The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 200
Rebecca’s husband was the problem.
Who was the one at fault, yet used being scolded by her grandfather as an excuse to vent all his frustrations on her?
“Could a mere Duke dare to share a bed and a table with the esteemed granddaughter of the illustrious Minister of Finance?”
“Clean up the mess? What good would it do for an incompetent fool like me to step in? Why don’t you ask your oh-so-marvelous grandfather for help? Isn’t that the minister’s specialty?”
Rebecca had tried to coax her husband, to patch up their marriage somehow, but there was only so much fawning she could do.
Every word out of his mouth was dripping with sarcasm, calling her ‘the minister’s granddaughter’ like some petty man. How could she not grow angry?
‘If staying home only means I’ll have to see that wretched sight, then why should I…’
Rebecca scowled sharply, her brow creasing with hostility.
Since then, she and her husband had been sleeping in separate rooms and even eating their meals apart.
Of course, there was no way she would want to share a bedroom with a drunken man who collapsed and snored, but the problem was other people’s eyes.
Rebecca began biting her nails nervously, her gaze uneasy.
Her life was now following a pattern eerily similar to Nina Bayern’s marriage two years ago.
Would she end up being subjected to the same ridicule Nina had endured?
‘…I’ll have to make a point of showing my face at social gatherings.’
The ominous feeling that had been growing stronger each day now weighed heavily on her.
She would have to control the rumors before any meaningless gossip could spread, if only to quell her own anxiety.
Rebecca suppressed her restlessness as she mentally went through the list of upcoming social events.
* * *
Crackle, crackle, crackle…
The sound of logs burning echoed through the quiet cabin.
…Creak, click.
The noise of the cabin door opening and closing made Nina release the breath she had been holding in with all her strength. She gasped for air.
‘No… No way…’
Just a few days ago, she had been worried about being treated as a romantic rival, only to realize that it had all been a misunderstanding?
Lying on her side, she sat up.
Sleep had completely fled her.
She pressed a hand firmly against her pounding chest, trying to calm her racing heartbeat.
Pretending nothing was wrong had felt suffocating, and she was relieved that Ash had gone out for a late-night walk.
The ankle he had caressed with his fingers, the temple his lips had brushed…
Once she realized all of it had been a suggestive signal, heat belatedly rushed to her face.
“Crazy… I’m seriously going crazy…”
This was utterly absurd.
“You’ve changed. So why are you so sure I haven’t changed, too?”
That’s what he had said, but she had only changed because she had died and been reborn.
If not for that, she would still be the irredeemable shrew she once was.
‘It’s just a misunderstanding.’
If Rebecca came to her with a heartfelt apology, would she be able to be friends with her?
No.
Even after serving her punishment and making restitution, forgiveness would still be uncertain.
So how could she ever love someone who had tormented her just as cruelly as Rebecca had?
The fact that they had even become friends was already a miracle.
No matter how she thought about it, there was only one conclusion. Breaking through the wall of friendship was impossible.
‘Could it be because of the kiss?’
Nina pressed her lips with her fingertips.
Their first kiss, clumsy and haphazard.
Wasn’t confusion from that the only plausible explanation?
…But he didn’t seem like the type to assign special meaning to something like that.
“……My wife, I didn’t want our first time to be like this, but.”
If she recalled what he had said at the palace, perhaps he was that type.
“Begging… huh…”
Nina murmured as she toyed with her lower lip.
He had even said he was ‘begging’ for a chance…
But was that truly sincere?
She didn’t know.
Nina buried her face in her knees.
Moments ago, she had felt so exhausted that she might faint the instant she lay down, yet now her mind was clear. There was no way she was going to get any sleep tonight.
‘…But seriously, how am I supposed to face him from now on?’
She had just managed to calm Ian’s troubled mind, only for her own brain to feel like it was about to overload.
When she thought he saw her as nothing more than a stone, she had been unaffected… but now…
She cooled her flushed cheeks with the back of her hand and lay down in the same position as before, before he returned.
If his words truly stemmed from a misunderstanding, she didn’t want him to see how much his confession was affecting her.
munimumi12345
Please keep updating 🥹 thanks for translating this novel.