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Chapter – 15
“But… but if the recovery lawsuit really happens like this… then everyone will find out, won’t they? That I had an affair with an old man like him. No. I can’t. I don’t want that.”
“Why? Didn’t that grand love you believed in promise to protect you?”
And this—that was exactly the trap I had prepared.
“Protect me? He’s already seeing another woman!”
As if her tears had dried up completely, Bellian burst out in anger and resentment.
Apparently, she never expected the Marquis to move on to another woman before even recovering his money. It seemed he had looked down on Bellian far more than expected.
But this was not the moment to waver.
I had come here today to break her.
“So?”
“Do you think this makes sense? He told me I was the only one, that he’d give me all his wealth… and yet in that short amount of time, he was already seeing another woman. Someone younger than me!”
“Oh, come on. Surely not. It hasn’t even been that long since the divorce.”
“I didn’t believe it either… but it’s true. He’s complete trash! I confronted him where he was with that new woman, and shamelessly he said, ‘A man can do that sometimes!’”
Behind me, the former Marchioness smiled faintly.
“So you’ve finally realized he’s trash. You really are foolish, Bellian. Did you think this behavior was new for him?”
“……He said… he only loved me… I thought it was real when he entrusted all his wealth to me…”
The Marquis had given her something he had never given anyone else—his entire fortune.
When the man who claimed to love her for ten years handed over all that money, Bellian must have felt like she was walking through a flower garden.
But it hadn’t been flowers.
It had been filth.
And only now had she realized it.
“So?”
“……”
“You called it love. And now you’re calling him trash this easily? Then uphold that love. You drove nails into another woman’s heart—now face the consequences.”
I handed her the documents I had brought.
“If you want to complain, complain to your precious Marquis.”
No one was helping her.
The betrayal from the Marquis—the man she believed was her entire world, the one she believed shared some once-in-a-lifetime love with her—must have crushed her even harder.
Especially since she had known no one but him since she was fifteen…
Clicking my tongue lightly, I smiled.
“Well then, goodbye.”
“W-wait. I don’t want my family to know about this…”
“So?”
“What do you mean, ‘so’? As a fellow woman, don’t you pity me? I’ve already been abandoned by that man. I won’t become the Marchioness—I’ll just be replaced. Then what will I have left? Nothing…”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
Looking at the desperate Bellian, my expression remained cold.
“Do you want someone to comfort you? Tell you everything will be alright?”
“No… I… just…”
“Just what?”
“Couldn’t you just let me live quietly? I won’t be greedy about the Marquis anymore… just please don’t expose everything to the world through lawsuits…”
At that, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Even if you weren’t greedy, you no longer have the right to be greedy anyway. And whether you desire the Marquis or not means nothing to my client anymore. So accept it. You made another woman cry tears of blood for ten years. This much is only fair.”
“Ahh…”
“Well then, I’ll see you in court.”
I turned sharply.
At that moment, Bellian rushed—not to me, but to Lily—and dropped to her knees.
“Madam… Madam, please stop the lawsuit. My parents have lived only for me their entire lives. If they find out about this, they’ll collapse.”
I quickly stepped between them, acting deeply irritated.
“Don’t burden my client. Take responsibility for your own actions. You’re not a child.”
“Please, Madam. Isn’t there some other way…?”
Bellian knelt on the floor, clinging to Lily.
Lily looked at me.
It was time.
“Lawyer. A word.”
“Yes.”
I immediately stepped closer.
Then, pretending we were having a serious private discussion, I listened to Lily for quite a while.
I already knew Bellian would collapse before us today.
After all, I was the one who had arranged everything to make her break faster.
After some time, Lily finally stepped forward.
“Bellian.”
“Yes…”
“Madam is willing to give you one special opportunity.”
“An… opportunity?”
Bellian slowly stood up.
“You may speak, Lady Lily.”
“Bellian.”
“…Yes, Madam.”
“I won’t ask you for an apology or forgiveness. Such things are meaningless to me now.”
“Then… what is this opportunity?”
“Listen carefully. If I sue you, your life will become miserable. Rumors will spread. You may be abandoned not only by society, but even by your own family. And what will remain of your love? Nothing. My husband is already sleeping with another woman. In the end, there is only one thing left for you.”
Bellian still didn’t understand.
She simply stared at Lily and me with wide eyes.
“Money.”
“What… does that have to do with anything?”
“My husband was strangely generous regarding alimony. Because all the money had already been transferred to you. He fully expected the money to return to him eventually. Shameless, isn’t it? So what happens… if the money never comes back?”
“…What?”
“All the enormous wealth of the Azbek family is now in your possession. So what if you disappeared with it? If the money he expected to recover vanished forever… wouldn’t that become revenge for both you and me?”
Bellian blinked in shock, then laughed awkwardly.
“You’re… serious?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re telling me… to run away with all this money?”
Lily nodded gracefully.
“Madam… if you simply don’t sue me… couldn’t I stay here instead? Wouldn’t that be easier…”
“No, Bellian. I haven’t forgiven you. I merely wish to create a more entertaining downfall for my husband through you. If you wish to remain here, then I can offer no more mercy. I want him to despair. I’m simply suggesting a method that benefits all of us.”
Lily turned away.
“Lawyer. It seems we should proceed with the lawsuit as planned.”
“Yes.”
“N-no, Madam! That’s… actually a good idea. You mean I can simply take the money and leave?”
“Yes.”
Only then did the realization fully strike Bellian, and she nodded rapidly.
“Honestly, isn’t this the best outcome for you too? With that amount of money, you could live lavishly forever.”
For the first time in a long while, Bellian’s dull eyes brightened with a natural smile.
“Are you truly allowing this?”
“Yes. But if you betray us, then you will lose everything—money, love, reputation, family. Ignoring my mercy will come at a terrible cost.”
People who are normally calm are the scariest when angry.
And Lily was no exception.
She stared at Bellian with a chilling expression.
Only then did Bellian seem to come fully to her senses and nod heavily.
“I understand. If you are willing to show me such consideration… then I have no reason to remain here any longer.”
Finally gathering herself, she straightened her posture.
“I hope you do not change your mind, Bellian.”
Only after that did I withdraw the lawsuit papers I had handed her.
“Let’s go. Lawyer. Anz.”
“Yes.”
And so we climbed back into the carriage.
Only then did Anz look at me worriedly.
“But won’t Father eventually find out? That the woman he’s currently seeing… is actually a fake we hired?”
