The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 167
âStill, you donât have to go that far in front of my family.â
After all, they already know everything.
She was grateful that he preserved her pride, but using words like âclingingâ just so he could keep up an act he didnât even mean⌠She would rather he didnât.
AndâŚ
âDuke, I swear on everything I have that even if you divorce, I will guarantee that it will not interfere in the slightest with your status as guardian of your nephew. What do you say?â
Recalling her grandfatherâs words, Nina hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.
ââŚActually, thereâs something I need to confess.â
Sheâd kept thinking about it.
She hadnât said anything on purpose, worried it might become evidence that would cause her grandfatherâs downfall.
âThe reason you lost⌠It wasn’t because of Grandfather. I forged Grandfatherâs handwriting and pressured the court.â
Nina confessed this to him.
If someone had to play the part of the guilty party, it should be herânot her grandfather.
But yesterday, after hearing her grandfather act as if he were the main obstacle to her divorce, she realized she needed to set things right.
ââŚYou did that?â
âYes. My family tried to stop me until the very end. They couldnât tell you the truth, worried I might end up in prisonâŚâ
She had deceived Ash, making it seem as though her grandfatherâs wishes aligned with hers, so he wouldnât even dream of divorce.
Nina let out a complicated sigh as she saw his ash-grey eyes widen in disbelief.
Surprised? Judging by his face, he really was surprised.
âYou could forge handwriting?â
ââŚOnly my grandfatherâs. He was the one who taught me how to write when I was little.â
Thanks to that, sheâd been able to forge his letters easily.
âSo you wanted to marry me that badly?â
For some reason, Ashâs lips twitched as if he was suppressing a laugh.
Was he amused at how far sheâd gone, or was he dumbfounded, or maybe just incredulous?
She didnât know what he was feeling, but at this point, what did she have left to hide?
Nina let out a deep sigh.
âYes, back then I didâŚâ
âI already thought you were something else when you started running moneylending schemes in your own house, but to forge the Chief Justiceâs handwriting and interfere with a trialâŚâ
Right.
Now that she was hearing all the things sheâd done, she really did seem to have a rare talent for using her brains in the worst ways.
While the daughters of other noble houses were learning embroidery, managing households, or studying piano and violin, she was managing a money-lending business, stealing seals, forging handwriting, blackmail, and illicit lobbying.
âBut why does he look like thatâŚ?â
Nina eyed Ash suspiciously.
His lips were curved in an arc.
âHis lipsâŚâ
She abruptly turned her reddening face away.
Just glancing at his lips made her remember last nightâs kiss.
âI should forget about it, so why am I still thinking about it?â
Even if she could check off one thing from her previous lifeâs bucket list, she couldnât truly feel happy about it now.
Can you feel attraction to the other person, or not?
Isnât the instinctive decision made in three seconds? Seven?
Anyway, people say you decide when you first meet someone.
First impressions arenât everything, but still. After all the black marks sheâd left on their marriage, it would be foolish to expect anything now.
If itâs not meant to be, itâs not meant to be.
That kiss last night was just an accident brought on by her own provocation.
âIâm the one clinging now.â
âI canât go on without her anymore. So Iâm going to try my best.â
Just as she had longed for it in her past life, now he was the one saying he regretted things and was clinging to herâŚ
Maybe it was just for show, to save face, but perhaps because her wish from her previous life had finally been fulfilled,
She wasnât even sure if she was happy, or sad, or what she was feeling.
* * *
Imperial Palace, the Minister of Financeâs office.
Marquis Crewe, who was sitting at his desk with the budget spread out before him, suddenly kicked the desk.
Thud, thud!
Due to his granddaughterâs reckless threats, he’d lost an agent he’d carefully cultivated for years.
It was no easy task to plant people in the Imperial Palace or turn its employees into his pawns.
Even ordinary noble houses required verified recommendations to get someone hired, so needless to say, the palace was far more difficult.
There was no need to explain how incredibly difficult it was to infiltrate someone into the Imperial Palace.
Considering there had been no news from the agent he’d spent so long nurturing, something had clearly gone wrong.
