My Husband Was Stolen Twice (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9

In the original story, the female lead and Grand Duke Arteum never even brushed a single hair against each other… Yet not only did they meet at the auction house, but now he’s inviting her to a banquet as well?

Roje was bewildered. Especially since the invitation was addressed not to “Count Wens” but to her, “Countess Wens.”

The Duke had absolutely no reason left to see her. He had glared wide-eyed at Roje and declared, “If that’s genuine, I won’t let it slide,” but after all, Luna’s tears had ultimately been proven fake.

In the original story, Eric had sent them as a gift to the Empress before they were exposed as fakes—and this time, too, some noble had apparently sent them to the Empress and they’d been revealed as fakes again.

Therefore, Roje had firmly believed she would never meet Grand Duke Arteum—until she received this invitation.

‘…What should I do?’

Roje was deeply troubled. Etiquette dictated that she attend since she’d been personally invited by the Duke, yet a thought flickered through her mind: since the Duke was going to die soon anyway, maybe there was no real need to go.

‘Ah… What am I even thinking? However fictional this character may be, to think such a thing about someone who’s about to die…’

Roje immediately shook her head, scolding herself for that thought.

“I suppose I have to go.”

Roje sighed quietly, her face clouded with gloom. But she quickly tried to think positively.

After all, this could be a good chance to dip her toes into high society and get a feel for the atmosphere.

While Roje was lost in thought about the Duke, Doana was rummaging through Roje’s wardrobe and jewelry box as if they were her own.

She fondled the hem of one of Roje’s dresses, her eyes gleaming with greed.

‘Once I become Countess, I’ll have this whole wardrobe filled with brand-new dresses.’

Without even asking Roje, Doana pulled out a dazzling red gown and held it up against herself.

“Of course… it suits me far better.”

She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and gave a faint, satisfied smirk. After hanging the dress back on the rack, Doana reached for the jewelry box.

She’d assumed that as a Countess, Roje would possess many beautiful jewels—but upon opening the box, Doana tilted her head in confusion.

“What? There’s barely anything here?”

Inside the box were only a diamond-encrusted necklace, matching earrings, and a tiara.

Doana placed the tiara on her head and smiled contentedly.

‘Yes, this is exactly who I am. No more getting tangled up with some pathetic nobody.’

Ever since marrying Lee Do Hyun, she’d always been short on “money.” Though he came from a large corporation, Lee Do Hyun—raised in an ordinary household—could never satisfy her. He occasionally bought her designer handbags, but that was never enough.

Her routine had always included overseas trips every quarter and dressing head-to-toe in luxury brands—after all, she’d been born with a silver spoon in her mouth.

As Doana rummaged through the box searching for more, her eyes widened at an unexpected item she found in a drawer.

“Baby shoes?”

What she pulled out was a tiny pair of infant shoes. They were pristine, clearly well-kept—and showed no signs of ever having been worn.

“Hmm, why keep something so useless? Especially since she miscarried anyway.”

Doana tossed the baby shoes back into the box, her words utterly lacking in empathy.

Gazing at the shoes, Doana suddenly remembered her own child, whom she’d nearly forgotten.

While others claimed they adored their children to death, she’d never felt any maternal love.

Taking care of her figure mattered more than tending to her baby, and getting enough sleep for her skin was far more important.

Whenever the child cried or fussed, she’d think she shouldn’t have given birth at all—such was her complete absence of affection. Briefly recalling her child, Doana adjusted her hair in the mirror and muttered,

“Well, here they’ll have a nanny raise the child anyway, so I won’t need to worry about it.”

Her words and actions showed no trace of motherly love or maternal instinct whatsoever.

Having finally decided to accept the Duke’s invitation, Roje suddenly realized that Doana had been unusually quiet.

Normally, she’d be chattering away beside her, prying into everything.

Wondering what Doana could possibly be doing, Roje looked over—and saw her silently rummaging through her jewelry box, even wearing Roje’s tiara on her head.

Roje walked toward Doana with sharp, clicking steps.

“What are you doing?”

“Just looking around. This is really pretty. Doesn’t it suit me well?”

Even upon seeing Roje, Doana didn’t flinch—instead, she pointed to the tiara on her head and smiled.

It was probably the gift Eric had given Roje.

The first and only gift the novel’s heroine, Roje, had ever received from him. Roje remembered reading how dearly Roje had cherished it.

“You can’t wear this.”

Roje gently pulled the tiara off Doana’s head and gave a playful smile.

“Maybe it’s because you treasure it so much—it’s the wedding gift Eric gave you. Now even I feel oddly attached to it.”

In truth, Roje didn’t care at all whether it was the tiara or any other jewel Eric had given. But if she carelessly surrendered the position of Countess without showing any reluctance, someone with Doana’s personality might surely grow suspicious of her.

