Chapter 13
I pulled out the thick document I received from the guild master of Rebeka while sitting at my desk.
It was information regarding Jeffrey’s extramarital affairs.
“Hmm…”
According to the document, Jeffrey was currently involved with a total of five mistresses. It was either fewer or more than I had anticipated.
“Moreover, they’re all from prominent families in both Hanmi.”
Although the Cromwell family had a long history, recent business failures had left them with substantial debt.
In that case, they must be in urgent need of money.
“Hmm… What should I do?”
I pondered while tapping my pen before pulling out Ariadne’s jewelry box from the drawer.
Ariadne’s jewelry box was overflowing with various types of gems: rubies, pearls, sapphires, opals, diamonds, emeralds, aquamarines, and more.
Not only that, but there were dozens more of such jewelry boxes in her dressing room.
I calmly examined the jewels before selecting the most radiant one.
“Hmm… This one seems to be the best choice.”
Alright. The jewel was decided.
I wrote a few short sentences on a piece of white paper, blew out the candle, and sealed it.
The next morning, five beautifully wrapped gift boxes were delivered to each of the mistresses’ mansions, including Jeffrey’s.
The Circumstances of a Noble Mistress.
Isabella Cromwell had one dream since she was young.
That was to marry the man she loved and create a harmonious family.
“What kind of dream is that? Not to be a duchess, but at least a countess.”
However, Isabella’s parents didn’t approve of her dream.
Neither did the people around her.
Such a modest dream couldn’t be a life goal, they said. So they mocked her, urging her to have a brighter and more splendid dream.
Yeah. In fact, she knew her dream wasn’t anything remarkable.
It was just a trivial and insignificant dream that could be achieved if she set her mind to it. She felt that way about her own dream.
But why was it so hard to achieve such a trivial dream?
Isabella’s face stiffened as she opened the well-packaged gift box.
Inside was a yellow diamond so rare that it was difficult to put a price on it.
“What is this…”
Her mind cleared as if she had been doused with cold water.
Jeffrey, who had no interest in her, wouldn’t have prepared such a precious gift for her.
Then this gem… only families with such wealth to give such gifts…
“Veloa Mistress…”
It was indeed the Veloa Marquis. A small letter with the Veloa family crest was placed inside the box.
[Don’t feel burdened, just accept it. Ariadne Beloar]
Alright. I see. So it was you after all.
Isabella slumped weakly to the ground.
She knew it wasn’t sent by Jeffrey, but seeing it with her own eyes made her feel even more miserable.
And to receive such a gift from none other than Veloa Yeong-ae… “It must be a message to break up with Douglas,” she thought.
Of course, Isabella knew someday it would come to this.
But she never imagined it would end so emptily.
Isabella let out a heavy sigh.
For some reason, her heart felt empty, and she couldn’t bear it anymore.
Their first encounter was on a scorching hot summer day.
At the back of a ball hosted by the Earl and Countess, Isabella came face to face with Jeffrey Douglas.
“Hey, do you need money?”
“…Excuse me?”
Jeffrey Douglas was handsome but incredibly rude.
He bluntly asked Isabella as soon as he saw her.
Of course, it was already well-known that Isabella’s family was in debt. Her parents also wanted her to marry a wealthy man as soon as possible.
But still, no one had ever asked so blatantly.
Isabella felt a mix of perplexity and indignation.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. If it’s about business, please talk to my father.”
She retorted in a fit of anger.
“…Oh, is this inappropriate?”
And then he realized too late.
His interlocutor was Jeffrey Douglas, the heir to the Douglas Marquis. Even though they were both nobles, Isabella was of a different caliber.
Nevertheless, Jeffrey, as if nothing had happened, opened his mouth again.
“No. I’ve come to make you an offer.”
“…An offer?”
“When I want, be my lover.”
Jeffrey had a bad reputation in society.
There were rumors that he was having affairs with various young ladies while having a beautiful and demure fiancée.
Whether it was because he was such a messy man or not, his offer was absurdly selfish and convenient.
What kind of selfish and comfortable demand was that, to become his lover whenever he wanted?
