She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 116

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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 116. Katarina (1)
“Did you just hit me?”
Evan cried out, clutching his nose.
Crimson blood dripped steadily between his fingers.
“Look at this! I’m bleeding! Have you lost your mind? What kind of father strikes his own son?”
Unlike Evan’s ranting,
Rainer’s gaze remained unwavering.
He simply brushed off his hand and looked down at him coldly.
“Son?”
His voice dropped to a low murmur.
“Do you have any right to call yourself my son?”
“You—!”
Evan’s face flushed crimson.
Whether from rage or intoxication, it was impossible to tell.
He staggered to his feet and deliberately thrust his chin forward.
“Go ahead and hit me again! I’ll report you! Let’s see every newspaper in the Capital tomorrow run the story of a Duke assaulting his son!”
“….”
“Hit me! I’m telling you, hit me!”
Evan pushed his shoulder forward with false bravado.
His face smeared with nosebleed, his clothes disheveled, his body swaying.
A truly pathetic sight.
Cecilia found herself frowning involuntarily.
Thud.
At that moment, something fell to the floor.
Evan’s gaze dropped downward.
In that instant, his eyes widened.
‘What is this…!’
A bundle of banknotes, worth roughly 100 crowns.
Evan quickly wiped his bloodstained hand on his clothes.
Then he bent down and seized it.
“What is this supposed to be?”
“A settlement.”
“Ha! So you hit me and now you’re offering compensation?”
Rainer did not respond.
But Evan paid it no mind.
He simply grinned, staring down at the money in his hand.
100 crowns for a single nosebleed.
The profit seemed rather decent.
His lips twisted into a smirk.
“I’ll let it slide this time. Next time, watch your hands.”
I stuffed the banknotes carelessly into my pocket.
Then I turned around with a swagger.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
Standing at the doorway, I glanced back with a smirk.
“Let’s settle the inheritance matter quickly too. I can’t wait long. You understand, yes?”
Having said my piece, I slipped out of the Study.
My mind was already consumed with thoughts of spending the money I’d just acquired.
The door clicked shut, and a heavy silence descended.
“Sigh….”
Rainer exhaled deeply.
Naked contempt was woven into that breath.
Cecilia looked up at her husband.
He was rubbing his wrist, his shoulders heaving with agitation.
“Rainer, why did you do that?”
“I didn’t want to soil your hands.”
He answered quietly.
“I couldn’t bear to see you lower yourself for such a man.”
If Cecilia had struck him instead,
Evan would surely have seized upon it as an excuse to become even more petty and vindictive.
It was better that I stepped in myself.
“Besides, he deserved it.”
Truth be told, from the moment we first met,
I’d wanted to throw a punch at Evan like this.
Today simply presented the perfect opportunity.
“If you wish it, say the word. I can ensure he never sets foot in Listea again.”
It seemed like a good idea to remove Evan from Cecilia’s world entirely while we were at it.
But Cecilia shook her head.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ll wait a little longer.”
“Wait?”
“Yes. Evan will collapse on his own.”
A cold smile played across Cecilia’s lips.
“Isn’t it far more agonizing to walk into a cliff of one’s own volition than to be pushed off by another?”
Hearing this, Rainer’s eyes narrowed shrewdly.
“That sounds like you’ve already made your preparations.”
“Yes.”
At her unhesitating answer, Rainer let out a low chuckle.
“Then I suppose I’m just a man who wasted 100 crowns.”
At his jest, Cecilia also let out a small laugh.
She gently took his hand.
“Wait just a little longer. Soon there will be something delightful to witness.”
* * *
Upon leaving the Manor, I headed straight for the Seymour Hotel lounge.
It was where Katarina had been staying since arriving in Listea.
The moment I settled into my seat, I gestured toward the hotelier with a tilt of my chin.
“Bring me your finest spirits. The most expensive you have.”
“Evan?”
Katarina turned to me with a puzzled expression.
This wasn’t some rowdy tavern on 62nd Street.
