The Wicked Wife's Dark History Keeps Coming Back To Haunt Her - Chapter 206

That woman had dared to mock his wife, appearing before her as if nothing had happened, with rosemary tea leaves in hand.

When hunting, Ash preferred not the slow suffocation of his prey, but the instant he caught them off guard, that was the moment he would sink his teeth in and cut off their breath in one clean motion.

It was a far more efficient method.

But what Rebecca had done to Nina had changed his way of hunting. Now, he intended to deliver something far more brutal. A sense of despair so deep it would leave her wishing for death.

“As for that gift…”

Ash sat on the edge of the bed.

For a fleeting moment, his fingertips brushed against her thigh beneath the blanket.

Flinch.

Her body stiffened immediately at his touch. With a faint, bitter smile, he drew his hand back.

“You may not know this, but Duke Nord is a leak.”

Marquis Crewe, filthy though he was, had never shown his weaknesses so openly.

Duke Nord, however, was the perfect crack through which every one of the Marquis’s vulnerabilities spilled out.

Ash briefly explained the scandal that had erupted recently within House Nord.

He hadn’t wanted to show this cold, calculating side of himself again. Not to Nina, who had already endured enough of his callousness, but it was something she needed to know.

As he spoke, he looked down into her calm yet steadily darkening water-colored eyes.

“That woman must be seething with resentment…”

“Lately, she’s also been seen meeting with Count Azelot. That’s why I’ve been keeping an eye on her.”

She probably believed she was moving in secret, but how could a sheltered noblewoman who’d never once trailed anyone in her life possibly fool a trained informant?

The moment she visited Count Azelot’s residence late at night, the spies watching House Nord had reported it at once.

“I’m sure you know what to do better than anyone, but I’m still worried she’ll try to pull something at the party for Ian…”

Nina touched her chin thoughtfully, her expression grave.

“The only thing those two could possibly be plotting together is some kind of scheme. When I think of Count Azelot, what comes to mind are aphrodisiacs and guardianship trials.”

“Count Azelot doesn’t have much to do with aphrodisiacs. He only ever procured them for his own use.”

Frowning slightly, Ash reached out and gently took her hand resting on her knee.

“There’s no need to worry.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m already making preparations.”

From the moment he’d heard that Duchess Nord had met with Count Azelot, Ash had begun mapping out every possible move they might make.

And with the upcoming Bayern party in mind, he could narrow it down to just a few plausible scenarios.

“Then I can focus on preparing for Ian’s party without worrying, right?”

Ash nodded.

He didn’t want to burden her further over Ian’s affairs.

If she had married someone else… she wouldn’t have to lose sleep over a child who wasn’t even her own, worrying as if he were.

“I’ll take care of all the worries and troubles.”

He enclosed her soft hand in his own, meeting her gaze.

In the dim lamplight, her face looked faintly frozen.

Those water-blue eyes shimmered uneasily, filled with the urge to escape this suffocating moment.

“I do know,” he said quietly, “that you gave me a chance once. Long ago.”

He had begged her for another chance, but the truth was—

“…Alright. I’ll go along with your wishes. But if—just if—you ever change your mind, tell me. Anytime.”

Though she had demanded a divorce, she had agreed to remain for one more year—for his sake, granting him that mercy of time.

That was the chance she had given him.

Ash looked into her faintly trembling eyes and lowered his lips to press a kiss upon the back of her hand.

“May you have a pleasant dream.”

Then he rose to his feet.

“……”

It had been an exhausting day, but at least he’d seen her face once more.

Even if he couldn’t yet hear the answer he longed for, he knew that to win back the heart she’d worn down and let slip away…

He would have to wait, no matter how long it took.

Creak, click.

Once outside her room, he leaned back against the cold door for a moment.

She had called for him because she had something to say…

And somehow, even that small mercy felt like grace.

A faint smile touched his lips.