The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 143
After leaving the gallery.
The moment Nina, who had been stiff as a statue, lumbered into the carriage, she let out a breath sheâd been holding and asked as if she were exhaling it all at once.
âHow did you even know to come?â
âYou werenât coming, and Duchess Nord was heading toward the cloakroom, so I followed just in case.â
Nina leaned back against the seat with a sigh.
ââŚI came to snoop around because they said all the bad ones were gathering together, but instead of finding anything out, I only ended up causing some weird misunderstanding.â
âWeird misunderstanding?â
Ash raised one eyebrow, and Nina let out a long sigh.
âPregnancy. Now everyone will probably think Iâm expecting a childâŚâ
She wasnât sure whether to be happy about it or sad.
The rumor, based on fact, that had damaged the her reputation as Duchess Bayern seemed likely to die down, butâŚ
Since pregnancy isnât something to treat lightly, she was worried.
Rather than waiting for the rumor to subside or even denying it as a misunderstanding, Ash had gingerly pressed his hand to her stomach as if to drive the nail in.
At this rate, she wondered if baby gifts would start pouring into the mansion.
It was satisfying to get under Rebeccaâs skin, but looking down at her flat stomach, Nina felt uneasy.
ââŚThereâs still a chance to recover.â
She hadnât actually said she was pregnant, and if she explained that the misunderstanding was cleared up and that their relationship had improved, she could handle the situation.
âDo you dislike it that much?â
âHuh?â
Nina, who had been rubbing her stomach with a troubled expression, looked up at his oddly subdued tone.
âI judged that we needed a reason for our supposed discord in order to quell the rumors about you. If it upset you, I apologize.â
âItâs not that it upset meâŚâ
She was only worried about how to handle things if a rumor about her being pregnantâwhen she wasnâtâreached her parents.
Rattle.
Just as the flustered Nina was about to explain the reason for her troubled mood, the carriage jolted violently.
âAhâŚ!â
With the impact, Ninaâs body floated up and tumbled forward.
Thud.
Ash reached out with both hands and caught her under her arms.
ââŚâŚâ
Rattle.
Nina, feeling like a small child being held up by her father, let out a sigh.
He could have taken her by the arm or supported her waist. There were plenty of ordinary ways to help.
She suddenly remembered the time when sheâd had a nosebleed and heâd caught her face in his palm.
It was as if the entire universe was conspiring to prevent any romantic atmosphere from taking hold.
ââŚâŚâ
Nina looked at Ash, who was twitching his lips, with a rather disapproving gaze.
ââŚAnyway, thank you for helping me.â
Not just for catching her just now, but also for showing up at just the right time in a one-against-many situation.
In the brief silence that followedâ
Creak.
Charles opened the small side door behind the coachmanâs seat and spoke.
âMaster, it looks like the wheel is damaged. Iâll repair it right away, so please wait a moment.â
One of Ninaâs larks, Charles.
Heâd originally handled odd jobs around the stables, but was recently promoted to assistant coachman in recognition of his diligence.
Since the County of Braumhill was relatively close to the Duchy of Bayern, he was accompanying them for training purposes.
The coachman and Charles got down from the driverâs seat to check the wheel.
Wheel damage.
It wasnât common, but it happened from time to time.
The roads were rough, and there were obstacles everywhere like stones, trash, and so on.
For situations like this, coachmen always carried spare parts and learned how to fix carriages.
With an experienced coachman, theyâd be back on the road before long.
But something unexpected happened.
Charles approached the window with an apologetic expression and said,
âMaster, Iâm sorry. With the parts we have, we canât fix the wheel. It looks like weâll have to replace it entirely.â
âIf we have to replace the wheel completely, itâll take a couple of hours. Should we just stay the night in this village?â
Waiting would be hard for them, but the workers would also have to go without meals as they worked to replace the wheel and then drive all day.
Even so, if they still wouldnât make it home by dawn, it might be best to just stay the night.
Malgivo
Hhhha, I know this kind of cheap scenario, where they will now go to a hostel and will only find one room left, and they will feel shy, I think Ash will be happy, but Nina will try to find a way out, and Ash will say to her “It’s okay, didn’t we plan before to show people that we are a real couple, so this will help us establish this idea in the minds of the public, and create a rumor” Ho ho ho I know this haha