I Will Become the Ex-Wife of the Beast - Chapter 49

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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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I knew I’d regret it later, yet all I wanted right now was to make him lose his ability to think clearly.
“Is it a tradition here for Your Highness to keep watching over the knights every single day, all through the night? Then there’s nothing I can do about it, hnng!”
Just as he seemed to be pulling away, he claimed my lips again. Of course he did. Gripping my chin, he whispered lazily against my mouth. This time he didn’t even bother hiding a smile, so the heat of it came through all the more.
“Eliya.”
“…Hurry up.”
Hearing him call my name was more than I could bear, and my impatience flared. From experience, I knew there was only one way to stop those lips. I wound my arms around Kiers’s neck, and once more I was swept up into that dizzying cloud.

◇ ◆ ◇

“Right then, everyone, please close your eyes.”
“….”
The great hall fell silent. Once I saw the crowd gathered in a row shut their eyes, I waved toward the pillar behind me.
“All right, gentlemen. Lady Rose is about to make her entrance!”
Everyone, applause!
Even without my prompting, the spectators erupted. The moment Rose toddled out in a lovely dress, the hall was swept up in a wave of excitement.
“Oh, how could this be…”
“Hmmmm.”
Count was too moved to hide it, and he took off his glasses. Then Sir Lear pressed a hand over his mouth, stunned with admiration, and Sir Jerome swallowed hard.
Rose, looking a little nervous, bent her knees slightly.
“Hello. I’m Lady Rose! I’m five, and I live with my big sister and Grand Duke Brother-in-Law! I love cotton candy, and I’m going to be a painter!”
“….”
“Hmm. Sis, I guess I’m not a lady.”
I think I’m going to cry.
Rose, who had spread her skirt with such expectation, turned around and threw herself into my arms. Well, she wasn’t old enough yet to understand that silence is the highest form of praise.
I turned her around so they could see her face, as if to say there was no way that could be true.
“Oh, come now, Count. Doesn’t our Rose look just like a lady?”
“Wh-whatever do you mean! She’s so lovely I nearly failed to recognize her!”
“…Hmm.”
Already, the corners of her small mouth twitched. Seeing her peek out, I could tell half of her disappointment had melted away.
“What do you think, Sir Lear?”
“She’s so… s-seriously adorable that…”
“…Hmph.”
Rose’s cheeks puffed out in displeasure.
No, no! That’s not what I meant! I didn’t mean adorable!
When I moved my lips silently, Sir Lear quickly corrected himself, choosing words that would win over our Rose’s taste.
“…No, she is elegant and beautiful. Like the finest lady in the Empire.”
“Mm-hmm.”
She’s satisfied! Our Rose has completely gotten over it!
Seeing Rose tilt her head up primly, Sir Lear finally let out a breath of relief. Count and Sir Jerome, who had glared at the oblivious knight as if they could kill him with a look, also broke back into bright smiles.
“Sis~”
Rose stretched out her legs and slipped from my arms. Shyly holding up the hem of her dress, she took one more step closer to them. At Rose’s bashful smile, Count finally pulled out a handkerchief.
“Ah… my eyes have been a bit blurry lately.”
Honestly, they’re really going overboard.
I shook my head at the knights clapping like seals around one little girl. But I was no better than them. This morning, I’d taken a cute dress out of its box, held it against Rose’s sleeping body, and wept so hard I could barely breathe.
My little puppy, I should have dressed you in this sooner. I’m so sorry, Sis is sorry!
She was so lovely that tears welled up, and I couldn’t bring myself to wake her, so I just watched her for a long while. Regret washed over me that I had raised a child who could be happy in such a pretty outfit only in such a poor way.
I could have eaten a little less and still bought her one new dress.
It’s not as if skipping a few meals would have ruined anything.
Since the day she was born, Rose had never owned a single piece of clothing of her own. That was true for me too, but Rose had even been forced to wear my old clothes, taken in and remade to fit her. So dressing her in new clothes today felt like finally resolving a long-held wish.
“…Hmph.”
What is it… he’s a beast, after all. A beast through and through.
If you’re going to be a beast, then act like one. Why does he have to go around showing consideration and making such a fuss?
Thinking of Kiers, who had left behind gifts I, her big sister, hadn’t even thought of, my lips tingled. And it wasn’t only because he had kissed them raw, licking, biting, and sucking until they burned.
“Sis, when do I take this off?”
“Hm?”
“What if they ask for it back? What if I say it’s mine and they say, ‘Please return it’?”
Rose tugged at the hem of my skirt. It was the hundredth time she’d asked me today, yet instead of feeling annoyed, I only felt a tender ache. She had never once owned anything that was truly hers, so I could feel every bit of that happy yet anxious heart coming through.
“No, this is Rose’s. No one can take it away.”
