CRBM 03

Chapter : 3

At the mention of his former wife, Patron’s face became severely distorted.

It was as though the real face beneath his mask had finally been revealed.

The kind man disappeared, leaving behind only a man with a menacing expression.

Patron tilted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow.

“What are you talking about?”

It was already a useless lie, but Patron’s lips continued to utter falsehoods.

He tried to leave the balcony without even a farewell, leaving Clitaym there alone.

But—

“Her Highness the Grand Duchess didn’t die. She ran away in the middle of the night, didn’t she? With her lover.”

At her single remark, which recited the events of the original novel, he had no choice but to stop walking.

A disgrace he had never wanted anyone to discover had just spilled from someone else’s lips.

The veins in his eyes became prominent, and his fists tightened.

As though he could explode at any moment.

But she did not back down easily.

Whether through sympathy or intimidation, she needed this man.

Anyone would become selfish when their life was at stake.

“Are you planning to expose it if I don’t remarry?”

There was a faint trace of murderous intent in Patron’s low murmur.

It was an eerie chill incomparable to the coolness of the evening.

“If that’s what it takes for me to marry you, then I’ll gladly do it.”

At her calm threat, he covered his face with his palm and burst into laughter.

The laughter abruptly stopped in an unnatural manner.

And at that moment—

A blue light, the same color as his eyes, began to constrict her neck.

“You still don’t seem to understand what happens when you recklessly expose other people’s weaknesses, Mrs. Schultz.”

Under the tremendous pressure, Clitaym instinctively raised her hands, but it was useless.

“Taking your anger out on me won’t change the truth!”

It was a dizzying situation in which she could barely breathe.

She spoke to him as though shouting.

“This isn’t simply a remarriage. What I’m proposing is a contract marriage.”

For one year.

Within that time, I will get rid of your wife.

At the proposal of a contract marriage, Patron turned his body and approached Clitaym again.

He roughly grabbed her by the shoulders, lowered his head completely, and burst into laughter once more.

The force he exerted was far stronger than what he had shown with Camilla, accompanied by a crazed laugh as though the whole situation were absurd.

“Marriage using someone else’s weakness…… I suppose that tenacity of yours really hasn’t changed.”

Patron muttered before raising his head and asking as though he had resigned himself to the situation.

“But what if your feelings change within that year?”

Don’t you desire the position of Grand Duchess?

His wary eyes continued testing her, refusing to accept the deal easily.

And for good reason.

There were countless young ladies and nobles who coveted the position of Grand Duchess.

A question that everyone else would have hidden behind a smile or simply brushed aside was answered by Clitaym without the slightest hesitation.

“That won’t happen. Even if it did, then as you said, I’m the kind of person with that sort of tenacity, so you can simply cast me aside.”

“……”

“I’m a swindler whom all the people of the Empire hate, after all.”

At her answer, in which she openly denounced herself, he stopped laughing and returned to his original expression.

An indifferent face whose thoughts could not be read.

“What’s the price?”

“Protection from my husband. And help with my divorce.”

“You have terrible luck with husbands.”

“Yes, I have terrible luck with husbands. Just as Your Highness has terrible luck with wives.”

Only Clitaym could respond to Patron’s sarcasm like that.

Without showing the slightest concern, Clitaym answered and held out her hand to Patron.

“Please escort me. My husband and daughter will be looking for me.”

It was the moment when two misfortunes met.

“Then, return safely.”

Patron escorted Clitaym to the area near the Schultz family carriage.

After exchanging a brief farewell with him, Clitaym looked for the coachman so she could get inside.

‘He should be here. Where did he go?’

It was customary for the coachman to remain beside the carriage at all times and open the door when his master arrived.

Yet even though Clitaym was standing there, the coachman was nowhere to be seen.

Just as she was about to open the door in confusion—

“What are you doing right now?”

Haley was glaring at her with an extremely angry expression.

“I was simply escorted here.”

She told him the truth, but Haley interpreted it however he pleased.

He let out a hollow laugh and sneered.

“And you expect me to believe that?”

The eerie atmosphere combined with the wind, making the surroundings cold enough to send a chill down her spine.

Clitaym glared at her husband before suddenly meeting Electra’s gaze.

The girl was staring at her fearfully from the corner of the carriage.

She was gnawing on her fingers repeatedly, looking unstable.

Clitaym did not want to show any weakness, but she decided that fighting in front of the child was not right, so she stopped.

“I’ll explain later. For now, go to the mansion.”

Haley found it strange that Clitaym was suddenly being so obedient.

Then he realized why and sneered.

“Are you worried about the kid because you’re a mother after all?”

“Then if we had done this at the banquet—”

“What exactly is going on here?”

Just as she was about to say something, a deep voice came from behind them.

Haley discovered who it was and immediately lowered his head with a stunned expression.

Only Clitaym kept her head held high, even though she knew exactly who the man was.

Duke Verden.

He had once wielded great influence as an aide close to the Emperor, but after putting forward his daughter while falsely claiming that she was a saint, he was now a man who had nothing left but his name.

He was Clitaym’s biological father.

Duke Verden stared at her intently, demanding an explanation for the situation.

Only then did Clitaym show the proper courtesy and begin speaking.

“We only had a brief argument. It’s nothing serious, so please don’t concern yourself with it.”

Although Duke Verden was her biological father, he was not someone who was particularly favorable toward her.

So she deliberately changed the subject, hoping to get through the situation.

