The Ex-Husband Demands Reunion (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2

“I completely forgot that the divorce papers were sent to the court yesterday—my apologies! Wahhh!”

“……?”

Confused, I tilted my head—and the other maids immediately dropped flat to the floor, begging for my forgiveness.

“You must reclaim your rightful title as Lady Ellen Bourbon Renoir, the Duke’s daughter, even if it’s only now!”

Duke’s daughter? What’s that supposed to mean?

Was this detail absent from the novel, or did I simply miss it……?

“We promise it will never happen again! Please, kindly forgive us!”

Why do they keep asking for forgiveness when I don’t even know what they did wrong?

I wanted to tell them not to grovel and just stand up.

But I’m fully aware of who I am in this reality that feels like a novel.

‘What if they find out I’m not really Ellen?’

I have no idea what would happen. For now, I need time to calmly assess the situation—so I crossed my arms and lifted my chin.

“Hmph. Worthless creatures. Go do your work at once.”

The maids raised their heads. Their eyes, shocked by my words, wobbled wildly.

‘Ah… was that too harsh? I chose words Ellen would actually say.’

It hurt my heart, but right now, I am Ellen. So I gave them a sharp glare, then turned abruptly and locked myself back in my room.

‘Whew!’

My legs gave out from the sudden shift in circumstances. I sank down right there, leaning my head weakly against the door—when I heard the maids sniffling outside.

“Oh my goodness, how could this happen? Wahhh……”

After hearing me call them “worthless creatures,” their reaction was understandable.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t want to say that, but I couldn’t afford to seem suspicious.’

Then, unexpectedly, I overheard a whisper.

“I thought she’d grab me by the hair first thing! I even braced myself for the whip.”

“Same here. I expected slaps, or even to be kicked……”

What?

“She spoke so gently… Ever since Madam started filling out the divorce papers, she must’ve turned into an angel.”

An angel?

“Since Madam has shown us such rare kindness, let’s work extra hard!”

“Yes! Let’s go start our duties for today!”

I was stunned by the maids’ reaction.

‘Just how exactly did Ellen treat her maids before?’

Once it grew quiet outside, I checked the mirror again. Only my beautiful older sister’s reflection stared back.

Resigned, I tried to recall how Ellen behaved in the novel. It was essential information if I had to live as her.

[Ellen, who entered into a political marriage with Philip Morris, was of foreign noble birth—but utterly wicked. Everyone in the manor, except her husband Philip Morris, feared her intensely.]

“…….”

That was all there was. Aside from that, she only ever appeared when tormenting the main couple, Laila and Marlboro.

As I quietly retraced the original story, Ellen made no sense to me.

“Seriously, with such a radiant appearance, she could’ve done anything—why resort to cruelty?”

But I quickly gave up pondering. There was nothing to be gained from asking myself alone.

“Modern novels never bother explaining villains’ circumstances, I guess. Sigh… I’d better just figure out my surroundings.”

I pulled back the curtains by the window.

“Wow!”

Beyond the second-floor glass, bathed in brilliant sunshine, stretched a vast rose garden.

As I opened the window, a pleasant breeze drifted gently inside.

The crisp, clean air filled my lungs and felt wonderfully refreshing.

At the same time—gurgle—my stomach growled, and hunger struck.

Glancing around the room with a troubled expression, I spotted a bell-pull in one corner of the bedroom. I tugged it, and a maid entered almost immediately.

“Madam, where would you like your meal prepared?”

She responded softly—as if she instinctively knew what I wanted.

“This way.”

A cabbage soup that clung comfortingly to the palate, a croissant crispy outside yet fluffy and chewy within, rich butter, and poached eggs so soft and pillowy they melted like pudding.

For the main course came a colorful salad and grilled white fish served with lemon.

The tender, warm fish mingled with the bright lemon scent, making my mouth happy.

‘Good heavens! This is art!’