Because I think I understand a little, too.
That restless, fidgety feeling that gets under your skin just thinking about it.
“Really?”
“Of course. Big sister will be sure to protect you.”
I pinned Rose’s loose strands back with a fresh hairpin, making a show of it. The large ribbon clip that matched her dress was so dainty she looked like a fairy straight out of a storybook. Even now, Rose’s admirers were fretting over her, so it’s not just my eyes that think she’s pretty.
“Sister, why are those ladies up on the stairs staying up there? Don’t we need to greet them?”
“Hm?”
Reassured that the dress was hers, Rose pointed at the twin sisters who had poked their heads over the second-floor railing. Each time they ran into her, they scurried off as fast as they could, so even Rose, who was usually shy around people, seemed curious about them.
Ugh, those hyenas.
I turned Rose around fiercely, like a mother eagle guarding her chick.
“No. You don’t need to know about them, Rose.”
“…Are they bad sisters?”
“No. They’re not bad, exactly… but they’re not good ones either.”
Especially when it comes to their emotional side, that is.
I quickly signaled the twins with my eyes to go inside. Judging by their characters, this wasn’t something that could be settled with words.
Gripping Rose’s shoulders, I met the Count’s gaze.
“Would you mind watching over Rose for a moment? Will that be all right?”
“O-of course! It is none other than Her Highness the Grand Duchess Consort asking, is it not? How could a vassal such as myself refuse!”
“…Ha-ha.”
So this is how I must have looked to Kiers yesterday.
I noticed the Count’s hand trembling with emotion as it took Rose’s. Watching him reenact the way I had pretended to be dragged into wearing the dress with all my lengthy protests made it hard to keep looking at him.
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess Consort, what’s the matter?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
From now on, I’ll never do that again. I’ll just say a single “thank you” and be done with it. Having learned one way to keep from making a spectacle of myself, I started up the stairs to the second floor.
“That’s really unfair. We wanted to see Lady Rose up close, too.”
“Exactly. Brother Jerome was there, too! Why are we the only ones not allowed?”
“…Renie, Rea.”
Do you two know that Brother Jerome nearly killed Bella?
I remembered Sir Jerome’s sword, which had twitched every time the twins’ feet tried to wander away from the second-floor railing. But the twins’ disappointment was real, so I couldn’t bring myself to tell them the truth.
“….”
Right, I shouldn’t judge people by only one side of them.
I thought they were a pair of lecherous demons, but they’ve unexpectedly gone head over heels for a child again. And apparently it’s because my little sister is pretty, so I can’t even bring myself to hate them.
I smiled and patted the back of Rea’s hand.
“Rea, I’ll be sure to speak to Her Highness about it next time. If you two promise to keep your mouths shut, I’m sure she’ll allow you to meet Rose.”
“But back then, there’s no guarantee that Sir Lear will be right by Lady Rose’s side!”
“…Huh?”
“Sir Lear is at the Training Ground, so he rarely even comes all the way out here. Hic.”
“And he never smiles at us like that. Hic, sob.”
“….”
Honestly, these demons.
They say you can’t remake a person, and Kiers was right after all. I don’t know what I was thinking, trying to find any redeeming quality in people who had already fallen into the pit of their instincts. I was far too naive.
Don’t forget, Bella. These two had arrest warrants out for them.
With a sigh, I narrowed my eyes at them.
“So you came to the Grand Duke’s Castle because of Sir Lear? To get a closer look at him?”
“….”
“Be honest. You didn’t graduate from the Monastery, did you? You only completed the coursework?”
“…That doesn’t matter, Your Highness.”
“…We only wish to serve the Grand Duchess Consort with utmost loyalty and learn her courage.”
“….”
Those parrots had only now started to watch my face, and I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. Whether it was disappointment or resignation, one thing was certain each time I saw them: they were the last people who would ever dream of scheming or betrayal.
“By the way, Your Highness, the Duke and Duchess arrive tomorrow. Are you really not going to prepare anything at all?”
“Renie.”
“I understand what you’re saying, Your Highness. But I really am worried. We know that woman well. She’ll come here and pick apart every little thing about you, then report it all back to the Imperial Palace. You might end up the laughingstock of the court without having done anything wrong.”
“…Then let her.”
I was going to be leaving soon anyway, so there was no reason to worry about my reputation. Still, if I set aside my personal feelings, there’s some sense in what they’re saying.
“Even so, I suppose I should at least make some effort. I can’t let the Grand Duke get dragged into the insults because of me.”
“That’s right!”
“Exactly, that’s just it!”

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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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