The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 122
Nina narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and he avoided her gaze, covering his mouth with his palm.
āYes, wellā¦ Letās say thatās true.ā
Sheād already seen him smile, so what was the point of hiding it now?
With her arms crossed and legs folded, Nina spoke.
āAnyway, I absolutely cannot yield on this.ā
āGo ahead.ā
āNo matterā¦ What?ā
āHowever, the sponsorship will be in the name of the household.ā
Nina glared at him, her eyes blazing.
āAre you trying to play word games with me now? If itās in the name of the household, the paintings will belong to the household!ā
Unless she could actually run a business herself, there was only one way to make money in a situation where her only source of income, her allowance for maintaining appearances, was already heavily spent in advanceāHenryās paintings.
There was no way she could back down.
āI mean to say, the sponsorship will be under the name of the household, but Iāll give you the share in the paintings.ā
āReallyā¦?ā
That would be quite a loss for him, wouldnāt it?
āWhat about the right of first purchase?ā
That was the most important thing.
āIāll give you that as well.ā
Then there was no point in sponsoring at all.
āI donāt mind as long as I get the paintings, butā¦ whatās your reason?ā
A record of having sponsored a future court painter is a point of pride in itself.
Nina knew Henryās future, but Ash didnāt.
āNo matter how innocent it is, if a noblewoman sponsors a young, promising artist, rumors are bound to spread.ā
That made even less sense.
āIs it even possible for me to get caught up in rumors with another manā¦?ā
Is there anyone who doesnāt know Iām crazy about you?
āā¦ā¦ā
When Nina asked with a sour expression, he, too, fell silent for a moment, as if at a loss for words.
Well, if thatās how he thinks, thereās no need to keep arguing about it.
āI donāt care whose name the sponsorship is under, as long as I get the right of first purchase and a share. But before that, I think I need to talk to Henryā¦ā
āIāll do that. Once the sponsorship is decided, we need to discuss how it will proceed.ā
āWhy would you be the one to discuss it when Iām the one paying the sponsorship?ā
āI mean, Iāll cover the sponsorship as well.ā
Sponsorship isnāt a matter of a few coins.
Supporting an artist means expensive art supplies and living expenses, as well as helping with exhibition fees or even hosting a solo show.
Supporting an artistās career is more than most people can handle financially.
Thatās why most artists received sponsorship from multiple patrons, and the shares and right of first purchase were divided accordingly.
You could recoup your investment from ticket sales or selling artworks, but supporting an unproven newcomer is always a risk.
And yet he was saying heād take on all that risk, and even give her the right of first purchase and a share in the works?
Ash, are you perhaps a patron saint of charityā¦?
Sheād originally planned to leave five or six paintings when she left, but now that wouldnāt do.
Sheād have to leave a few more.
āWhy are you suddenly interested in this, anyway?ā
When the carriage stopped in front of the house, Nina took Ashās hand and stepped down as she spoke.
āOnce I give you the divorce settlement, Iāll be penniless, so I have to find a way to live too.ā
He froze.
āDivorce settlementā¦?ā
Nina looked at him curiously, as if surprised by his reaction.
āDonāt tell me you werenāt planning to demand settlement from me after Iāve made you suffer for two whole years?ā
If they simply reached an agreement, she could get less, but Nina intended to settle everything thoroughly, without cutting corners.
He deserved compensation for all the shameless things sheād done.
And having a lot of money isnāt a reason to go without fair compensation.
āDivorce, thatās right. Divorceā¦ā
Ash let out a faint laugh, murmuring words she couldnāt quite understand.
ā?ā
Nina tilted her head in confusion.
Surely he hadnāt forgotten they were getting divorced in a year, so why was he acting like this?
***
He knew that, for his wife, this marriage had been hell.
How could he not, when he was the one who made it so?
But he hadnāt known sheād planned out the divorce process and her life after so specifically.
āTo be able to calculate the settlement with such a calm faceā¦ā
His wife had already shaken off any and all lingering feelings she may have had for him.
Heād guessed as much.
Even while camping, even at the Imperial Palace.
The way she slept so easily by his side had been proof enough.
āIf I were to say now that I donāt want a divorceā¦ā
But his wife had already made up her mind and was preparing for a new future.
Now, could he just take back the talk of divorce because his own feelings had changed?
He let out a bitter, sardonic laugh.
Erica
Hehe this was the EXACT moment I was waiting for. Itās like this entire time he just FORGOT that in her mind, they would be divorced in less than a year. Whatās the use of worrying about her finding another man, when she wonāt even be his wife in a year?! So glad he finally clicked. If he truly wants to win her heart back heās going to have to throw out that constant rude & sarcastic attitude, because that definitely isnt winning him any points. Hopefully he realizes heās going to need to step up his game if he wants to win her back.