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Chapter – 20
Theodore was flustered.
“J-J-J-Jane?”
“How could you do this to me?!”
“Huh?”
Jane, her face soaked with tears, screamed as she threw torn pieces of paper at Theodore.
“When did I ever ask you for money? Okay, there were a few times—but the rest you gave me on your own! You said you loved me! If you loved me, how could you pin a crime on my father?!”
Pin it on him?
He didn’t understand what she was talking about, but Theodore was angry too. His irritation flared at Jane, who slapped him without explanation.
And she said he’d given her money freely? What about all those times she sulked and ignored him when he didn’t give her any?
“Hey, Jane.”
“Don’t say my name! You said the banquet hall was safe! I told you I didn’t want to go! You dragged me there, did something horrible to me, and you never even came to see me afterward!”
“When did you ever say you didn’t want to go? You just played hard to get out of courtesy! And what do you mean ‘something horrible’? You were the one who took off my pants first!”
“I don’t know! I don’t care! Get lost! I was stupid to ever love someone like you!”
Bang!
After saying her piece, Jane slammed the door shut without looking back.
“Jane! Open the door! Jane!”
He pounded on the door again and again. Neighbors shouted, asking what the hell he was doing in the middle of the night, but Jane never showed her face.
“Ha… what the hell just happened?”
Sighing in disbelief, he ran a hand through his wet hair. That was when he noticed scraps of paper on the ground.
“How dare she throw this kind of trash at me?”
As he picked them up in irritation, strange words caught his eye.
[…accusation…]
“Accusation? What accusation?”
Had Jane been accused over what happened at the banquet? That would mean he might be accused too.
A chill ran down his spine.
Theodore hurriedly gathered the scattered pieces and pieced them together under a lit window. Some of the ink had bled from water, and parts were missing, but he could still grasp the gist.
“Karl is going to prison for embezzling the Ellosa family’s assets?”
What nonsense was this?
Karl hadn’t embezzled anything. Not long ago, after being beaten by Berengela, he had checked the ledgers. The one who had siphoned off the Ellosa family’s wealth was clearly Theodore himself.
Karl’s only “crime” was handling the things Theodore ordered him to do.
If Karl went to prison for that, then Theodore should go with him.
“What the hell is going on? Who did this…?”
The only people who knew Theodore had stolen the Ellosa family’s assets were himself, Karl, Rachel, Berengela—and Jane.
Jane wasn’t the culprit. She loved her father dearly. There was no way she’d frame him.
Berengela had been shut up with Theodore in the townhouse the whole time, and Karl wouldn’t have reported himself.
That left just one person.
His hair stood on end as if struck by lightning.
“Rachel!”
Rachel had pinned his crime on Karl!
His hands trembled violently with excitement.
“She knew I was having an affair and still dumped the blame on Karl? To lessen my罪? Hah.”
He’d thought she was just a foolish woman who only clung to him.
His heart pounded wildly.
Jane’s slap and the bucket of water flashed through his mind.
She swallowed all the money and now she’s furious because her father got arrested? The nerve!
Honestly, Karl wasn’t completely innocent either. He really had helped with embezzlement and tax evasion.
And it was Jane who received Theodore’s money. Since Jane and Karl were family, saying Karl stole the Ellosa assets wasn’t entirely wrong.
Compared to that, Rachel hadn’t slapped him or thrown water on him even though she knew about the affair. She was elegant and dignified. She didn’t nag him about his wrongdoing.
Instead, she quietly covered for her husband’s faults!
Was Rachel always this wonderful? Just like Mother said—Rachel really was the perfect wife. I’ll go see her first thing tomorrow. She’ll be waiting for me.
What Rachel hadn’t anticipated was that romantic Theodore might actually grow fonder of her because of her plan.
Stuffing the torn papers into his coat, Theodore smiled foolishly as he thought of Rachel.
Graham had come out to the garden early and was in a very good mood.
“I’m really excited to learn swordsmanship so I can officially protect you, Mom!”
“Me too! I’m looking forward to it!”
Rachel and Graham laughed together.
When she asked Cyan to train Graham in swordsmanship, he’d replied immediately that he would come to the estate.
It didn’t matter that she might divorce and leave the house at any time. If that happened, they could train somewhere else.
They were chatting warmly while waiting for Cyan when someone came running toward them.
“Your Grace, you arrived earlier than expected—”
“Rachel!”
It wasn’t Cyan who came running, but Theodore.
Both Rachel and Graham, who had been full of anticipation, stiffened.
Theodore spread his arms and tried to pull Rachel into a hug.
Rachel recoiled in disgust, and Graham stepped between them, thrusting out the wooden practice sword he’d brought.
“Father, don’t harass Mother.”
With his target gone, Theodore’s arms flailed awkwardly in the air. He cleared his throat in embarrassment.
