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Chapter 50
“Could it be… you’ve been thinking you were the bride all this time? How pitiful.”
Roze’s voice echoed endlessly in Doana’s mind.
“I thought it was a lie…!”
Blinded by jealousy, Doana had believed Roze was just playing a prank. But everything Roze had said was true.
“Why… why didn’t anyone tell me?”
Everyone in the Count’s household had been in on it—Tersia, the servants, even Eric…! What must they all have thought seeing her strut around, knowing nothing?
“Hehe.”
“Looks like that woman keeps staring at the Marchioness of Dicar, doesn’t she?”
“I hope they’re not about to fight by pulling each other’s hair here.”
“She should know her place. If that happens, it’ll be her head flying to the Marchioness of Dicar.”
“Oh my, how cruel.”
The nobles whispered slyly, as if they were hoping for such a scene. Doana could hear their murmurs.
“Pft.”
“Hey, don’t laugh. Heh heh.”
Even the servants were busy mocking her.
Doana clenched her trembling hands into fists and bit her lip. She was angry, yes, but the shame was far worse. If she could, she would have hidden in a mouse hole. Her nose tingled, and her eyes grew moist.
But she tried not to cry.
“Focus… if I cry here, I’ll only make a bigger fool of myself.”
She swallowed her tears with gritted teeth.
“First, I need to find Eric.”
Doana turned to look for him. Amid the crowd, the first person she noticed wasn’t Eric—it was Roze.
Roze had a relaxed expression, one corner of his mouth lifted. When their eyes met, he smiled at her with crescent-shaped eyes.
“…!”
Doana frowned at Roze’s mocking smile and turned her head.
“Annoying!”
He must find her ridiculous. She had been boasting about becoming the Countess.
Doana stood frozen, searching for Eric, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Then she felt a piercing gaze beside her. It was Beliar.
Instinctively, Doana clutched her stomach at Beliar’s cold stare. She felt threatened. For a bride about to marry, it was unacceptable that her groom had a lover.
Beliar looked at Doana in her white dress.
“…I didn’t hear anything about a lover.”
She knew there was a former wife, thanks to Beliar revealing it, but another woman? She had no idea.
Beliar’s gaze was gentle, but to Doana, it didn’t feel that way. Her eyes flickered, meeting Beliar’s. She refused to lose. If she lost from the start, she would be underestimated.
Beliar didn’t look away either. But her intent was not the same as Doana’s. She didn’t know how to respond to Doana’s challenging stare.
“Why is she looking at me like that?”
If she were the real Beliar, she might have slapped Doana’s cheek to show her place, but this fake Beliar wasn’t like that. She didn’t know how to handle this situation.
Yet, to onlookers, Beliar’s calmness seemed chilling.
“Oh my, look. Count Wens’ mistress seems determined to make a scene.”
“Tsk, tsk. The Marchioness of Dicar won’t stay still.”
“She has the same temperament as the Marchioness, so it’s not surprising.”
Just then, a bell rang, pouring cold water over the bustling atmosphere.
Ding—ding.
The clear chime from the top of the temple marked twelve o’clock.
Those gossiping and watching Doana and Beliar seemed suddenly deflated.
“The wedding will begin.”
“Let’s go in.”
They had hoped for an entertaining spectacle, but Doana and Beliar merely stared at each other, doing nothing.
“Your Highness, shall we leave?” Roze whispered to the Archduke.
“You’re not going to watch the ceremony?”
Roze nodded at the Archduke and said, “I’ve already seen what I wanted to see.”
His purpose was achieved; he didn’t want to waste more time.
“…Are you leaving?”
Jane grabbed Roze’s sleeve before he could depart. Seeing her teary eyes made him hesitate.
“Jane, what time does it end today? Shall we meet after work?”
“R-Really?” Jane widened her eyes in surprise and nodded.
“Six o’clock.”
“Alright. I’ll wait at ‘D’ Café in the square.”
“Yes!”
With that, Roze lightly stepped away.
As the twelfth and final bell rang, Eric slowly appeared in the distance.
Beliar naturally shifted her gaze to Eric.