I desperately wanted to summon the chef and praise them, but since a villainess wouldn’t do that, I held back.

Dessert was smooth vanilla ice cream and hot black coffee.

‘Perfect!’

Now that my stomach was full, I needed to explore outside a bit more.

“I’ll go for a walk.”

No sooner had I spoken than several maids wheeled in a dress rack on casters.

Ellen supposedly loved luxury—and indeed, every dress was dazzlingly beautiful.

I chose the most comfortable-looking one and set off for my stroll.

.

.

.

Sunlight of a full spring day and a gentle, rustling breeze.

Everywhere I looked, roses of many varieties bloomed abundantly, scattering a delicate fragrance. My mood lifted, and a hum escaped my lips without thought.

After walking a short distance, I spotted a young gardener on the far side of the garden, wearing suspenders and a straw hat.

Having just pruned a tree as tall as a grown man with large shears, the gardener stretched and twisted his body this way and that.

But the moment he saw me, he froze—then lowered his body as if to tidy his shears.

I expected him to rise again.

“……?”

Yet the gardener simply wouldn’t get up.

“What’s going on? Did he collapse?”

I hurried over to where the gardener had been.

“……?”

He was gone.

Aside from the single pruned tree, this spot was entirely rose beds.

If he’d moved normally, he couldn’t possibly have vanished from sight.

Scanning around, I finally spotted his retreating figure hurrying away in the distance like he was fleeing.

“……Huh.”

I was flabbergasted.

Of course he’d crouch and run at the sight of me—the wicked Ellen was terrifying—but wasn’t that a bit excessive?

“How insolent.”

“Shall I bring him back?”

Though I’d spoken to myself, a stranger’s voice answered from behind me.

‘Eep?’

Startled, I turned around—and there stood a handsome knight, about 185 cm tall, with long red curls tied neatly back.

“W-who are you?”

Oops. My racing heart made me blurt it out before I could stop myself.

If he showed even a hint of suspicion, I’d have to snap angrily and leave right away.

After all, since Ellen was known for her capriciousness, maybe I could get away with acting vaguely odd.

But instead, he let out a small sigh and bowed respectfully.

“I am Irgov Mild, who has guarded your side since I was ten years old.”

His vivid green eyes soon met mine directly.

“Didn’t you promise not to make that joke anymore?”

Apparently, Ellen had made this joke before. Relief washed over me—but also embarrassment, so I waved my hands dismissively.

“How boring.”

Judging by the knight’s blink—just once—it seemed I’d given an acceptable reply.

I needed to leave this spot quickly. But the knight trailed after me like a shadow.

“Why are you following me?”

“Well, I am your loyal shadow, Madam.”

Shadow?

Then I remembered: in the novel, Ellen had one knight referred to as her “shadow.”

And I also recalled his fate.

When Ellen, having incurred King Marlboro’s wrath, was dragged to the execution grounds, he died by Philip’s sword after a futile attempt to resist.

His name had been mentioned once at the start, but afterward, he was always just called “Ellen’s shadow.”

‘Such is the life of an extra… His name was Sir Mild, right?’

I wanted to welcome this ally—but since I had to act like Ellen, I spoke coldly and haughtily.

“I wish to be alone.”

He stepped back one pace, as if accustomed to this.

I resumed my leisurely stroll through the rose garden, mulling over Ellen’s life.

‘Ellen was executed after tormenting her son and daughter-in-law, wasn’t she?’

The decisive trigger was when Ellen sent Laila a dress as a gift to congratulate her pregnancy.

To anyone, it seemed a kind gesture—and Laila believed her mother-in-law had truly changed.

Her husband Marlboro had become king, and she herself had become queen.

Meanwhile, Ellen had been divorced by Philip, and her own family had been wiped out in a war with a neighboring country.

In other words, Ellen had absolutely no power left at that point.

Thus, Laila interpreted Ellen’s gift as a plea to forget the past and treat her kindly.

