I Will Become the Ex-Wife of the Beast - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Still, it was awkward, since the bride’s side was supposed to provide the betrothal gift. Especially when I thought about the conversation I was about to have.
“…That covers all the general terms. Is there any special clause you’d like to add, my lady?”
“Ah…”
Oh, I definitely do. I have plenty.
“Please, feel free to say whatever you like.”
“…Well.”
Despite Sir Philip’s kind encouragement, I kept swallowing nervously.
Look, I just came out with the admission that I showed up empty-handed, with no betrothal gift at all. If I start asking for a settlement fee right here, I’ll look like the worst trash in the world…
“…Perhaps Your Highness should go first.”
A-anyway, I’ll pass for now.
In a pinch, this was the most convenient move. Kiers had seemed to be paying me no attention while he quietly sipped his tea, but at those words he lifted his head at once. Every time our eyes met, I flinched out of habit, but I was in no state to be surprised, not with how wretched I already felt.
“Well, I only have one condition I’d like.”
“…Please, Your Highness, go on.”
My shoulders sagged, and I managed a forced smile. I could have put on a sweeter, more convincing one if I’d wanted to, but it would have cost me far too much energy.
“Elia, you must perform your duties as Grand Duchess Consort well.”
“Huh? Well, of course… since I’m going to be the Grand Duchess Consort.”
“Being something and doing something are two different things. I hope you will carry out all the duties of the Grand Duchess Consort and fulfill your role as the lady of the household without fail.”
“….”
What’s he going on about now?
Was I being overly self-conscious, or did he put particular emphasis on the words “lady of the household”?
“….”
Somewhere between “of course” and “not quite,” his words made the fine hairs on my arms rise, one by one.
I’m just the paperweight planted here until the heroine shows up, so what exactly does he expect me to do? For a moment my head spun. But when I thought about it, it did seem absurd to sit around doing nothing when he was paying me this much.
Right. In good conscience, I should earn what I’m being paid.
I tried to soothe my unease and gazed at Kiers. I forced the brightest smile I could manage, though whether it looked that way to him was anyone’s guess.
“Ha-ha, of course. There must be plenty a lady of the household can do. For instance, assisting Your Highness with your work, or showing guests around when they visit.”
“And, of course, there are also the duties between husband and wife, which rest on trust.”
“…Um, excuse me for a moment.”
Look at me, look at me!
I planted my hand on the table and shoved my chair back with a screech as I stood. Kiers gave a small shrug but went along with me. Philip stepped forward, looking worried, but Kiers waved that off too, handling it on his own.
Clomp, clomp. I hitched up my skirts with one hand and strode into the endless garden, but I could feel with my whole body that someone was right behind me.
What is this, anyway? Only when I reached a spot where my breath was about to run out did I whip my head around.
“Listen, Your Highness. There’s something I really need to confirm.”
“…Go ahead.”
He was standing so close that his chest was the first thing I noticed, but this was no time to dwell on that. I calmed my trembling cheeks and put every ounce of desperation I had into my gaze.
“I-I mean, what I want to know is exactly how far this ‘role of the lady of the household’ extends.”
“I don’t understand why you’d ask that after coming all the way out here, but of course—”
As Kiers’s proud chin dipped, his red lips curled into a smirk aimed at me.
“…As far as you’re imagining it.”
…Ugh, why am I hearing things like this lately?
I’ve been through too much these past few days. Yes, I could easily have misheard him.
Swish. I rubbed my numb ear with my fingertip. If the man weren’t standing in front of me, I’d have slapped my own cheeks, but then I’d look like a truly crazy woman. A breeze stirred my eyelashes, and I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.
“Would you say that once more, Your Highness?”
Even with a sickly smile, I didn’t forget a lady’s graces. I smoothed my hair back gracefully and leaned my ear toward Kiers, and he parted his lips with perfect composure.
“Exactly as far as you imagine. That’s what I said I wanted.”
“…W-what exactly am I imagining?”
“You should know that better than anyone.”
No! I don’t know, and I don’t want to know!
I clenched my fists and let out a silent scream, then let my head drop. But that was the very height of self-deception. And the thought now floating through my head was, without a doubt…
“Haah.”
A groan that sounded like pain escaped me, and I swallowed even that. Making a sound like that in this situation would only make my restlessness worse.
I stole a sideways glance at Kiers.
