The Duke and Duchess' Divorce Circumstances

“Is she really going to come?”

“Won’t you come? Looking at Lady Caitlin’s mood, it seems like she has received a reply.”

“Wow, my head hurts just from imagining how much she’ll brag.”.”

The Marquis’ tea party hosted by Caitlin had only five attendees, including the host and Ray, so the party was very small.

The Marquis Magsner’s garden was famous for its beauty, carefully maintained by Caitlin herself. The pink roses and purple double-layered tulips that adorned its appearance were blooming here and there, giving off a delicate scent.

Although the garden was somewhat modest in size compared to the fame of its owner, there was no area left untouched by Caitlin’s touch. It was truly a flowery garden tended by someone as beautiful as a flower.

The shade lace installed on the white tea table set up here fluttered in the wind.

Below, the ones who gathered earlier than the scheduled time were the so-called ‘Caitlin Guards’. They were worried that the harsh Ray Alexis might pour out harsh words on Caitlin, so they set up their defenses in advance.

“”It might not be like that, you know.. Everyone, please stop talking too much. The Duchess will be embarrassed.”

Caitlin stopped them.

“Caitlin has such a kind heart.”

“It would be better not to be too gentle this time. Since this is a party hosted by Lady Caitlin, you definitely have the authority to do so.”

Claire, the oldest of those gathered and her only married sibling, advised Caitlin:

In the society of noble ladies, their husband’s rank and age were not very important. What was most important was how powerful they were in their world.

Even if a person was from a powerful family, he or she may not be a prominent figure in social gatherings, and a social god may emerge from an unknown, insignificant family.

Since she was born into an aristocratic family, it was natural for her to enter the social world and be active to some extent, whether she liked it or not, and swaying/dominating the social scene would purely be dependent on her own abilities. 

Caitlin was the person who had killed two birds with one stone in name and reality in a place like this.

Marquis Magsner was a healthy man, and the Marquis and his wife were famous for their gentle nature and for taking good care of their people. Their daughter, Caitlin, was truly the queen of society, attracting those around her with her angelic appearance and personality.

In this way, the Marquis Magsner was a perfect family, as if drawn from a picture.

“Oh, I guess she is here.”

Joana covered her mouth with her fan and stared at the entrance.

The Ruivan family’s carriage stopped at the entrance, and the coachman got out and set up the steps. Eventually, the door opened and an unexpected person appeared.

“Isn’t thatDuke Ruivan?”

Claire couldn’t believe what she saw and asked the others, but everyone just covered their gaping mouths with their fans and their eyes widened in shock.. It was such an amazing sight that even Caitlin had tears in her eyes.

Who on earth would personally see off his wife to a tea party, or even a small gathering of friends that could hardly be called a party?

Moreover, he was Duke ‘Ruivan’. The Duke Ruivan, who shocked the capital with his sudden marriage announcement.

There must have been some kind of reason for marrying a witch. Ruivan and his wife were rumored to have some kind of deal. This was the type of couple that no one would ever predict would have come together because they were in love.

But what on earth was this scene?

After Ramiel got off the carriage first, the hand that came out of the door rested itself lightly on his, and soon the protagonist appeared.

Ray Alexis, looking sleek in a red dress, swayed as soon as she stepped onto the carriage steps. Then, as if he had been waiting for her, Ramiel supported her.

“…ah. I guess the Duke brought her here personally because she wasn’t feeling well.”

Caitlin’s words broke the silence at the tea table for a moment, but soon the silence fell again.

No matter how you thought about it, the fact that Duke Ruivan came all the way here because he was worried about his witch wife’s health only led to one conclusion.

It was love…

That was ridiculous. Was that even possible?

The two people, oblivious to the surprise  at the tea table, looked very affectionate in the eyes of others.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry, Rael.”

Ray trembled, apologized, and tried to stand upright by strengthening her legs.

‘Damn watermelon head!’

After coaxing her to increase her courage, Kreha tried to increase Ray’s stamina.

“If you don’t like it, the only way is to hit it with your body.”

“With your body?”

“When my body gets a little tired, I can’t think of anything else.”

“So?”

“I will teach you a simple self-defense technique.”

This was the starting point.

She accepted it because she thought it would be simple, but for someone whose only exercise was holding a spoon, the intensity was too high.  However, since she said she would do it, she couldn’t say she didn’t want to do it now, and considering the imperial invitation that was only a week away, she couldn’t refuse it, so she had no choice but to start training.

Now it was day two.

After her training on her first day, Ray was unable to move because her whole body was sore, as if she was going to get sick. She was about to give up like this, but she was told that her body would hurt more if she left it like this, so she barely finished training today and was on her way back.

“Still, it’s much better than yesterday.”

She nodded at Ramiel’s words.

 

The first day she couldn’t move, but as Kreha said, the next day, she was able to move around on her own except for going up and down the stairs. If there was something to hold onto, she could probably manage to go up and down, but the problem was that it would make her look too disheveled.

Even though it was small, it was her first official outing as Mrs. Ruvian.. Something that would compromise  her reputation shouldn’t . So, considering her image as Madame Ruivan, it was decided that her ‘beloved’ husband would give her some trouble for a while.

