｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Gon ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
Anna, who had been watching everything, also realized something was off. This woman was not the Riley she knew.
‘What in the world is going on?’
Seeing Theo floating in the air and Riley’s behavior toward Duke Veriter, she felt a tightness in her chest. Even though she wasn’t looking at her, she felt their gaze, sending shivers down her spine. Kavan felt the same, standing frozen in place, grinding his teeth.
Click, click, click.
His entire body has trembled like a leaf. Anna and Kavan could do nothing but stare at them in silence.
‘What… what is that?’
Anna, who had collapsed from exhaustion, bit her nails anxiously. She tried to get up and leave the place as quickly as possible.
‘If I stay here, I’ll die.’
However, Anna turned her head to see Kavan grabbing her hand. His eyes were unfocused, and his pupils darted around in panic.
His face had turned pale, and the strength with which he pulled her felt merciless.
“Are you crazy?!”
“You… you can’t go anywhere. You shouldn’t. If you leave, then I…”
“…Let go of me! What’s wrong with you?!”
Anna slapped Kavan’s hand away and glared at him. She had thought he was a clever man with a decent face, but now she saw he was nothing but a coward.
Just as Anna, who had been hiding, was about to open the door, Riley sensed her presence.
However, she pretended not to notice and gracefully smiled while looking at Theo.
“Father!”
Riley, her expression changing suddenly, clung to Duke Veriter, who had become tearful. Her eyes, filled with tears, glared at Theo with contempt.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“Just now, I…”
“But he’s still my father! How could you…!”
Duke Veriter wanted to speak to Theo, but his voice was blocked as if someone was stifling him.
‘I have to do something to get this child.’
Even in this situation, Duke Veriter was desperately thinking of ways to win Riley over to his side. but now he had no choice but to retreat. As it was just not the right time.
Although she had divorced Theo, he believed that, as long as he could remove her from this house, she would eventually return to him.
The duke foolishly believed that Riley had nowhere else to go.
‘It seems she hasn’t met the crown prince yet. That’s fortunate. If he knew that I wanted to use this power for my benefit, my position would be in danger.’
In a way, this was a blessing in disguise.
“Ugh… ugh.”
As he tried to speak, his throat tightened. He hastily placed his hands around his neck, trying to remove something.
“Stay still, and you’ll be fine.”
Riley whispered softly into Duke Veriter’s ear. Her sweet and gentle voice made Duke Veriter swallow hard.
Riley gently warned him not to do anything. Seeing her father finally calm down, Riley nodded in satisfaction.
It was humiliating, but there was nothing Duke Veriter could do against her overwhelming power.
The duke was skilled with a sword but couldn’t handle proper mana. While using the sword’s power was possible because Riley was currently not a sword’s contractor.
In other words, he was utterly powerless in front of Riley.
“Coachman, take my father to the physician immediately!”
Riley urgently shouted to the family’s coachman. Even though it was clear that Riley was responsible for the duke’s condition, no one remembered her doing this to him.
Only Anna and Kavan remembered everything clearly. This was something Riley had intentionally done.
‘Even if they talk, no one will believe them. What are you going to do?’
Riley sneered inwardly.
She was giving back exactly what she had been through. The stuff people did to her when they thought no one was looking.
If people don’t see it with their own eyes, they won’t believe it. They’re more interested in spreading rumors and gossiping about others than in the truth.
“What… what is this?”
Theo felt as if he were dreaming. He was confused by the few minutes that had passed, during which the duke had collapsed, spitting saliva on the floor, and he himself seemed to have lost control of his actions.
His hands tingled with a faint pain. They had reddened slightly as if he had really choked the duke.
He shook his head as if trying to dispel a trance, looking down at his own hands.
“Did I… really do this?”
“You really did.”
Riley took a few steps back from Theo with a shocked expression.
“W-What do you mean?”
“Anna said you’ve been acting like a lunatic, attacking anyone recently.”
Riley covered her mouth in fear. As a tear rolled down her cheek, she trembled slightly and turned her head away.
