The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 116
The Dunklin family.
A household renowned for its virtue.
They regularly hosted charity balls and made donations to slums, struggling artists, and academies, earning widespread praise.
âI heard that Your Grace received commendation from Her Majesty the Empress for your work at the capitalâs charity event. Thereâs no better occasion to restore your long-unspoken reputation.â
Marsha, who had been standing beside her, chimed in with sparkling eyes, supporting Melanieâs words.
âThereâs that sayingââstrike while the iron is hotâ. Madam, since youâve gained recognition through the charity event, how about making your name known once more at the Dunklin Marquisateâs ball?â
âI donât want to go there.â
Melanie, with a firm expression that left no room for consideration, pressed once more.
âMadam, if I may, Marquis Dunklin is a great man who operates the Delphinium Foundation. It would be great for you to attend the Dunklin charity ball.â
The Delphinium Foundation was a nonprofit organization that supported poor artists and orphans, and Marquis Dunklin had managed it as chairman for the past ten years.
Even His Majesty the Emperor would often mention the Marquisâs good deeds, showing him favor.
So when Nina declined to attend such a gathering, Melanie couldnât help but be suspicious.
ââŚRight, he does seem like a respectable man.â
Nina scoffed coldly.
The problem was, that paragon of virtue had come to her first the moment the Taylor ducal house collapsed and made a vulgar proposition.
âDonât you want to save your grandfather and parents? If you accept my offer, Iâll fund the foundation. Iâll even assign legal advisors to the Chief Justice and the Duke and Duchess of Taylor.â
âYour offer isâŚ?â
âJust keep me company now and then when Iâm feeling lonely⌠You know what I mean? Hahaha.â
He was over sixty, making such a proposition to a girl far younger than his own daughter.
Naturally, sheâd thrown water in his face and kicked him out.
A man of great character, indeed.
What kind of decent human being offers to be someoneâs âsecret friendâ when theyâre drowning in misery?
âAnd as expectedâŚâ
A year later, a scandal over embezzlement and breach of trust broke out, shaking high society.
âMarquis Dunklin is not the clean figure he appears to be.â
When Nina spoke with conviction, Melanie, recalling that her grandfather was the Chief Justice, cautiously asked,
âDid you perhaps hear something from the Chief JusticeâŚ?â
âHave you ever seen how the foundation funds are actually used?â
âIâve heard that since its establishment, the Delphinium Foundation has helped many people and has sponsored numerous exhibitions and performances for poor artistsâŚâ
âIf, after ten years of fundraising by countless nobles under the Marquisâs name, the only visible outcomes are that limited, shouldnât that raise some doubts?â
At Ninaâs pointed words, Melanie fell silent and nodded.
âThen where would be a better place for you to attend, Madam?â
To Melanieâs question, Nina rose from her seat and approached the tea table.
She began digging through the towering pile of invitations.
âAround this time⌠I shouldâve received it too⌠Ah, found it!â
Nina grinned triumphantly and plucked out one envelope, flicking it lightly with her fingers.
âNot that oneâthis one.â
âPardonâŚ?â
âHuhâŚ?â
Melanie and Marsha both looked confused.
And understandably so.
Because the invitation Nina had selected was one of those meant to be used as kindling without even being opened.
If Nina hadnât known the future, she wouldâve reacted just like the two of them.
âKindlingâ, meaning: no connections, no wealth, no reputationâ
A low-ranking noble household whose ball was a waste of time to attend.
A family so insignificant that not responding to their invitation didnât matter.
âLook closely at this illustration.â
Nina showed the envelope to Melanie.
âItâs an incredibly delicate and beautiful drawing, but thatâs all. It doesnât change the fact that itâs a party not worth your attendance, Madam.â
As expected of the head maid loyal to House Bayern. Her assessment was blunt and unflinching.
Details like the envelope or penmanship might influence whether one responded to an invitation, but they werenât deciding factors.
So her reaction was only natural.
Had it not been for a âspecial reasonâ, Nina herself wouldnât have bothered with the Reginald Viscountcyâs ball either.
âThat may be your opinion. But I absolutely must meet the person who drew this picture.â
Who would have guessed?
The one who drew that olive treeâŚ
The second son of the Viscount Reginald family, whom no one paid attention toâŚ
Would one day rise to fame as the youngest ever court painter, a truly brilliant genius.
Er_amaral26@
Thank you SO SO VERY MUCH dear translator
!!! I was incredibly depressed when this novel was remove from citrus Aurora. Missed it so much, that I imagined fan fiction in my head, just to try and satisfy my curiosity for the rest of the novel. This is currently the novel that I wait for the MOST when new chapters are released. If I was working rn, I definitely would Have paid for chapters, but unfortunately Iâm broke right now :(. Thank you again, youâve made my week!!!!
tangerine
Thank you also for your enthusiasm! Your comments always makes my day whenever I read them, and I was so sad because I couldn’t transfer over your past comments over here. I’ve increased the unlock schedule from 2x/week to 3x/week btw~!