The Duke and Duchess' Divorce Circumstances

“Remarriage?”

“Yes? Ah yes. She said she was going to remarry that cheating man.”

Joana glanced at Ray as she answered. She looked puzzled at her suddenly joining in on the conversation.

“Is it possible to remarry? Uh, how?”

“Uh, well, um. It’s not illegal anymore, so it’s possible, right?”

Wasn’t the remarriage of the responsible person illegal?

“Wasn’t the responsible person prohibited from remarrying?”

Because of this absurd law, Ravidon’s divorce battle had been extremely fierce. Because they had to somehow bring out their partner’s faults.

However, because it was clearly her husband’s fault, the divorced woman was often criticized for not being able to manage her man well. In her case, the only thing that was obtained was the divorce.

Because of these views, there were very few women who asked for a divorce first, and there were countless men who took advantage of this to cheat.

“They say the law is changing this time. So that remarriage is possible regardless of responsibility.”

Clare’s husband, the Earl of Stanners, was someone with considerable influence in the legislative body, so it was almost a given.

“Then, what should I do next…?”

“In the future, even if I get divorced, I will be able to pursue another partner as much as I want.”

At Claire’s words, an emergency light turned on in Ray’s head.

‘Ah, no. This is not possible!’

She thought all she had to do was get a divorce and everything would be okay. Once she was free to remarry, her parents would most likely find her wherever she was and throw her on the marriage market.

In Ramiel’s case, there were no people around you telling him to get married or do anything, so he could just use his position to get rid of all the people who approached him. However, as she would be demoted from a Duchess to an ordinary citizen, she had absolutely no defense. Her parents would try to fill that defense barrier again through marriage.

“Hey, but…”

Barbara quietly asked Ray.

“When will Your Excellency Duke Ruivan receive his official title?”

Ramiel finally came to the topic of the story. They must have been dying of curiosity all this time. On the outside, they appeared to be curious about Ruivan’s whereabouts, but what she really meant is, ‘Are you really getting married?’

“The crown prince has seen the marriage contract and invited us to the imperial family, so I think he will receive it then.”

This meant, ‘We have already sent a certificate of marriage promise to the imperial family, and the prince who saw it has invited us to the imperial palace, so the game is over.’ She could clearly see that everyone was shocked by the two words ‘marriage contract’ and ‘imperial invitation’.

‘I guess what these ladies want is to feel super proud even if I’ve become a duchess, right?’

Even though the ladies’ small talk was fun, it was not okay to just nod and listen.

The villainess Ray Alexis must not disappear. She had to continue to remain the woman role no one would think of marrying!

Ray quickly rewinded the previous story.

‘Why did you swear at the person who was subtly criticizing you earlier, clearly with the same intention? Ah!’

It was about the daughter of a self-noble, famous for having no house, who became wealthy and married the young master, who then indulged in extravagance.

In her contract, she said that all expenses incurred by the ‘Duchess Ruivan’ would be paid by Ruivan. So, if she bought a lot of jewelry and showed it off to everyone around her, showing off the ultimate extravagance, and bringing that jewelry with her, she would kill two birds with one stone.

Even if the rumored Marquis had a lot of money, it would not be as much money as Ruivan. Even if more extravagance was shown just a couple of times, people would think that that witch was stealing the backbone of the Ruivan family and spread the rumor.

Once she had a plan, she felt at ease.

“I’m a little nervous thinking about standing in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Crown Princess. Should I brace myself a bit so as not to tremble?”

At Ray’s words, the four people hid their nervousness and agreed with gentle smiles.

“Ho ho ho. It’s all about spirit. They even do things like that.”

Caitlin burst out laughing and the atmosphere lightened up. But for the other three, this seemed like a good topic to talk about.

“Ruivan will be fine.”

“Of course, it’s Ruivan.”

“The Duke will take care of it for you.”

At first glance, it may seem like words to cheer her up, but those words were almost like an attack, like ‘Do you think the Ruivan family is neglecting you?’ or ‘Is there something Ruivan doesn’t want to do for you?’

Wilpoff, who had been harassing the future madam for Ruivan’s honor, would have been foaming at the mouth if he had heard.

“I guess so, right? The Duke said he prepared ‘Marin’s Web’ so I’m worrying for no reason.”

Marin’s Web was an incredibly famous diamond necklace that every Ravidon has heard of at least once. It was a one-of-a-kind piece that took 17 years to make.

Even she, who didn’t know much about jewelry, knew that it was a famous piece, so she thought it would be expensive. Since the family was willing to ask for 10 robes as a down payment, there was an underlying calculation that a necklace that was cheaper than that would not be a big deal.

The extravagant remark, ‘Ruivan is doing his best for me’ not only caused an earthquake in the eyes of the three ladies but also in Caitlin.

“…Marin’s web?”

Claire asked with an incredulous expression.

“Yes.”

Ray answered, lifting her chin slightly and smiling arrogantly.

“You said the Duke bought it for his wife?”

Joana asked, blinking her gray eyes several times.

“Yes. He said he prepared Marin’s web for me.”

A strange silence fell on the table for a moment.

“It seems that Duke Ruivan loves his wife very much.”

It was Caitlin who broke the silence.

“I just said I wanted it. Ho Ho.”

Ray said, lifting her chin a little more to look more resourceful.

“But… I didn’t think Ramiel would get married like other people.”

Everyone seemed shaken by Barbara’s words.

“That’s right. Duke Ruivan is like an angel.”

Being an ‘angel’ would mean saving even ‘witches’, but it was only through their words that Ray was able to understand Ramiel’s choice. His intention to play as a couple made in love.

An angelic man named ‘Ramiel’ was not suitable for an arranged marriage. Even though he was an aristocrat, and even though arranged marriages were taken for granted and love marriages were looked down on, he should not have been.

Rather, to say he loved one person with love, affection and sincerity was an image that suited him. Now that he has put on the mask of an angel, in order to live without much trouble in aristocratic society, he had to act according to the image people wanted him to have in order to avoid being criticized by them.

He must have been more sensitive since he had already been subjected to all kinds of trouble from people around him since his birth. In the end, for him, marriage was the ultimate image management.

‘Should I become more vicious for her husband’s image? An angel shines brighter when he’s around a devil.’

Judging from the reactions, their faces were astonished. It was clear that it was more than they thought. It was a good thing that if they left like this, the issue of witches’ extravagance would be discussed in the future.

‘I just need to be extravagant one or two more times in the future.’

Just as Ray was bracing herself for action, a rustling sound came from behind Caitlin.

“Oh my goodness!”

Claire, who was sitting across from Caitlin, was impressed. At the sound of her voice, people’s eyes turned to the bushes behind Caitlin.

“Wow.”

Ray let out an involuntary exclamation at the scenery she saw.

Four fluffy puppies emerged from the bushes.

Labrador retriever pups with yellow fur covered in grass jumped and ran towards Caitlin. She smiled brightly as she stroked the heads of her dogs one by one.

“It just worked out. I wanted to introduce these children to you.”

“Oh, perhaps! Are they those kids from last time?”

“Yes. Now I’m done with all the wetness.”

Everyone was getting a little irritated by Ray’s subtle smugness, but she thought it was a good thing that the topic changed just in time.

“It’s so cute. Wow.”

“Did Caitlin tie the scarf around their necks?”

“Yes. I tied the children together to distinguish them.”

A dog with a scarf around its neck. It was so cute and lovely that it strained her heart.

“It’s so, so cute. Wow.”

Even Ray was mesmerized. Without realizing it, she got down from the table chair and squatted on the floor. Then her four puppies ran up to her and surrounded her.

“Would the Duchess take one too?”

“What?”

“These are the children who will be adopted by those who came to the tea party today. Their mother gave birth to five cubs.”

While Caitlin was telling Ray her words, the three people at the table each held their favorite puppy in their arms.

“Me too?”

Was it bad to act so proud? Was she letting her adopt a dog like this?

Oh my god. Caitlin was really an angel. Earlier, when she saw that she had planted flowers that had the same color as her eyes and hair, she thought she was being narcissistic. That was canceled, canceled.

“Sure.”

“But didn’t you just say five? Where is the last one?”

She felt sorry for asking.

‘It sounded like she was confident that she would choose from the remaining two because she was the one who got it with all her might, wasn’t it?’

As she was about to take back what she had said, the bush where the puppies had come from shook and something suddenly popped out.

“Ah. Oh my goodness. Are you out too?”

Caitlin sounded a little embarrassed.

A black puppy, different from the four before her, ran up on her leash and nuzzled at Caitlin’s feet.

“Oh, this is the fifth!”

At the sound of Ray’s voice, the black puppy ran up and put its paws on her leg.

“I’m sorry, Duchess.”

“So cute, huh?”

“I tied it up well so it couldn’t come out, but I guess the rope came loose.”

At Caitlin’s words, the three people said as if they knew that would happen.

“Caitlin didn’t tie it up too tightly because she was weak-hearted.”

“You even take care of such creatures. How can you have such a beautiful heart?”

“I know Caitlin cared for it.”

Caitlin said after hearing what the three said.

“No. The black dog shouldn’t have caught the ladies’ eyes. I’m worried that you may have been offended. I should have tied it up better.”

In Lytham, black dogs and black cats were considered ominous beings. They were considered ugly simply because they were all black.

Ray was also from Lytham, so she may have accepted this groundless ghost story without much thought.

However, after living in Korea for 10 years, she realized how cute and adorable black dogs and cats were, so she realized how absurd that ghost story was.

“Oh my, look at this guy. When did you see me?”

The black puppy that was being loved by Ray was soon lying on the floor, showing his belly.

Even though people thought it’s so ominous, dogs liked people so much. Ray felt moved by the infinite affection given by this little life.

“Woof! Woof!”

The dog sneezed as if pollen had gotten into its nose. Meanwhile, its tail was wagging furiously.

“Hey, young lady. Can I take this puppy?”

 

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Translator Note:

Sorry but there won’t be chapters of this stry next week. See you soon!