Translator and Editor: Maru and Tea
Chapter 66
All of us were frozen by his harsh remark.
Jane, who secretly wished to become a duchess, was probably the most ridiculous person of all.
She did have a striking appearance. Unlike the shabby Leona, she was quite beautiful.
It was obvious how much she groomed herself from her glowing skin, and the silken flow of her hair whenever she moved.
“D-Did you just say that my heart is ugly?!”
“B-But she has a pretty face!”
Without any delay, Leona’s father hurriedly pushed Jane to get closer to the duke, perhaps considering selling her.
Unable to control a smirk as if he was having fun, the Duke walked up to Jane.
“Pretty, huh?”
“She’s prettier than Leona!”
He leaned forward. Jane’s breathing shallowed as the tall duke bent his body and pressured her with a menacing aura.
“Do you like me that much? To think you’d ask your sister’s husband to take you as a wife!”
“I think I’m the one worthy of that position.”
Jane’s face was flushed red.
“She’s not the kind of woman that suits you. It should be a woman like me!”
As always, my sister was overly confident. And as always, it was acceptable for her to take my possessions.
“Is that so? Then would you describe the kind of person you are?”
“Clever, beautiful, wise…umm and…”
Tuk, tuk! The duke’s beautiful fingers tapped his forearm as he crossed his arms.
“Is that all you have?”
“…..”
“How ridiculous! All the women who lined up to be my duchess were far more beautiful than you.”
“…..”
“And Leona is more beautiful than any woman I’ve seen. Even more than you, who went around boasting about your own beauty.”
The Duke’s eyes were fiercer than ever.
“Don’t you know how much she is…! Do you even know who that woman is?!”
Jane screamed loudly to the point it hurt my ears. She totally lost her mind.
Suddenly, Mrs. Selen’s face tensed. She hurriedly covered Jane’s mouth as if afraid a secret would slip out of her daughter’s mouth.
“Let go of me! Let go!”
“Pull yourself together, Jane!”
“How can I not lose my mind? I was compared to that pathetic woman! Just where do I lack?! Huh! I’m going to tell you everything about her! Just wait until I expose the kind of woman she is!”
“Sheesh! Now is not the time! We can still talk about it later. There seem to be countless women who were rejected by the duke anyway, so I’m sure you’ll have another chance later.”
Mrs. Selen and Jane whispered loudly, completely oblivious that everyone could still hear them talking.
It was only natural that their conversation made me anxious.
“Let’s put an end to this, okay?”
I was taken aback by the situation, but since the Duke was here, I bravely approached the family.
Of course, I didn’t step any further than where his hands could reach me.
I didn’t know if the real Leona would’ve shed tears like the heroine of a tragic love story…
But my nasty personality wouldn’t allow me to do that. Leona would’ve acted differently because she was a good girl, but now I am Leona.
“Leona, this is not your place to butt in!”
“Why can’t I butt in? Are you telling me to just sit and watch when my own sister shamelessly asked my husband to choose her over me?”
“Oho! I told you to shut your mouth, didn’t I?!”
“You are all too funny! It seems all of you are taking me as a joke here. Alright then, Ian, please bring my sister into the duchy just as she wanted. Please do me a favor.”
His forehead wrinkled beautifully.
“Leona, do you really want her to be the one next to me?”
“Yes.”
Only then Leona’s father brightened up.
“What a wonderful idea, Leona! You should’ve stepped down from that position from the start!”
“That’s right, Leona! If I had known from the beginning that you would become a duchess, I don’t mind being sold in your place. Because I’m your sweet and nice sister!”
They acted like a stray dog that shit and pissed on the ground to claim their territory.
Then my mother approached me and caressed my hands affectionately.
“That’s such a good idea! Leona, you’ve suffered a lot in the Duchy, right? Now let’s leave everything behind and come back home with us, okay?”
“Did you plan to do this from the beginning?”
I was genuinely puzzled by how fast they changed their attitude.
“No way! But as you know, your sister is very clever, and she came up with this idea. It’s a very wise idea so everyone, including Leona, can be happy.”
“Clever!? Are you kidding me?”
Meanwhile, Jane was brimming with confidence and puffed her chest out as if she was already a duchess.
Looking at her shamelessness, I grimaced and clicked my tongue.
“I have no intention of going back to the family that sold me! And I never said I’d give my place to you!”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?!”
Jane, who thought the duchess’ spot had become hers, snapped.
“You’re too impatient! This is why you should listen to what people say until the end! I asked to bring you into the duchy, but I never said you can replace my position as a duchess!”