“Ahem. Graham, this isn’t harassment—it’s affection.”
Affection?
Rachel snorted, dumbfounded, and Graham shook his head seriously.
“Mom doesn’t like it. If Mom doesn’t like it, then it’s harassment.”
“Alright, alright. Put the stick down. What are you doing to your father?”
Though he scolded him, there was something like delight in Theodore’s voice.
Is this lunatic out of his mind? Has he really snapped?
In any case, she’d needed to meet him eventually, so this was convenient.
“Graham. Mom has something to talk about with Dad, so could you go inside the mansion for a bit? I’ll call you when His Grace arrives.”
“But, Mom—”
“Please. I need to talk to him alone.”
“…Okay.”
Graham’s shoulders drooped. After standing still for a long time, he finally nodded.
“…If Dad bullies you, please tell me. I’ll protect you.”
“Alright. If he bullies me, I’ll scream, so you come running to save me. Deal?”
“Yeah. Promise!”
Only after linking pinkies did Graham head inside.
As soon as the child disappeared, Theodore approached Rachel as if he’d been waiting.
“Rachel, I missed you.”
“Why are you being so creepy? I thought you were in hiding—how did you even get here?”
“It was you, wasn’t it? You pinned the tax evasion charges on Karl.”
“Yes.”
“Hah. I knew it. It was you, Rachel.”
Theodore looked deeply moved.
“Thank you. You really are the only one for me. I’ve been wandering outside too much all this time, haven’t I? I was stupid. I admit it. I’ll clean things up with that woman. I want to try again with you.”
…What the hell is he saying?
She laughed in disbelief.
“I have no intention of trying again with you.”
“Ah, sorry. We’re already married, right? Haha, silly me! Fine! Let’s live well together like we are now!”
“Stop spouting nonsense. Are you a birdbrain?”
“…A birdbrain?”
“I have no intention of living well with you. I was planning to talk about this anyway, and since you’re here, let’s do it now.”
“Talk about what?”
“Divorce.”
Only then did Theodore’s rambling mouth snap shut.
Rachel called over a passing servant and had them bring the divorce papers she’d prepared in advance. After confirming everything was properly filled out, she flung them at Theodore.
“Here. Take them.”
“R-Rachel, why all of a sudden? You love me, don’t you?”
“Love? I never did. Where did you get that idea?”
“You gave me cufflinks! And you pinned my crime on Karl!”
Blinking blankly, Theodore shook his head.
“No. You’re not in your right mind right now. Let’s talk later. Divorce? How could we possibly divorce?”
“What nonsense are you talking? Go cling to your beloved Jane’s skirt. Don’t do this here—it’s filthy.”
“Rachel!”
It seemed Theodore had misunderstood, thinking she framed Karl out of love for him.
She hadn’t expected that.
After cheating for so long, now he wanted to “clean things up” and “live well together.”
Cyan had been right. You never know how people’s hearts will turn. It was good she’d applied for annulment, just as he suggested.
Rachel took off the wedding ring from her left ring finger and threw it at Theodore. Ting! The ring hit his body and fell onto the grass.
“If you don’t want to sign the papers, don’t. We’re over anyway. I already applied for annulment with the Noble Council and the Temple.”
“What? Our marriage annulled? That’s ridiculous! What law allows that?”
“What law? This one.”
A calm voice sounded from behind. It was Cyan.
Rachel almost ran to him in relief.
Cyan approached, dressed neatly in knightly training attire.
Theodore gaped.
“Y-Your Grace… what brings you here?”
“Do I need to explain my business to you in detail?”
Cyan replied coldly as he walked up to Rachel, then bowed gracefully.
“Lady Rachel. It has been a while.”
Lady Rachel.
That meant the annulment had been approved.
Rachel’s face lit up, while confusion clouded Theodore’s.
“Your Grace! Why are you calling my wife ‘Lady’? If you continue to insult me and my wife, I will report you to the Noble Council!”
Cyan laughed lightly.
Reporting someone who was practically the Noble Council itself—it was absurd.
“Unfortunately, you can’t.”
“In noble society, disputes are judged by the Noble Council under noble law! Even you are not an exception!”
“That’s right. ‘Any noble’ may report me to the Council. But you are the exception. You can’t report me.”
“W-What do you mean…?!”
Cyan smiled faintly at Rachel, then turned to Theodore.
Cyan’s sword slid from its sheath and swept forward. Slash. The blade softly cut through the air and brushed Theodore’s waist.
“Y-Your Grace…”
Something palm-sized fell to the ground with a dull thud, and Theodore collapsed.
Cyan sheathed his sword and looked down at him impassively.
“Theodore. From this moment on, you are no longer a noble.”
The noble insignia, cut down by Cyan’s blade, rolled across the dirt.