It had struck her as odd when I insisted on coming to the lounge in the first place.
But now I was ordering the most expensive liquor available.
Until now, given my circumstances, Katarina had covered most of our expenses.
My newfound confidence felt strangely unfamiliar to her.
“What’s gotten into you? Did something fortunate happen?”
“It did.”
I chuckled and pulled a fistful of banknotes from my pocket, spreading them across the table.
“My goodness, where did all this money come from?”
“Listen, I’m Evan.”
I puffed out my chest with unmistakable pride.
Of course, I couldn’t mention that I’d received it as compensation for a beating.
But being able to boast in front of a woman was satisfaction enough.
“Just wait a little longer, my dear. This is only the beginning. Soon, a fortune will come my way.”
“A fortune?”
“Yes—the great legacy my grandmother left for me.”
Katarina’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“So you’ve finally received your inheritance?”
“Of course. I’m the rightful heir, after all.”
I raised my glass triumphantly.
“Katarina, if you hadn’t told me, I would’ve been left blind and helpless.”
“Oh, you.”
Katarina laughed softly, a hint of embarrassment crossing her face as she shrugged her shoulders.
Our glasses clinked together lightly.
I drank deeply while keeping my eyes fixed on Katarina.
A slow, lingering gaze swept across her.
‘She’s quite useful, after all.’
I appreciated her confident and uninhibited demeanor.
Of course, lacking noble blood meant she lacked a certain refinement.
‘But what good is pretense if it doesn’t put food on the table?’
Frankly, I’d grown weary of nobility.
Everywhere I went these days, whispers followed me relentlessly.
A commoner with wealth and capability was far preferable to a noble with a tarnished name.
After finishing his calculations, Evan opened his eyes languidly.
“Listen, Katarina.”
He took her hand and drew it close, pressing a light kiss to the back of her hand.
Then he whispered with an intense gaze.
“Once I receive the inheritance, I intend to propose to you formally.”
“A proposal?”
Katarina’s eyebrows shifted subtly.
Though she had been conducting herself as his lover until now, such a promise was unexpected.
And with good reason.
“But… you haven’t yet settled your marital status, have you?”
“Ah, you mean Rosena?”
Evan let out a scoff.
“I’ll use the Empire’s most capable lawyer to finalize my divorce as quickly as possible. Since it’s a lawsuit against a murder fugitive, divorce is a natural consequence—what’s the problem?”
“That may be true, but…”
Katarina’s expression remained unconvinced.
“Actually, I’ve heard what people say. They claim you once truly loved your wife, and that you gave her a very large and expensive ring.”
“Ha! A ring?”
Evan asked as though it were absurd.
Why was Katarina acting this way today, of all days?
When they first met, she had boldly insisted on standing beside him.
‘Ah, is she throwing a tantrum now?’
He chuckled knowingly.
Moreover, unable to contain himself, he clutched his belly and burst into hearty laughter.
“Ahahaha! A large and expensive ring? That was a fake ring from the start!”
“…A fake?”
“Yes, I once had a craftsman whose metalworking skills were extraordinary.”
Evan spoke while chuckling.
“I had him make a cheap ring for her.”
Rosena probably still believed it was genuine, he added.
He laughed, his shoulders shaking.
“So don’t worry about it. For you, I’ll buy real jewels, not such a pathetic counterfeit.”
“…”
As Evan pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Katarina said nothing.
‘Pathetic counterfeit?’
Replaying his words in her mind, Katarina’s fist clenched without her realizing it.
So tightly that her nails dug into her flesh.
“What’s wrong?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Yet at Evan’s question, Katarina quickly lifted her head.
A smile played at the corners of my lips, as though nothing were amiss.
“I’m simply… moved.”
Yet my mind was already painting the scene from mere days before.
* * *
Several days prior, at the Seymour Hotel.
“Y-you are…!”
The moment I recognized the face of the guest who had entered my room.
My eyes widened in shock.

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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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