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

Episode 73

Delano’s expression was noticeably brighter than usual.

Suspicious, Evgenia narrowed her eyes and stared at him.

In response, Delano let out an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head.

“Honestly, I’ve always found Count Beers, who comes every month like a loan shark to collect money, incredibly annoying. But today! He said there’s no reason to pay distribution fees anymore since other merchant groups are now involved.”

Ah, so it wasn’t anything special.

“But while His Grace speaks softly and politely, Madam, you’re intimidating even when you’re speaking normally!”

…This brat?

Unaware of Evgenia’s widening glare, Delano continued cheerfully, as if just imagining it brought him joy.

“Count Beers probably won’t be able to act all high and mighty in front of you, Madam.”

“High and mighty?”

Somehow, that unpleasant phrase caught her attention.

When Evgenia asked again, Delano immediately put on an indignant expression.

“Yes. He’s utterly insufferable. No matter how he might be the late Young Duke’s father-in-law and the grandfather of the Young Master and Young Lady, his attitude towards His Grace….”

Shaking his head, Delano clicked his tongue.

“Sometimes, watching him, it’s hard to tell who’s the Duke and who’s the Count… H-Hiiik!”

And then, as he inadvertently looked up, he froze in terror at the chilling aura radiating from Evgenia.

“Haha, I didn’t like him anyway…”

How dare he treat our Euclid that way.

Evgenia’s eyes flashed coldly as she muttered ominously. Then, she fixed her gaze on the drawing-room door.

“He needs to be taught a lesson.”

Instinctively, Delano flinched, but he soon realized Evgenia was a reliable ally and smiled with relief.

Count Biers had already filled my internal rage gauge to an incredibly high level.

And to make matters worse, he dared to act arrogantly towards Euclid of all people!

I can’t tolerate anyone mistreating Euclid.

‘Even if it were the Empire’s Crown Prince, I wouldn’t hesitate to slap him across the face!’

Though, admittedly, that wasn’t entirely intentional.

Anyway, I had already prepared a blow specifically for Count Biers, but now I felt it was perfectly fine to show him some fear first.

While Delano’s anticipation annoyed me greatly, it’s true that my face can be quite intimidating. I decided to show him what real fear looks like as I flung open the drawing-room door.

And then, I paused upon seeing a middle-aged man sitting on the sofa, his shiny scalp catching the light.

‘Oh my… They say greed leads to baldness…’

Could it be that he lost his hair in proportion to all the distribution fees he’s taken from the Duke’s estate?

Sensing someone’s presence, Count Biers stood up. When he saw me, his eyes widened in surprise.

“B-Basilian Lady…”

He muttered unconsciously, then furrowed his brows when he realized my gaze was fixed on his scalp.

But being a merchant, he quickly wiped the expression from his face and greeted me with an amicable smile.

“It’s an honor! I didn’t expect the Duchess herself to come in person. I am Count Biers, and while I cannot compare to the Basilian Dukedom, I do run a fairly large merchant group in the North.”

Really? A merchant?

I looked at him incredulously as he confidently continued his sales pitch, undeterred by my chilling expression.

Surely, through Amy Biers, the Count must have heard about the Basilian Merchant Group establishing a branch in the Rudion Duchy?

“I have always greatly admired the Duke of Basilian.”

But his next words revealed his shallow intentions—he was clearly aiming to expand his reach to the capital.

Well, he’ll get his wish to go to the capital soon enough.

‘It just won’t be for a good reason.’

But that wasn’t the point right now.

No matter how greedy a person might be, or how blinded by ambition, it’s still baffling how someone could fail to read the atmosphere this badly.

You’d think he’d at least be a little cautious or show some sign of nervousness.

‘Ah, I see now.’

I realized that Amy Biers must not have told her father anything after being chased out by me.

So the Count had come to the Duke’s estate completely unaware that his daughter had been caught speaking carelessly about the children’s origins.

‘Tsk tsk, even in wrongdoing, coordination is key.’

Perhaps Amy had been secretly tormenting the children behind the Count’s back. Then, after making a mess of the situation, she cowardly ran away, feigning ignorance.

Thinking like father, like daughter, I began walking as I watched the Count finish praising Duke Basilian and start gathering the items on the table.

“So, as I was saying, in order to celebrate Lady Basilian’s marriage, I even brought…”

Crash!

I blinked, momentarily panicked by the sudden turn of events.

Then I looked down in frustration.

I really need to replace these shoes!

I slipped again—again!

While these shoes had been a useful weapon when kicking Amy out, and had even brought about an unexpected event on the first night, it was definitely time to let them go.

How do I manage to cause an incident every time I take a few steps?

With a flower perched on his head and water dripping down, I awkwardly glanced at the Count, who had frozen like ice.

Here’s what happened:

When I lost my balance, one hand managed to catch the sofa safely, but the other failed to reach the wall.

Instead, it smacked an innocent decorative vase, shattering it. The flowers and water inside flew directly onto the Count.

Though it was my fault, it felt far too targeted to be called an accident.

“Is this… the infamous villainy I’ve only heard about in rumors?”

Of all people, Delano, who had been observing from behind, muttered audibly.

It seemed he thought this was what I meant by showing them a lesson.

No, no, it’s not like that!

I had no intention of reenacting Evgenia’s notorious deeds here at the Rudion ducal estate!

Suppressing a sigh, I looked back at the Count.

Even if he had wanted to remain on good terms with me, this blatant humiliation would surely make him furious.

Still, that didn’t mean I had no words to say in return—I had no intention of losing this argument.

“W-What on earth are you doing?!”

As if snapping out of his frozen state, the Count shouted furiously.

“This painting—this is ‘Sunrise’ by Diego Berzen!”

Wait, what?

“Sunrise” by Diego Berzen?

I repeated in disbelief, and the Count puffed up proudly.

“That’s right! The masterpiece of the genius painter Diego Berzen! Do you even realize how rare this painting is? After being sold 30 years ago, it has never resurfaced…”

“Of course I know. It’s part of my dowry.”

“What?”

The Count’s face went blank mid-sentence.

While I shook my head in disbelief, Delano—who had meticulously reviewed my dowry list—stepped forward.

“Yes, this painting indeed belongs to our lady.”

Most of my dowry consisted of items easy to liquidate into cash, but naturally, irreplaceable treasures of great value had been kept aside.

One of the most prominent among them was Diego’s painting.

In fact, it’s only because Delano and Anne insisted on excluding it first that I remembered it.

“That… That can’t be…”

“Surely, you’re not suggesting that the Duke Basilian you so deeply admire would have given his daughter a forgery as part of her dowry, are you?”

I delivered the final blow, and the Count slumped down onto the sofa.

But moments later, he burst out in a loud voice.

“I—I’ve been wronged! Do you think I would deliberately deceive you? I was tricked too…!”

Listening to him shamelessly play the victim, I let out a short laugh and shook my head.

“Well, I never thought I’d see the day a conman cries about being conned.”