“Oh, it’s really your mouth that’s the problem. Why did you make a fuss? What is the prince saying?”

“Kreha’s training is effective. I can already see that the prince is a X person.”

Ramiel burst out laughing at Ray’s words. The sound of laughter rang out loud.

“Are you going to continue?”

“They say if you’ve pulled out the knife, you might as well cut the radish. It’s about a week, so let’s give it a try.”

‘A knife? What?’ It was Ramiel’s first time hearing these words, but he could understand what they meant.

That was an interesting comment. ‘Once you start doing something, you finish it’.

“ Will you be able to walk alone?”

“Yes. It’s okay as long as there are no stairs. Thank you for taking me all the way here despite your busy schedule, Ramiel.”

“I’ll come by the end of the party.”

His expression was full of annoyance, but those who were only looking at the back of Ramiel’s head from afar would not know this. Ray became a little bitter.

“Yes. See you later.”

The carriage carrying Ramiel quickly left, and Ray slowly walked towards the party venue. As she got closer, her blank expression seemed to disappear.

‘Everyone here can become an actor in Korea.’

“Welcome, Duchess.”

Caitlin approached with a bright smile. It was a smile so bright it felt like there was a halo shining behind her.She thought she had become numb to beauty after being around Ramiel, but it seemed that wasn’t the case..

“Thank you for inviting me.”

Ray greeted her by holding out the gift she had prepared in return for her invitation. Wilpoff said he had carefully chosen the gift for her first party.

Caitlin was secretly surprised, as she had not expected such courtesy from the witch in return, but she did not show any signs of agitation and maintained an elegant smile.

Her retort earlier that she wouldn’t be rude was an empty remark, but she had no idea that Ray Alexis would be so polite.

In fact, the four of them, including Caitlin, were already a little discouraged. They came rushing to teach the Duchess, who obviously didn’t know much about this world, some manners, but the appearance of the big man named ‘Duke Ruivan’ broke their composure.

“It seems like the Duke is not feeling well…”

The story was started by Claire.

“It’s okay. Rael, ah, I mean, your worries about the Duke are a little excessive.”

Before she knew it, the Duke’s nickname popped out and disappeared. It was because it was her first official appearance as a Duchess, so she was a little nervous.

Arranged marriages were so common in Ravidon that there was a tendency to look down upon marriages based on love. . The reason was that  they did not wish to be swayed by emotions while making important decisions for a strategic contract. They thought that such things were only done by commoners who had nothing to give or receive from each other.

In that sense, it was a very unexpected choice that Ramiel wanted his wife to be Ray, whom he ‘loved so much that she would die’.

Of course, the big picture he drew was to use the pain of heartbreak to evade remarriage, but he could not deny that it was a somewhat risky choice that could lead to the stigma of being a man swayed by emotions.

‘He’s a person who doesn’t care about his reputation. But… What if dirt got on that perfect man? I won’t even be able to see that.’

What would thinking about Ramiel do?? Nothing would change if she did that.

Ray opened her mouth with the intention of stopping thinking about him and enjoying the party with the ladies in front of her.

“Looking at everyone gathered, I guess I’m a little late.”

“No, you came on time.”

Caitlin answered kindly.

“Is that so? Thank god.”

“Thank you for coming.”

“You’re welcome.”

The three remaining people were secretly surprised by the unexpectedly docile, ordinary, and gentle conversation.

Was that really Ray Alexis, that wasn’t arguing, being sarcastic, or rude? Was it because it’s just the beginning of the party?

However, contrary to the three people’s expectations, the party proceeded safely and smoothly. This was because Ray kept her mouth shut and was only nodding her head.

“…Areyou not having fun?”

Caitlin, who was sitting next to her, asked in a low voice, avoiding the gaze of the three people.

“No. It’s very fun. It’s fun just to listen to the stories.”

No matter how boring the party was, saying so directly to the host was tantamount to breaking the mood. But seriously, Ray wasn’t bored with the current party.

From the recent trends of the fashion leader, the Crown Princess and her designer, to small stories such as someone saying she was pregnant with her fourth child and whether they had seen her being so extravagant as to cost her family money, there was not much difference from what she heard in Korea. This was amazing and it was really fun.

Ray Alexis didn’t have any friends her age around her. She only met women of similar level on the surface, so she didn’t have anyone close to her.

These small, personal stories were things she only shared with her friends in Korea. Even though she had nothing to say, it was quite fun just to listen to her close friends chatting next to her.

During the 10 years she stayed in Korea…

Ray had fallen into that place at her current age and had lived there until she was thirty-four. Although her body and mind were currently twenty-four, there were moments when a corner of her nearing her thirties would suddenly emerge.

And that was what was happening now. The conversation between young ladies who had just turned 20 and who pretended to be very elegant, dignified, and mature was just cute.

“That woman, she said she was going to remarry.”

“Oh my goodness.”

She was talking about the baroness and her husband, who had recently divorced in a tumultuous manner. The husband had caught his wife going to the villa with another man.

But remarriage? Was it possible for a lady, who divorced through her own fault, to remarry in Ravidon?

“Remarriage?”

Ray spoke up for the first time since the party started.

 

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Translator Note:

Still looking for an editor…