The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 199

“Do you really think I’d ask you for such a favor without offering any compensation?”

Compensation.

At that word, Count Azelot’s eyes widened.

There was no way the price Duchess Nord was offering would be anything ordinary.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed about his earlier hesitation, Count Azelot cleared his throat and asked.

“Ahem… And what sort of compensation… might that be?”

Rebecca let out a small, derisive laugh, twisting her lips.

The way he had instantly shifted his stance at the mere mention of payment was pitiful and amusing.

“Why is it that you covet guardianship so badly?”

“Isn’t it obvious? That Ash fellow is after my grand-nephew’s fortune. As an adult, I can’t just stand by and let that child be used.”

Rebecca chuckled, her chest rising with the sound, before speaking.

“There’s no need to put on an act in front of me. You’re after the child for his wealth too, aren’t you?”

Though not confirmed, there were rumors that Ian’s inheritance amounted to twenty percent of the Bayern Duchy’s entire estate.

If that were true, it was perfectly understandable why Count Azelot had risked a lawsuit against Duke Bayern.

“……”

Silenced by her accurate observation, the count’s expression stiffened. Rebecca’s emerald eyes gleamed slyly as she said.

“If you stand with me, I will guarantee you the equivalent wealth you would gain through guardianship.”

“You mean… if I side with you, you’d guarantee me that fortune?”

What Count Azelot desired was a vast sum of money.

But even for a household like the Nord Duchy, promising such an amount was impossible.

And even if she did make such a promise, in this ruthless world, where people betray even their own kin for wealth, how could he trust her word?

As doubt became clear in his eyes, Rebecca smiled thinly and asked.

“And what do you think that means?”

Duke Bayern had recently blackmailed her grandfather and House Nord over a national project scandal.

Since then, her family and House Bayern had become irreconcilable enemies.

If it meant destroying that household, if it meant seeing their twisted faces, promising a fortune was nothing.

Not that she had any real intention of paying it.

Rebecca’s gaze turned subtly persuasive as she continued.

“…Think carefully. How long do you think your family will remain safe?”

Count Azelot swallowed nervously and asked.

“What exactly do you mean…?”

“I’m asking how long you think Duke Bayern will just sit back and let you be.”

This was the same man who had turned House Nord upside down over nothing more than a few words exchanged at a tea party.

And yet, House Azelot had gone untouched for two whole years? That made no sense.

Even family ties had their limits.

Surely he was just biding his time before dealing with them.

As Count Azelot hesitated over his decision, Rebecca quietly drew something from within her cloak.

“This is a little gift to help you make up your mind quickly.”

“This is…”

What she offered was the deed to a luxurious capital townhouse, part of her dowry.

It had changed hands several times to conceal its true ownership, making it nearly impossible to trace back to her.

“If you make your decision, come meet me in secret.”

Rebecca pulled her hood over her head and rose to leave.

‘Count Azelot’s recruitment isn’t secured yet…’

Her husband had done nothing to contain the scandal, spending his days either drunk or absent from home.

Her grandfather, too, had been silent since that day, as if preparing something of his own.

But if the Bayern Duchy, which should have been lending strength to the Chief Justice, fell into disarray… Wouldn’t that, in some way, help her grandfather?

‘An alliance with the enemy of my enemy is only a matter of time.’

Whether it was out of greed or fear of the Duke’s wrath, Count Azelot would eventually accept this deal.

Rebecca slipped discreetly out through a side door of the count’s residence and climbed into her waiting carriage.

“Madam, is it wise for you to be personally involved in matters like this?”

Benny, who had been waiting anxiously inside the carriage, voiced his concern.

Rebecca removed her hood and replied.

“Better for me to act than to sit at home. After seeing what I saw, do you think I’d want to stay there?”