Chapter : 05
Ah, she had wanted to say something like that at least once.
At some point, Iona had completely abandoned formal speech and was speaking to Felix exactly as she pleased.
‘Since coming to this house, I’ve lost too many things to count. But this was one of the biggest.’
Facing Felix’s shameless expression made the memory surge up bitterly inside her.
Countess Griselda Teresia had two children.
First, her eldest son—Felix.
Second, her youngest daughter—Blanche.
Blanche Teresia had made her debut in society the previous autumn, drawing immense attention after presenting paintings that she had stolen from Iona and claiming them as her own.
‘Back then, no matter how hard I tried to reclaim them, it was useless.’
Of course it was.
Trying to have rational conversations with irrational people was never going to work.
“If it isn’t corrected within a week, prepare yourself. At the year-end imperial banquet, I’ll stand Blanche beside me and paint in front of everyone. Then it’ll become perfectly obvious whose paintings they really are.”
“Why are you speaking like that? I came here intending to settle this peacefully, and you’re making a fool of me.”
“So what?”
She would take back every single thing.
No matter how trivial.
Everything stolen from her.
She would never again waste effort trying to win the favor of the Teresia family.
‘Settling things peacefully. Being the only one who endures. Trying to solve things through conversation—forget all of it.’
The moment Iona thought that, another message appeared before her eyes.
Sure enough, it came from the strange beings who seemed to like her far too much.
[The Constellation ‘<Help!> My Husband Broke Into 14 Pieces’ is satisfied with your hostility.]
[The Constellation ‘<Help!> My Husband Broke Into 14 Pieces’ has donated 10 diamonds!]
She had no idea who they were, but one thing was obvious.
They were watching every single thing she did.
And they seemed to enjoy it immensely.
[The Constellation ‘Dead Serious About Punishing Cheating Trash’ proposes “Sit down and shut up, Felix!” as the channel catchphrase.]
[The Constellation ‘<Help!> My Husband Broke Into 14 Pieces’ strongly agrees.]
[The Constellation ‘#1 in the Revenge Service Industry’ nods solemnly.]
[The Constellation ‘Cat-Ear Hair Enthusiast’ agrees.]
[The Constellation ‘Master of Lies’ finds it interesting and agrees.]
[▶ Due to unanimous approval, the catchphrase has been officially selected.]
[Achievement unlocked: First Catchphrase Registration!]
[A one-time royalty payment has been awarded!]
[Royalty Payment: 100 Diamonds]
Shrrrng!
Somewhere, she heard the illusion of gemstones or coins pouring down.
Then another message appeared.
[▶ Current Donation Amount: 120 Diamonds]
She still had no idea what these diamonds were for, but they sounded valuable.
Honestly, the messages themselves were already useful enough.
They conveniently blocked Felix Teresia’s irritating face from view.
After staring at her speechlessly for a long moment, Felix eventually left the room without another word.
‘As expected.’
Who would ever guess?
That Felix Teresia was actually a coward who avoided conflict.
The moment a conversation turned unpleasant for him, he fled immediately while pretending to be angry.
“My lady, I brought you a little food.”
“Thank you, Tara.”
In the darkness of night, Tara—who had lingered anxiously in the hallway waiting for Felix to leave—quietly brought her an apple and some rye bread.
As Iona ate, she thought very seriously about one thing.
Who she should destroy first.
“Done.”
Starting the next day, holy knights were stationed outside her private bedroom.
Under Felix’s strict orders, their role was to prevent Iona from leaving.
Naturally, Tara was no longer allowed inside either.
The only fortunate thing was that they still fed her.
Though all she received was pale oatmeal gruel with absolutely nothing to chew.
Even so, Iona’s determination never weakened.
“First: reclaim the rights to my paintings from Blanche Teresia.”
Second: reclaim authority over the estate from Griselda Teresia.
Third: expose Felix Teresia’s behavior and divorce him.
Fourth: make the Saintess miserable.
Fifth: discover who ordered my death.
Sixth: escape somewhere my family can never reach.
She took out a notebook and calmly organized everything she needed to do.
This second life was a miracle.
And because of that, she wanted to use it meaningfully.
‘For now, reclaiming the rights to my paintings alone would be enough. If I sell them to galleries, I can at least earn enough money to leave this house and survive on my own.’
