Chapter 9
Rosena jumped to her feet and grabbed Evan by the collar.
“Are you comparing me to Cecilia right now? Are you defending her in front of a woman who’s carrying your child? Are you insane? Have you lost your mind?!”
“Rosena, please—”
“Don’t call me that! Why is it her, and not me—Rosena?!”
Normally, Evan called Rosena by the pet name “Rozy.”
When he did, she never doubted his love.
But now, the coldness in his tone brought tears to her eyes.
She tightened her grip and shouted through her tears.
“Are you saying you were playing with me? All those words about loving me instead of Cecilia—were they lies? You only wanted me until I got pregnant? Huh? Answer me! Answer!”
Rosena kept pressing him relentlessly, still holding his collar.
“R-Rosena. Ah, no, Rozy. Please calm down.”
Evan finally managed to pry her hands off him.
But Rosena, unable to control her anger, broke down like a child and began sobbing uncontrollably.
“You terrible man!”
“What a mess this is!”
At that moment, a voice shouted from the doorway.
Turning her head, she saw the Osburnes—Viscount Cloud Osburn and his wife, Tricia—entering the room.
Viscount Cloud Osburn stroked his chin with a stern expression, while Viscountess Tricia trembled with a flushed face.
“Rozy, is it fitting for a noble lady of your standing to throw such a tantrum?”
“Father! Evan says he won’t marry me!”
Hearing Rosena’s scream, Evan squeezed his eyes shut.
Cloud and Tricia were extremely proud of their status.
They had been the ones to oppose Evan and Rosena’s relationship from the start.
Even after the wedding, they had tried to physically punish Evan, only stopping when Rosena cried and begged them to stop.
“What nonsense is this? He won’t marry you?”
Tricia’s flushed face twisted with anger as she glared at Evan.
Cloud also looked him over disapprovingly from head to toe.
“Evan Machi, isn’t this the time to kneel before our daughter and beg for forgiveness?”
“Exactly! How dare a commoner get our daughter pregnant and act so brazen! Are you trying to ruin our child’s life?”
“It’s not like that… I’m sorry. I have no excuse.”
Evan lowered his head and stepped back, realizing it was better not to provoke them.
He turned to Rosena and lightly placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Sigh… Rozy, I’m sorry.”
Looking into her eyes with a pleading gaze, Evan spoke softly.
“I want to marry you as soon as possible too. But the timing really isn’t right. Can’t you wait just a little?”
“……”
But Rosena only turned her head, pursing her lips stubbornly.
Seeing this, Tricia stepped in once again.
“So, when will the wedding be? Your belly is growing, are we to hide it like some illegitimate child?”
“First, we’ll take our vows at the church. The ceremony will be held grandly after Rozy has recovered from childbirth.”
Evan spoke in a weary voice.
It wasn’t unusual to postpone the wedding due to childbirth.
It might raise some eyebrows, but it was better than the child being mistaken for illegitimate.
“By then, people will have forgotten, and you’ll be able to wear an even prettier dress. How does that sound?”
Evan looked at Rosena with desperate eyes.
At this point, he didn’t care about the wedding details—he just wanted to resolve the situation quickly.
The three Osburnes, arms crossed and glaring at him, were suffocatingly intimidating.
Amid them, Rosena, still pouting, said bluntly:
“Then make sure my wedding dress is the finest.”
Sigh… fine.
“And the wedding venue must be the most expensive and luxurious in Brisen.”
“I’ll… do my best.”
“Your best? Don’t do your best—do it properly!”
“Alright, alright. I said I’d do it.”
Defeated by Rosena’s persistence, Evan threw his hands up in surrender.
Only then did Rosena show a satisfied expression.
“Then I guess I’ll forgive you… for now.”
“Ahem, well, that was resolved nicely.”
Cloud stepped back with his hands behind his back, while Tricia approached Rosena and caressed her daughter’s cheek.
“Oh, my poor girl. You must’ve been shocked, carrying a child like this. Are you hurt anywhere? Hungry? Shall I call the best chef in Brisen for you?”
Evan sighed, running a hand through his hair.
The thought of living with that behavior for the rest of his life already felt suffocating.
Ha… in that sense, Cecilia being an orphan was easier to deal with.
Cecilia had been the heir of a count’s family, with no troublesome in-laws.
She hadn’t thrown tantrums or made things difficult like Rosena.
What a waste… really, such a waste.
If their relationship hadn’t been discovered, they would probably be enjoying a sweet honeymoon by now.
Evan bitterly savored the missed opportunity.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
It had already been several days since the wedding fell through.
Since leaving the shared residence that was almost their marital home, Cecilia had vanished without a trace.
Where on earth is she, and what is she doing now?
Not long after that, Gilbert’s death was officially confirmed.
“Breaking News! Suspicion Surrounding the Death of Duke Gilbert Hayes! What Really Happened?”
“Who Will Inherit the Dukedom? Younger Brother Sir Rainer Hayes Considered Likely Successor”
Anonymous tips had sparked a media frenzy across the empire.
By early morning, reporters crowded the estate where Elise lived in the Hayes territory.
“Madam! Please give a statement regarding the public rumors!”
“Is it true that the Duke has passed away?”
“I thought the Duke had no children after his wife passed. Who will be the next Duke?”
“Look at this!”
At that moment, Margaret, Elise’s head maid, rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward among the shouting reporters with notebooks and pens in hand.
“We will provide a written statement with details, so please leave now!”
“Hey! Don’t push! Don’t push!”
At her gesture, the servants rushed out and pushed the reporters back.
The commotion erupted in an instant.
Meanwhile, a carriage quickly left the Hayes estate.
“Look! A carriage!”
“The Madam must be inside! Go after it, hurry!”
The reporters shouted, but the carriage had already vanished over the hill.
As expected, Elise was inside.
She ground her teeth as she watched the reporters disappear from view.
This was undoubtedly Rainer’s doing.
That insolent man…
She should have acted when he made his move regarding the corpse.
She had underestimated him, and now she regretted it.
“How much longer?”
“About twenty minutes, Madam.”
“Hurry!”
Elise slammed the side of the carriage impatiently.
She intended to confront Rainer directly at the ducal mansion.
He seemed to think he was important, taking the ducal mansion of the capital for himself.
As soon as the carriage arrived, Elise jumped out.
“Madam Elise, you’ve—”
“Step aside!”
Unlike a proper noblewoman, she shoved aside Harry, the servant trying to greet her, and stormed into the ducal mansion.
She kicked open the door to Rainer’s office.
Rainer was seated at his desk, reviewing documents.
Even as Elise approached, he did not lift his head.
“What brings the Madam here without notice? Seeing your face so often improves even my humble dignity,” he said, still looking down.
Hearing his mocking echo of her words from days ago, Elise’s hands shook violently.
She threw a newspaper onto Rainer’s desk.
“This is all your doing!”
Thwack!
The newspaper landed directly in front of him.
The large headline read clearly: “Death of Duke Hayes.”
“Why did you dare publish an article about Gilbert without consulting me?!”
Only then did Rainer lift his head and slowly unfold the newspaper.
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
He had no intention of hiding that he was behind this, nor did he seem to want to make excuses.
Still staring at the paper, he said indifferently:
“Rest assured, Madam. I omitted the part about you supposedly clutching your son’s corpse for weeks due to grief.”
