be involved in a fierce battle for female supremacy.

Furthermore, as I recall, the right to assign maids to me had also been handed over to Mrs. Miriam.

By my husband himself.

I would probably end up harassed like hell.

My husband knew everything and had thrown everything at me.

I felt that my dream life of depravity was marching away.

And then it all came crashing down on me in reality.