The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 112
Nina couldnât understand why they did something so shameless if they were going to tremble at a single complaint and rush to settle.
ââŚThank you so much, Madam.â
âIâm truly grateful too. If you hadnât helped us, we wouldâve been in serious trouble.â
No.
If anything, it was thanks to them that she had been able to accomplish her goal in the capital without incident.
It was a mutually beneficial deal, so to speak.
âStill, it feels nice to be thankedâŚâ
To have been of help to someone.
To be able to see someone smile because of that.
It was something that hadnât existed in âNinaâsâ life, and it left her feeling proud.
Back at the beginning of her regression, most people hadnât even worried about herâonly clicked their tongues and mocked her.
âChange, huhâŚâ
Nina absentmindedly brushed her lower lip with her fingertips.
That cold fingertip that had pressed down firmly, as if stamping a seal.
The touch that remained vivid even in her foggy, dreamlike consciousness.
Had that merely been a gesture to help her take her medicine?
When she recalled the breath of the man that had hovered so closely over her lips on the imperial palaceâs balcony, the lingering heat made her cheeks flush with warmth.
Nina pressed her cool hand against her cheek.
ââŚNo delusions allowed.â
No overthinking, either.
After Jessie and Yona left, Nina got up from the bed.
She arranged the bouquet they had given her neatly in a vase.
âI should take a walk through the garden for the first time in a while.â
The weather outside looked lovely.
Her body had recovered.
She needed to stretch her stiff limbs and shake off the useless feelings sheâd been harboring.
***
The dukeâs office at the Bayern ducal manorâ
Ash was staring at the documents on his desk more seriously than ever.
âThis recent trip to the capital mustâve been extremely difficult for the Madam. According to the Taylor familyâs medical records, she was born premature and suffered from frequent illnesses as a child.â
The physician had judged that the problem was not just the arduous journey, but also the intense stress she had been forced to endure all at onceâon a body that wasnât healthy to begin with.
Ash, who had been staring at the writing on the document as if facing an important decision, finally opened his mouth after a long silence.
âSend someone to the dressmakerâs.â
ââŚPardon, Milord?â
Hozi, who had been waiting for Ashâs approval, gaped.
It was a rare, dumbfounded expression.
Because this was not something the Duke, who had been reviewing documents with such serious eyes, should have been saying.
Was that what he had been thinking about while pretending to concentrate on the paperwork?
âYour Grace, donât tell me youâve been daydreaming all this time?â
Ash ignored Hoziâs incredulous question and continued speaking.
âTell them I will be purchasing clothing for my wife under my name.â
He had agonized over this from the moment they were still in the capital.
How could he suppress the rumors of marital discord?
What they had done on the balcony hadnât been enough.
A handful of witnesses wasnât enough to erase the slander that had tarnished his wifeâs reputation.
âIf her eyes so much as linger on something, regardless of the price, I intend to purchase it all. So make sure they prepare properly.â
A boutique was a place where rumors gathered.
Though nobles rarely visited in person, the ownersâ close employees came and went frequently.
And if he placed such an order under his name, one that prevented other families from making reservations for the entire season?
It would be enough firewood to set rumors ablaze.
And even if it wasnât enough, it would at least produce some smoke.
âNot just dresses. Tell them Iâll be looking at hats, shoes, bags, and accessories too. Have them send every catalogue they have. Ah, one place wonât be enough.â
The more mouths involved, the stronger the firepower. It would be better to send people to every luxury boutique nearby.
âYour Grace, do you even realize how much this is going to cost?â
Even Hozi, who was unshakable under most circumstances, was left speechless.
But Ash, indifferent, continued in a calm voice.
âIt doesnât matter how much it costs. This is the least I can do to restore her dignity.â
Ever since he saw his wife falling silent while overhearing a conversation led by Duchess Nordâor perhaps even since he read that vulgar, wretched piece of writingâhe had been thinking it.
He didnât care how much it cost.
ââŚAfter all, with a wife like that woman, how can he risk producing a heir, only for the child to be just as deranged as she is?â
He no longer wanted to see his wife standing in the shadows, head bowed, silently enduring such ridicule.
And he no longer wanted her to consider âdivorceâ as part of her future.
âŚHe didnât want that anymore.