After the Wicked Wife Leaves

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Translated by: Alina

Edited by: Vcubed

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

 

With a sneering tone and an intrusive approach, I expressed my annoyance.

“I told you not to call me that way, Fritz.”

Fritz Reisen Schwanhildt, my twin brother born from the same womb and the crown prince of the empire.

Despite my reprimand, he shrugged his shoulders at me.

“Then what should I call the Raven?”

As I glared at him without responding, he approached me and muttered mockingly.

“Are you hoping to be called ‘my lady’ by me? How absurd.”

‘If I’m a wretch, then what does that make you? A worthless scoundrel who can’t accept anything offered to him? Or perhaps a hopeless rogue?’

Honestly, there was no shortage of ways to ridicule Fritz verbally.

Despite the Empress’s efforts in education, even at nineteen, Fritz still struggled to grasp the fundamentals of imperial studies, much to the frustration of his teachers.

His behavior was uncouth and disgraceful, making a rebellion almost inevitable if he were to become emperor.

‘But it’s best to avoid a confrontation with this lad.’

Though Fritz had a malicious and clumsy personality, he never forgot a grudge.

So, it was better to avoid him even if it meant getting dirty.

As I attempted to leave the scene, at that moment—

“Hey, where do you think you’re going without my permission? The Raven gets married and suddenly gets bold.”

As he grabbed my wrist, I calmly spoke.

“Release me kindly.”

He sneered and chuckled at me.

“What will you do if I don’t? You’re useless.”

I glanced around.

The knights and courtiers were looking at me with troubled expressions.

It was a familiar sight to me.

Though it was best to avoid clashing with Fritz, sometimes it was necessary not to be ignored.

‘I guess I’ll have to handle it.’

As I made up my mind, someone intervened.

“Your Highness, you’re being disrespectful.”

The knights of the Blant Duchy, who had been passive until recently, were now standing with reluctant expressions, as if protesting.

‘Those wretches.’

Though Fritz enjoyed mocking and tormenting me, it was only when the nobles’ eyes weren’t on him.

Now, however, Fritz’s gaze had shifted towards them.

“Why are you all acting like this? Is it wrong for me to have a conversation with my sister for once?”

Whether Fritz was scared or simply disliked being encircled, it was unclear.

In any case, Chester and the knights were clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

But perhaps due to the surrounding gazes, none of them dared to intervene. It was a sight I was quite familiar with.

While it was best to avoid clashing with Fritz, sometimes it was necessary not to be ignored.

‘I’ll have to do it after all.’

With a tense atmosphere and a changed tone, our eyes, both of the same violet hue, were bloodshot.

“Are you daring to insult the nobility, you commoners?”

Fritz seemed to hesitate, or perhaps he disliked my encirclement.

Either way, Chester and the knights were now visibly uncomfortable.

But due to the surrounding attention, none of them dared to ignore me.

Nevertheless, I reiterated my protest to Fritz.

“Yes, grabbing a lady’s wrist without permission is not gentlemanly behavior, is it?”

Fritz seemed to twist his mind, releasing my hand as if flinging it away.

“Dare you call me, a prince, ungentlemanly?”

The atmosphere and tone had changed from a moment ago, and now, there were blood vessels in the eyes of both of us, the same violet color.

“Ridiculing a royal family member? How dare you?”

Fritz tried to draw his sword, which he carried on his belt, as if to show off.

“I’ll kill you all!”

To be honest, a few hits on the knights wouldn’t be too bad for me.

They had touched my feelings and expressed their dissatisfaction with my always being the superior.

The problem was that I was pregnant now, and Fritz was a tyrant who didn’t hesitate to take lives.

“How about that? Now that your beloved puppy is dying, do you think you won’t dare to challenge me?”

Recalling an unpleasant memory, I stomped on Fritz’s shoe with my heel.

“Ouch!”

As Fritz grabbed his foot with his hand, writhing in pain, I sneered and spoke.

“How does it feel? To be hit when you said I couldn’t do anything?”

Fritz grimaced and then burst into a fit of rage.

“Hey, Raven! Are you really crazy?”

Fritz was undoubtedly an irredeemable scoundrel, but even so, he had some sense of discretion in the palace.

He would hurl insults at me, but at least in the palace, he never drew his sword.

As if on cue, Fritz spoke in a threatening tone.

“Now you believe in the Empress and act all high and mighty, but once I become Emperor, I can deal with someone like you anytime.”

I shrugged, smiling sarcastically.

“The crazy one must be you, Fritz Reisen Schwanhildt.”

Approaching Fritz slowly, I whispered in his ear.

