I’m Going to Change My Husband With a Predatory Marriage - Chapter 56

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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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Chapter 56

Evangeline’s mood had been thoroughly soured of late.
The reason was simple.
‘What other reason could there possibly be besides that wretched girl!’
Whenever I recalled that foolish Hillia brazenly occupying the position of Prince’s Consort, my anger surged beyond containment.
Of course, Hillia would never be recognized as the true Prince’s Consort.
‘The banquet will surely fall apart!’
I had skillfully evaded that girl’s recent attempt to humiliate me.
High society’s opinion had wavered briefly before settling back into calm.
All of it was thanks to the groundwork I had painstakingly laid.
Yet an unprecedented anxiety began to creep in.
Whenever I recalled Hillia standing confidently beside Arpard, adorned so beautifully….
I sought the source of my unease elsewhere.
‘It’s the Countess of Fileren, the Empress, and everyone else who can’t do their jobs properly—everyone but me!’
Yes. It must be because only I could do things correctly that I felt so burdened and anxious.
‘I absolutely must not feel even the slightest threat from that wretched girl! Absolutely not!’
It was impossible.
It could not be.
I was destined to surpass someone as foolish as Hillia and become the ‘true protagonist.’
Steeling myself with such resolve, I entered the Roux Mansion and encountered an unwelcome sight.
“Eva! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting?”
It was Ludwig, appearing in a pitiful state.
‘The stench of alcohol!’
As he drew near, a nauseating smell of spirits wafted from him.
Moreover, he seemed to have done nothing but indulge in drinking, lacking even the will to bathe or groom himself properly.
Wrinkled shirt and matted, disheveled hair.
He looked like a complete wreck.
‘Two weeks ago, I couldn’t have imagined him looking like this.’
Back then, Ludwig had been confident and brimming with charm.
Though I had been captivated by Arpard, I had been satisfied enough with having secured Ludwig for myself.
At least he could have been called the male lead back then.
‘Though I still couldn’t understand why Ludwig was the male lead instead of Arpard.’
But Ludwig’s current state was appalling.
It was unbecoming of his noble position as Grand Duke.
Much less was it fitting for a ‘male protagonist.’
As a result, not a single kind word escaped my lips.
“What’s suddenly wrong?”
Yet Ludwig seemed too preoccupied to even read the chill in my demeanor.
He held up the crumpled documents and cried out.
“Help me, Eva!”
“Be specific. What exactly do you need help with?”
Evangeline couldn’t hide her irritation.
“And it’s impossible for me to repair your reputation. You’ve caused such a spectacle.”
Of course, much of it was Ludwig’s fault for making a fool of himself in front of everyone.
But the most decisive factor was that Evangeline had used Ludwig as a sacrificial pawn to slip away unscathed.
However, Evangeline had concealed this, and Ludwig remained ignorant.
Ludwig cried out desperately.
“House of Delphin has formally accused me!”
“That’s something I already knew….”
Hillia had settled accounts with Delphin in a single night, shrewdly filing charges for embezzlement and unauthorized changes to the territory’s ownership.
Moreover, she had secured both evidence and witnesses. The Grand Duke’s employees and retainers at Delphin had been dragged away en masse.
Somehow, they had already completed their testimonies.
Who would win was already a foregone conclusion.
Evangeline had already known this as well.
But Ludwig’s next words were something Evangeline hadn’t anticipated.
“That insane woman! She’s filed for confiscation of my territory and manor!”
“…What?”
Ludwig’s explanation was simple.
Hillia had come forward to seize Kielrn Manor and his territory as compensation for the damages Ludwig had inflicted upon House of Delphin.
“She’s trying to take away my entire fortune!”
It seemed he had barely crawled out of his wine-soaked stupor upon hearing this.
“I’m the victim here! Why?”
All he could do was rush to Evangeline and cling to her.
Ludwig cried out desperately.
“Help me, Eva. You love me, don’t you? You truly love me, unlike that insane woman, right?”
Now he looked up at Evangeline with a servile expression.
An expression that only deepened the contempt and revulsion of those who witnessed it, though Ludwig remained oblivious.
For him, Evangeline was his only remaining hope.
Evangeline looked down at Ludwig, suppressing the nausea rising within her.
The contrast struck her anew.
Arpard’s beautiful and dignified bearing compared to the worm-like Ludwig before her now.
‘No matter that he’s a bastard, he’s still my cousin—how can they be so different?’
It suddenly felt absurd that she had nearly married this man.
If Hillia had married Ludwig smoothly, then she herself would have ultimately….
Then, a sudden thought struck her mind.
‘Wait, wasn’t Ludwig originally supposed to end up with Hillia?’
That was his destined fate in the original work as well. That was why he had been the male protagonist.
Because he was the male protagonist, she had wanted Ludwig.
Of course, Ludwig in his current pathetic state was absolutely unsuitable for me.
‘Yes, a man fallen to the gutter deserves someone like Hillia.’
The seat beside Arpard that The Woman now occupied so presumptuously was naturally far more fitting for me.
Perhaps Ludwig, whom I had thought useless, still had some utility left.
‘If a sordid scandal with my former fiancé spreads, his already precarious position will crumble even further, won’t it?’
Above all, I was desperately curious what Arpard would do if he learned of it.
‘Yes. Arpard has been deceived, not knowing The Woman’s true nature. Once he learns the truth….’
He would undoubtedly discard such an unsuitable woman.
“Don’t worry. Ludwig. I’ll help you.”
“Really? You really mean it, Eva?”
“Not just a way to avoid losing all your wealth… I’ll make sure you recover everything that was once yours.”
Evangeline’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