“An argument?”

However, the Duke showed displeasure and stared directly at Becky, who had somehow come to stand beside her.

Becky became even more tense under his watchful gaze and clenched her fingers.

The silence seemed to last for an eternity.

Duke Verden suddenly grabbed Becky by the hair and forced her to her knees.

Caught completely off guard, Becky let out a small scream and resisted weakly, but it changed nothing.

Clitaym hurriedly tried to stop him at the unexpected movement, but he remained unmoved.

“What has that girl done wrong?”

“How dare she stand there comfortably when she couldn’t even properly serve her master?”

With an utterly absurd excuse, he trampled on Becky, who was in a weaker position.

‘This father or that father. They’re both the same.’

Seeing a household where violence was used as casually as eating, Clitaym could not help but let out a hollow laugh.

Was it really reasonable to expect a normal child to come from parents like these?

Whether she smiled bitterly or not, Duke Verden continued acting arrogantly and forcefully, flaunting his authority.

“Beg for forgiveness.”

The Duke threw Becky onto the dirt and pressed down on her with his foot while keeping his gaze fixed on Clitaym.

The person he truly wanted to crush was not Becky.

It was Clitaym.

“……”

When she still did not move, he deliberately aimed for Becky’s neck and pressed down harder with the sole of his foot.

A painful groan escaped from below.

“……!”

Clitaym glared at him, but Duke Verden crooked the corner of his mouth and asked again.

“Why can’t you beg?”

Clitaym did not have even the slightest desire to apologize to Duke Verden.

But she could not stand by and watch Becky suffer.

After all, Becky was her personal maid and had served her well without complaint.

“……I’m sorry.”

When Clitaym lowered herself and tried to apologize, Duke Verden muttered almost as if speaking to himself.

“I was asking your maid. Why are you answering?”

In reality, that was not what he had meant at all.

But he acted as though it were.

With a satisfied smile, he removed his foot from Becky.

“Follow me for a moment. I have something to say.”

What could he possibly want to say?

Although she wore a reluctant expression, Clitaym followed him because she wanted to hear what he had to say.

“Mom……”

But then a frail voice stopped her.

It was Electra.

The child called out to Clitaym because her grandfather, who had caused the commotion moments ago, was trying to take her mother away.

Electra did not want Clitaym to be hurt.

But Duke Verden was no different from Haley.

“Lowly blood really does show itself.”

I should never have let a commoner into the family.

The Duke completely ignored both Haley and Electra before walking ahead.

Clitaym had no choice but to watch the situation unfold.

She gave Electra a faint smile, reassuring her daughter.

“It’s okay, so don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”

After returning to the balcony with Duke Verden, Clitaym confirmed that no one was around before speaking.

“Please get to the point.”

“……How rude.”

He clicked his tongue and moved his lips.

“What on earth have you been doing that family matters are leaking outside?”

I’m too ashamed to even hold my head up.

At the Duke’s scolding, Clitaym simply listened without offering any excuses.

Whatever she said would only give him another reason to humiliate her.

After grumbling for a while, he noticed that she was not reacting and changed the subject.

“What is your relationship with His Highness Patron?”

His tone was completely different from a moment ago.

The Duke’s eyes, filled with greed, gleamed intensely.

Clitaym noticed it and curved her lips into a smile as she continued.

“What if something happened?”

“Something happened.”

“Yes, it did.”

After throwing out the bait, Duke Verden openly revealed his ulterior motives and pressed her for details.

“What?”

“Shouldn’t you scold me first? I was alone with an unrelated man, after all.”

Clitaym sneered at him as he hurried her along, carefully walking the line between telling him and withholding the information.

When things did not go the way he wanted, his expression twisted viciously.

“He’s lonely. The Grand Duke, I mean.”

“That……is wonderful news.”

“It has nothing to do with me, does it? I already have a husband.”

She subtly informed Duke Verden of her situation and watched his reaction.

“Someone of the Grand Duchess’s position is certainly worth divorcing for. It’s not as though you lack the qualifications.”

Aren’t you the only daughter of one of the Basil founding families?

Once she gave him even the slightest opening, he eagerly revealed his desire for her to remarry Patron.

‘When did he turn his back on me because I was a divorcee, only to tell me to remarry now?’

He pointed his finger at her when it was bad for him, then pushed her toward another man when it was beneficial to him.

At the double standard, Clitaym let out a hollow laugh and mocked him.

“Can’t I just get divorced?”

“What?”

“I can’t live with my current husband, so I want to divorce him and simply live alone. I’m a duke’s daughter. Can’t I even do that much?”

At the question mixed with resignation and mockery, Duke Verden’s smile vanished completely.

He muttered.

“Do you think it’s an ordinary thing for someone to accept you? How much longer are you planning to bring shame upon this family?”

His voice carried enough murderous intent to make it seem as though he would point a knife at her immediately if he had one in his hand.

But Clitaym was not frightened at all.

The only thing she feared right now was the villainess turning dark and going berserk.

“I was joking. Of course I wouldn’t do that. The family’s fortunes aren’t what they used to be. Could I possibly remain a divorcee?”

‘That man can’t kill me. I’m useful to him, aren’t I?’

In fact, he was beneath her.

Duke Verden had only one daughter, Clitaym, and I had possessed her body.

Among all the characters in the original novel, she was the only one she could freely control.

And right now, the Duke desperately wanted that very person.

“Do you want me to marry Grand Duke Patron?”