The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke

When the woman first opened her eyes, her first thought was “I want to die.” and what followed was a strangely familiar self-loathing.

‘Not now, though.’

The woman sat slumped against the bay window and looked at her reflection in the glass. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.She saw a reflection that was nothing like her original self.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Her face was puffy with fat and freckles, and she had curly carrot-colored hair.

Her turquoise eyes were dark and murky revealing how lifeless the owner of this body had been living.

After how long she had been hunched over, she straightened her automatically bent shoulders and leaned against the wall.

‘So this is what they mean by a novel setting.’

After living like this for several weeks, she had no way to return to her original world, so she had to accept and live with the situation since she knew it wasn’t a dream.

However, there was a big problem here.

This world was the setting of a novel called “The Saint’s Wish,” which she had read before she died.

‘…. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Did I transmigrate?’read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“The Saint’s Wish” was a very ordinary romantic fantasy novel.

Aria, the protagonist, except for her exceptionally beautiful appearance, had no special characteristics, until one day she discovers she is a Saint.

And as a recognized saint, Aria rises to prominence within the mainland and experiences various events.

‘So far, so ordinary.’

The person mainly involved and connected to Aria was the Crown Prince of the Empire, Sylvester. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Despite being a crown prince, his position was ambiguous and he hid the curse he was under in order to protect his position.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

And his curse could be gradually released through contact with Aria.

‘Is this still… ordinary?’

If there was something unusual in the novel setting, it would be the sub-male lead, Benjamin Felton.

Benjamin was a northern duke, and even though he was the Duke of North, perhaps because the main lead had black hair, Benjamin held the position of a gentle and caring man with brown hair and green eyes. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Moreover, he was a married man.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Brown hair and green eyes are said to be a guarantee of a gentle and caring man, but it was unimaginable for a northern duke to have a puppy-like appearance.

However, what was even more peculiar was that he was a married man.

‘I mean, why give the attribute of being married to the man who’s ambiguous with the female lead?’ the woman thought. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It seemed like the author had watched one too many adultery dramas before writing. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Other than that, it made little sense.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Of course, everyone around her kept saying that it was an unwanted marriage. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.The woman muttered to herself and then raised her head.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“…What’s the use of that?”

After all, she had already possessed this body and was gradually assimilating with it. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Of course, her memories were not entirely intact.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Even if she complained about why she had to be reincarnated into this body, it was like spilled water. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Even if it wasn’t the water she spilled.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

As the woman sat hunched over in thought, the maids standing in the corner became flustered and spoke up one by one.

“Shall we bring your favorite food, Madam?”

“We have also prepared plenty of tea leaves that you enjoy, Madam.”

“Oh, that’s right! The new tea set has arrived. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It’s a limited edition!”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Since she had possessed this body, she had not stepped out of the room, leaving everyone at a loss.

At least things were improving now.

Naturally, she had just come into a world she had never seen before and even possessed someone else’s body. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It was impossible for her to behave so calmly from the beginning.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“It’s okay, really.”

“Ma-da-m…”

The maids looked like they were going to burst into tears at the sight of her.

Either way, she looked at her blurry reflection in the window and gently pressed her forehead against the cold glass.

“…Maybe I’ll go get some fresh air.”

The maids, who didn’t miss her soft muttering, jumped with excitement, hoping their mistress had changed her mind.

“That’s a wonderful idea!”

“I’ll prepare your clothes!”

“Wearing your favorite outfit and taking a walk will surely make you feel better!”

“But first, you should take a bath!”

Everyone moved quickly and did not give the woman a chance to retract her statement.

“Why is everyone watching me?”

The woman stood up from her seat. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Her heavy body made it uncomfortable to move.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Her reflection appeared in a nearby mirror.

“…”

Before she possessed this body, she had been lying in bed until she was almost dead. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.So she could have been satisfied just standing on two legs.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘If I could only be healthy, that would be even better.’

But since taking over this body, the deep hatred towards herself had dominated her thoughts.

As the woman stared at herself in the mirror for a long time, one of the maids’ faces turned pale.

“Shall I put away the mirror?”

“It’s okay.”

Why were they so fidgety just because she looked at the mirror for a moment?

