Chapter 54

After being hushed by another lady, the tactless lady immediately shut her mouth.

A beautiful lady then raised herself and said, “Come and have a seat here, Duchess.”

“Yes, sit down. It’s our first time meeting on such an occasion.”

“Seeing you here, you must be friends with Countess Max?”

Yelena was surrounded by words and attention.

Over her lifetime, Yelena had always received a lot of attention from others due to her objectively attractive appearance, which made her stand out from the crowd.

But now, the spotlight was different from what she had ever received: blatant interest and curiosity.

Yelena felt as if she had become a rare spectacle displayed on the street.

“Good afternoon.” Yelena painted on a smile. “This is the first time we’ve met. It’s really nice to meet you all.”

* * *

“Uh…”

After the tea party, the place was cleared up in an instant.

Yelena groaned as she laid face down on the empty table.

“Rosaline, I need some ice water… Phew.”

Rosaline knew Yelena would ask for ice water, and as such, Rosaline placed the glass she had prepared in advance next to Yelena.

“…Thank you.”

Yelena lifted herself up, took the glass, and gulped down the contents.

Rosaline crossed her arms as she watched. “What the hell are you thinking?”

Rosaline recalled the events of the tea party a while ago.

It was an incredibly rude occasion.

Rosaline wanted to turn the table over at least five times during the event, and she actually had enough strength to do so. But Rosaline held herself back.

Yelena had asked her not to make a move in advance.

“Is this why you asked me to do that? Why the hell…?”

What Rosaline couldn’t understand was Yelena’s attitude.

Considering Yelena’s usual personality, she should have sprayed tea on her opponent’s face about thirteen times during the tea party.

She would typically step on the opponent’s foot under the table about three times, pretending it was a mistake.

However, Yelena kept smiling throughout the tea party.

As if she could not possibly say anything, Yelena would even pat the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief at least once or twice during the conversation with a hurtful look.

That was all.

Rosaline, who was angry and frustrated at first, later got goosebumps.

And now she started to worry.

“Don’t tell me… is that it? I heard that when a person’s about to die, they suddenly want to do things they’ve never done before… Perhaps…”

“No.”

Yelena shook her head at Rosaline, who seriously suspected her friend of having an incurable illness.

Yelena sighed, putting down the emptied glass on the table.

She felt a little more refreshed now.

‘…That was dangerous.’

Yes, that was dangerous.

Yelena fiddled with the empty glass of water and recalled the events of the tea party.

She came with a firm resolve to smile like a doll (or an idiot) no matter what she heard.

But the moment she heard terrible things about her husband, Yelena nearly lost control of her emotions and almost acted irrationally.

Thanks to that, Yelena drank quite a lot of tea during the tea party.

She couldn’t lift the cup and pour the contents on the other person’s face, so she just drank it.

Because of that, Yelena felt full despite not eating much.

Yelena raised her head.

Rosaline was still looking down at her in concern and wonder.

Yelena, who hesitated for a while, eventually opened her mouth. “There’s no particular reason. I just needed some rumors.”

“Rumors?”

“Yes.”

Throughout the tea party, there was only one thing Yelena wanted to show her opponents. That she was a foolishly good duchess who was completely infatuated with her husband.

Yelena did her best to instill that image, but she didn’t know if it worked out the way she intended.

“I love my husband so much… I don’t have a single problem with this marriage… and I have a very fragile and nice personality. Well, that kind of rumor.”

“Do you even gain anything from such rumors?” Rosaline asked with genuine curiosity.

Yelena did not immediately answer the question.

In fact, if that rumor spread and settled, Yelena would get only one thing.

The risk of divorce.

If Yelena divorced Duke Mayhard amid those rumors, she would definitely be left with a huge stain.

She would get stuck.

It was a simple story.