Unknowingly, Isabella furrowed her brows.
“Alright, that’s the deal. If you accept my proposal, I’ll pay you this amount every month.”
“….”
“If you perform well in your role as my lover, I might even offer you more.”
But the amount of money was too significant to refuse.
So Isabella accepted the envelope of money as if she were possessed, without even dreaming it would become her own personal hell.
Contrary to rumors of chaos and disorder, Jeffrey didn’t seem to care much about his lover.
No, to be precise, he was close to disliking women altogether.
He couldn’t even tolerate the touch of a woman’s finger.
“How on earth did rumors of Jeffrey being chaotic spread? From what I see, he seems to even recoil from holding hands with women.”
Emily whispered cautiously to Isabella.
Emily, like Isabella, was one of the lovers hired by Jeffrey.
All the lovers hired by Jeffrey had signed confidentiality agreements. If they breached those contracts, they’d have to pay a hefty penalty.
Moreover, they were mainly restricted to interacting only with each other. The reason was that mingling with other lovers could lead to slip-ups.
Well, they didn’t have any complaints because they were paid handsomely for it.
“What do you think of Isabella? Do you think Jeffrey’s rumors are true?”
Isabella shook her head in response to Emily’s question.
“Douglas’s rumors being chaotic? Ridiculous.”
Isabella didn’t believe those rumors at all.
She had never actually seen Jeffrey engaging in any kind of intimacy with anyone.
“Of course, Isabella thinks the same way.”
Emily smirked confidently.
She had vowed to try to seduce Jeffrey once, but she was subtly rejected and couldn’t meet Jeffrey again after that day.
Thus, there was an unapproachable line when it came to Jeffrey.
Initiating contact, attempting intimacy, expressing affection, or demanding a special relationship were all strictly prohibited.
“…If that’s the case, why on earth does he need a lover?”
Isabella couldn’t understand Jeffrey at all.
I couldn’t understand why he was spending so much money to create fake lovers, what on earth was he thinking? Besides, Jeffrey had a pretty and wealthy fiancée. Why was she letting Jeffrey get away with this? He was wasting money on such nonsense, oblivious to the fact that his fiancée didn’t deserve it…
Well, anyway, it was good for Isabella. Thanks to Jeffrey, she didn’t have to marry some old perverted nobleman as if she were being sold off.
Since becoming an adult, her parents had been pushing her to get married as soon as possible, but thanks to Jeffrey, she was able to easily evade that pressure.
And Isabella’s doubts were soon dispelled.
“…Is this it?”
Isabella exclaimed as she looked up at the imposing building. It was said to be the townhouse of some lord.
Excited at the prospect of attending a ball here, Isabella entered the venue holding the invitation Jeffrey had given her.
As a privilege of being Jeffrey’s lover, she could freely come and go to places like this.
“Oh, nice…”
That day, Isabella drank plenty of expensive champagne and eventually stepped out onto the balcony.
It was great to be able to freely enjoy expensive drinks at events like this.
Isabella enjoyed the refreshing night breeze while gazing at the night view.
“What would it feel like to live in a place like this?”
This spacious mansion wasn’t even her ancestral home; it was merely a townhouse. She felt like she might burst into tears out of envy.
“Our house is barely a fraction of this townhouse… If only they’d share a bit.”
She was lost in such pointless thoughts when suddenly the curtain opened, and a familiar man walked in.
It was Jeffrey Douglas, unusually well-dressed for the occasion.
“D-Douglas Yeong-sik?”
“Isabella.”
Had he taken some kind of drug? Jeffrey called out to Isabella with a sweet voice.
He even took her hand and pulled her towards him.
Surprised, Isabella was about to scream when Jeffrey, signaling her to keep quiet with a raised index finger, whispered softly.
“Crowell Young-ae, stay true to your role as my lover.”
“What? My, my role as a lover?”
“Yes. That’s why I hired Young-ae.”
“….”
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
So Isabella forced a smile and looked at Jeffrey.
“….”
And once again, she was lost for words.
Jeffrey’s face, bathed in moonlight, was even more handsome than usual.
