This is what I planned.
1. Steal Palesdonâs seal.
2. Manipulate the divorce papers.
If it was possible to obtain a divorce with fabricated documents, it would have been better.
There was no problem even if it failed.
âIf ever that happens, we can just go into Plan B.â
Argention will scream if he finds out I even stole his seal.
âThen I can move into the real operation.â
I was determined to find out what Argention dislikes and do it all.
Then heâll divorce me himself.
âYouâll see. Iâll never give up.â
I took the seal and hid it carefully.
âIs this Ms. Bankerâs room?â
Asked Violet, who was looking around the room.
âYeah. Pretty good, huh?â
âThatâs trueâ¦â¦â¦â¦. If I could live here, I wouldnât wish for anything else!â
âOh, thatâs good. Do you want to become the Duchess of Palesdon?â
âNo.â
I asked lightly, but Violet refused faster than lightning.
âYou said you wanted to live here. But why do you refuse?â
âDidnât you hear the rumors about Palesdon?â
Rumors were a weakness for me.
It hasnât been long since I transmigrated to this world, and I didnât have any family or friends to deliver the news for me.
Brighton was not close to many people, given that they have the curse of roses.
Father worked only in the mansion, and Leodor and Leonhardt were no different from children, considering the number of days they came into the world.
The Countess of Maria, who was close to her, was also a person who stayed only in her mansion.
âWhat? Is this the only network I have?â
I felt a little upset.
âThe master is the one who is fast when it comes to news, but the master and I had an ambiguous relationship to call him a friend.â
Violet, who read between the lines of my silence, said brightly.
âOh, Ms. Banker doesnât have any friends! Then you may not know!â
Violet came to me again and sat down.
âOnly one boy is born in Palesdon from generation to generation. You know this, right?â
âYes, I know, I know.â
Of course I didnât know.
âAnd Palesdon is famous for having a short lifespan.â
âReally?â
âThereâs a reason for everything.â
Violet leaned over and whispered to me.
âPalesdon was cursed.â
âWhat?â
âShh! Itâs a secret.â
Violet raised her index finger to cover her lips.
âIâm not saying this because I think youâre an idiot, but just in case, if I get caught, Iâll be executed for blasphemy against the nobles.â
âOkay, keep talking.â
âActually, I donât know the details either. One of the friends I know, Coco, has a friend that is the brother of the girlfriend of an employee in Palesdonâs mansion.â
âIsnât that a total stranger?â
Violet glared at me.
âDo you want to hear it or not?â
âIâm sorry. Please carry on.â
âHmm. Anyway, Coco said that the people of Palesdon were cursed and dying.â
âWhat?â
âIâm telling you, Cocoâs friend that is the brother of the girlfriend of an employee in Palesdonâs mansion saw the Duke of Palesdon in pain. However, he heard from his senior that it was not only the Duke of Palesdon who suffered.â
Argention suffered?
âDo you know anything more?â
âYes, thatâs all. There are no more.â
âI see. Thank you for letting me know.â
âNow you know why I said I didnât want to be the Duchess of Palesdon?â
âYeah, I see.â
After answering Violet, I was lost in thought for a moment.
Even if Argention was a sub male lead, isnât this significant information?â
The sub-male lead suffers from a curse that has been handed down from generation to generation.
And the female lead heals the sub-male lead.
The sub-male lead falls for the female lead who saved him, but she is already in love with someone else.
âThis alone is already a heart-breaking narrative.â
Why didnât the author mention this setting in the book?
âIf the supporting character had an affair with another person, it would not have been a sloppy setup.â
Rather, it was more reliable to think that the rumors had been distorted.
âWhat? Youâre full just from having a small bite of it a while ago?â
âDidnât you see how much I emptied my plate earlier?â
âYou should have done that quickly and prepared for dinner!â
I was about to go back with Violet, but I was caught by Catalina and was asked to join her for dinner.
Catalina nagged throughout the meal, still not sure if she was cursing me or worrying about me.
