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Chapter 02
‘Wow… the more I think about it, the more pathetic it gets.’
Where is my husband?
Who is he meeting?
Bring my husband back right now.
She had harassed the servants relentlessly, shaking them down while demanding answers, and when her husband’s continued absence stretched on, she went insane enough to scour every hotel in the Bavarian duchy.
Come to think of it, it wasn’t strange that he had been away for several days.
After all, his wife—who openly despised and loathed him—had shown up drunk one night, practically throwing herself at him and demanding to sleep with him. Of course he would want nothing to do with returning home.
If it were the other way around?
If she had been subjected to something like that, she would have fled straight to her family estate and immediately started divorce proceedings.
Their marriage was already beyond repair—completely, irreparably broken. So what was the point of thinking about understanding him now?
‘Even if I apologize and ask for forgiveness… he won’t accept it easily, will he?’
A bitter sadness filled Nina’s blue eyes.
He wouldn’t forgive her. More than that, he probably wouldn’t even believe she had changed.
Human nature didn’t change so easily.
The only reason she had been able to become a “new person” herself was because she had gone through a tragic death and reincarnation.
…And even that had not been an easy process.
She had to sacrifice her entire childhood and youth just to become who she was now.
‘But of all times… I had to be reborn right after hitting the peak of my darkest history, didn’t I?’
Her thoughts were spiraling when—
“…Madam, it looks like the Duke has returned.”
“Really?”
Masha, who had been glancing nervously at Nina while looking out the window, spoke carefully.
“I’ll prepare something for you to change into right away. If the Duke hears you were injured, he’ll come to see you. You should present yourself properly and welcome him—”
“No need.”
Nina stopped Masha as she was hurriedly gathering bandages stained with blood and a wet cloth.
He wouldn’t come.
That had never happened before.
Neatly slicked-back black hair styled with pomade, sharply defined brows, and a gaze like a predatory bird. His clear gray eyes cut through the air.
A tall man whose mere presence overwhelmed every other male around him stepped down from the carriage.
Ash D. Bavarian, the Duke.
He loosened his cravat slightly and let out a tired sigh.
Every time he returned to this woman’s home, it felt like something was choking his throat.
A hint of suffocation flickered in his gray eyes.
Only then did he sweep his gaze across the surroundings with a cold expression.
Strangely enough, his wife was nowhere to be seen today.
He had expected her to be pacing the entrance with bloodshot eyes after his days of absence, but—
The only one who came to greet him was Jeffrey, the old steward who managed the long-standing Bavarian ducal estate.
He had already heard she had fallen down the stairs and been injured. Was she seriously hurt?
Not that he cared—but confirmation was necessary. So he asked Jeffrey.
“Where is she?”
“…The lady has remained in her room for several days.”
“She still hasn’t regained consciousness?”
“She woke up four days ago. She injured her head, so she must rest for a while, but the physician says there doesn’t seem to be any major issue.”
“I see.”
Strange.
He had expected her to be rampaging, demanding to see him the moment she regained consciousness—but instead she was quiet.
Normally, that would be a relief. Yet this silence felt suspicious.
Was she plotting something?
His eyes narrowed as he looked toward the direction of her room.
A shadow of doubt filled his gray gaze.
“Will you go see her now?”
“No.”
“Still… shouldn’t you at least show your face since she was injured?”
Ash stopped walking.
“Steward.”
The low, cold edge in his voice made Jeffrey immediately bow his head.
“I apologize.”
Ash didn’t add anything more. He knew the man meant no harm.
‘Show my face to her?’
Just the memory of his wife—barely dressed, drunk, and stumbling into him—made irritation rise again.
She probably thought it was love. But to him, it was nothing of the sort.
Obsession, suspicion, control, madness.
What else could it be but a disease?
She was insane.
And living in the same house as such a woman made what should have been a comfortable home feel suffocating.
A voice echoed in his mind, and he ground his teeth inwardly.
“We’ve been married for two years already. Isn’t it time we fulfilled our marital duties? How much longer are you going to ignore me?!”
Sharing the same air with her was unbearable—let alone fulfilling marital duties.
Even if he died and was reborn again, he would never touch her.
Right now, in this very moment, he was simply counting down the time until divorce.
Seven days since Nina had locked herself in her room.
Only Masha, her personal maid, had visited her.
Normally, a noble lady’s mornings were spent reading the daily paper and managing the estate.
Nina had done exactly that for the past two years.
But now, she had temporarily stopped everything and locked her door.
She had rejected every invitation that came her way, using her poor health as an excuse.
It had taken a great deal of courage just to face the people who had witnessed her disgrace.
And frankly, since she had never been the kind of mistress anyone adored, no one seemed particularly concerned.
If anything, weren’t they relieved that she wasn’t interfering or demanding updates about the duke anymore?
Lying on her bed, chewing on cookies Masha had brought, Nina murmured to herself.
“Come to think of it… what on earth was I doing all this time?”
Nina had died two years after divorcing her husband, then reincarnated as a woman named So-young and lived another 26 years.
That made 29 years in total.
It wasn’t like she had a photographic memory of everything from back then.
She only remembered fragments.
“Wait… I do remember one thing. Money lending…”
What kind of noblewoman even said that?
By this time, Nina’s reputation had fallen so low it had practically burrowed underground.
No one would respect a mistress who constantly acted out and neglected her duties.
But she had known one very effective way to secure obedience.
And hadn’t she already succeeded in becoming the Duchess of Bavarian using that very method?
It was simple—exploit weaknesses.
Specifically, use “family” as leverage.
She had lent money to the families of impoverished servants—parents, siblings, relatives.
They thought their kind mistress was simply being generous.
But it was far from kindness.
She had exploited the fact that most commoners were poor at arithmetic and often illiterate, drafting predatory loan contracts with compound interest.
And then she used those contracts to force the servants into gathering information about her husband.
When the granddaughter of a chief justice threatened to legally strip them of everything and leave their families destitute, what choice did they have?
To protect their families, they had no option but to obey.
‘How did I manage to be so malicious in my past life…’
Anyway, those victims were probably still dutifully collecting information about her husband like busy little squirrels.
‘First, I should tell him I want a divorce.’
She could clean up the surveillance afterward when the interest payments came due.
“Phew…”
Steeling herself, she rang the bell for Masha.
“Yes, Madam?”
“Masha, what is the Duke doing right now?”
“He should be having his elevenses tea in his office. It’s just before noon. Shall I send word—?”
“Yes. Tell him I have something serious to discuss and would like to meet him briefly.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Masha left to carry out the order.
She would probably return without a positive answer.
They shared nothing—not meals, not tea, not even the smallest moment together.
There was no way the man would accept her request.
Still, sending Masha was meant to show she was no longer acting recklessly.
…but still!
Masha returned with teary eyes.
“Madam… the Duke said that if I come again, he will have me dismissed using his authority…”
To think he would threaten to fire her only attendant after rejecting her request for three straight days.
Nina pushed herself up from the bed.
It seemed that if she wanted to see her husband’s expensive face, she would have to go herself.
But first—she needed to get ready.
