The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 106
At that moment, a large shadow fell over Nina’s head.
“Wouldn’t it be enough to just wipe off the smudged areas?”
He was looking down at her.
“Well, yes, but…”
Even if she wiped her face now, wouldn’t her makeup just end up smudging even more strangely, like the Joker?
“Stay still.”
Ash took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and Nina obediently lowered her gaze and leaned forward slightly.
As he knelt on one knee and reached for her face, an odd sensation swept over her.
“……”
His serious gaze traced her features as the soft fabric brushed near her eyes.
All he was doing was helping fix her makeup, so why did it feel strangely intimate?
It was probably because of that unnecessarily intense look in his eyes.
Or maybe because, just moments ago, he had pretended to kiss her.
Her eyelashes quivered, and before she knew it, her throat felt dry.
Then, suddenly, his hand paused.
“…Is it done?”
“…No. This won’t work. It would be better if you just pretend to be drunk and lean on me as we leave.”
It seemed that in trying to salvage her makeup, he had only made it worse—beyond repair.
A fresh wave of humility washed over her at the thought of adding yet another embarrassing memory in front of her husband.
There were very few people she could show this kind of disastrous face to without feeling utterly mortified—only family, really.
She should have just asked him to do this from the start.
But old habits died hard—explaining herself, making excuses, hesitating to ask for help.
“…Yeah, that might be best.”
Sighing in resignation, she got up from her seat.
Ash placed a steadying hand on her shoulder, and as she instinctively leaned into him, she could feel his muscles tense under her touch.
Why is he… tense?
The thought barely had time to form before the balcony doors opened.
The weight of dozens of gazes turned toward them.
Her ears, unusually sensitive at the moment, picked up the hushed murmurs of the crowd.
Oh my, what happened?
That was the general tone of the whispers.
Would the rumors that had haunted her for years finally shift in a different direction?
At least, Nina hoped so.
Like the wind scattering the clouds, perhaps someday, those old, cruel whispers would disappear completely.
Feeling the firm grip on her shoulder as if grounding her in reality, Nina smiled faintly and whispered,
“…It’s reassuring to have a friend.”
She wasn’t sure why he was being so generous today, but—
It didn’t feel bad.
***
Rebecca staggered as she stepped out of the balcony.
No…
Bracing herself against the wall, she took a deep, trembling breath and rubbed the goosebumps rising along her arms.
She had thought she was imagining things earlier—
When she was with her husband, she had thought Duke Bayern had been looking at her.
But she had dismissed it as a mistake.
Yet, just now, on the balcony…
He had looked at her directly.
His gaze had been as sharp as a raptor’s, filled with a cold, killing intent, as if he wanted to tear her apart.
It was the same way he had looked at Nina Bayern. The same way he had, in the past.
Something was very wrong.
Why was he looking at Rebecca like that now?
Even if he despised his wife, he had no reason to hold any grudge against her.
So why…?
“…Did you see that just now?”
Even through her dazed mind, the voice reached her clearly.
Rebecca turned to see the noblewomen—her tea party circle—exchanging meaningful glances as they whispered.
“Did they… kiss just now? My goodness…”
“I was absolutely shocked. This is completely different from what we heard.”
“If anything, they seem closer than ever…”
Rebecca’s lips curled upward, but her bloodshot eyes gleamed with barely restrained fury.
No.
My intel wasn’t wrong.
One of the workers at her estate was related to a servant at the Bayern ducal household.
The letters exchanged between them had revealed Duchess Bayern’s true, despicable nature.
The fractures in their marriage had also been real—
Everyone knew that.
She had proof.
One of those letters had described how the Duchess had begged her husband for a night together, only for the Duke to leave and stay out for days.
The next letter had claimed that the Duchess had suffered such a severe mental shock that she had stopped appearing in public altogether.
That part had to be true.
After all, starting about two or three months ago, the Duchess had practically disappeared from social events.
Yes, she had attended Duke Granvil’s birthday banquet, but that was an exceptional case—
The families had long-standing ties.
But to be kicked out of the bedroom meant the Duke’s hatred for his wife wasn’t something that could be erased so easily.
So even if the rumors about that incident had been true—
There was no way they would have suddenly grown closer.
Rebecca could not accept this.
Something was wrong.
No matter what that woman did, it should have been impossible for them to reconcile.
After everything she had done to the Duke—
How could he kiss that vile, disgusting woman?
And why had he looked at her with those same, murderous eyes?
Rebecca clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.
Erica
Noooooooooooo wth is this???? Why is the chapter blocked ? Is it a mistake? I’ve been counting down the minutes so I could read this chapter 😩