In fact, the woman knew the reason.

‘There’s no other way.’

She had received the memories of the body’s original owner when she possessed it. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.This woman had a strong dislike for her appearance.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘That’s probably why my self-loathing is rising.’

It was so terrible. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.She had to remind herself several times that she was not the original owner of this body but someone else, just in order to escape from self-loathing.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘In fact, she didn’t look so terrible before.’

Due to staying indoors for a long time, her muscles had decreased, and she had gained weight, so she looked ordinary at best. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.However, the original owner of this body did not seem to think so.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“Madam, the bath is ready.”

“Can we serve you today?”

“….”

The woman shook her head and went into the bathroom alone.

Anyway, getting served in the bath was awkward. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Fortunately, the original body also disliked people serving in her bath.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

As she soaked her body in warm water, the woman muttered to herself.

“I guess she didn’t like showing her body.”

In any case, the long-awaited bath helped improve the woman’s mood. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Some of her previous pessimistic thoughts disappeared.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

—-

The clothes in the closet were mostly dark colors.

‘They all look the same to me.’

In her view, the designs were all similar, but the maids worked diligently to pick out the clothes.

The reason was that it was her first walk in a long time, so she had to wear nice clothes.

As the woman confidently stepped outside in her dark blue dress with almost no lace or ribbons, everyone looked surprised.

‘Originally, I didn’t go outside much before, and I also haven’t taken a step outside my room since I came here.’

But still, the woman didn’t shrink back.

Actually, she tried her best not to.

Instead of going to the usually deserted backyard garden, she headed towards the luxurious garden near the front gate.

The gardener was startled and hid when he saw her.

The garden looked even more vibrant and gorgeous up closer than through the window of her room.

“Looking at it closely, it looks like this….”

“Master ordered us to make sure it’s visible from the window of the Madam’s room!”

The maid who followed her said with a broad smile.

“His Highness?”

“Yes!”

She was like a puppy hoping to be praised. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.The maid vigorously nodded her head, emphasizing how much she cared for the garden.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

But the woman found it amusing.

‘As if that could be true.’

 She knew the original’s situation all too well.

While she half-listened to the maid’s chatter, she heard the sound of footsteps.

“My Lady.”

Saaaaaa- The wind rustled the leaves as they stood face to face.

“……”

The woman looked at the man who had revealed himself before her.

“Why did My Lady show up here?”

“Was I not supposed to come?”

“That was not what I meant.”

With a blink.

The man’s appearance was reflected in her turquoise eyes.

Warm brown hair more beautiful than any color, and green eyes as clear as jade.

The handsome man smiled warmly.

“So then?”

“I was worried.”

She inwardly scoffed at the word “worried.”

‘What a load of bull.’

The man standing across from her was Benjamin Felton.

The sub-male lead in the novel “The Saint’s Wish.”

And the body she had possessed was that of “Grace Felton,” who had never directly appeared in the novel…

She was the wife of this sub-male lead.

⋆★⋆

Grace Felton, her name before marriage was Grace Linden.

As a woman from a minor noble family who could no longer increase the power of the Felton dukedom, she was forced by the imperial family to marry into this family.

Although her family had a deep history as nobles, Grace was the daughter of a viscount who was no different from a peasant now. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.She would never have had any connection with the Felton dukedom if not for the forced marriage.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

After meeting Benjamin only three times, Grace had her wedding, and shortly thereafter she no longer appeared in society.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s just like this.”

Grace glanced back at Benjamin, who was walking behind her.

Benjamin smiled whenever Grace turned around to look at him.

Then Grace would turn her head forward again with a heavy heart.

Their marriage was forced upon them by the royal family, and many sympathetic readers felt sorry for Benjamin’s situation.

‘Because he married an ugly and insignificant woman just to prove his loyalty to the royal family.’

According to the few remaining memories of Grace she had, they didn’t even fulfill their marital duties, let alone kiss at the wedding.

Their marriage was simply a result of a complicated relationship and could not be called a true marriage.

Despite all that, Grace had a comfortable life, living off the luxuries of the duke’s family.

However, in the latter half of the story, Grace dies of an unknown illness.