Chapter – 19
A pure child, my foot.
Even if I said I was really ugly, shouldn’t he have at least politely said I wasn’t?
Now that I think about it, he doesn’t even have manners!
I was huffing in frustration when he muttered something.
“…Lose.”
“What did you say?”
I leaned closer to hear him, and Siderion stepped back a bit and said,
“Back off, you pumpkin.”
“Pu-pumpkin…?”
“Yeah, now that I look at it, your hair is pumpkin-colored, and your eyes are just like a pumpkin too.”
What the… this guy? His eyes are the same color too!
“I’ll make sure to divorce you, you ugly pumpkin.”
Siderion said this while staring directly at me, then suddenly spun around.
I, dumbfounded, shouted at the back of his head,
“I’ll say it first! I’ll definitely divorce a monster like you and take a huge alimony!”
After shouting, I suddenly realized what I’d just said and clamped my hands over my mouth.
‘I’m crazy! What did I just say?!’
Siderion was standing tall in place.
I wondered if I’d just provoked him enough to bring death sooner, and at the same time, it felt like the temperature around us had dropped sharply.
Backing away slowly from him, I bolted out before he turned around.
I blamed my sharp tongue and tried to avoid meeting Siderion.
But it didn’t take long for me to realize my effort was pointless.
“…He went down to the estate?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“I heard it was about three days ago.”
I gaped. Three days ago was the day after I had talked with Siderion.
“Why?”
“Of course, it’s for preparing for the war.”
I didn’t understand. In the original story, Siderion went to the estate a week later.
‘Could it be because of what I said?’
Of course, we hadn’t had a long conversation, so it probably didn’t matter much.
Anyway…
“Why am I only finding this out now?”
“…He left too early, so I didn’t wake you up,” Mary said, avoiding my gaze.
She looked like she had been asked a difficult question.
Her reaction was understandable. Even I, ignorant about this world, knew this was ridiculous.
Which wife hears about her husband going off to war from someone else?
‘Ugh.’
Considering my situation, it wasn’t that strange.
“Don’t worry…! Going to the estate isn’t really leaving for battle yet—it’s just the preparation period!”
Mary spoke as if trying to comfort me, thinking I felt left out for not being treated like a duchess.
It wasn’t that bad not to be treated like one, but I didn’t feel upset about it.
I smiled lightly.
“Well, at least I don’t have to see that guy for a while. That’s a relief.”
“…Before leaving, the master will definitely come see you,” Mary said, smiling as if she felt sorry for me.
Why was she giving me that expression?
…Could it be that she thought I’d be upset because Siderion didn’t even say goodbye?
I ignored that thought and stiffened my face, speaking seriously.
“Mary, whatever you’re thinking, that’s not it.”
“Miss… You don’t need to act so composed in front of me.”
She even teared up. At this point, I couldn’t help but think Mary was teasing me.
“Just so you know, I’m actually really happy right now!”
I wouldn’t have to see him for a while.
Most importantly, I didn’t have to lie awake worrying whether he’d die inside the mansion.
That alone was a huge relief.
‘But…’
Why did Siderion cry back then?
Did some sudden emotion overwhelm him?
It was unusual for Siderion, so the memory kept popping into my mind.
‘But nothing’s going to change.’
Even if he showed a tiny emotion toward me, he was still the monster recognized in the novel.
He’d kill me, an annoyance in the heroine’s sight.
Sorry, but I wasn’t going to die for such a ridiculous reason.
I took a deep breath and resolved myself.
‘Divorce Siderion safely after he returns from the battlefield in eight years.’
That was my only goal.
‘So I have to finish preparing to leave before he comes back.’
…Would that mean I’d also part from Mary?
Even though eight years were still ahead, I already felt a little sad.
‘Of course, it would be nice if I could leave safely.’
I let out a hollow laugh and noticed the mirror in my room.
It wasn’t far, and it reflected my full image.
My orange hair rippled around my waist. My golden eyes shone like the sun. Long lashes like a porcelain doll. Rounded cheeks with peach-colored blush.
No one could call that ugly. Yeah, that’s… fine, I guess.
Then I remembered what Siderion said.
