Divorce Manual

Chapter 91

As if nothing's happening, I can see Catherine standing behind Evangeline.

Her face looks relaxed, as if she has just gone on a drink run right in front of me.

Ridiculous.

Yes, it's very ridiculous.

The backstabbing and the distancing.

Even when it comes to the charges against her for taking bribes, she is still doing all sorts of bad things yet standing there and pretending to be a noble person—

Very funny.

It's so funny that I feel like throwing up.

I wonder if I would be hit by a counterattack if I intervene here, so I end up holding my breath.

That's great.

I'm too shocked to even laugh.

Of course, all of this is just my assumption.

Since I'm prejudiced against Catherine, it may only be a misunderstanding that she has done something so hateful.

Right.

Indeed, that woman might be the real Abella's mother, and she may have been invited to a charity event today by accident, and indeed—

Yes, there is that possibility.

So when she actually shows up at the party,

Oh my gosh. The duchess is my daughter, Ella?

This may be a situation where it's doubtful due to it being improbable and a last minute drama.

It may have happened by chance.

Yes, it can be.

This situation is a suspicious move on the author's end, kind of like a trailer for a morning drama.

And—

"This is a secret that I, Catherine, will bury for the rest of my life, Your Grace. So, don't worry."

Had it not been for these words that Catherine spit out of her mouth.

How do these two know about Abella's past?

Even in the capital, it was hidden.

I need to reexamine her words.

I'm sure she thinks that it's over now.

They're getting comfortable again because I've left them alone.

Aren't they?

To be honest, I kicked Catherine out of her head maid position, and when Evangeline goes back to the capital, Catherine will have to go back to the ranch—

Because I thought that she was nothing more than a wildcat without teeth.

Therefore, she should've just—yes.

That was the case anyway, so I left her alone until I could get a divorced and move out.

You've made a huge mistake.

In addition, our Evangeline is just a child without the duke's halo so I let her go with a light scolding.

But these wildcats...

You're picking a fight that I can't avoid.

Therefore, I must respond with all the sincerity in my heart.

It's been awhile since I've had fun.

It's been a really long time since I've been here in Diago, so thank you to you both, who keep my adrenaline pumping.

"Wife."

Let's turn my head back to him.

"I'll take care of it."

Charles, whose expression has calmed down, pulls me back and walks forward.

"Ledin."

With his back pointing to the woman, he calls out to Ledin.

"Wait a minute, Your Grace."

As if to hit the brakes on Charles, I reply with a tilt of my head.

That prey is entirely mine.

And you're going to try and steal it?

Hm...

Knowing that it might not work, I stand in front of him instead.

And—

"What?"

I ask.

This moment makes me feel like I'm the Hero of the Century.

"What? Did you want to take care of it yourself?"

I ask again very politely.

Of course, I know that.

I know what his purpose was when he stood in front of me.

I fully understand what that means.

I have absolutely no intention of entrusting this situation to him though.

Because this is all about me.

However—

"...What?"

Looking as if he doesn't understand my question, his wrinkled brow and the darkly colored eyes underneath them expresses absurdity and a bit of bewilderment.

But—

I see that eye color very often, so it doesn't work on me anymore.

Rather, they now have a softer feel to them.

He can make me afraid.

But, he will never know my weakness.

"No, I'm curious as to what Your Grace is going to do and how you're going to do it."

I draw a line almost distinctively as if I 'm standing on the edge of a cliff.

Well, that wasn't my intention, but my demeanor can only work if I talk like this-

"This is my job."

He smiles brightly.

Of course, I don't know if that smile is real or not.

But with his attitude like that—

"Abella, let's take care of this quietly—"

I'm shocked that he mistook my action as impulsive. Therefore, he steps closer with a soft expression, attempting to persuade me.

"This is my business, Your Grace."

Taking a step back, I turn my head.

"Because this is the first time I've seen my mother."

"Ella, how are you?"

I see the woman raising her head with a saddened face still covered in tears.

"M-Madam, your name is..."

I ask for her name as politely as possible.

It sounds a bit cold, like I'm speaking from a 3rd person's perspective.

It's a 3rd person's involvement.

I'm only in Abella's body, but I'm not her.

Here, people, who are waiting for me to cry and make a fuss, are staring at me.

Should I get emotionally involved?

"Madam?"

"You... really..."

