Today's Goal is a Safe Divorce!

Chapter 7

“Mother. No, the Madam always hated me. I was registered in the County, but that was all.”

Edward and Elysia were the eyesores of the barren Countess and so were the objects of her resentment. But, she could not object to the Count’s opinion that they should be listed in the County. The Mistress who can’t bear children is powerless.

The only reason she was able to wield such power was the fact that she had a lot of money. The Countess’ parents were very wealthy and owned a private loan business and casino.

Normally, the Mistress that is unable to bear children would have no standing if she was to be divorced for any excuse, or even if an illegitimate child or a lover were brought in.

But the Count needed the money from the Countess’ parents, so he closed his eyes knowing full well she abused the children. It was an unspoken deal that she was able to do whatever she wanted.

“I didn’t even debut in the social world like Rowena did. Is that all? I was treated like a maid.”

“Are you saying that now!”

“Is there any reason why I shouldn’t run away? Wouldn’t it be good for the Madam if I disappeared instead? You hate me. You couldn’t stand seeing me anyway.”

The Countess was clever. She did not show any visible physical abuse. It was a home that seemed to have no problems on the outside. The second daughter, whose ill health prevented her debut in the social world, and the eldest son, suffering from an incurable disease. To anyone looking at it, it was just a family experiencing poor health issues.

“Is there any problem with the Madam if I leave now and run away?”

If she hadn’t been betrothed to Damon, the Countess wouldn’t have looked for her. She probably pretended to look for Elysia to some extent, and pretended she didn’t know. As the thorns in her eyes disappeared by themselves, the Madam may have been happy inside.

“I don’t understand.”

“You don’t understand? Who is it that fed and nurtured you, when you don’t know where you came from?”

Elysia’s brow furrowed at the loud voice that seemed to pierce her eardrums. Left with nothing but anger, the Countess was an opponent she did not want to face. Even now, the sharp voice still ringing in her ears made her frown.

The voice was barely audible, as if her eardrum had burst from the hard blow on the cheek. It was fortunate that there was no blood on her cheeks. When she saw the rings on the Countess’ fingers, her cheeks must have already been scratched.

“Yeah, that’s why you made me work like a maid to pay for it.”

In her twenty years of possessing Elysia, there was not a single day she did not work. She was forced into labor almost from the time she could walk. Even on days when she was sick, she was not allowed to lie down in bed to rest.

Had she been an ordinary child with no memory of a previous life, she would never have endured.

Elysia’s life was hell itself.

“And the price of feeding and nurturing me.”

“…….”

“Food left behind by people, clothes that even a maid wouldn’t wear. An attic with no sunlight coming in. Wasn’t it all things like that?”

It still was like that even now. If the Countess had ever thought of Elysia as her daughter, she would have worried when seeing Elysia covered with blood all over her body. At the very least, even the knights who didn’t treat her like a lady were worried.

But as soon as she saw her, the Countess used her hand first.

It didn’t matter to the Madam if Elysia was covered in blood. To the Countess, Elysia was simply an object to vent her wrath.

Rage that knew that Elysia dared make the Countess come this far at this time.

“How much do I have to pay? I don’t think it would be long if you add up all of those values. Rather, I think I worked more.”

“You really think that’s all? You… You should be grateful for being a member of the county!”

“I never asked you to accept me as a member!”

Had she known that she would be treated like this, she would never have wanted the status.

The young girl of the County with only a name? She was treated worse than the common people.

“Still, I persevered. Because I have a brother, Edward.”

He was the only person who treated her well. Edward was the only one who reached out in her loneliness.

“Even when I show up bloodied, the Madam doesn’t say a word of concern. Are you really looking for me because you were worried? Or do you have some other reason?”

“You… Are you crazy?”

“I’m not crazy. I’m just pointing out the obvious. Even the knights, who had nothing to do with me, were surprised to see me and showed concern. But you slapped me.”

Slap.

Elysia’s laughter erupted as her cheeks were slapped again. Because it was funny to see the Countess revealing her true nature as soon as Elysia opposed her a little. How hard it must have been for such a person to act in a cultured way.

