I Thought a Villainess' Divorce Would Be Easy

“A letter that is important enough to bring back the Duke, who must have been busy suppressing demonic beasts for a while.”

“Why that letter?”

“I asked the Duke for it and he gave it to me.”

It was no different than confirming that Anthea had read the letter Rosa had sent to the Duke. She thought Rosa, who was shameless, would avoid her eyes, so she thought she didn’t want to bring up the topic and was acting tough instead.

“Rosa, what do you think I will do?”

What if throwing the teapot and pouring hot tea was just the beginning?

Anthea’s red eyes, which still had some sadness remaining, gently curved and showed her smile.

“How long should I tolerate this?”

She approached Rosa with a gentle, light step. The maids also just stood at a distance and looked at Anthea, as if they were nervous because she looked different from usual. Anthea put her foot on the water jar that Rosa dipped her hand in and showed her brightest smile.

“I think Rosa knows… When I see you constantly crossing the line like this.”

Anthea’s feet gained strength. The water jar was so heavy that it wouldn’t have budged at any other time. But fortunately, Anthea was able to tilt her water jar towards Rosa with the power of her accumulated anger.

“What!”

Wajangchang.

Because it was around the fireplace, there was no carpet, so it made a lot of noise. It seemed like she caught a glimpse of Julie, who was looking at her with concern, and Ellie, who was holding both of her hands tightly and her eyes shining as if cheering her on.

‘It looks like the maids will be branded as pot destroyers.’

A bright smile appeared on Anthea’s lips as she thought of these funny thoughts.

“I look forward to the time when that light mouth crosses her line in the future.”

She smiled so brightly that it seemed like Anthea was sincere.

“Is it just me? Aren’t you excited, Rosa?”

“Are you threatening me now?”

“What a threat. Am I threatening you just by breaking a water pot? Wouldn’t it be more profitable to tear or destroy what the head maid cherishes most?”

It was the story of Anthea’s dress and her jewelry, which were torn and broken under the pretext of her inspection before entering the duchy.

“I would have told you it was a procedure. I can’t believe I kept the obvious in my mind until now. She is not fit to be the duke’s mistress.”

Did the Duke know about that too? With just this one word, Rosa’s complexion would turn pale. That was too easy. She didn’t need to use the duke anymore. Rather, looking at Rosa’s attitude toward Anthea up until now, she would be better served this way.

“Ellie, do you know a place that sells horse whips?”

“Yes! I also know a place that sells ladies’ whips.”

Ellie quickly answered Anthea’s sudden question. Her overly quick answer felt somehow suspicious, but Anthea looked back at Rosa and smiled brightly.

“Isn’t it a bit much for the Duke’s mistress to do it with her own hands? If you ask the Duke, you will be able to get a strong servant or slave to be your hand.”

Rosa’s complexion visibly worsened at the word slave.

Anthea only knew through rumors that there were still slaves in this world and that they were treated like animals. Looking at Rosa’s reaction, it seemed like slaves were treated the same way in the North.

“Ah, how about giving the slave a small cane? I don’t think I will feel at ease if Rosa gets really sick.”

Rosa, who had snorted at the mention of the horse whip, was filled with anger and began to tremble as if this was her first time hearing such insulting words. She had no plans to buy slaves or use her whip, but Anthea was sure that what would hurt Rosa the most was being overpowered by her inferiors.

It was truly heartbreaking to see her class consciousness so clearly and yet so desperately disparaging Anthea, who had become the Duchess.

“Oh, how can you do such a vulgar thing?”

“Vulgar? Isn’t this a much more elegant way than having the Duchess do it herself?”

Currently, all Rosa has actually suffered is having tea spilled on her hands. However, she did not give up her venomous gaze, as if she was unfair and resentful, not even thinking about the actions and comments she had made to Anthea. There was no way she could look at her maid Jean as if she would devour her duchess like that.

“Rosa. How can you be so rude to me, the duchess, when you shiver like this just thinking about being whipped by a slave?”

It was because she would not admit it, but Rosa, who kept her mouth shut, seemed to genuinely want to avoid bringing in slaves. Whether she left Rosa like this or gave her a hard scolding, Anthea’s situation didn’t really change. Rosa would continue to talk behind Anthea’s back, not acknowledging her Anthea, and that was her Anthea and what she wanted.

The only disadvantage that Rosa could give Anthea was that she was playing around with her money, but that was enough to use the duke’s name. In order for her to mess around with food, she had to overcome the chef who treated Anthea like a sourdough.

‘Then there’s no need to endure it for no reason.’

Now that Nathan was gone and even her duke was out of her mansion, there was nothing for Anthea to be careful about. Instead, it was a time when she was trembling and had to act as she wanted.

Anthea walked away from the broken urn and looked back at the maids.

“Take a good look.”

