It Feels Like I’m About to be Divorced, But my Husband is My Favorite

Episode 68

‘Shouldn’t she have humbled herself, considering she was enjoying such undeserved fortune thanks to the Count of Biers?’

But that con artist held her head high as if her success was her own doing, brazenly behaving disrespectfully toward them.

This was the same person who couldn’t even utter a proper word when in the presence of the Duke’s family, like a criminal.

‘Honestly, it’s a relief she died early.’

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have probably found joy in threatening or tormenting the young children by bringing up their mother’s true status.

Count Biers had originally warned Amy sternly to never speak about the Duchess’s true background or the deal involving Euclid’s late brother, which was the foundation of her position.

However, Amy couldn’t stand being ignored by children who, though of ducal blood, were so young they barely reached her waist.

So, she spoke. She told the children about their mother’s true origins, about their foolish father who had deceived his family, retainers, and vassals to marry her.

And she warned them that once this truth came to light, the respect they currently enjoyed would vanish. Especially the affection from Euclid, who cherished them as his own kin, would disappear without a trace.

Amy truly believed this would happen without a doubt.

Having grown accustomed to tormenting the children who couldn’t retaliate, Amy rushed to the duke’s estate as soon as she saw Count Biers looking anxious.

She ensured no one was around, locked the door tightly, and began her tirade in a hushed but angry tone.

“It’s all because of you! If only you had conveyed my words properly to the Duke, there’s no way the Basilian princess would’ve become Duchess, nor would the Basilian Merchant Guild have opened a branch in the duchy! You ruined everything, do you understand?”

Marianne had already guessed something troubling had happened to the Biers family when she saw Amy leaving the duke’s estate yesterday, pale and fleeing.

Though she found it satisfying, she had steeled herself, knowing Amy would come to lash out at her and her brother.

However, Amy seemed even more agitated than expected, which made Marianne uneasy.

Still, she maintained her composure, gripping Dior’s trembling hand.

“Go to the Duke right now and tell him you don’t want the Basilian Guild in the North, or at least demand they continue paying Biers’s distribution fees monthly! That’s what your dead father promised, after all!”

Marianne froze as Amy’s sharp voice mentioned their father, now only a faint memory.

She missed him, resented him, yearned for him, and blamed him all at once.

Why had he made such foolish deals with Count Biers?

And why had he left them behind with their uncle, abandoning them?

Marianne’s eyes welled up as she unknowingly glared directly at Amy, who was shouting at her.

“No.”

“What… what did you just say?”

“I said no. I won’t tell Uncle anything you want me to.”

Neither Dior nor Marianne had ever openly defied Amy, even if they hadn’t always been completely obedient.

Usually, when Amy brought up their parents’ mistakes or threatened to speak to their uncle, they would comply. Why were they suddenly acting differently today?

Amy hesitated, startled, but soon her eyes burned with malice.

“Don’t tell me you’re acting up because that woman was a little kind to you yesterday?”

How foolish and clueless could they be!

“Do you have no sense of your place?”

Amy shook her head, letting out a scornful laugh.

“They say blood doesn’t lie. You’re showing your lowly roots all too clearly. Do you think that woman would treat you like humans if she knew the truth about you? Even the Duke you admire so much would no longer consider you his kin if he knew!”

Amy feigned pity, giving a sympathetic look to Marianne, who stood frozen, and Dior, who was already sobbing with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Do you understand? Now, do as I say—”

Crash!

At that moment, a deafening noise thundered through the room.

Amy instinctively checked the door.

She half-expected to see Evgenia glaring at her with the same terrifying expression as yesterday, but the door remained firmly shut.

She remembered locking it earlier, just in case.

So where had the sound come from?

Blinking in confusion, Amy suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

Startled, she slowly turned around.

And then, with a thud, she collapsed to the floor, her strength completely drained.

For the first time, Amy realized that when terror is overwhelming, it can leave you unable even to scream.

Like a ghost from an old tale, with long black hair flowing down, a figure emerged…

No, it wasn’t a ghost. It was the Duchess, stepping slowly out of a half-destroyed wardrobe.

Amy, now pale as a sheet, trembled uncontrollably.

Evgenia’s face, which Amy had always thought sharp and cold, now looked so terrifying it defied description.

Her icy eyes radiated a chill that seemed to freeze the air as she approached step by step.

“Have you been tormenting the children like this all along? Since when?”

A chilling sensation ran down my spine as I sensed an extremely restrained anger in the calm voice.

This woman—why did she suddenly jump out of the closet? Could it be that she was suspicious of me and decided to hide there?

Did she hear me? The things I said to the children—she must have heard everything.

Could she have understood the meaning behind it all? Surely, she couldn’t have exposed everything…

Until now, I had always used the possibility of revealing this truth to the children as a threat, but deep down, I knew that if it ever came to light, it wouldn’t just be the children who would be in trouble—it would be the Count of Biers who would face an even greater crisis.

When Amy froze in panic and couldn’t utter a word, Evgenia leaned forward and grabbed Amy by the collar.

“Answer me.”

“T-that’s…”

The crushing pressure weighing down on her shoulders made Amy feel she couldn’t remain silent. Cowed, she finally opened her mouth.

“What does it have to do with you?”

Of all things, I never expected to hear such words in this situation.

Evgenia let out a laugh, incredulous. Amy, emboldened by her fear and misunderstanding of the laugh, raised her voice and shouted.

“You married the Duke while loving another man anyway! So it has nothing to do with you—nothing at all!”

“Stop spouting nonsense.”

Evgenia’s grip on Amy’s collar tightened, and her gaze turned murderous.

“Who said that? Who said I loved another man?”

“K-kgh…”

“Even if that were true, am I not still the Duchess of Rudion? Am I not the aunt of these children?”

An aunt? Did she not hear what I said earlier?

Amy’s eyes widened, a glimmer of hope flashing as she thought that perhaps the worst hadn’t happened yet.

But Evgenia crushed that hope with her next words, spoken in a low whisper.

“Even if they were born of a fraud, came from a lowly status, or weren’t even truly related to the Euclides, do you think I’d let you treat the children this way?”

Ah… she really did hear everything.

It was all over now.

Amy went pale, her body slumping as defeat overtook her.

I’d always thought of myself as rational and composed, rather than impulsive.

But hearing someone threaten the children—those precious kids I wanted to call my family—flipped a switch in my mind.

Holding back my anger, I turned my gaze from the woman who had resorted to such base intimidation to the children.

“Have either of you ever been hit?”

Marianne shook her head, but Dior quickly wiped away tears with the back of his hand and spoke up.

“I-I’ve been pinched a lot…”

A startled Marianne tried to cover Dior’s mouth, but it was already too late; I had heard it all.

My fists clenched involuntarily. If I could, I’d repay her tenfold for all the pain she inflicted on the children.

‘But showing violence in front of the kids wouldn’t be good for them.’

While debating what to do, I suddenly realized I had the perfect weapon at my disposal.

Following my gaze, Lady Biers froze, her eyes darting to the sharp heel of my shoe.