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Chapter 8………………………………………….
“Y-you…! How dare you be so rude to a husband who is like the sky itself! Have you gone crazy from not seeing sunlight or something!”
Shan was elegantly insulting her, calling her insane in a refined way. Since Radian didn’t respond, Shan kept spewing more unpleasant remarks. Wendy had given her a heated stone earlier—Radian briefly wondered if it was meant to smash each red head one by one—but she forced herself to endure it once again.
Radian, who became especially sensitive during her menstrual period, didn’t tease back lightly as usual. Instead, she responded coldly and sharply.
“I did it because I didn’t want to bring bad luck during my period. We can’t have anything bad happen to your precious son, after all.”
“What on earth…! Shh! Menstruation?! How can a marchioness say such vulgar things in front of so many people! How utterly indecent. Ah, heavens. What sin did I commit in my past life to end up with such a woman for our good son…”
Crack.
Radian’s patience was wearing thin.
She was calmly progressing through step two of her divorce plan, but it felt like she might jump straight to step twenty-six today.
Iliot, who had been nervously watching Radian’s mood all along, hurriedly tried to smooth things over, sweating profusely.
“Haha, please don’t say things like that. I’m truly happy in my marriage, Mother. Should we set things up here? Hey. Lay out the mats quickly. Hurry.”
The servants quickly spread out the picnic setup. On the stiff woven mats were ham sandwiches, golden roasted turkey, bright red plump cherry tomatoes, chocolate pudding, and strawberry-topped shortcakes. It was such a lavish picnic spread that there wasn’t even enough space to sit.
“Thank you, Lipton.”
The servant called Lipton stared blankly at Radian, then blushed faintly. The first thing Radian did after her regression was memorize everyone’s names in the household. She hoped that, later, at least one of them might side with her during a divorce lawsuit—and she also wanted to distinguish herself from the Skannan family, who called their servants things like “hey,” “you,” or “that one.”
The response had been excellent. A small lady who called dozens of servants by name and always thanked them even for minor tasks was impossible not to like. Even though Radian was disregarded within the household, she was still a duchy daughter-in-law by birth and nobility by origin. Few commoners would feel anything but gratitude when a noble treated them kindly.
Radian sat down and spread raspberry jam generously over a baguette. She felt like she needed something sweet just to endure this situation. Crunch. As she bit into it, the sweet and sour raspberry flavor filled her mouth. The crisp baguette texture was perfect. As the pleasant sweetness spread through her mouth, she felt slightly better.
Only after finishing half a baguette with raspberry jam, cream cheese, and whipped cream did she finally have the mental space to look around.
The Duke of Aite and Marquis Iliot were seated on another mat. Radian sat with Shan and Sylvia. Even though their side had only three people, the other mat was far larger and had far more dishes.
While Radian frowned at that, Sylvia—who especially loved food—seemed unfazed. She only looked envious.
Then Shan pulled out a box from behind her. Inside the antique-patterned rectangular box was something sloshing gently.
“Radian, this is your father-in-law’s favorite wine. Take it carefully and pour him a glass.”
“Oh, and sister, bring me a slice of roast beef from over there on your way back.”
Even though many servants were standing by, the reason they asked Radian was obvious. This was probably their plan. What should she do now? Shan and Sylvia’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“I can do something like this…”
The butler, Norwift, hurried over in confusion, trying to take the wine, but Shan slapped his hand away.
“This is something a daughter-in-law should do. How can you not even pour a drink for your father-in-law? Your mother in heaven must be crying in shame.”
She probably would be crying—if she knew her daughter was being treated like this at her in-laws’ home.
Radian stopped thinking and quietly took the box. She was already exhausted from going out on the first day of her period and didn’t have the clarity to analyze coldly.
“Yes, Mother.”
If necessary, she could always proceed with plan number thirty—smashing everyone’s heads with this wine bottle and ending her life in prison.
Thinking this seriously, Radian stood up and walked toward their table.
“Father-in-law, I’ll pour you a drink.”
The duke, who had been speaking gravely with Iliot, flinched at her voice. What could they have been talking about to react like that?
Suppressing her curiosity, Radian opened the box. The wine bottle inside was intact, filled with deep red liquid.
As she expertly removed the cork, Aite and Skannan watched her with slight surprise. Her pouring etiquette was flawless. She had learned such manners well in her past life, and her movements were as elegant as a trained sommelier’s.
But then—crack.