She was such a bad master.

“It’s a teapot now, but you never know what it’ll fit next.”

‘Listen to me. Whether I admit it or not, I am the duchess and the law of the house. I’m right.’

“Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She warned everyone with an innocent smile. Instead of being scared, the maids nodded, even clenching their fists.

‘Madam fighting. Well done. cheer up.’

Looking at those bright eyes full of kindness, I felt like I could hear them even if she didn’t say them.

‘Guys, you should see me shaking in despair. If you support something like this, you will suffer.’

In fact, Rosa looked like she was even breathing heavily as she was holding back so much anger that her face turned red. If she had warned her this much, Rosa would have been more upset or crouched down.

“Oh, I’m tired.”

“I’ll take you to your room, ma’am.”

As Anthea left the parlor under the guidance of Julie and Ellie, the remaining maids inside her hesitated to look at Rosa, who was sitting on the floor.

“That woman… She is of low blood and does not even have the basic manners that a Duchess should have.”

Hearing Rosa’s dark voice, which even seemed to contain hatred, the maids hurriedly cleaned up the broken teapot pieces and tea water and ran away.

Rosa, left alone, looked down at his red hands and gritted his teeth.

“My hands, busy all day and night managing the craftsman, are doing something like this. I can’t believe how thoughtless it is. It’s clear that even the owner is being fooled by that nice appearance.”

Rosa has devoted herself to her role as the head maid without being restricted by it. He arbitrarily mistook the duke’s indifference for trust, and she solidified her position under the pretense of doing it for the duke’s sake. This huge mansion was Rosa’s life, life, and pride.

She could not afford to lose the mansion she had protected with all her might to a lowly, unworthy hostess who spoke of slaves.

Rosa, who had no idea that she was the cause, seemed to have made up her mind and quickly got ready to go out.

* * *

After Nathan passed away and Richard left, Anthea stayed in her room for a while. Her sadness naturally led to her lack of motivation, so she spent several days as one with her bed.

“Ellie. Is there something on my back?”

“If you are talking about angel wings, I wonder if we will have them someday…”

“Oh, no. Isn’t there something like mold growing?”

“It can’t be. If you’re feeling frustrated, I’ll let you vent.”

Julie immediately opened the farthest window, and Ellie brought a shawl around Anthea in case she was cold.

“Ah, good. The feeling of turning on the fan and covering yourself with a blanket is the best.”

“A fan?”

“Oh, no. It’s good because it ventilates.”

The large room filled with all kinds of items that Nathan had filled with it felt familiar and cozy, as if it were in the Count’s house. The familiar scent from the blanket and cushion calmed Anthea. Since she was so unmotivated that she was just lounging around in her room, she thought that if she did well, she could imitate Anthea’s seclusion in the original.

As a few days passed and her sadness gradually subsided, she finally sat up and got up, feeling so bored that her back felt like it was growing.

‘As expected, it’s impossible for you to stay away from me.’

She had to diligently accumulate villain points as she had initially planned.

As time passed by, she had no idea whether her gossip was spreading well within her duchy.

“Good. Even evil deeds start with one step!”

“Yes, ma’am. Cheer up!”

“Would you like to start by going to the place where I gathered the light jars?”

Although she said it out loud without realizing it, the maids’ gazes on Anthea were warm even after hearing her say that it was her evil deed. These two people originally viewed Anthea favorably, so even if they committed a clumsy evil act, it would be difficult to come up with a back story.

What she was looking forward to was what happened with Rosa. Anthea, who had prepared for a small war, was surprised that she had not heard a single malicious rumor about her. If she remained silent like this, she would have to harass the maid or the cook who showed her favor to Anthea. However, she felt much more comfortable fighting Rosa, who had evil intentions towards Anthea. It seemed like she would have to clash with Rosa directly and inflate her notoriety about Anthea within her duchy.

“I also prepared a light dish for you, ma’am.”

“No. I’m going to interfere.”

Now that she had made up her mind, she got off the bed and decided to do it right away. As if she had been waiting, Anthea changed her clothes in the hands of the two and headed straight to the room where the maid Jane was staying.

Looking again, she entered Rosa’s office, which was absurdly sturdy and luxurious, and even the president of her house was there.

“Master, you walked all the way here yourself without calling us.”

Since he knew Anthea, who had been staying in her room for a while, the butler came over as if he felt sorry for her, but the maid slightly tilted her head reluctantly, as if he had noticed her too late. It wasn’t enough to say hello, but it was hard to get a hold of her.

Anthea walked straight inside and quickly sat down on her chair, which looked empty and soft thanks to Rosa getting up. She lifted her chin towards the perplexed Rosa and said, “Anthea was acting shamelessly.”

“Why? What? I’m a duchess, can’t I sit down?”

 

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Translator Note: