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Celestina, who had just picked up the last raisin cookie, spoke boastfully.
“You remember Nadiera, right? Nadiera Beaufort.”
“If I were to forget her, I’d be mentally ill, not physically sick.”
A rare hint of coldness crept into Regina’s tone as she replied.
Nadiera, who had debuted in society on the same day as Regina, could, in a way, be considered her contemporary in the social world. But their relationship was closer to that of rivals than comrades.
“Nadiera really did hate you a lot,” Celestina recalled, crunching the cookie as if she were biting into Nadiera herself.
“If someone offered her ten million seeds for you to get even a fraction of that, she’d probably give up the entire amount. She hated seeing you gain anything, even the slightest bit.”
“I completely agree,” Regina responded as she set down her teacup, suddenly losing her appetite.
“But why bring up Nadiera all of a sudden?”
“She got divorced. Can you believe it?”
“What?”
The shocking news left Regina questioning her hearing.
“Nadiera married a prince from the neighboring kingdom of Marica, didn’t she?”
“That’s right. Wasn’t he the fourth or fifth prince? He wasn’t high in the line of succession, but still, a royal.”
“She was so proud of becoming a princess consort. I remember how she would boast about how everyone would have to kneel before her from now on.”
Regina shivered at the memory of Nadiera’s piercing gaze as she declared her rise in status.
“What happened to cause the divorce?”
“I’m not sure of the details, but maybe cultural differences? The Kingdom of Marica divorces all the time, unlike here in Waylin.”
Regina clicked her tongue at something so unimaginable in Waylin.
“Then what about Nadiera? Is she still in Marica?”
“She came back right away. The Marquis of Beaufort is absolutely devastated about his daughter becoming a divorcée.”
“Well, he did dote on her excessively as his precious only daughter.”
“Which made Nadiera insufferable.”
As Regina listened to the misfortunes of her former rival, a peculiar feeling stirred within her.
“But Regina, the reason I brought up Nadiera is…”
Just as Celestina was about to say something, a bright, clear chime rang from the entrance. Glancing out the window, Regina muttered,
“Gray seems to be back.”
“Eek!”
The strange noise from Celestina made Regina turn to see her face pale and her gaze darting nervously.
“What’s wrong, Celestina?”
“Uh… I think I overate. My stomach feels uncomfortable, so I should head out now.”
“You’re pregnant, so be careful. Gray will be up soon. Say hello before you leave.”
When visiting someone else’s home, it was customary to at least greet the owner upon their return. However, Celestina’s face twisted at this sensible suggestion.
“What I mean is, I don’t want to greet Count Cavill, you idiot.”
It seemed her discomfort wasn’t stomach-related.
“Then I’ll be off! I’ll let you know when I bring out the twins.”
“You know you’re acting very suspicious, right?”
As Celestina tried to escape, Regina grabbed her arm and demanded,
“Spill it, Celestina Biti. What did you do this time?”
“It’s really nothing! Don’t worry about it or be curious!”
“Spit it out now!”
“I said no! Let me go, can’t you see I’m pregnant?!”
The petty quarrel between the two ladies ended quickly.
“Unexpected guests, I see,” a calm voice interjected.
Gray appeared suddenly, like the moon in broad daylight, and greeted them with composure.
“It’s been a while, Countess Biti.”
“C-C-Count Cavill!”
Celestina froze stiff like a badger cornered by its predator, her eyes wide. Gray passed her indifferently and approached Regina.
“I’m back, my wifey.”
When he kissed her cheek, Regina flinched and tried to pull away, but Gray anticipated her reaction. Gripping her shoulders, he blocked her retreat and pressed a kiss to her lips instead. The sequence of actions was so natural that Celestina didn’t notice.
“How are you feeling today, madam?”
“Thanks to your concern, I’m much better.”
“That’s good to hear. I brought something for you.”
Gray handed Regina a charmingly boxed loaf of bread.
“A world-renowned pâtissier recently opened a shop at Kapton Port. I received this as a gift and thought you might like it.”
