As I stared at the Marchioness, I was at a loss for words.
“Why aren’t you answering? If you don’t answer now, there won’t be another chance. Hurry up and respond!”
“…….”
“Or should I tell Duke Wintbell about your dirty past? Do you want to be abandoned by him too, just like our son?”
At the Marchioness’s final words, I clenched my fist tightly.
“That’s quite interesting.”
A sudden voice interrupted us, and I turned to see who sat beside me.
Kaien wrapped one hand around my pale fist and shot a cold glare at the Marchioness.
“Why don’t you tell me about this dirty past you’re talking about?”
“D-Duke?”
The Marchioness seemed startled by Kaien’s sudden appearance and shot a glare at me.
It looked like she had misunderstood that I had called Kaien, but I hadn’t expected him to come here at all.
It didn’t seem like Jake had informed him either. Jake had been watching me closely the whole time, so he wouldn’t have had a chance to do anything else.
“I’ve come personally, so why don’t you tell me, Marchioness?”
“Excuse me?”
“Didn’t you say you would reveal my fiance’s dirty past to me?”
“Th-That’s….”
“This is quite timely. I haven’t known my fiancé for long, so I don’t know her as well as you do. So please, go ahead and tell me.”
The Marchioness hesitated, glancing between me and Kaien.
She seemed to be trying to gauge the nature of our relationship.
Kaien was holding my hand under the table, so the Marchioness couldn’t see it.
Seeing her hesitation, Kaien spoke up.
“If you tell me, I promise a considerable reward for the Marchioness.”
“Is that true?”
“Why would a duke lie? Besides, no matter how much you ask for, it’s just a small amount to me.”
When money was mentioned, the Marchioness’s expression changed instantly. She soon opened her mouth without hesitation.
“When I first heard about Philome and the Duke’s engagement, I was very troubled. I wanted to wish Philome happiness, but her past was so shocking… I lived each day feeling like I had committed a great sin against the Duke.”
The Marchioness even took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her dry eyes.
“When I heard that Emon had gone to persuade Philome and had met with an accident, I came to see Philome again to try to persuade her. I told her to acknowledge her past and reveal it to the Duke. But Philome… she wasn’t the pure Philome I once knew.”
“So when will you tell me about the lady’s dirty past?”
“Excuse me?”
The Marchioness, who had been squeezing out tears, was taken aback by Kaien’s blunt words and eventually put down her handkerchief.
“Ah, well… it’s quite awkward for me to say this, but it’s probably right to tell you for the Duke’s sake.”
It seemed the Marchioness thought she had perfectly concealed her smile.
‘It’s all too obvious here.’
Did she not realize her lips were large? She was already grinning widely.
“Philome… has been involved with several men. She doesn’t discriminate by social status. She’s a very open-minded child. I should probably praise her for that.”
“So, you’re saying that my fiance has been involved with several men?”
“Ah, that expression might be a bit lacking. It would be more accurate to say she had casual encounters.”
“Seems like the lady was quite popular? Just like how bugs are drawn to flowers.”
“No, no, Duke, that’s not what I meant.”
As Marchioness Kevan saw Kaien evade the point she wanted to make, she wiped the smile off her face and spoke passionately.
“Well, it’s difficult for me to say this, but Philome had casual relationships with many men.”
“Seems like milady had many friends?”
“Friends—it was a bit more complicated than that.”
“So, it seems the lady was the type to form deep friendships.”
“Duke, that’s not what I meant!”
Naturally, the Marchioness had run out of patience.
She abruptly stood up and pointed a finger at me.
“That girl who seduced our innocent and kind son has been running around with other men! She’s been playing around so shamelessly, even managing to charm you. Get a grip, Duke!”
The Marchioness’s voice echoed through the cafe.
After her outburst, the Marchioness seemed to realize her mistake and appeared somewhat flustered, adding:
“Oh, oh my, I’m sorry, Duke. My concern for you got to be the better of me. I got carried away…”
“Emon Kevan’s irrational and frivolous mindset must be inherited from the Marchioness.”
“Excuse me?”
“Marchioness, from now until death, every moment of your life will be filled with pain. You’ll look back on this time and regret it, thinking you shouldn’t have done it.”
“Duke…?”
“Milady, let’s leave now.”
Kaien took my hand and stood up.
“Duke! What do you mean by that, Duke?”
The Marchioness tried to follow us, but Jake blocked her.
“Gio.”
As Kaien exited the shop, he spoke to Gio, who was standing in front.
“I think we need to move the plan up. I’m very angry right now, and I want to see them suffer quickly.”
“Yes, I’ll prepare it.”
“Milady, excuse me for a moment.”
“Yes, yes?”
I asked again, not understanding what he meant, but Kaien grabbed my waist and lifted me up, placing me directly into the carriage.
He closed the carriage door and tapped on the wall.
Immediately, the carriage started moving.
The events happened so quickly that I only came to my senses afterward.
“Duke, how did you get here?”
“I knew the lady went to the square, and since I was passing by, I thought I’d join you.”
“I have something to say. About what the Marchioness said…”
“I don’t believe it.”
Kaien replied calmly.
“So don’t worry, milady.”
“Regardless of whether you believe me, I want to clarify things. I don’t want to be seen in a negative light by you.”
“There will be no resentment from me, even a little. But if you want to explain, go ahead.”
“It’s true that I’ve met several men. Literally just met them. My mother and father used to set me up on blind dates three times a week.”
I had tried to run away, but it was useless.
Whenever I ran away, I was caught, beaten, locked up, and starved.
“It seems I became quite famous for going on many blind dates. After hearing this, the Marchioness started to dislike me even more. Eventually, she came to believe that I slept with every man I met.”
No matter how much I denied it, the Marchioness believed otherwise.
“So… that’s probably why she said those things. But, Duke, I can swear with everything I have that I have never done such things, not even once.”
Recalling those shameful memories and speaking them out loud took a lot of courage.
The carriage stopped.
I hesitated for a moment before getting out.
“I’ll go ahead first.”
I got out of the carriage and headed towards the mansion. Seeing Sophia, who had followed from the carriage behind me, looking at me with concern, I gave her a faint smile to indicate that I was okay.
That was when it happened. A large hand slipped into the space between my fingers.
Startled, I turned my head, and Kaien stood naturally beside me. He then firmly interlocked our fingers.
“I think I need to explain myself as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“As I said, I have never doubted you for a single moment. The only thought I had at that time was simply to be thankful that you endured so well. That’s it.”
I took a deep breath.
Kaien turned our interlocked hands so that my palm faced down.
He lowered his gaze and kissed the back of his hand. Though his lips didn’t touch me, his breath felt like it was caressing my palm.
“Thank you for enduring and for coming by my side.”
“…Duke.”
“I told you before. I will grant you anything you desire.”
“Yes. I remember.”
It was a moment I could never forget.
“That promise will hold true this time and for the rest of my life. So tell me, what do you want?”
“The thing you want.”
At my words, Kaien blinked in surprise and then laughed playfully.
“Do you desire something cruel and bloody like me?”
“People often say, ‘The best revenge is my own success.’”
I looked up at him, then glanced at the matching rings on our fingers.
“It seems like I’ve achieved the best revenge, but it doesn’t feel like it’s enough for them. So, I want to deliver customized revenge that fits them perfectly.”
“Customized revenge…”
Kaien mulled over my words for a moment, then spoke with smiling lips.
“I really like that phrase.”
He added calmly.
“I’ll be with you. In your revenge.”
At those words, I smiled brightly for the first time in a long while.
Thanks