After the Wicked Wife Leaves

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Translated by: Alina

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Three days later, after having tea at the Duke’s mansion, Medelin entered the Duke’s mansion with the young ladies and ladies of the noble families she usually interacted with.

 

“Where did you say the tea party would be held?” In response to one of the young ladies, Medelin smiled and replied, “It will be in the Glass Garden.”

 

Soon, a neatly dressed butler approached them.

 

“You must be Miss Medelin and her friends. Please come in. Allow me to escort you.”

 

Following the butler into the Glass Garden, they were immediately amazed.

The transparent greenhouse, about 60 square meters, was filled with various fruit trees and beautiful flowers.

However, it wasn’t chaotic; a skilled landscaper arranged everything beautifully and even created pathways, making the visitors feel like they were in paradise.

What accentuated this beautiful landscape was the lighting using mirrors.

The young ladies laughed as they ran their hands along the path of light.

 

“Oh my, is this the place the Duke gifted to the Duchess? It’s beautifully decorated.”

“If the Duchess had been more active in society, it could have set a trend.”

 

At that moment,

 

“Oh, it feels good to receive compliments from you all.”

 

Turning their heads simultaneously, they saw Cornelia adorned elegantly, standing gracefully.

Usually, they would have ridiculed Cornelia’s heavily adorned appearance.

Her expensive clothes and excessive accessories often made Cornelia look too flashy.

However, they couldn’t ridicule her now.

As the party’s host, she was wearing an exquisite and elegant navy dress with accessories that accentuated rather than overwhelmed her.

Honestly, the Duchess was flawless and beautiful in anyone’s eyes.

Even her black hair, often considered a flaw, seemed like an advantage.

 

‘Honestly, she’s too beautiful to be called a crow. Honestly, I like her better than Medelin….’

 

One of Medelin’s friends thought as they gazed absentmindedly.

 

“Um, why is no one saying anything? You’ve been staring at my face. Do you have something to say?”

 

Only then did she realize her mistake, and her face turned pale as she lowered her head.

 

“I didn’t mean anything else; you just look so beautiful today…”

 

At that moment, laughter rang out.

As she looked up, Cornelia was smiling at her.

 

“Honestly, it was my first time being praised upfront, so I laughed because it was awkward.”

 

The feeling of embarrassment evaporated at her words, leaving behind an inexplicable excitement.

Moreover…

 

“Thank you for saying that. Lady Schultz.”

 

Contrary to rumors that she always looked down on and was cruel to subordinates, she surprisingly remembered their names.

 

“It’s an honor that you remember!”

“Oh no, the honor is mine.”

 

Unlike what they had heard about Cornelia, they felt naturally drawn to her easy-going and refreshing demeanor.

Unconsciously, they found themselves engaging with Cornelia, forgetting the initial purpose of their visit.

 

“Hello, Duchess. I am…”

“Lady Devan, it’s been a while.”

 

As she greeted each guest by name, they surrounded the Duchess with warmth and admiration.

Cornelia had unwittingly become the center of attention at the party.

Meanwhile, Medelin’s eyes, watching her, darkened.

 

‘Those insignificant people!’

 

Although she had instructed them to show a friendly attitude towards Cornelia, hearing their praises made Medelin feel uncomfortable.

And the reason was…

 

‘This was supposed to be mine from the start!’

 

The beautiful Glass Garden, the position of the Duchess, the people’s admiration—all should have been hers.

But that thieving crow had stolen everything that belonged to her, so it was natural for her to feel angry.

 

‘Damn it, just wait and see. After this is over and Erich and the Emperor are out of sight, I will definitely get rid of you…’

 

At that moment, Medelin flinched.

It was because Cornelia suddenly turned her gaze towards her.

 

‘Was my expression okay?’

 

Did any hostility show on her face?

As Medelin trembled with anxiety, Cornelia smiled and called out to her,

 

“Medi, come here.”

‘That?’

 

Medelin clenched her fists. She never expected her childhood nickname to be called in a place like this.

Sure enough, laughter mixed with mockery was heard.

 

“Isn’t that a nickname for when she was young?”

“Well, it’s still cute, isn’t it?”

 

Those who were gossiping were Cornelia’s guests as well as her own.

However, since she had to show that she and her cousin were getting along, Cornelia calling her by her childhood nickname was an excellent idea.

Forced to smile, Medelin replied,

 

“Yeah, I’m coming!”

 

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

 

Cornelia had three guests, while Medelin had five.

Nevertheless, they sat at the table and conversed comfortably without any awkwardness.