“Don’t dare to touch the Empress’s belongings recklessly.”

“How could you…?”

I could have explained, but honestly, I didn’t want to waste time on someone like Fritz.

“For details, ask Her Majesty.”

He might believe that I had given him land as a reward, but if he found out that I had taken away a mine instead, it would probably give him a headache for a while.

But I didn’t intend to end it here.

“And if you ever lay a hand on me again, it won’t end well for you.”

I looked at Fritz with a baffled expression, my voice laced with mockery.

“Just as you don’t treat me as a sister, I won’t consider you as a brother and will retaliate.”

Fritz gritted his teeth in anger at my words.

“Retaliation?”

But because he knew I had caught onto his weakness, he refrained from swearing or hurling insults at me.

“Fine, I’ll do as you say. I don’t want retaliation either. But…”

After reluctantly obeying my words, Fritz glanced around, particularly at the knights, especially Chester, who had tried to oppose him.

“Do you know that knight who dared to insult me earlier?”

Like a cat finding its prey, Fritz chuckled satisfactorily.

“So, I think that guy who dared to insult me should be punished…”

Swish!

Before Fritz could finish his sentence, I slapped Chester’s face.

With a haughty voice dripping from my lips, I spoke.

“Yes, that’s right. A mere knight like you dared to utter nonsense to the future Emperor, the sun of the Empire.”

Once, twice, thrice, I struck Chester’s cheek until my palms felt sore, then I turned to Fritz and said.

“So, I’ve punished him. Now, rest assured.”

With no more tail to grab onto, Fritz grumbled and glared at me.

“Hey, remember what happened today. Don’t regret it later.”

In other words, it was a threat, laying down the gauntlet for the Emperor’s aftermath.

Instead of responding, I raised my chin.

Seemingly understanding the meaning behind my snide remark, Fritz left with a menacing look in his eyes.

“You! You! You’ll die next time we meet!”

And with that kind of threat.

And I knew it was genuine.

‘I’d better refrain from going out for a while.’

For a moment, I looked at Chester, whose face was swollen.

‘He must resent me.’

If I hadn’t intervened, Chester would have had his tongue cut off at least.

Although he was someone I disliked, seeing that would undoubtedly disturb my peace of mind.

But to others, it would seem that I had taken the initiative to protect the knight, even though he was just a scapegoat.

‘Since whatever I say will be an excuse…’

Already playing the villain, it wouldn’t be a shock even if my relationship with the Blant knights worsened.

So, I told the knights in a cold tone.

“I will take the palace carriage back, so do not follow me any further. It’s annoying.”

With that, I tried to leave the scene.

At that moment, the knights all kneeled.

As I frowned at the sight.

“Lord Chester, what is the meaning of this? Is this some kind of protest against me for getting hit?”

In my astonishment, Chester shook his head.

“It’s not a protest. We just want to thank you for rescuing us from the clutches of that impudent rascal, Your Highness.”

“If it’s gratitude you seek, it’s been acknowledged. Don’t worry about them making a fuss if they get beaten up by my brothers,” I said, trying to reassure Chester.

To which Chester hesitated before answering honestly, “And… we’re apologizing for our wrongdoing.”

I widened my eyes at his words before bursting into laughter.

“Wrongdoing? What wrongdoing did you commit?”

They hesitated before mentioning what had happened earlier.

“We didn’t follow orders. And… we didn’t properly guard you.”

With the expected answer, I chuckled bitterly.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Memories of being belittled by the knights resurfaced in my mind.

“A princess, what a pitiful mistress. I can’t acknowledge such a woman as a duchess!”

They didn’t acknowledge me, a princess, as a duchess.

Just by never addressing me as ‘duchess’ or ‘madam,’ I knew how much they had disrespected me.

It was improbable that they would guard a woman they didn’t acknowledge as a duchess.

“What are you doing now? Kneeling in front of lady guests like that!”

They never asked for my side of the story and always took someone else’s side, assuming I was always at fault.

They had been like that just a moment ago.

If they had really been protecting me, they should have guarded me against Fritz’s approach, but they only intervened after Fritz grabbed my hand, and it was me, the one they were supposed to guard, who had to clean up the mess afterward.

“We were wrong. Please forgive us.”

As I watched them begging for forgiveness, a pang of pain echoed in my chest.

Perhaps it was because I was reacting to the hardships I had endured in the past.

‘But what good would it do to blame or forgive them for those wrongs now?’

I would soon be leaving the duchy.

So, whether I blamed or forgave them, nothing would change.

Eventually, I looked at them and spoke.

“You did nothing wrong.”

𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