“That man… will be my husband…”
Though Eric had briefly come to the waiting room before the ceremony, he had only shown his face briefly. She stole a glance at him. He looked noble and dignified, like a well-bred gentleman.
A man of her former status as a slave could never meet him properly. Yet he was to be her husband—it still didn’t feel real.
Doana felt the same. When Eric appeared, she snorted and walked toward him.
“Eric.”
She deliberately called him “Eric” instead of “Count” to flaunt their closeness. She had many complaints for him, but protesting now would only make her look worse. She could ask after the ceremony. For now, she had to make it clear to Beliar that there was no room between her and Eric.
But her plan completely collapsed. Eric barely glanced at Doana, frowned, and walked past her.
“Pft.”
The guests entering the hall laughed at Doana’s expression. Their ridicule made her feel even more miserable. She lowered her head, unable to bear the rising shame. Her carefully maintained composure collapsed instantly.
Doana, flushed and embarrassed, followed Eric’s back with her eyes.
“He’s ignoring me… going to her instead!”
To everyone else, she looked pitiful, but her eyes were filled with venom.
Beliar, expecting Eric to approach her, watched tensely.
“Seems he’s coming to me, the bride.”
She blinked, waiting for him to come closer.
But Eric didn’t even glance at Beliar and passed by her.
“…Huh?”
Beliar hastily lowered her extended hand, bewildered, staring at Eric’s retreating figure.
His proud and arrogant steps stopped in front of a woman.
It was Roze.
Eric looked at Roze with a haughty expression. Roze stiffened as Eric approached. Doana’s pupils trembled at the sight.
“Hah…!”
Eric wasn’t going to Beliar, the new bride—he was going to Roze!
Rage surged to the tip of Doana’s jaw. In her eyes, Roze and Eric looked far too affectionate. Unable to watch them with a clear mind, she ran out of the hall.
Not only was it humiliating to be shamed in front of so many people, but the feeling of losing to Roze, whom she had once underestimated, was unbearable. She didn’t want to see Eric so close to Roze.
As Doana left like a tragic heroine, the servants burst into laughter.
“Oh, that’s hilarious.”
“Haha, exactly!”
They laughed loudly for the first time, after holding it in all along.
“She should know her place. How does she think she can become a Countess?”
They couldn’t hide their glee, even hoping Tersia, today’s hero, might drive Doana away.
But soon, a maid cautiously spoke while watching Eric and Roze.
“By the way… what exactly was Roze thinking coming here?”
“I don’t know… I can’t figure out her intentions.”
To see Roze, all dressed up, in front of her ex-husband Eric—it was thrilling.
“You really made an effort to dress up.”
Eric smirked at Roze. The Archduke escorting Roze twitched his hand unconsciously, annoyed that Eric was speaking to his ex-wife.
“I just dressed as usual. Does it look like I tried?” Roze replied dryly, without a smile.
Eric chuckled immediately.
“You must have struggled to make a good impression on me.”
He arrogantly lifted his head and naturally reached out toward Roze, grabbing a handful of her hair.
Her soft hair slipped through his fingers. He fiddled with it and murmured,
“This is the hair I like.”
Roze remained herself, even trying to act proud. Eric felt pleased seeing her return to him on her own. He lifted the hair toward his face, letting the shampoo scent waft to his nose.
Forgetting the onlookers, he tried to kiss her hair.
Smack.
But his action was stopped by Archduke Artium, who harshly pushed Eric’s hand away.
“That’s inappropriate, Count Wens.”
Artium’s cold eyes glared at Eric.
“You shouldn’t be making advances here.”
Eric narrowed his eyes at Artium.
“…Advances? I’m just greeting my ex-wife.”
“If you act like that, others will misunderstand. Greetings are fine, but you should prioritize the bride standing alone over there, Count Wens.”
“I’ll handle it. It’s an honor that you attended the wedding.”
Despite calling it an honor, his tone was quite sarcastic. Eric raised one eyebrow and glanced at Roze beside the Archduke. Seeing her there twisted his stomach in irritation.
“You didn’t even show up for your first wedding, but you came today.”
Eric took a step toward Artium with a blank expression.
“With my woman.”
Then he whispered softly into Artium’s ear.