‘Pumpkin.’
A wave of irritation washed over me.
‘You brat!’
What’s wrong with his sense of aesthetics? How could he say I’m ugly?
It wasn’t my face originally, but anyone would be upset to hear that.
Especially now that it was my face.
And the person who said it was ridiculously handsome. That made it even more annoying.
Siderion’s looks were admired even by the novel’s heroine.
‘Enough! Enough!’
I decided to sleep first.
I had been kept awake by a dream in which Siderion strangled me.
I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes. Peace at last.
A month and a half passed.
The butlers still watched me carefully, but probably due to Elga’s incident, they didn’t openly show it like before.
Thanks to that, I could finally enjoy life comfortably again.
It was like a dream.
Well, until I saw Siderion again.
“You…!”
I thought he’d gone and wouldn’t come back, so why had he returned?
In the original story, he went straight to the battlefield without stopping by the mansion.
Siderion frowned when he saw my mouth gaping.
“Why?”
“Ah, I thought you went off to war…?”
“I just stopped by to check something before leaving.”
Ah, right.
“Then go check it quickly.”
It had been a month and a half since I last saw him.
I thought the strange feelings I felt back then would have faded.
‘Why does it still feel weird?’
I couldn’t look Siderion directly in the eyes and instinctively looked away.
It wasn’t dislike, just embarrassment.
‘No. He’s the one who cried, so why am I feeling this?’
Maybe it was because I saw his tears.
I muttered under my breath, glancing at him.
Siderion, who I thought would leave immediately, just stood there staring straight at me.
Why isn’t he leaving?
“…What are you doing?”
“Checking something.”
“Checking?”
“Yeah. When I see you, it feels a little off here, so I wanted to see if it was just me.”
He pressed his hand to his chest as he spoke.
‘What… what is that supposed to mean?’
Does he feel sick just seeing me?
I’m not that ugly!
I bit my lip. No matter what he thought of me, I should just ignore it—so why couldn’t I?
I turned my head away from him and muttered,
“Once you’re done checking, go already.”
“You want me to go quickly?”
“Yeah. You feel the same way, don’t you?”
“……?”
“You said you don’t want to see me. Same here.”
“That’s not true.”
I looked at him, thinking I must have misheard.
“What did you just say?”
“…It’s true. Even if you don’t say anything, I know you’re done checking, so I’ll leave.”
That didn’t seem like what he meant.
Still, I felt a strange disappointment at his words.
‘What is this? Why am I disappointed?’
“Fine. Go quickly.”
Siderion turned from staring at me and started walking forward.
‘Wow, he really is leaving when I told him to.’
I had wanted him to disappear quickly, but thinking I wouldn’t see him for eight years made me feel strange.
I watched his retreating figure for a moment, then shook my head and turned around.
None of this is my problem…
That was really the last time I met Siderion.
No accidental encounters, no avoiding him—nothing.
He just… left.
‘Strangely empty.’
When he was here, I wished he’d leave, but now that he was gone, I felt like I had lost purpose.
‘No, I can’t waste time like this.’
Even though eight years remained, I had to start preparing now.
For what?
To build a foundation to live well after the divorce.
This world had a unique ability called “attributes,” and I thought I might be able to use it at first.
A person’s attribute shows in their eyes. Mine was water.
From what I learned, water attributes meant a gentle personality and fast healing.
‘I’ll make use of this.’
Other attributes were strong in battle, intelligence, or agility.
‘Of course, I get this one.’
I sighed, quickly giving up on using the attribute.
‘Money is all that matters in the world anyway.’
Of course, managing it well for a worry-free life in old age was most important.
The first thing I needed was a competent and discreet assistant.
‘The problem is I can’t reveal my identity.’
Even if it was a friend, I was a duchess-in-waiting. Many eyes were on me.
But that also meant attention was entirely on me.
I smiled slyly, looking at Mary cleaning diligently.
‘Usually in novels, the lady uses a maid to handle things.’
“Mary.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I’m curious… I won’t be able to go out properly until Siderion comes back, right?”
Mary’s expression twisted awkwardly.
“Yes? Well, uh… you can! At least the garden in front…”
Yeah, thanks.