A sharp sound came from the neck of the bottle. A thin fracture appeared, spreading quickly until the glass finally broke off with a snap. The shattered piece fell into the wine glass with a plop.
“Oh my, Radian! You broke the wine you were supposed to serve Father-in-law? That wine was Petricks…!”
Shan, who had approached unnoticed, spoke in a pitiful tone, though the corners of her mouth were clearly lifted in amusement. It was obvious they had rigged the bottle to crack when she poured it.
At the mention of “Petricks,” the duke’s face darkened in anger. It must have been a prized wine. So this was their trick. Such a petty prank. Radian let out a hollow laugh at the childishness of it all.
“You really… can’t even pour a glass of wine.”
Not wanting to look like a father-in-law scolding his daughter-in-law over a bottle of wine, the duke restrained his anger and simply dismissed it.
“Go back to your seat.”
“Yes, Father-in-law.”
Radian walked back weakly, enduring a stream of complaints along the way.
“What can you even do? What if the duke had been injured by the glass?”
“Sister, was it so hard to bring a slice of roast beef? I wanted it…”
“Honey.”
Radian called gently to Iliot, who had been watching her anxiously from afar. He looked back at her with uneasy eyes. She mouthed silently:
“Fix it.”
He shook his head frantically—How am I supposed to do that?
Fine. If you won’t do it, I will.
Radian suddenly stood up.
At that moment, Iliot’s shout rang out.
“Sylvia! How dare you be so rude to your sister-in-law!”
“B-brother?!”
Sylvia looked between Iliot and Radian in disbelief, fear evident in her trembling voice. Even Shan was startled by the loud voice and looked at Iliot.
Iliot stormed over and lashed out at Sylvia.
“Radian is not only a marchioness, but also my wife. She is your superior. Do you have no shame as a duke’s daughter?”
Why is he suddenly doing this after staying silent all this time?
Sylvia swallowed her urge to scream and rolled her eyes. She was the easiest target. Even though Shan had been harsher, Sylvia couldn’t snap at Iliot.
“Apologize to my wife. Right now!”
“I-I only asked her to bring food… I mean, I often do that….”
Sylvia scrambled to make excuses, flustered and resentful.
Iliot glanced at Radian for approval. Radian let out a small cough only he could hear.
“Hmm.”
“So you think it’s acceptable to ask your superior to bring you food and scold her for not doing it?”
For Sylvia, a proud young noble lady, this must have been humiliating. Tears welled up in her red eyes at the booming voice.
“N-no… I… sob…”
“Hey! What noble lady cries over something like this!”
“Sylvia! What are you doing outside without any composure? You’re eighteen already and still can’t control your emotions?”
“Miss, don’t cry…”
As the saying goes, sometimes the sister-in-law stopping the fight is more hated than the one yelling. Sylvia painfully realized that truth today.
With Shan joining in and demanding an apology, Sylvia finally turned to her last hope—her father, the duke.
But Aite, still shaken by the broken Petricks wine, continued drinking other wine as if he hadn’t heard anything. The light of hope in Sylvia’s red eyes went out.
After hesitating, her face turned bright red, and she finally apologized to Radian for the first time.
“I’m sorry… sister…”
Radian looked surprised.
“Oh, it’s fine. Why are you apologizing? You were just hungry and asked me. Don’t worry about it. I’m okay.”
She waved her hands gently and accepted the apology warmly. Sylvia made a complicated expression. So did Shan. Iliot, who had always been tense around his son, couldn’t miss the change.
Did she find some weakness in him?
Though surprised by his son suddenly taking Radian’s side, Shan decided there must be some reason and supported Iliot for now.
Iliot looked at Radian proudly, as if asking, Did I do well?
What an idiot among idiots.
Though she thought this internally, Radian smiled and nodded.
Seeing that she seemed to have softened, Iliot scolded Sylvia even more harshly.
“It is because of Radian’s kindness that you are forgiven. From now on, such behavior must not happen again. And if you are to be worthy of the Skannan ducal family, you should show gratitude!”
Sylvia looked at her brother in disbelief.
He was telling her to not only apologize—but also thank that useless Radian who couldn’t even bear children?
Her pride completely shattered, Sylvia looked toward Shan for help. But Shan deliberately avoided her gaze.
Finally, tears fell from Sylvia’s eyes.
At that moment, someone gently embraced her.
This can’t be real.
Sylvia looked up at the person tremblingly.
The one who hugged her warmly was neither her proud brother nor her authoritative father—
but Radian.
