WWDNND Chapter 10

From the moment the child was born, he didn’t like her.
She was never part of the plan. Cedric had never once wanted a child with Veronica.
But an unwanted child was born, and that child was Claudia.

Her violet eyes, which resembled his, were at least tolerable. But the rest—he couldn’t stand.
She looked exactly like her mother, Veronica, and that alone filled him with disgust. If she grew up resembling that venomous woman, she would surely turn into a menace.

However, the child had been frail since birth, constantly suffering from illnesses. Cedric barely ever visited her, but even on those rare occasions, it was difficult to find her in good health.

‘It must be punishment.’

The House of Winston had made a pact with the devil.
And the Empress Dowager, who supported the temple.
For a long time, the imperial family had played both sides, leveraging the conflict between these two factions for their own gain.

At times, they raised the prestige of the duke’s house to secure military strength and funding. At other times, they sided with the temple to win the love and respect of the empire’s citizens.

After exiling the crown prince to the borderlands, the Empress Dowager allied with the temple to solidify her power. But that greedy woman didn’t stop there—she even sought to control the House of Winston.

Born of a count’s blood but treated as a bastard, Cedric had no choice.
Though he was recognized for his military achievements and granted the title of marquis, that was all. In high society, he was ridiculed as a “half-blood marquis,” and the whispers only grew louder.

In such a situation, marrying into a noble family that no one could dispute was a necessity for him.
And so, he married.

Even when he stood before the lady praised as the “flower of high society,” his heart did not waver.
Even after losing his memories, there was never a time when another woman occupied his heart.

‘Then let’s get a divorce.’
‘Let’s just end this cleanly and go our separate ways.’

But he never expected Veronica to say those words to him.
Though he had never harbored affection for her, he had always known that she had feelings for him from the moment they first met.

Even afterward, Veronica had continued to try and win his heart.

‘It’s such a lovely day, Cedric. Shall we take a walk in the garden together?’
‘The chef said the shrimp you like is especially fresh today. Would you like to have a meal together?’
‘Cedric, today…’
‘Cedric…’

She was a persistent woman, even when he had made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her.

She had always been like that—from the very first time they met.
Like a beautiful and radiant rose, she had grown up showered with love, looking nothing but bright and cheerful.

She had likely never faced rejection before. Never been hurt.

That was why he disliked her even more. From the start, Cedric had deliberately treated her coldly.
And yet, she had always approached him, never giving up.

‘And now she dares to talk about divorce first?’

How dare she be the one to say it first?

As Cedric scowled at the thought of Claudia, he suddenly recalled Veronica’s smiling face as she looked at him, and his teeth clenched.

If anyone was going to bring up those words first, it should have been him.
Not Veronica Winston. He should have taken everything from her first—everything that was hers should have become his before he said those words.

Unable to suppress his fury, Cedric slammed his hand on the desk.

“Damn it!”

“…What are your orders, Your Excellency?”

While the knights trembled in fear, Haven alone remained calm as he asked the question.

Cedric’s dark gaze shifted toward him.
Yes, if Haven had been there, the outcome might have been different.

He had never expected the Duke of Winston to catch on so quickly. That was his mistake.

The duke had no personal communication with Veronica, so how had he found out? Had he planted spies in the mansion? That conniving bastard.

Grinding his teeth, Cedric finally spoke.

“Recall all members of the Deborah Knights. I’m going to the imperial palace.”

“Yes, sir.”

“…”

First, he needed to meet with the Empress Dowager and reclaim Veronica from the Duke of Winston.
If that failed, he would have no choice but to go to war.

Cedric’s eyes darkened.

---

“…”

The extravagant dining room was centered around a long, grand table.

It was far too large for just six people, and it was overflowing with a feast of delicacies, so abundant that the table itself seemed to groan under the weight.

‘But why am I…?’

The massive table, the unfamiliar dishes—I could understand all that. The House of Winston was known for its immense wealth.

But…

“Dia, do you want Grandfather to feed you?”

“Haha…”

I was sitting on the Duke of Winston’s lap.

At the head of the table sat the duke himself, with Vincent, the eldest son, beside him. Across from them, Veronica was watching with a pleased expression.

Next to Vincent sat Henrietta, and across from her was Brandon, who was staring at the duke with envious eyes.

I had assumed I would sit next to Veronica or at the very end of the table.

But on the duke’s lap? At the head of the table? It was too much.

And seriously, what was his thigh made of? It was harder than steel, and my butt was starting to hurt.

[Master! That looks delicious! And that one! And that one too!]

“…”

Desmond was practically shouting in excitement, making my head throb.

“…I’ll eat by myself, Grandfather.”

“Oh my, my Dia can eat on her own? You’ve grown so much!”

“…”

The duke laughed heartily, ruffling my hair.

The first time I met him, this wasn’t the image I had of him at all.
At what point had things gone wrong?

As I pondered this, I took another bite of food.

“Is it good?”

“Yes.”

I nodded and ate the fish dish he handed me.

I had assumed northern food would be bland and unappetizing due to the harsh climate, but I had been completely wrong.

The food at the marquis’ mansion had been decent, but it was nothing compared to this. Apologies to them, but the House of Winston’s chefs were far superior.

“Dia, try this too.”
“Lady Dia, would you like to taste this?”
“Dia…!”

The dining room grew lively in an instant. Everyone seemed determined to feed me as much as possible.

I smiled brightly at them.

“Thank you!”

“Ugh…”

Brandon clutched his chest dramatically. Henrietta quietly took out a small gemstone—likely a recording stone.

It was a bit overwhelming, but not bad.

I had expected them to be wary of me because of my violet eyes, which resembled the male lead’s.

But I had been mistaken.

The members of the Winston family cherished me, the daughter of Veronica, whom I resembled so much.

Surrounded by their enthusiasm, I enjoyed my meal to the fullest.

[Ugh, I wish I had a real body so I could eat all this food too!]

‘Yeah, right. If I told them I wanted a pet at this age, they’d say no because of the shedding.’

I had learned how to communicate with Desmond in my head.

When I muttered internally, he whined.

[Then what about a reptile? A snake or a lizard?]

‘Yeah, like they’d ever allow that.’

[Ugh…]

Desmond’s ears drooped in disappointment. I smirked and devoured the cake that had been served for dessert.

Just as I finished and let out a satisfied sigh—

“Damn it! What did that bastard say?”

“…!”

A loud voice echoed through the hallway.

I froze in place.