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.
âYes, well⌠Letâs say thatâs true.â
Sheâd already seen him smile, so what was the point of hiding it now?
With her arms crossed and legs folded, Nina spoke.
âAnyway, I absolutely cannot yield on this.â
âGo ahead.â
âNo matter⌠What?â
âHowever, the sponsorship will be in the name of the household.â
Nina glared at him, her eyes blazing.
âAre you trying to play word games with me now? If itâs in the name of the household, the paintings will belong to the household!â
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 advanceâHenryâs paintings.
There was no way she could back down.
âI mean to say, the sponsorship will be under the name of the household, but Iâll give you the share in the paintings.â
âReallyâŚ?â
That would be quite a loss for him, wouldnât it?
âWhat about the right of first purchase?â
That was the most important thing.
âIâll give you that as well.â
Then there was no point in sponsoring at all.
âI donât mind as long as I get the paintings, but⌠whatâs your reason?â
A record of having sponsored a future court painter is a point of pride in itself.
Nina knew Henryâs future, but Ash didnât.
âNo matter how innocent it is, if a noblewoman sponsors a young, promising artist, rumors are bound to spread.â
That made even less sense.
âIs it even possible for me to get caught up in rumors with another manâŚ?â
Is there anyone who doesnât know Iâm crazy about you?
ââŚâŚâ
When Nina asked with a sour expression, he, too, fell silent for a moment, as if at a loss for words.
Well, if thatâs how he thinks, thereâs no need to keep arguing about it.
âI donât 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 HenryâŚâ
âIâll do that. Once the sponsorship is decided, we need to discuss how it will proceed.â
âWhy would you be the one to discuss it when Iâm the one paying the sponsorship?â
âI mean, Iâll cover the sponsorship as well.â
Sponsorship isnât 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 artistâs career is more than most people can handle financially.
Thatâs 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 heâd 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 charity�
Sheâd originally planned to leave five or six paintings when she left, but now that wouldnât do.
Sheâd have to leave a few more.
âWhy are you suddenly interested in this, anyway?â
When the carriage stopped in front of the house, Nina took Ashâs hand and stepped down as she spoke.
âOnce I give you the divorce settlement, Iâll be penniless, so I have to find a way to live too.â
He froze.
âDivorce settlementâŚ?â
Nina looked at him curiously, as if surprised by his reaction.
âDonât tell me you werenât planning to demand settlement from me after Iâve made you suffer for two whole years?â
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 sheâd done.
And having a lot of money isnât a reason to go without fair compensation.
âDivorce, thatâs right. DivorceâŚâ
Ash let out a faint laugh, murmuring words she couldnât quite understand.
â?â
Nina tilted her head in confusion.
Surely he hadnât 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 hadnât known sheâd planned out the divorce process and her life after so specifically.
âTo be able to calculate the settlement with such a calm faceâŚâ
His wife had already shaken off any and all lingering feelings she may have had for him.
Heâd guessed as much.
Even while camping, even at the Imperial Palace.
The way she slept so easily by his side had been proof enough.
âIf I were to say now that I donât want a divorceâŚâ
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. Itâs like this entire time he just FORGOT that in her mind, they would be divorced in less than a year. Whatâs the use of worrying about her finding another man, when she wonât even be his wife in a year?! So glad he finally clicked. If he truly wants to win her heart back heâs going to have to throw out that constant rude & sarcastic attitude, because that definitely isnt winning him any points. Hopefully he realizes heâs going to need to step up his game if he wants to win her back.