At the very least, she wouldn’t die because she couldn’t afford an inn room.
And honestly, this wasn’t some impossible fantasy.
Iona had first picked up a paintbrush at eight years old.
No, she wasn’t a genius who could shake the art world, but she had always been told she possessed genuine talent—especially for landscapes.
Her family had forbidden her from working publicly as a painter, so she had never debuted officially nor displayed her work openly.
Still, she had secretly sold a few pieces to galleries frequented by commoners and earned pocket money that way.
‘And after I got married, Blanche Teresia stole every single one of my paintings.’
Now all of Iona’s works were displayed in famous galleries under Blanche’s name.
Naturally, she had protested.
But Griselda and Felix both treated her like she was making a fuss over nothing.
“She isn’t even selling them for profit. They’re only being displayed.”
“Yes, dear. It’s Blanche’s first step into high society. It’s enough that we know the paintings are yours. Surely you won’t ruin your sister-in-law’s debut?”
That was how they had tried to soothe her.
But the moment she insisted on her ownership rights until the end, their expressions completely changed.
“What is so extraordinary about a few paintings anyway? To value some paintings over your family’s reputation—I’m disappointed.”
“Exactly. And honestly, it’s not as though you’re some great artist! You only painted them as a hobby while lounging around the house!”
“Mother is correct. If you think about it, the canvases, frames, paints, and brushes were all paid for by the Teresia family. Wouldn’t it be more accurate to consider them shared family property?”
Even if they weren’t masterpieces…
Even if they weren’t considered especially remarkable…
They had been precious to Iona.
There were paintings she had intended to keep beside her until death.
‘Painting was the only time I felt free. The only time I ever felt liberated.’
So to her, paintings were never “just paintings.”
‘Even if I wanted help, I was completely alone. There was no one I could ask.’
From the moment she debuted in high society, vicious rumors had followed her until people eventually treated them as truth.
And it wasn’t hard to guess who had spread them.
‘My father. Or perhaps my brother.’
Both of them were insane enough to refuse to let her escape their control.
They had probably acted preemptively because they feared she might make friends and become “corrupted.”
‘No… enough. This time I’ll live for myself.’
But how was she supposed to get divorced?
This marriage itself had been created for the Emperor’s political agenda.
To separate from Felix, she would absolutely need imperial permission…
That was when it happened.
Ding!
[▶ Congratulations! The Constellations satisfied by your have selected you as a ‘Level 1 Contractor Candidate’!]
A far more elaborate message appeared before her eyes.
[The channel is now becoming monetized!]
[The Constellations watching the preview have begun official subscriptions.]
[Official Channel Likes: 6]
[Official Channel Subscribers: 5]
Again, the numbers were off by one.
It oddly bothered her, but then the sound of coins pouring down distracted her again.
[Current Subscription Fee: 100 Diamonds]
[A total of 500 Diamonds has been awarded.]
[▶ Current Donation Amount: 620 Diamonds]
…So could someone finally explain what all this actually meant?
At least she understood one thing now.
Someone was watching her.
And they probably weren’t human.
The final thing she had seen before dying.
At first she thought she must have imagined it, but looking back now, it seemed real after all.
‘Come to think of it, they said they granted me the blessing called Amazing Adaptability. Maybe that’s why I’m not panicking.’
She had been so consumed by thoughts of revenge that she hadn’t noticed how strange everything was.
But calmly thinking it through now—
Normally, she would’ve been terrified by all this.
Yet somehow she was accepting it naturally.
[▶ The entered Constellations are bickering while choosing the most suitable ‘genre’ for you.]
[Your current main genre is .]
[The selected subgenre is <Out with the Trash, In with the Upgrade>!]
After staring at the endlessly appearing messages, Iona finally asked a question.
A very simple question.
But one absolutely necessary in this situation.
“Who are all of you?”
[The Constellation ‘Dead Serious About Punishing Cheating Trash’ says you have not yet earned the qualifications.]
“Qualifications?”
The moment she murmured the word aloud, brilliant light flooded her vision and a dazzling golden message appeared.
Wrapped in radiant splendor, it looked so divine that it was almost overwhelming.
[The officially subscribed Constellations are assigning you a trial!]