Doana always coveted what others held dear—that’s exactly why she’d married Lee Do Hyun, someone far beneath her standards. To her, other people’s possessions always seemed bigger and better.

“Oh, it was a wedding gift?”

“Yeah. It’s the first and last gift a Count ever gives to his Countess.”

“Oh my, first and last?”

Doana’s eyes widened in feigned surprise at Roje’s words. She fiddled with her ear as she thought.

‘I’ve already received three.’

She struggled to hide the smug twitch of her lips. She herself had gotten three in less than a month, yet the Countess had received only this one in over three years.

“How… unfortunate. My boyfriend’s already given me several.”

Doana pretended to console her while subtly bragging about her own gifts. With a falsely sympathetic gaze, she suddenly grabbed Roje’s hand.

“Should I say something to the Count? He might listen if I ask him.”

“…My husband?”

As Roje’s voice trailed off uncertainly, Doana widened her eyes innocently and waved her hand.

“Oh, don’t misunderstand! I’m the Count’s personal maid, after all—I spend every day with him. I’m with him far more than you are.”

Doana subtly hinted at her closeness with the Count and smiled sweetly at Roje.

“The Count is such a kind person. He’s so gentle—I can’t even imagine how wonderfully he must treat you, his wife.”

‘Even after seeing with her own eyes how coldly the Count behaves, she still says things like this. She’s truly mastered the art of getting under people’s skin.’

Fortunately, since Roje didn’t care for the Count, his words didn’t sting—but she made sure to let her face fall into a pout.

After all, a little acting like this was necessary for the bigger picture. Wearing a bitter expression, Roje quickly excused herself.

“…I forgot something in the study. I’ll go ahead.”

To Doana’s eyes, Roje probably looked like someone wounded in the heart, fleeing to hide her pain.

The moment Roje stepped out of her room, her expression turned icy cold—so drastically that anyone watching might suspect she had a split personality.

As she walked slowly down the hallway, Roje glanced at a large clock hanging on the wall and murmured to herself.

“Still some time until dinner.”

Eric, seemingly because his lover was staying at the mansion, wasn’t going out as much as before. If there was anything Roje disliked, it was having to share meals face-to-face with him more often.

Wondering how to spend the remaining time, Roje turned her steps toward the study. She’d never really been there outside of lessons, but it seemed like a good place to pass the time.

When Roje opened the study door and stepped inside, she tilted her head in confusion.

“Huh?”

Papers were scattered untidily across the desk. Assuming they probably belonged to Count Wens, Roje shifted her gaze from the desk to the bookshelves.

Just then, a gentle breeze drifted in through the open window. The papers on the desk instantly fluttered into the air and began falling to the floor.

It must have been because someone forgot to close that window. Roje stared blankly at the documents at her feet, then slowly bent down to pick them up.

She hadn’t intended to read them—but her eyes involuntarily turned toward a familiar name on one of the pages.

“T-this is…!”

Roje’s hands trembled violently as she held the document.

“Grand Duke Arteum’s… execution?”

W-what have I just seen?

Roje’s mind went completely blank. The document clearly showed deliberations on how to deal with Grand Duke Arteum.

Not only was there a plan to kill the Duke in a seemingly reasonable manner, but it also suggested their involvement in the deaths of the Former Emperor and Late Empress.

[If he dies slowly of illness as the Former Emperor did, many may suspect poison. After all, if the Former Emperor, Late Empress, and now the Duke all die one after another in the same way, suspicion will be unavoidable. If we can tarnish Grand Duke Arteum’s reputation through this incident, no one will object to his execution.]

Roje pressed a hand to her mouth in shock, unable to utter a word. The document she held contained no detailed plans.

Dazed, Roje quickly began gathering the scattered papers from the floor.

‘I need to… figure out exactly what’s going on.’

Even from these fragments, it was clear: they had murdered the innocent Former Emperor and Late Empress—and now intended to kill their son, the Duke, as well.

Perhaps because she’d already read how Grand Duke Arteum would meet an unspeakably horrific and cruel death, Roje couldn’t help but feel deeply disturbed about his fate—even though they’d only exchanged a single glance.

Her hands trembled as she collected the fallen papers. Biting hard on her lower lip, she barely managed to whisper,

“Why… are there so many documents?”

Under normal circumstances, she would have picked them up quickly—but staying calm in such a dizzying situation was incredibly difficult.

After a long while, Roje finally gathered all the papers. She laid them on the desk and let out a heavy sigh.

They were completely out of order, making it impossible to tell which document to read first. Roje picked up a sheet, lost in thought.

Just then—

Bang.

Someone flung open the study door and walked in.