Chapter 1
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Sponsored by Curufin đ(8/12)
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âWhat the hell is going on?â
âIsnât that Countess Brierton?â
âI saw her at Elton. She had a painting at the exhibition of the Duke of Sussex this timeâŚâ
The hotel guests lowered their voices and whispered, but the Viscountess could hear everything. Viscountess Gottâs  face was wrinkled.
âWhat are you doing, Ines?â
“Mother.”
âAn elder came to visit you, but you donât even welcome me inside.âÂ
Despite Ines’ defensive attitude, the Viscountess did not care at all.
Rather, without Ines’ permission, she strode into the room and looked around.
Suite room with separate living room, parlor and bedroom. The wallpaper, bedding, and even the smallest daily necessities were luxurious.
âYou have the pride of the Duke of Sussex, I canât let you live inconveniently.â
 It was a room that Enoch had personally reserved for Ines. The Viscountessâ eyes, who had been observing the room, became thin.
âYou are so lucky, arenât you?â
Then she began to guilt Ines.
âAfter you left the house like that, your husband stopped eating and drinking and became ill.â
âNo way.â
Ines almost burst out laughing out loud.
Maybe Ryan was hugging Charlotte and rolling around in bed right now.
âI dared to confront my husband.â Ines, who thought cynically, looked at the Viscountess.
âHow did you get here?â
âThatâs what youâre asking me now?!â
The Viscountess raised her voice in a rage.
âYou donât even ask if I had a hard time coming here! How can you be so selfish?â
“Mother.”
âAs I said, I havenât come to a place I shouldnât have come.âÂ
The Viscountess looked at Ines without blinking.
âWhatâs wrong with me visiting my daughter-in-law?â
âMother, as you may already have heard of it, I am going to divorce Ryan.â
“Divorce? Divorce?!â
The Viscountess burst out laughing as if amazed.
âInes, what the hell are you thinking?â
âItâs just like I said.â
Contrary to the over-excited Viscountess, Ines still had a face as calm as a frozen lake.
âI donât want to live with Ryan anymore.â
âHey, itâs ridiculous! what? You donât want to live as a married couple?”
The Viscountess narrowed her brow and approached Ines.
The long outstretched index finger poked Ines’ forehead.Â
âYou should know your subject, the orphaned girl who couldnât even have a child!â
ââŚâ
âHow dare you try to drive out my precious son?!â
The Viscountess glared at Ines.
âDo you think it would be good for Brierton for you to behave this way?â
For a moment, Ines’ eyes flamed red. But the Viscountess had no idea of Ines’ anger.
It was because she was so obsessed with yelling as she used the excuse of being an elder.
âDo you want to see your familyâs honor roll to the ground because of you?â
With that, the Viscountess raised the tip of her lips with satisfaction.
âOkay, at this point, you would have understood what I was saying, right?â
In fact, the judgment of the Viscountess was not so wrong.
If it was the Ines of the past, she would have bowed her head obediently if the Viscountess put pressure on her like this.Â
But.
Ines reached out and grabbed the wrist of the Viscountess, who was about to poke Inesâs forehead once more. The Viscountess was astonished.
âHey, what is this!â
âTouching peopleâs bodies recklessly is not an act that suits the dignity of a noblewoman.â
Seriously, what’s that girl talking about right now?
The Viscountess doubted her ears.
But Ines’s words were not over yet.
âAlso, I fully understand your concern for the honor of the Brierton, mother.â
Ines smiled brightly.
Facing that smile, the Viscountess felt a chill down her spine for some reason.Â
âBut mother is a bit presumptuous.â
âPresumptuous?!â
“Yes. The reason Ryan was able to become Count of Brierton from the beginning was because I married him. Shouldnât you be thankful instead?â
“What!”
The Viscountess squeaked, but Inesâs face remained calm.
 âThat means, from the moment the divorce is established.â
âInes, what are you saying⌠⌠⌠!â
âRyan is no longer Count of Brierton.â
It was like saying, ‘I’m going to have steak for lunch today’, just in a casual tone.
Ines dropped a bomb.
âThat means, mother is also an outsider to the Brierton.â
âNo, you donât even know the manners, you, this⌠⌠!â
âI am telling you that there is no need for mother to worry about unnecessary things like that.â
Surprised, the Viscountess could not even speak properly.
She just moved her lips like a carp.
Either way, Ines added, without raising an eyebrow.Â
âAlso, it is necessary to examine whether it is my fault or Ryanâs fault for not having children.â
âWow, what? So you mean my son has a problem?!â
âIt could be. BecauseâŚâŚ .â
As if unable to continue speaking, Ines blurted out the end of her speech.
Then, she took a deep breath, covering her cheek with one hand.
“You know Ryan had countless nights with Charlotte as well as me, but Charlotte hasn’t had children yet.”
âYou, my God, what are you talking about now!â
âRyan must have slept with Charlotte a lot more than with me.â Ines shrugged her shoulders slyly.
âLooking at the fact that neither of the two women has been able to conceive yet, it seems that Ryanâs problem is bigger than mine when it comes to fertility⌔
 “Hey!!”
Unable to bear it for a moment, the Viscountess shouted once more.
However, Ines was not surprised or withdrawn, but only tilted her head by the exaggerated movements.
âHey? Mother, such a vulgar word is against the dignity of a noble.â
âHow dare you talk back to your elders!”
âCome to think of it, Ryan was very vulgar at the exhibition hall of the Duke of Sussex this time, and the reaction from the audience wasnât very goodâŚâŚ .â
âCanât you stop?!â
The Viscountess shouted like a seizure. Ines raised her eyebrows and closed her mouth for a moment.
The Viscountess took a deep breath. âSince when did that girl start being so aggressive towards an elder?â
Ines, who was so obedient, was gone. Rather, she was now scratching peopleâs nerves with a smiling face.Â
But.
‘Hold on. I have to be patient.’
The Viscountess took a brief deep breath. The voice of her son rang in her ears.
âMother, do you know how much our family benefits from the Brierton? Never let the divorce happen.â
Those were the desperate words of her son, who was now no longer a Count.
âIf I divorce Ines, weâll have nothing left! Wouldn’t it be more helpful to our family in the future if Iâm the Count of Brierton?”
Ryan pleaded with tears.
âYes, I have to do what I can for my son.â
The Viscountess, who was determined, opened her mouth with a soft voice this time.
âInes, youâre too young to understand.â
âWhat is this again?â
Ines looked at the Viscountess with cold eyes.
After realizing that the intimidation didn’t work, she was moving on to conciliation.
âOf course, it could be bad from your point of view that your husband is dating another woman. How upset you must be.â
ââŚ..?â
Ines narrowed her eyes. Sure enough, the Viscountess only talked about Ryanâs affair.
The hottest issue at present, the fact that Ryan had deprived Ines of her reputation as a painter, seemed to be of no concern to the Viscountess.
 “But all men are like that. Even if he goes out for a bit, one day he will come back to his wife.”
ââŚâ
“I’ll talk to Ryan. So you too, relax, okay?”Â
Facing the Viscountess, who was comforting her, Ines felt a faint sadness.Â
In the past, Ines thought that it was a mother’s affection that the Viscountess meddled in her married relationship.Â
Ines was starving for parental love, because she lost her parents when she was not even an adult.