It didnât bother me at all to hear that after knowing her situation.
âSince she took care of me. I should take care of her too.â
When I checked her out while eating, Catalina seemed to like fruit.
I slipped the fruit plate to her.
âI donât want to eat this kind of thing. Eat a lot, Catalina.â
âHum! Your stomach is weak, but why do you make this crude excuse?â
Catalina emptied the plate, as if she felt bad inside.
âHmmmh, hmmh!â
Catalina cleared her throat.
âIs there something stuck in her throat?â
Catalinaâs table manners were impeccable, though her words were a bit harsh.
It must be serious enough for her to keep clearing her throat in front of the meal.
âHmm! Hm!â
I was pretending I didnât hear it, but Catalina almost started coughing.
The sound became louder and louder, so I looked at Catalina without realizing it.
âWhat?â
Am I mistaken? I think Catalina wants me to notice her empty plate.
âNo way.â
At the same time, just in case, I pushed the plate containing other kinds of fruit toward Catalina.
âWhat is it?â
âEat this.â
âOh, youâre being mean.â
This time, Catalina emptied her plate again.
âOh, I think I know now.â
What Catalina is like.
After meal time.
It was when I was about to get up.
âWait a minute.â
Catalina spoke with a serious face.
It was the first time I heard her speak at a normal volume since I came to the mansion today.
âWhat is it? Did we get caught?â
âIf you get caught, Iâll get caught as well because of Ms. Bankerâs expression. Itâs not my fault.â
âYou must have left a mark when you stole the seal.â
âDonât you know how perfectly I steal?â
Catalina is back, as Violet and I pass the blame on each other amicably.
Catalina stuck something out to me.
âTake this.â
âWhat is this?â
âIf an adult gives something to you, you just say thank you and take it!â
Catalina burst into a rage.
She was so shy that she couldnât even make eye contact with me properly.
âWhat the hell is this?â
I opened the wrapper right away.
ââ¦â¦â¦â¦Ah.â
âHmmhh, hmmh. Iâm throwing away the remaining failed works to you, so hurry up and take them!â
Catalina gave me a small portrait album.
When I opened it one by one and turned it over, someone was drawn.
The picture of a baby, the picture of the baby starting to walk, the picture of the baby running aroundâ¦â¦â¦
And on the last page, the face of an adult was clearly depicted.
âArgention.â
The palm-sized booklet contained Argentionâs pictures from his childhood to the present.
How much effort Catalina must have put into collecting carefully drawn portraits of Argention that it is enough to fill a book.
I think Catalina drew it herself, considering that she called it a failure.
âThisâ¦.â
This is a gift I couldnât receive.
Iâm tried to say no.
âWhatâs so pretty about that monster punk! Iâm about to throw it away anyway.â
Catalina dodged her.
It was obvious that this was her real treasure.
âIf you had the heart to fold so easily, why did you come to me and beg me to marry him, you weakling!â
âWhat do you like about that monster so much that youâll blow your little life away? Yeah, you shouldâve broken it off with him when I told you to!â
I wondered how Argention, who fought in the war, and Roselina, who was in the empire, got married, and now I know why.
Roselina had a gift for identifying human weaknesses.
She desperately clung to Catalina because she knew she was a person who spoke more harshly despite her soft heart.
In Catalinaâs memory, I must have been hanging on to her as I asked her to let me marry Argention.
When I said I would divorce, Catalina pretended not to be, but seemed to be very concerned.
As Argention grows up, she collected his portraits and now sheâs giving them to me.
I felt emotional for some reason.
I clenched my fist because I thought my voice would tremble if I let my guard down.
âIâll take it.â
Catalina gave me a gift that she probably cherished the most.
To refuse this was to trample Catalinaâs heart.
âGiving it back then taking it againâ¦â¦â¦â
Catalina flushed her cheeks as she scolded her.
That means âthank you for accepting the gift I gave youâ.