 

“Grand Madam prepared herbal tea as a pregnancy gift; she’s really kind.”

“That’s right!”

 

Initially, the conversation revolved around Cornelia as the party’s host, but it naturally flowed to topics commonly discussed among young noble ladies and noblewomen.

 

“Oh, that young lady forced a kiss on a knight for practice kissing!”

“Oh my, really?”

 

Love, gossip, and flaunting.

Among them, flaunting was undoubtedly the highlight.

 

“My father bought me this sapphire bracelet for my birthday!”

“Oh, it’s really beautiful!”

 

At that moment, one of the young ladies who had come with Medelin mentioned her.

 

“Now that I think about it, do you think Lady Arzen would be uncomfortable looking at jewels? She must be used to seeing the finest jewels every day, and if she wants them, she can have them.”

 

When the attention turned to her, Medelin smiled, covering her mouth with her hand.

 

‘Yes, it should be like this.’

 

Openly boasting is something only low-class people do.

Being modest yet subtly showing off can be advantageous in winning people’s favor.

And in that aspect, Medelin was very skilled.

 

“It’s our family business, after all. Besides, expensive necklaces are managed by my father, so I can’t just have them at will.”

 

Upon hearing Medelin’s words, the young ladies looked disappointed.

But with her following words, they couldn’t help but look at Medelin with envy and admiration.

 

“Still, it’s nice to be able to see new items first. And sometimes my father gives me the jewelry I want.”

“Oh, that’s really enviable! By the way, the mining contract that Marquis Arzen signed was quite significant, right?”

“Yes, we need to have various types of gem mines to have an advantage in competition.”

 

Even among the top nobility within the Empire, there were those who did not own mines. However, having various types of mines was a sign of wealth that few in the Empire could match, typical of Marquis Arzen.

At that moment, Medelin’s eyes gleamed sharply.

 

“Oh, by the way, our family also has a gem mine that we haven’t fully utilized.”

“Oh? What is it?”

 

Medelin’s gaze turned towards Cornelia.

 

‘A little while ago, you dared to call me something funny, right?’

 

Then she spoke.

 

“It’s a jade mine.”

 

At her words, the guests chuckled.

 

“Well, isn’t jade something we could do without?”

“That’s right. Having something like that which isn’t even considered a gem…”

 

Then, Medelin’s eyes lit up sharply.

 

“Oh, saying it like that is rude. Our Duchess Blant is the largest jade mine owner in the Empire.”

 

In the past, Medelin wouldn’t have cared about Cornelia’s reaction.

Back then, she had a bad reputation, and she was close to being just a superficial Duchess who didn’t even receive good treatment even from her husband.

But now, Cornelia was different from back then.

Although there were those who sympathized with her, her reputation was generally good. She was carrying the heir to the Duchy, and it was a famous anecdote that Duke Blant even gave her a greenhouse as a gift for his wife, who wanted to eat fruits.

People apologized to Cornelia while being cautious.

 

“We’re sorry.”

“We misspoke.”

 

Even though it was a situation where she could be angry, Cornelia graciously smiled.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

Although she said it was okay, she might be harboring resentment internally, so the people continued to apologize.

 

“We made a mistake. Please forgive us if we have hurt your feelings.”

 

In response, Cornelia shook her head.

 

“I wasn’t hurt at all. I actually sold that mine for a good price recently.”

 

Only then did people relax and smile awkwardly.

 

“Oh, it’s really fortunate that you sold it.”

 

Cornelia nodded in agreement.

 

“Well, the grand madam didn’t particularly like that gemstone, and there was almost no profit. Still, I was happy to sell it for three times the market price.”

 

At her words, Medelin’s forehead twitched.

 

‘To think that I could have made three times the profit from the mine that should have been mine from the start…’

 

Before long, Medelin let out a small sigh.

 

‘Yeah, now is not the time to be caught up in jealousy.’

 

To see the effectiveness of the herbal tea, she needed to persuade Cornelia somehow to go out in two days.

 

‘How should I manipulate her? Should I say I’ll give her a pregnancy gift…?’

 

At that moment, Medelin flinched once again.

It was because she met Cornelia’s eyes once more.

 

‘What’s with that woman? She keeps staring at me as if observing me!’

 

As she tried to avoid eye contact, Cornelia raised the corner of her mouth.

 

“Medelin.”

“Y-yes?”

“I’m thinking of going shopping with Grand Madam in two days. Would you like to come along?”

 

Medelin smiled.

She was just wondering how to bring up going out first. But for her to bring it up first, it was perfect.