That part was fine—

Until it was revealed that the dye used to make the dress came from the blood of a cursed venomous snake.

Because of this, Laila suffered a severe mental shock, fell gravely ill, and even lost the child in her womb.

Needless to say, King Marlboro was utterly enraged.

‘And the result was being forced to wear a mermaid dress made of iron, heated until red-hot.’

Back then, I’d giggled at the villainess’s fitting end—but now, reconsidering, it was a serious crisis.

I opened my eyes to the same ceiling I’d seen yesterday.

Letting out a deep sigh, I rose from the plush bed.

“Uuuugh, my back.”

A groan slipped out involuntarily.

No matter how luxurious the bed, lying in it all week naturally left my back stiff and sore.

Anyway.

Though I’d resolved to observe things for a few days, I’d mostly done just two things during that time.

First, I kept sleeping.

Since I’d woken up possessed after sleeping, I thought repeating the method might return me to my original self.

But that never happened.

The other thing was tormenting the maids.

I vented my frustration, picked fights, and interrogated the maids who came to wake me—extracting information I needed.

Specifically, details about my origins and assets—things never mentioned in the novel.

I disliked forcing and harassing them, but it was the quickest way to get answers, so I had no choice.

Yet every time I did this, the maids were moved to tears.

They claimed I was treating them better than before?

“Huuu……”

Unable to suppress the sigh that rose naturally, I leaned against the door—when, as usual, I heard the maids chatting softly outside.

“Today, she actually said to me, ‘Hmph! Good work.’”

“Oh my! She told me, ‘You’re unpleasant to look at—go eat your lunch quickly.’”

“Lately, Madam seems to be growing warmer.”

“Maybe married life was hard for her?”

“That must be it. Ever since she stamped the divorce papers, she’s seemed so relieved!”

“Shh! You shouldn’t say things like that!”

Their gossip, which had crossed a line, quickly quieted under one maid’s reprimand.

In short, though outwardly cold, Madam had grown kinder inside—and no longer resorted to physical violence as before.

I flopped down onto the carpet.

No matter how hard I tried, being a villainess was truly difficult.

The villainess of “Laila’s Crown,” Countess Morris.

Her birth family was the Dukedom of Bourbon Kingdom, and her maiden name was ‘Ellen Bourbon Renoir.’

The Ellen I knew had lived a life defined by envy, jealousy, and obsession—and met a gruesome execution.

‘So… am I headed for execution too?’

It was a genuinely serious future.

Divorce was fine—I could accept that—but I didn’t want to die.

Quietly calculating, I realized the execution would happen in about three years.

‘What if I act differently from the novel and change the future? Since the punishment came from tormenting the protagonists, doing the opposite might let me survive, right?’

That made sense. After all, they wouldn’t sentence someone to death out of nowhere with no provocation.

Besides, Marlboro and Laila were benevolent rulers.

‘If I stay out of their way, why would they care about me?’

It felt like the villainess’s death flag had been easily resolved.

And I finally understood what Philip meant by “the children.” He was referring to his adopted son Marlboro and daughter-in-law Laila.

At sixteen, the two had bonded over the shared humiliation and sorrow inflicted by Ellen—and soon, love blossomed between them.

“Hmm… They’re returning from their honeymoon this afternoon, so I should try to win their favor.”

Of course, they’d likely feel uneasy around me at first—especially Laila.

After all, she already found it hard enough dealing with the Countess; now she’d have to face her as a mother-in-law.

‘But if this world gradually becomes easier to live in?’

They’re still young and kind-hearted—they’ll soften toward me. And then, perhaps, they’ll forgive me.

“Alright, I’ll adopt a sunshine policy.”

I’ll be kind, no matter what. Until when?

At least until I’m no longer hated.

Having made up my mind, I now examined the finalized divorce documents Philip had sent through Head Butler Domingo.

The papers contained a blank space where I could choose either “Finalize Divorce” or “Cancel Divorce.”