“Th-thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
Don’t get carried away. Regina tried to steel her softening heart as she slowly opened the lid of the box.
In hindsight, her resolve was unnecessary. Celestina peeked over curiously as Regina stared at the contents with a peculiar expression.
“What’s wrong? Ew!”
Celestina also exclaimed with an expression as if she had seen something she shouldn’t.
“This is a raisin scone, isn’t it?”
“…Yes?”
What’s the big deal about that? Gray’s furrowed eyebrows made Celestina lose her composure.
“Didn’t you know? Regina doesn’t eat raisins. She hates them.”
“Ah.”
“Oh, come on. How can a husband not know something like that?”
A brief silence fell. In the tense atmosphere where no one spoke, Gray suddenly smiled faintly.
“Now that I think about it, I owe the Countess Biti an apology.”
“Huh? Apology for what? Let’s just drop that topic.”
Celestina jumped up and glanced nervously at Regina. She desperately hoped Gray wouldn’t bring up “that topic.”
“No, no. How could I forget the letters the Countess Biti sent me?”
Gray, fully aware of the situation, gentlemanly yet deliberately brought up “that topic.”
“Thinking about what kind of mindset you must have had to use such scathing expressions, it still makes my chest ache.”
“Letters? Gray, what are you talking about?”
Regina couldn’t help but interject.
“My, my. It seems my wife doesn’t know.”
As if he had successfully baited her, Gray lowered his silvery eyelashes.
“The Countess here was so worried about you that she lashed out at me. She sent countless letters of complaint because I refused her visit during your illness.”
“Is that true, Celestina?”
Celestina glared at Gray, sweating profusely. How could he exact revenge to this extent just because she mentioned raisins?
“I still vividly remember the contents of those letters. ‘Are you abusing her? Have you secretly done away with Regina? Are you hiding something suspicious and preventing me from seeing her?’…”
“Ahhh! I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me back then. I must have been out of my mind!”
“No matter how shocked you were, was it worse than me? As if having my wife collapse wasn’t enough to leave me in despair, I had to endure all sorts of slander and pointed accusations…”
Gray, who spoke smoothly out of habit, suddenly checked Regina’s reaction. Regina noticed his uncharacteristically faltering gaze.
Could it be that Gray benefitted from my collapse in some way?
If he made such a tragic face and acted like the male lead of a melodrama, sympathy would naturally follow. It must have given him a favorable position at the negotiation table.
She didn’t want to doubt her husband. But she knew Gray was the kind of man who was capable of doing so. Only Celestina, oblivious to the subtle tension, floundered nervously in the middle.
“It was all my misunderstanding! I sincerely apologize for my past rudeness, Count Cavill!”
“I appreciate your dignified apology.”
“…Ah! Suddenly, I feel like my stomach is cramping. I’d better go before it gets worse. Regina, see you later!”
Watching the swift departure of what was perhaps the most agile pregnant woman in the world, Regina couldn’t help but laugh. However, the smile lingering at the corner of her lips carried a bitter taste.
What should I do with these scones?
Regina didn’t eat raisins. Celestina knew that, but her own husband didn’t. Standing still in her spot, staring blankly at the box, she heard a clucking sound above her head.
“Throw them away.”
“Pardon?”
“If you don’t like raisins, there’s no need to force yourself to eat them.”
Gray took the box directly from her hands and dropped it to the ground. When she looked up at him, bewildered, he leaned down and covered her gaze with a kiss.
It was short and cold. The slightly urgent contact, as if trying to make up for his mistake, left her lower lip stinging from where it had bumped against his teeth. After a moment, Gray pulled back and smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.
“I’ll change clothes quickly and head out again. I only came home briefly for work.”
“Alright.”
Gray didn’t wait for her reply before he had already turned away. The wind from his departing figure brushed against Regina’s bangs, a little late.
It was oddly chilly and disappointing, not quite befitting spring.
***
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Her Husband is realy trash