Looking at my sneering face, Jane’s face became horribly distorted.
“What?”
“A maid. That’s perfect for you!”
“Hey!”
“Hey? I am the Duchess! Watch your mouth, Jane Selen!”
The Duke, who had been puzzled by my earlier request, took a step back with a relaxed face.
As if he had entrusted everything to me.
“W-What did you say….?”
“Shameless, foolish and boring! You came all the way to my home and made a ruckus, so I thought at least you’d show me something interesting, but you’re worse than our five-year-old Rere!”
I quietly contemplated my family. It was funny to see them blinking in embarrassment as if they had been sprayed with dung water.
“It’d be much better if you stick to your actual plan. If you kept pretending to be poor and begged me, who knows if I would help you? But how can you stoop even lower by lusting for my husband?”
The Selen couple and Jane blinked vacantly as if they were frantically seeking someone to blame for this situation.
“You’ll only get sick if you’re too greedy. So stop being greedy! How pitiful is it to see your stomach burst?”
I blinked my eyes indifferently.
“Yes! Your sister is at fault here! We won’t be greedy anymore, so just give us the money!”
They seemed to understand me only after I showed them my imposing attitude. Of course, I would never help them even if they groveled at my feet.
“Money, huh? What can I do? I have no affection left for the Selen family. Even if the Duke gives me a lot of money, I won’t spend a dime on you! Honestly, I don’t care if you die!”
“Ha..what did you say?”
“Are you fooling with us!”
“No, rather, I didn’t say anything. But you persist in getting the wrong idea and get angry when things don’t go your way. Thanks to you, I had a lot of fun!”
It wasn’t exactly a grand revenge, but I was happy that I could at least crush their hopes.
“Y-You bitch…!”
“Did you really think I would help you if you told me everything? Are you fools?”
“Leona!”
“I knew this was gonna happen!”
Leona’s parents and Jane were busy screaming over each other.
Shameless humans. They did not even reflect on what they did to Leona in the past.
Whining and crying when things don’t go their way like a 5-year-old. There was no bigger bullshit than what they were spouting.
“Shut up, Jane! This is all your fault!”
My father blamed Jane as if he had waited for this excuse.
“Why is it my fault? She is the weird one!”
“Leona wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t acted up in the middle!”
Seeing them busy fighting with each other, I couldn’t help but smirk. Perhaps she noticed my expression, because Jane turned her head toward me.
“A-Are you laughing?”
“What?”
“That crazy bitch Leona is laughing at us! She must be amused seeing us like this! Y-Your Excellency! D-Do you really think that a woman with such a filthy character like her is a suitable duchess?!”
Jane yelled and pointed a finger at me as if catching a weakness. At the same time, the Duke walked closer to me and smiled affectionately.
“I only need my beloved woman to be my Duchess. She’s also a mother that my child loves. I don’t need anything else. Many women coveted the duchess position, but no one is as perfect as she is!”
“B-But…she is!”
“It doesn’t matter to me if she’s an orphan! Leona is all I need! I don’t love her because of her family background, I love ‘Leona’ for who she really is.”
My heart was pounding. Without realizing it, I couldn’t help but let my face show how touched I was. I couldn’t deny that I was truly moved by his declaration.
Perhaps he felt the sudden change in my expression, but the Duke smiled sweetly at me.
‘Don’t tell me…he’s Luca?’
In my mind, there was no doubt that he was the Duke. But sometimes he showed signs that he might be a different person. For example, a smile that only Luca could give me. And an expression that made my heart flutter.
I had vowed to not fall in love until I healed from my tragic death or the tragic accident that crippled me, but Luca’s smile was the only thing that broke my iron heart.
‘Come to think of it, there’s no way that the Duke would come here for me.’
Now I could see that he was different.
“Leona.”
When I take a good look at him.
“You don’t have to talk with them anymore.”
“Ah…”
“My wife must be feeling dizzy from all the nonsense you’re spouting. We should put an end to this conversation.”
He held my waist and turned lightly. Then he rang the bell under the table near the sofa.
Soon, knights entered from outside.
“Did you call for us, Your Excellency?”
“Yes. You should see these guests out with care.”
“No! You can’t kick us out like this! I’m dead meat if I just leave with nothing!”
Leona’s father yelled and struggled to push away those who caught him.
“Please help me out just once. Duke! Since you took my daughter, please just help me out this once….!”
“Well, it’s my wife’s choice to help you or not. What should we do, Leona? Do you want to help them?”
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