Am I really some lecherous demon? Is it just me?
No, if you’re reading an Adult Novel and you don’t think that, aren’t you just a dimwit who isn’t worth the price of the book?!
“…Elia?”
“Yes!”
Answering his roll call loud and clear, I jumped back a step in surprise. But Kiers closed the distance by one step in return, shrugging his shoulders as if he found the whole thing rather amusing.
“What were you thinking about, that you look so eager to say something?”
“…Your Highness.”
Allow me to make one prophecy about your distant future before I go.
Kiers Valencia, in the years to come, you will be voted the number one most irresistible man on South Korea’s biggest book site. You won’t need a long-winded description. You’ll be that guy with nothing but a single exclamation mark in the top comment.
“I… I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“About what?”
About what, obviously. My body.
Female Lead Cecil would spend three days groaning in bed after spending a night with him, and Kiers would be left fretting over her. Of course, that was just a cheap setup meant to keep readers on edge, but there was no denying that he was phenomenal in that department.
One of the commenters had said it. Once you sleep with this man, who could even look at another guy?
…This is a problem. My Rose is going to become head of the Platinum Guild, and then I’m getting parachuted into the overseas branch to receive some rough pursuit from my younger boyfriend. If I sleep with you and then can’t stand the sight of him, I’m the one who loses out in the end.
“Well… how should I put it. There’s a chance Your Highness might come to regret it.”
“Why would I?”
I wonder if he even realizes he slips in casual speech so often. Of course, it suited him perfectly, but whenever Kiers talked like this, only my heart would lurch.
“…That’s just how it is. I wasn’t some political marriage. I was sold off to you one-sidedly. Your Highness can surely find someone else later on…”
What am I even supposed to say here? If I start going on about how this is all just a novel, people will only think I’m an idiot. But I can’t just agree to it outright, either. I paced beside him, clutching my chest as it burned up inside.
“…Your Highness is a member of the imperial family of noble standing.”
“That also means I have many enemies.”
“But the human heart is a funny thing…”
“Is it perhaps because of my appearance?”
“Huh?”
I had been trailing after him, practically clinging to his back, and I couldn’t hide my bewilderment. Why on earth was his face coming up in this situation? A hollow laugh escaped me on its own.
“What’s wrong with Your Highness’s appearance?”
Not like I don’t already know he’ll grow into an absolutely stunning handsome man later on.
“And what good is a person’s face, anyway? Surviving, no, that’s not quite what I mean. In any case, I’ve said it over and over. A person’s character inside matters far more than how they look. Someone who wanders around relying on a pretty face is worth less than a man who takes responsibility as the head of a household and devotes himself to his real duties.”
“Hmm…”
Was I imagining it, or did Kiers seem somehow pleased as he turned away with such a fierce air?
“….”
For a moment, I actually found myself sympathizing with that father of his. Come to think of it, it’s only natural that this man still has some complex about his looks.
Ah, why didn’t I think of that? Just the fact that he wears nothing but black clothes and a black mask everywhere should have been enough to guess it.
I shook my head firmly and stepped toward him. I had to say the right thing now and change Kiers’s mind. Forget about your face for now, and someday, before long, a good day will surely come for you. Even if it isn’t with me, the day will come when you get to show off that skill with all the glory it deserves.
“Appearance is just a shell, Your Highness. A man’s worth lies in his inner substance, his inner substance!”
“….”
“So… someone like Your Highness.”
Hmm, I probably didn’t need to say that last part.
But there’s no taking back words once they’re out. The moment that last line left my mouth, the air around us seemed to shift. It wasn’t the bone-chilling tension I’d felt in the hall. It was the cool, blue scent that had drifted toward me when I stepped close to his side.
“I’m glad to hear that. Since that’s how you feel.”
Wh-what, don’t be moved by that.
“Oh, yes. What I mean is…”
“Then I can’t tell what’s really bothering you so much.”
Was he being kind, or wasn’t he?
At Kiers’s calm question, a wave of dizziness nearly hit me. I pressed my lips together, swallowing the churning in my stomach, and rubbed my mouth.
“No… to be honest, I never imagined Your Highness would actually be sincere about the marriage.”
“When a person gets married, isn’t it only natural that they remain faithful to it?”
“Ah…”
Why do you keep making me out to be a scumbag?
If I answered no here, I wouldn’t be able to guarantee my own future.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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