The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 162
ââŚAh, my head is spinning.â
She hadnât even fully regained her senses, and now everyone was talking about different things, so of course it was confusing.
But in this situation, if she were to announce her intention to divorce, the conversation would only get more complicated, so she decided it was better to leave that out for now.
âRight, thatâs how it should be. People shouldnât just talk about divorce so carelessly when thereâs a child on the way.â
But what needed correcting, must be corrected.
Nina pressed her temples firmly and said,
âLet me make this clear. I am not pregnant.â
âNot⌠pregnant?â
âYes, itâs just a baseless rumor.â
At her words, a look of relief flashed across the three faces, but it was only momentary.
ââŚWait, then Duke, what was the secret you pleaded with His Majesty to keep?â
It was something she least wanted her family to know.
Realizing she could not avoid an explanation, Nina buried her face in her hands and tightly shut her eyes.
She sincerely wanted to cry.
* * *
Sheâd thought that reuniting with her family would be a tearful scene of reconciliation, but instead, everyone put family conflict aside and focused on the drug incident.
ââŚAre you alright? Are you sure your safety is guaranteed? If youâre worried, you can come to my residence right now and have a private physician examine you.â
Nina, seeing the worried look in her grandfatherâs eyes, shook her head, moved almost to tears.
âI spat it out before swallowing, so you donât have to worry. I slept and woke up and felt completely fine.â
âEven so, you should get checked out, just in case.â
âYes, do as your grandfather says.â
Her mother as well as her father.
This was exactly why she hadnât wanted to tell them what happened todayâŚ
She was already in a position where she ought to apologize and beg forgiveness, but instead, she was receiving concern, which made her heart ache with guilt.
âI know my own body best, so please donât worry too much about me. More than that, Iâd like you to focus your investigation on Marquis Crewe.â
Nina went ahead and shared everything she suspected.
That the masterminds behind the drug incident were likely Marquis Crewe and Rebecca.
That Marquis Dunklin, who seemed to have ties to Marquis Crewe, and the Delphinium Foundation, were also somehow involved.
And that, because art or donations could easily be used for money laundering, there might be more people suspicious of this than expected.
However.
âItâs strange, but the style of the artists supported by Delphinium tends to look very similar.â
âYes. Every artist has their own unique style or worldview, but theirs are almost like carbon copiesâŚâ
Words sheâd heard from Henry.
And several pieces displayed in Delphiniumâs gallery that had felt somehow off.
âThey were like depictions of pain, rage, and violenceâŚâ
And the image of the violent addict she had seen at Count Braumhillâs estate.
Finally, the drug that had reached out to her today.
It didnât feel like just an organization for money laundering. How many people could even guess at this?
If she hadnât come across those pieces of information, she never would have suspected Marquis Crewe and Marquis Dunklin were involved with the drug.
Marquis Dunklin aside, why would the Minister of Finance, who lacks for nothing, get involved in the drug business?
Her grandfather spoke through gritted teeth, voice tightly restrained.
âWe were already looking into Marquis Crewe and Marquis Dunklin. Thereâs always been something suspicious about them⌠but weâll dig even deeper now.â
If itâs the Minister of Finance, heâs the kind of person who could easily bribe a palace maid.
The Minister of Finance was the next most powerful man after the Chief Justice.
Recruiting a handful of lackeys for dirty work was nothing to him, and besides, he was grandfatherâs political adversary.
At that moment, Ash spoke in a calm voice.
âI have already implored His Majesty to quietly find the perpetrator. Nothing good will come of it for my wife if poison is mentioned. So I ask that the three of you act as if you know nothing about this matter.â
But though his voice was as calm as running water, a deadly, steely light flickered through his gray eyes, as if barely suppressing rage.
Everyone was restraining their fury over what had happened to Nina.
ââŚBut Duke, it seems you and my granddaughter have different thoughts about divorce.â
âPlease, speak freely, sir.â
âI have sins of my own, so how can I speak so comfortably? More than that, I want to know why your mind has changed so suddenly, just as we are finally about to set things right. Since our views differ, Iâd like to hear your side.â
âŚNo plans for divorce.
Nina herself was curious why Ash had said that, so she pricked up her ears, waiting.
He lowered his deep eyes, savoring his words in silence, then slowly opened his mouth.
ReadingRainbow9266
I actually feel bad for Ash here lol. Probably for the first time in the entire novel so far. I mean, heâs barely come to terms with his feelings, and yet now he has his wifeâs family questioning him when he hasnât even decided what heâs going to do or revealed his feelings for Nina yet⌠Iâm dying of curiosity, but I have a feeling heâs going to brush it off with something like, âthis is a subject I should discuss with my wife before anythingâ.. or something of the sort