The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 202

“Good morning.”

Ian, grinning from the moment he woke, leaned his head on her shoulder as if the world were the brightest thing.

The question he’d asked yesterday flickered briefly through her mind.

About why the two of them slept separately even though they were married, and if it was because of him.

Perhaps because their earlier closeness had looked so affectionate, relief showed on the boy’s smiling face.

‘I don’t know about you, Ian, but this auntie still feels terribly unsettled when I think about last night…’

But——

Such a weighty worry was far too deep for a child to carry.

Seeing his face free of that heavy concern, she found herself smiling before she knew it.

Yes, if you have no worries, then at least that’s a mercy.

“Ian, shall we go catch frogs after breakfast today?”

I heard the frogs croaking down by the stream yesterday.

Before winter’s deep sleep arrives, when frogs sink into slumber, she could clear her muddled thoughts by chasing frogs for a while.

If yesterday had been for Ian’s sake to forget his worries for a bit, today was for her own.

But.

“May I come, too?”

“Hm?”

“Yesterday the two of you played without me. So today I’ll join in.”

No, you’re a Duke.

You’re not the sort to go running around catching frogs and the like.

“Aren’t you very busy…?”

“One day won’t hurt.”

While Nina opened her lips in astonished surprise, excited Ian beamed brightly.

“Great! I’ll catch frogs with Uncle!”

Nina forced an awkward smile as she watched Ian, thrilled at the idea of playing with his uncle, and Ash, smiling for reasons she couldn’t read.

“Only two…?”

Nina glowered at the two finger-sized frogs in her bucket.

Was she just clumsy? The frogs kept leaping away as she chased them, and she kept losing them.

After more than an hour of running about, she’d managed only two.

By contrast, Ash quietly extended his long arms and large hands and had caught ten small, precious frogs.

Ian, perhaps blessed with athleticism, had caught seven.

When Nina pouted, Ian held out his bucket.

“Aunt, I’ll give you all my frogs. Don’t be sad.”

“…That’s alright.”

“I’ll give you mine, too.”

“……”

She was only feeling a little doubtful about her stamina and coordination…

“It’s fine. I was going to let them all go anyway.”

What use were tiny frogs? They weren’t for frying and eating.

After squatting by the stream to release all the frogs and returning to the manor, it was already past noon.

“Madam, the invitations are all written, and this is a list of repairmen House Bayern has recommended.”

“Repairmen…”

After bathing, clutching her empty stomach, Nina skimmed the list Melanie handed her.

Before sending out party invitations, they planned to inspect the manor thoroughly.

It had been a long time since they’d hosted guests.

“Check what needs fixing first, and call someone skilled. We’re receiving guests after a long while, it would be troublesome if anything drew criticism.”

“Yes, I’ll handle it as you said.”

Maybe the interior needs a bit of touch-up, too?

In her previous life she’d attended social events nearly every day and never fallen behind on trends, but what was fashionable these days…?

“I’ll keep it classic.”

She paused, then decided a classic approach was best. House Bayern was an old, prestigious family, so awkward attempts to follow fads wouldn’t win favor.

“But I feel we should be prepared for something…”

Rebecca.

Recalling how that woman had barged into the Crest County’s tea party, she couldn’t imagine Rebecca would ignore such a big event.

Besides, Ash had warned her about ‘that’ woman.

If Rebecca’s malice had once been directed solely at Nina, after that incident Ash might also have become a target of her hatred.

That woman would not hesitate to plot harm.

A way to wound Ash, who could not be touched directly…

She hoped it wasn’t the case, but if Rebecca sought to aim at Ian as she had done to Nina, what then?

Most of those to be invited to the party were connections of her mother and Ian’s academy classmates.

She’d excluded anyone who might have ties to Rebecca from the guest list from the start, so using the guests to stir trouble would be difficult.

Then what would she do?

Standing there lost in thought, something suddenly popped into her head.