“This, this isn’t true. It’s someone’s false accusation.”
Seeing Theo tremble in fear made Riley feel satisfied. Even as he spoke, Theo wasn’t sure of himself.
But who would believe his words now?
The momentum had already shifted in Riley’s favor.
‘This is absurd.’
The gazes of the attendants and everyone else towards Theo had changed. They couldn’t know the full details of what was happening in the family, but they knew enough.
After all, they were just servants, so it was unlikely that the Duke would share details of his illness with them. Moreover, given the situation unfolding before them, Riley’s words seemed perfectly accurate.
‘And Anna isn’t even around?’
The fact that Anna hadn’t left the mansion all day was also strange. It made them wonder if she had known about the Duke’s illness and had taken precautions to avoid being caught up in it.
“Anna! Where on earth are you?! Come out and explain this absurd situation!”
Theo shouted toward the mansion like a madman. He felt as if he might actually go insane if this continued.
“If you don’t come out right now, you’ll have to take responsibility for this!”
He didn’t give up, raising his voice to a fever pitch. But even after all his shouting, there was no sign of Anna. Had she really run away? Despite his loud calls, Anna remained unseen.
‘Do you really think she’ll stand up for you?’
Anna would never involve herself in anything that might harm her. Moreover, there was nothing to gain from siding with Theo in this situation.
She would probably consider herself lucky not to get caught up in this mess.
As if following her advice, Anna held tightly onto the door, staying silent as she observed the outside, hoping this uproar would die down quickly.
‘How can all these dukes be like this?!’
Anna regretted calling Duke Veriter to this place. It had only made matters worse.
However, there was one good thing: if Theo were branded as insane, she, as his wife, would temporarily gain full authority.
That would be an incredibly advantageous opportunity for her.
In the end, she decided to close the door and hide with Kavan until the situation calmed down. Locking the door, she carefully observed the situation through the window, waiting for the right moment.
“Anna!”
Theo’s desperate cries only deepened Riley’s smile.
Seizing the opportunity, Riley slowly approached Theo. She whispered to him as she embraced him.
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
She stroked Theo’s arm in a soft voice. Her voice and smile were the same as always, but the atmosphere around Riley was noticeably different.
At some point, everything had begun to unfold exactly as she wished. Theo desperately tried to break free from Riley’s grip, but it was no use.
“L-let go! You have no right to treat me like this!”
Theo found himself overpowered by an immense, inexplicable force.
At Riley’s gesture, the servants approached and restrained Theo, preventing him from moving.
“It’s okay, Theo. I’m right here with you.”
“Riley, what are you doing?! How dare you do this to me!”
“If anyone hears you, they’ll misunderstand. My dear, I’m still your loving wife.”
Technically, she was his ex-wife, since Anna was now in the picture.
According to Theo, Riley had no right to wield such power over him.
Riley had no rights, but she did have obligations.
The countless times he had spoken to her about her duties as the Duchess were still fresh in her mind.
“You like the idea of obligations, don’t you? As your acknowledged wife, I also have obligations to fulfill.”
Even though she was now his ex-wife, Theo had brought her here as his spouse. He had fallen into the trap of his own making.
With a look of the utmost sorrow, Riley gently caressed Theo’s face. She then removed the gloves from her hands, tossed them to the floor, and spoke in a soft voice.
“The Duke is very ill, so keep him in his room and don’t let him come out. If word gets out… the family’s honor will be at stake, won’t it?”
Riley’s words were so natural that the servants, without realizing it, were listening to her as if mesmerized.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Even though Riley was no longer the Duchess, the servants treated her as if they had gone back in time, addressing her as the lady of the house.
“The Duke needs to recover quickly so the family will remain strong.”
The servants nodded in agreement, moved by Riley’s words.
‘Even after all the hardships she endured, the Duchess still loves the Duke.’
‘What a fool the Duke was… Maybe this is for the best after all.’
Everyone silently criticized the Duke as they watched him, inwardly crying out in disbelief.