* * *

Delbe Street, where the town houses of lower nobility and wealthy commoners clustered together.
In one corner stood a dilapidated mansion that was one of Arpard’s private residences.
Hillia arrived there in an old carriage after disguising herself to avoid prying eyes, and met with a mercenary.
“News from the garbage heap, ma’am.”
A glimmer of interest flickered in Hillia’s eyes.
The garbage heap was one of the code words she and the Black Mercenary Company had established.
‘The informants I left at Ludwig’s residence?’
Yes. The garbage heap referred to Ludwig’s residence, Kielrn Manor.
When Hillia had settled matters at Delphin last time, she had sent Ludwig’s subordinates who were with him to the security forces or driven them away.
Among those who were expelled and returned to the Grand Duke’s Residence, some had been bribed by Hillia.
To survive, they diligently fed information about Ludwig to Hillia.
The Black Mercenary Company served as the intermediary.
‘Of course, it’s only temporary.’
For Hillia, who still lacked her own people, it was unavoidable.
In any case, the results were certain. Information about both Ludwig and Evangeline had come through.
The conclusion I could draw from this information was simple.
“It seems Ludwig still hasn’t abandoned his foolish hopes.”
Evangeline was probably the one encouraging it.
There were several ways to respond.
‘But there’s a more pressing matter right now, so let me focus.’
After Hillia tucked away the note and took a few more steps inside, someone who had been waiting in disguise came to greet her.
“Isephin.”
“Welcome.”
Isephin Solenu.
The young lady of Marquis Solenu remained mindful of the gazes around her even while indoors.
“Don’t worry. We weren’t followed.”
Despite her assurance, Isephin still couldn’t shake her tension.
“As you know… you’ve taken a truly difficult step for us.”
“I know.”
Hillia smiled brightly.
“And I also know the effort you’ve put in. A kindness like this won’t be betrayed, so don’t worry.”
With those words, Hillia stepped forward.
Isephin hesitated as if she wanted to say something more.
But she couldn’t take any more of Hillia’s time and opened the door.
Inside sat an elderly noblewoman with four attendants of similar age standing behind her.
As Hillia carefully examined each face in the room, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
‘What?’
Then Isephin introduced her.
“This is my great-aunt, the Dowager Duchess of Axion.”
Having received Hillia’s request, Isephin had succeeded in moving a figure equivalent to a powerbroker of the entire West.

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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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