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Chapter 25
“Rose, what were you doing?”
Early in the morning, Doana flung open the door to Rose’s room. She was in an exceptionally good mood. The night before, Eric had declared that he would divorce Rose.
Do you know? That your husband is planning to divorce you.
She probably had no idea at all. That must be why she was sitting there so leisurely, scribbling away at letters. Doana openly mocked Rose as she wrote.
I want to tell her right now.
Doana forcibly kept her itching mouth shut. Eric had warned her firmly.
You—don’t go around babbling useless things like what I just told you. If she finds out I want a divorce, that leech of a woman will cling to me for dear life.
Eric had told her not to make things troublesome. He already had too much to deal with and didn’t want to face Rose right now.
It’s a shame, but for now I’ll have to listen to the Count.
What kind of reaction would Rose have when she heard the word “divorce” from the Count himself? Doana was curious. Curious about how Rose, who always pretended to be so refined, would act. She didn’t know how unpleasant it had been every time she felt that Rose—who had become Countess purely by luck—looked down on her. In her previous life, if they had met then, Rose wouldn’t have dared utter a word to her. Every time Rose lifted her chin so haughtily, Doana had wanted to slap her across the face more than once.
Soon, your position and mine will be reversed. And when that happens… I’ll repay every humiliation I’ve endured.
Proud by nature, Doana seemed deeply resentful that she had been unable to say anything to Rose all this time. Her sharp gaze, filled with malice, bore into Rose. As Rose was about to write her letter, she felt that piercing stare and slowly lifted her head to look at Doana. Doana had been wearing a sneering smile, but in an instant she fixed her expression, acting as though nothing had happened. Putting on a friendly face, she behaved with exaggerated familiarity.
“Hm? I asked what you’re doing.”
She trotted over and spoke in a coy voice. The smile felt off—unpleasant, as if she were looking down on Rose. It was a smile Rose had experienced plenty of times in her previous life. Doana’s expression was always like that, but today it grated on her even more than usual.
“I was about to write a letter,” Rose replied curtly, turning her gaze away.
“A letter? To whom?”
Doana peeked over Rose’s shoulder to look down at the desk, then suddenly snatched the pen. Since Rose hadn’t started writing yet, the paper was still blank. Facing Rose directly, Doana deliberately perched herself on the edge of the desk. Pressing her hips forward, she crossed her legs extravagantly, as if flaunting her sensuality. She wiggled one leg and looked down at Rose arrogantly.
In the novel, she could never defeat Rose. But that would soon change.
The leg that had been swinging slowly came to a stop. Staring silently at Rose, Doana blinked her large eyes and finally spoke.
“But are you really okay?”
“About what?”
“Lately, it looks like things aren’t going well between you and the Count.”
Her tone was ordinary and friendly at first.
“It’s nothing.”
“Is that so? It doesn’t look that way at all to me…”
Trailing off, Doana tossed out a loaded remark.
“I feel so sorry for you. What’s the point of wearing nice dresses and eating good food? Your life is basically just an empty shell.”
Doana whispered softly. At a glance, it sounded like concern—but it was clearly mockery.
“But still, living as a Countess and enjoying everything seems better than living as a maid with nothing,” Rose said.
Doana’s eyebrows twitched sharply. Watching her, Rose continued pointedly.
“I’m really satisfied. If he were just some old noble’s concubine, that would be different, but my husband is someone young and capable like Eric.”
Saying things she didn’t mean in front of Doana made Rose’s stomach churn. If Eric were an item in a department store, he’d be a bargain-bin product—unsold at full price, marked down. Something that wouldn’t sell unless you advertised it hard.
“And on top of that, he’s quite handsome. No wonder he’s considered a romance novel lead, right?”
Rose wracked her brain to list Eric’s good points, but—
Aside from his good family background and good looks, there’s really nothing to say.
She couldn’t think of a single outstanding virtue. As Rose praised Eric, Doana’s shoulders lifted smugly. The Eric she was so proud of would soon become hers.
How pitiful. She’s chattering away without even knowing her husband is cheating on her.
Swallowing her laughter, Doana looked at Rose.
“But what’s so great about a loveless marriage? In the end, he’s just the husband of a possessed body. There’s no emotion at all…”
Narrowing her blinking eyes, Doana stared at Rose and whispered lowly,
“Your husband doesn’t even spare you a glance.”
She didn’t stop attacking. She wanted Rose to feel sad, to grow even more distant from Eric. Doana’s words were like sharp saw teeth, constantly gnawing at Rose. If Rose truly loved Eric, those words would have wounded her deeply. But to Rose—who didn’t love Eric at all—they had no effect.
“I’m planning to properly make things up with him soon. I’ll prepare some wine, too… It seemed like he was sulking because I haven’t held him these past few days.”
Rose pretended not to understand what Doana was implying, maintaining a clueless demeanor. Doana’s eyes twisted unpleasantly. She probably couldn’t stand the thought of Rose and Eric being together. Rose found Doana’s reaction amusing. Though she was the Countess, it was Doana who was jealous—and that was entertaining.
But Doana didn’t back down easily. Without taking her eyes off Rose, she slowly shifted and crossed the other leg, then spoke in a gentle voice as if thinking of Rose’s well-being.
“Oh dear, you really don’t know anything. Don’t you know men hate women who throw themselves at them? They say husbands pretend to sleep even while their wives are washing up.”
Those were words she had heard countless times from married men in her previous life. Wearing a sympathetic expression, Doana grabbed both of Rose’s hands.
“Well, Dohyun has never done that even once. But apparently other men are like that.”
Flinch.
