Battle Divorce! - Chapter 22
“I’ve heard your husband managed to squeeze quite a reward out of the royal family in exchange for this latest campaign.”
“What do you mean, squeezed out of them? Isn’t he just the royal family’s bloodhound?”
Since when does a dog extort its master for food? That was just ridiculous.
“Yeah, the royal court was desperate. They needed someone to buy them time, at any cost.”
It had been a sudden assault with hardly any defenses in place. No wonder that pervert left for the front lines without even spending his wedding night.
Daisy slowly nodded, piecing things together.
“He demanded a title nearly equal to royalty, and a rank with independent command should anything go wrong. That was Maxim von Waldeck’s condition for heading to the frontlines. With his odds of survival so low, they couldn’t exactly refuse.”
“But then he came back victorious?”
“Exactly. Now all public opinion is on the side of the great war hero.”
With headlines like that, it was hard to argue otherwise.
“The kingdom’s new hero is still, technically, a royal insider. Of course the palace is keeping a close eye on him.”
“So why am I the one who has to keep watch on him?”
“Because right now, you’re the only one who can do it naturally.”
She’d been completely set up, Daisy realized. Maybe that had been the plan from the start. Her eyes narrowed.
“And, Daisy, you do realize you are making the news too, thanks to this guy, right? Haven’t you noticed?”
He tossed a copy of the newspaper on the tea table.
[HERO OF THE KINGDOM, GRAND DUKE WALDECK! HIS FIRST WISH AFTER RETURNING HOME?]
[To hold my beloved wife, Daisy, in my embrace.]
…Goddamn it. So he had seen that.
She could only squint at the article, wishing she could blur out the text with sheer willpower.
“And you think that’s the only article? People are going crazy wanting to know who Daisy is.”
“….Alright, alright, I get it. Please, just stop.”
Apparently, Maxim had been bragging around about their wedding night everywhere he went. The same man who’d used the word s*x right in front of the previous Grand Duchess.
Daisy massaged her temple, already feeling a migraine coming on.
“In any case, I’m worried about you being alone at Waldeck. I’ll send someone to keep you company, tell them they’re one of your old staff from your family home.”
“You mean to spy on me and report back, right?”
She’d been foolish to hope for actual help, even for a moment. In life, you could only rely on yourself.
Daisy let out a long sigh, downing her now-cold tea to soothe her dry throat.
“So, basically, your conclusion is: Shut up and cooperate.”
“Try to speak a little more elegantly, Easy. You are a noble’s daughter now.”
“A noble’s dying daughter. If I were really your daughter, would you treat me like this?”
She set her teacup down with a sharp clack and stood up abruptly.
“I don’t care anymore. I’ll do things my way, and whatever happens is your problem, not mine. Just so you know.”
“I know you don’t mean that. You’re not the type to really be irresponsible.”
“Just shut your trap.”
“In any case, I’ll give you some time to think it over.”
“Let me guess, you’re about to dump another new mission on me, right? Keep dreaming…”
“That child, Jamie. He apparently needs to be hospitalized right away.”
Jamie was the frailest child at the orphanage. He’d seen doctors before, but the medicine was too expensive for proper care.
“I never heard anything about that in the letters.”
“Sister Sophia wouldn’t have told you, didn’t want you worrying.”
Thinking about Sister Sophia’s gentle nature, Daisy had to admit, it sounded plausible.
“I’ll cover the hospital bill. And I’ll make a donation to the orphanage under Daisy Therese’s name. Since your mission’s been extended, consider it a little help to put out the worst fires for now.”
Bringing up the sick child and the orphanage, he really was shameless. If she listened to any more, she was sure she’d get dragged in.
“Don’t pretend you’re doing me any favors now.”
“Easy, don’t just get angry. Try to think about this rationally.”
As Daisy headed for the door, Count Therese called after her one last time.
“Think about your mother, the one who died on a mission. Can you really turn your back on that?”
Daisy stopped and paused at the mention.
“I’ve never forgotten you, not for a single day since I took you in. I doubt you have, either.”
“……”
“Let’s not let her sacrifice go to waste.”