“You hit me again.”

“Did you dare to hide yourself like this?”

She didn’t know who was talking. Now, she was getting annoyed by this meaningless conversation.

“Tell me why you came to look for me. Or shall I say it first?”

“What, what do you know!”

“I heard it. Last night.”

At the mention of last night, the carriage became as quiet as a dead mouse. It was then that the appearance of the other person making an ‘oh God’ expression was heinous.

“You put in a marriage proposal.”

“…….”

“It’s also with Grand Duchy Raphael. No matter how uninformed I am of the world, I know the story of Grand Duchy Raphael.”

It was famous for what happened to the families that put the marriage proposal into the Grand Duchy Raphael. Because of that, no one could easily join the Duke’s family.

“If I disappear when I am in a state of marriage, the Madam will be very embarrassed.”

Even though the Countess had not told Elysia to sit, she sat back in the carriage. The soft cushion seemed to blow away the fatigue of a difficult day. Perhaps the Countess would most likely have left her standing.

But when she knew everything, she couldn’t have suffered because she was crazy now. She was going to at least enjoy her free time until she went to Damon.

“I will sit down. I worked so hard today.”

“You… Are you really crazy?”

“What if I run away again or take my life? At least until the results come out, you need me, right?”

It was a gamble. It was like an experiment to see how far the Countess would comply with her demands.

“Don’t get me wrong. You seem to think you’ve done something, but why would a ducal house accept someone like you?”

Even though all the cards had already been uncovered, the Countess was still bluffing.

“Then why do you think so, why did you put me in the family?”

“That….”

“You know? Five years. What five years means to Grand Duchy Raphael.”

“How do you….”

Again, the Countess was rightly aware of the secrets of Grand Duchy Raphael. She knew the secret, so she put the marriage proposal to the Grand Duchy at this time.

“Still, it was too much. No matter how much you know the secret, you know what it means to be married to Grand Duchy Raphael.”

The predecessor Grand Duke Raphael was the only unmarried Master. According to the rules of the Grand Duchy, the Grand Duke had to marry to establish his successor. This was because, due to the short-lived nature of the family, a successor was absolutely necessary, which meant that if there was an heir, there was no need to get married.

Only one successor was sufficient, but the previous Grand Duke was a believer in the theory that only the strong survive. So the Grand Duke thought that the heir had to be stronger than him. Therefore, the previous Grand Duke did not marry and “created” his children. It was close to saying that he made it. He knew that when he died, war would break out over his place.

Damon survived the fierce battle. Damon’s power was overwhelming. He killed all of his brothers and became the strongest Grand Duke of all time.

“The present Grand Duke Raphael has declared that he will not marry.”

Of course, that didn’t mean Damon made children like his father did. He just wanted Grand Duchy Raphael to disappear from his line.

“But people didn’t believe him, and they submitted marriage proposals to the Grand Duchy.”

All the families that put marriage proposals in the Grand Duchy suffered retaliation. Whatever retaliation it was, Damon wouldn’t let it go. The marriage proposal that was overflowing with fear of retaliation had long since disappeared. But it was surprising that the Countess had a marriage proposal.

“Aren’t you afraid of retaliation? Otherwise… Is it because I am a card that can be discarded?”

“If you already know everything, you should find some sense.”

Of course Elysia thought she wouldn’t be sorry, but it made her feel even worse at the Countess’ brazen attitude.

Isn’t she supposed to at least pretend she’s sorry?

“I want you to repay the favor I have given you.”

“Repay the favor?”

“Yes.”

At the Countess’ demand for repayment, Elysia was dumbfounded and sighed. Marrying Damon would repay the ‘favor.’ You have to say something that makes sense to understand. This was really nonsense.

“Isn’t this not worth it?”

“What do you mean?”

She pretended not to know. She seemed to think that Elysia was simply listening to the maids’ gossip and pretending to know about Damon. But contrary to her expectations, Elysia knew Damon better than anyone.

Elysia silently smiled. It was she herself who brought him into this world. It was she who knew Damon better than anyone, except for her friend, the original author.