At the mention of Lee Dohyun’s name, Rose’s expression instantly turned cold.
“Dohyun…?”
“Ah. My husband from my previous life. I suppose he had to be good at that much—he was a man with absolutely nothing.”
Rose clenched her teeth at Doana’s words. Both Lee Dohyun, who fell for Lee Gyeoru’s temptation, and Lee Gyeoru herself, who seduced such a worthless man, were equally disgusting.
“Make the man come to you first, Rose. Girls like you are best off doing nothing and just waiting. Besides, I know the Count far better than you do, don’t I?”
Rose continued to stare at Doana with a blank expression.
“You’re not misunderstanding me, right? I’m saying this because I’m the Count’s exclusive maid, and I’m with him every single day…”
“I’m not misunderstanding anything. You’re just a mere maid, so what misunderstanding could I possibly have, Doana?”
Cutting her off, Rose curved her eyes into crescents.
“You’re not in a position to interfere in a married couple’s affairs, are you?”
At Rose’s dismissive attitude, Doana seethed inside. Normally, she would have lashed out at such disrespect, but she couldn’t right now. For the moment, she was the one at a disadvantage—at least until Rose was divorced.
Doana slowly stood up from the desk and gently wrapped her arms around Rose, who sat stiffly in her chair.
“But that’s what friends are for, right? If something hard happens, you can always lean on me.”
Her voice was gentle, and her hand stroking Rose felt warm. But the poisonous, vicious glint in her eyes was impossible to hide.
“Has he arrived?”
At that time, the garden was unusually busy. An unexpected guest had arrived early in the morning. Gwen greeted the man stepping down from the carriage with utmost respect. It was Eric’s father, Cedric.
“Bring Rose to me.”
As soon as he got down, the first person he asked for was Rose.
“Pardon? The Countess?”
At the word Countess, Cedric’s expression twisted. He had never acknowledged Rose as his daughter-in-law. In front of Cedric and his wife, Tersia, calling Rose “Madam Wenz” was tacitly forbidden. Realizing her mistake, Gwen hurriedly shut her mouth and bowed.
“Understood.”
Gwen sent a maid to fetch Rose. The maid was already worried at Cedric’s summons. Every time he came and went, Rose ended up spending the entire day silently crying.
It’s been three years already. Shouldn’t he acknowledge her by now?
The maid felt deeply sorry for Rose, who had married into the Count’s family for love alone.
“If only she’d met someone else and lived happily…”
Muttering to herself, the maid headed toward Rose’s room.
Knock, knock.
She knocked twice. Rose quickly hid the letter she had been writing to Grand Duke Arteum into a drawer and replied,
“Come in.”
With a creaking sound, the door opened and the maid appeared.
“Um… the former Count is asking for you.”
The former Count—
Eric’s father, Cedric?
Why was he looking for her?
Is he going to scold me over what happened that day?
Thanks to Rose’s testimony at the Grand Duke’s banquet, the Imperial faction’s plans had fallen apart. He was probably itching to lash out at her.
I don’t want to go. I’ll only hear unpleasant things anyway.
“Tell him I can’t because I have an appointment.”
“Y-Yes? Pardon?”
The maid’s eyes widened. Rose, who had never once disobeyed Cedric, had just refused his order. The maid stood there with her mouth hanging open.
“You should go now.”
Rose gestured her out and smiled lightly. Though bewildered, the maid nodded and left the room.
Meanwhile, upon hearing Rose’s response, Cedric was furious.
“Hah?”
He set his teacup down with a sharp clack. How dare she defy him?
That wretched little insect…!
Did she really think so little of him? The vein on his forehead bulged as if it might burst. Deciding that today was the day to teach her a lesson, Cedric glared coldly at the maid.
“Go tell her to come while she can still walk on her own two feet.”
His suppressed voice seeped out from between clenched lips, chilling to the bone. The maid trembled at his words, understanding the unspoken threat. Compared to Cedric, Eric’s actions were nothing more than child’s play—his temperament was far more vicious.
Shaking, the maid hurried back to Rose and knocked frantically.
“M-Madam!”
The pounding was loud. Rose stood up and opened the door. The maid before her was pale, drenched in cold sweat. Grabbing Rose’s arm desperately, she pleaded,
“You must go, Madam.”
Feeling the maid’s trembling through her fingertips and seeing her eyes brim with tears, Rose nodded.
“All right. I’ll prepare quickly. Go call Jane.”
What had he said to frighten her so badly? Instinctively, Rose realized she shouldn’t ignore Cedric. After quickly getting ready, she headed to the reception room.
The air in the corridor felt unusually cold. The chill crept up from the floor to her toes. Each echoing step made the servants glance at her, their faces filled with concern and worry. Jane, walking beside her, was no different. Upon reaching the reception room, Jane tightly clasped Rose’s hand.
“You’ll be fine, Madam.”
Her voice carried the same desperation as someone seeing a soldier off to war. Rose gave her a faint smile.
“Open the door.”
As the massive doors opened to either side, a middle-aged man sat inside in an arrogant posture. He looked strikingly similar to Eric—but unlike him, his aura was steeped in menace. The pressure was so intense it felt suffocating. Just as when she had faced Duke Fliche, Cedric’s presence pressed down on Rose.
Yet despite the crushing weight, Rose remained calm. Having dealt with the mad Grand Duke Arteum and Duke Fliche, the leader of the Imperial faction, she was oddly accustomed to situations like this.
“Good morning, Father.”
Rose’s clear voice echoed through the room. Seeing her face him without the slightest change in expression, Cedric’s eyes flashed with cold fury.
