The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 104
So they had been warming up the conversation with idle chatter before bringing up the real topic.
“Madam Rebecca, don’t worry too much. I’m sure Duchess Bayern has some sense—she wouldn’t act disgracefully in front of foreign guests.”
“But as they say, water that leaks inside will also leak outside. I just worry that her behavior might spread as rumors even beyond our borders. Imagine how disappointed Her Majesty the Empress would be after placing her trust in that woman…”
“Indeed. I still don’t understand why Her Majesty chose to favor Duchess Bayern instead of you. We’ve seen firsthand how hard you worked…”
You fools.
Did they truly not understand why the imperial family held these charity events every year?
Hadn’t His Majesty the Emperor personally stated on the first night of the banquet how important it was to look after even the lowest of his subjects, that it was his sacred duty?
She had simply provided aid to those in need in a way befitting the granddaughter of the Chief Justice.
That was the only reason Her Majesty had favored her—because she had best understood and carried out the will of the imperial family.
Just as Nina was reflecting on this, Rebecca’s insidious voice slithered into her ears.
“…But isn’t it strange? Can a rift as deep as theirs, lasting two years, really be mended so suddenly?”
At that, the other women started to chime in.
“It is odd, seeing a couple who have slept in separate rooms suddenly acting so close. Didn’t someone say she was kicked out of the bedroom before?”
“I even heard she fell down the stairs drunk that time. And recently, wasn’t it the Duchess who ended up injured instead of the Duke from that one incident?”
“But if she was seriously injured, it wouldn’t make sense for her to travel all the way to the capital.”
“That’s true, but…”
Rebecca paused as if deep in thought.
“…Unless…”
A meaningful silence stretched between them before Rebecca finally spoke again, her voice laced with suggestion.
“Could it be that he’s trying to reassure her before taking in a concubine?”
“Oh my, would he really go that far? Madam Nord, I think you might be overthinking things.”
Ah.
She had heard these exact words before.
In her past life, she had overheard this conversation in broad daylight at an event.
Now, in this life, she was hearing it here instead—perhaps because she had worked too hard.
“It’s about time Duke Bayern secured an heir. If he doesn’t want to pass the family title to his nephew, wouldn’t it make sense for him to take a concubine? After all, with a wife like that woman, how can he risk producing an heir, only for the child to be just as deranged as she is?”
The specifics of the conversation were different from last time, but the core message remained the same.
Back then, upon hearing these words, she had lost control and torn at Rebecca’s hair in a fit of rage.
But now, to her own surprise, she felt nothing.
Perhaps it was because she had already prepared herself for it.
I shouldn’t cause a scene, right?
It hadn’t even been long since the Empress had praised her—how could she create a scandal so soon?
She couldn’t afford to waste the goodwill she had worked so hard to earn.
No, she would handle this in a much more refined way.
Just as she was about to step forward, a firm hand grasped her shoulder and pulled her into a strong embrace.
The scent of deep musk enveloped her, the warmth of a solid body pressing against hers.
The moment she realized she was being held by a man, she instinctively struggled, trying to pull away.
But then, a low growl rumbled right next to her ear.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“…Huh?”
“Why are you just standing there, listening to that?”
It was her husband.
“…I just…”
…wanted to hear what else they had to say?
She had been so focused on Rebecca’s conversation that she hadn’t even noticed him approaching.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her heart pounded wildly from the unexpected situation.
What the hell was happening right now?
Eyes wide, Nina froze, unable to react.
The more she tried to pull away, the tighter his strong arms locked around her.
As if that wasn’t enough, his large hand pressed firmly against the back of her head, keeping her close.
After a brief struggle, she gradually stopped resisting.
There was no use—she wouldn’t be able to break free from his hold.
And besides, if he was embracing her like this, surely he had a reason.
He wouldn’t be doing this for the sole reason of holding her, would he?
As soon as Nina relaxed in his arms, Ash let out a quiet sigh and turned his sharp gaze toward the women across the balcony.
The ladies, who had frozen at the sound of approaching footsteps, now flinched upon seeing him.
“You seem to enjoy gossiping about others. Then allow me to give you something worth spreading.”
His deep voice was slow, deliberate.
Then, he slowly lowered his head.
Erica
Wow a whole bunch of chapters just for me ❤️ Thank you for starting my weekend off wit a bang! Not only that, but having Ash actually do something decent for a change… is it my birthday?!?!
Tysm dear translator!