The woman's eyes are filled with resentment towards me, while unable to answer my cold questions, she continues to cry as if she's utterly miserable.

"Don't you recognize my face? Ella, you really..."

"Well, madam..."

Her crying voice only feels like an exaggeration of her emotions.

"My name is Abella. Now, I have the Diago last name, but it used to be Farhan."

"......"

"Maybe you've mistaken me for someone else."

People quietly whisper at my thoughtful attitude of calmly asking if she has made a mistake.

"That's right. She just looked at her and called 'Ella' out of the blue."

"Even though they look alike, maybe she has misunderstood?"

"But, they do look a lot alike."

"That is the case."

"If there is any falsehood, they may be executed immediately—"

Public opinion, which has been biased toward believing that Abella was an illegitimate child, now seems to have found some balance.

I walk in front of her as I hear people gossiping.

Yes, as Charles has said, it would've been best to take her somewhere else and settle it quietly.

Already too many people believe that Abella is an illegitimate child.

They don't care what truth is later revealed.

"His Grace must have used his influence."

"I see clearly today. The duchess and the woman look exactly the same."

They will spread lies mixed in with very subtle truths.

Honestly, I don't mind—

Because I'm not Abella.

Her authority as duchess was tossed aside, and she couldn't touch Catherine for fear that the truth might come out.

So I, who is living with this body—

I have to at least pay off this debt.

"Madam?"

"You seem to have forgotten the name Ella. That's right—"

The woman comes closer to me and lifts her head sadly at me while biting her lips.

"......"

Seeing her swallowing her tears while looking at me, honestly, even I have doubts.

Because I have no memory of Abella's biological mother.

But what I'm sure of is—

If you are a mother...The truth is that you wouldn't have done this.

The mother I know would not have put her daughter through this type of situation.

Of course, there are other types of mothers, but at least if you are a mother who is sad and crying like this after meeting her lost little daughter—

You wouldn't have done this.

What would happen to Abella's life if it's revealed that she's an illegitimate child?

A mother who regards Abella, who has become a duchess and a goose that lays golden eggs—

You wouldn't have appeared like this.

Abella's hold over the golden eggs is only obtainable if she's in the position of the Duchess.

No matter how stupid you are, you should have known that.

Therefore, I can conclude that her intention is to embarrass me in front of these people.

Besides that, what other reason can she have for crying so desperately in a place with so many people?

In the meantime—

Was she hired because she's really good at acting?

Her perfect figure, and even the slight tremble of her shoulders—

"Madam."

I also put my hand on her shoulders while she's pitifully crying, using all of my acting prowess that I have gathered from my guts.

My act of patting her shoulder is to show that I'm trying to comfort her.

"Oh my god."

I feel the woman's body becoming stiff as the gossip circulates around us.

Seeing her like this—

"Maybe you've misunderstood?"

"Ella."

"No matter how much I think about it, I don't remember being called by the name Ella in my entire life."

"Phillip has erased everything. Despicable man he is," the woman's voice continues muttering.

Well, Philip Farhan isn't a witch. Even if he wants to erase her using magic—

He would never have been able to do that because he was a beggar in every sense of the word.

But since I can't even tell such story in detail—

"She even mentions your father's name?"

I put my hand on her shoulder and help her up.

"Your Grace, it's a matter of my birth, so I guess I'll have to ask my parents."

"......"

"I haven't heard anything about it."

"......"

"Honestly, this is the first time I've ever heard the name Ella."

Looking at Charles, I shake my head nonchalantly.

"Lies!"

Catherine, who should have stayed quiet, suddenly bursts out.

.

.

.

.

T/N: Abella really said, "Bish, you aren't the only one that watched melodrama. Watch me."

Charles is really that spouse that says, "Please don't make too much noise. We can just take em out... like real quietly. Out like night night bishes..." lol

Lastly, I really appreciate the common sense here and how she really deduced that the woman's a fake because she's right. What kind of mother would pull this sort of thing?

Before I forget, I hope i make it clear but every time Abella speaks to or of Charles, she always refers to him as Your Grace / His Grace while everyone else calls him His Excellency / Your Excellency. I try to keep this consistent to make it easier to differentiate but sometimes, that 2am editing mode... it doesn't work haha

P.S. Updates are slow because there's still a hunt out there but once that's over, I'll upload more frequently. I guess be patient y'all and please don't repost or share this story anywhere.