“What?”

Esika raised the corners of her mouth.

Yuri, who knows nothing, believes that the glory of Klaus will last forever.

“What are you saying? Ha… you, you’re a devil. I’ve written a letter to Her Majesty the Empress, and soon His Grace the Duke will know that you’re a wretched woman. You’re trying to ruin Klaus…”

That’s why she must be carrying Callian’s child in her womb.

When she found out she was pregnant, she must have believed she could immediately push Esika aside and stand by Callian’s side.

But if she realizes that the card she so desperately clung to was the worst hand from the start…

What expression will Yuri make?

“I have a pregnancy gift for you.”

“…What? A pregnancy gift?”

The tip of Yuri’s eyebrow twitched.

It was amusing to see her showing curiosity at the mention of a pregnancy gift while revealing hostility.

Esika crossed her legs and said.

“It’s probably what you’ve wanted from me the most.”

“No way…”

Yuri thought. If it’s what she wanted most from Esika, there could only be one thing.

What else could it be but divorce papers?

Could it be that she’s giving me divorce papers?

“…”

Esika nodded as she watched Yuri’s shocked expression.

Yuri’s face lit up.

Blood was flowing through her cold body and her heart was beating.

Afraid that her mind might change, Yuri made her voice as soft as possible.

“Esika, you’ve thought well. I too would choose to return to my family and live freely rather than living as the wife of a duke in name only, unloved by anyone.”

If Esika divorces Callian, there could be nothing better for Yuri, who is pregnant with his child.

Surely the vacant position of duchess would be hers.

“I sincerely apologize for the terrible things I’ve done to you all this time. But I love him so much… No, Esika. Thank you, thank you so much.”

She had come around to take her place, but in the end, she achieves it like this.

Esika let out a snicker as she watched Yuri’s eyes sparkle with triumph and happiness.

And she said to Yuri.

“Come to my room tomorrow. I’ll have it prepared.”

Ever since she learned that there was a fetus in her body after returning from the office, Esika had been contemplating how to end the story with Yuri Anesis.

Lies, deception, and betrayal.

Compared to what she had received from her over the years, she should return it in a way that wouldn’t disappoint.

**

Not long after Yuri left, the duke’s mansion was turned upside down.

It was because of a newspaper article.

“Well, let’s see.”

The truth that Hans had discovered was quite interesting.

Esika was leisurely sitting on the balcony of her room, flipping through the fresh morning edition of the ‘Weekly Torres’ newspaper.

The mansion’s scenery was very quiet and the sunlight was warm.

Riona Klaus (formerly Riona Izabellea), the dazzling flower that captured the heart of the previous Duke of Klaus

The Duchess, known to be from the Izabellea royal family of the fallen kingdom of Smichen.

However, there is no name Riona in the Izabellea royal family’s registry hidden in the imperial archives, and the family tree of the Smichen kingdom that she showed to invited ladies was revealed to be a forgery obtained through dark channels in the black market.

All these facts were learned through an interview with Balon Cronem, who claims to be her cousin.

It’s true that the hometown of the Duchess of Klaus, Riona Izabellea, no, Riona Cronem, is Smichen.

But she was neither royalty nor nobility; her father was a textile worker who made sailcloth and her mother was a housewife who picked and sold mountain berries.

The Duchess had a brother named Bant, ten years her senior, who was a drunkard, and his notoriety caused headaches for her family.

Balon Cronem shook his head as he recalled those days.

Eventually, she wrote her troublemaking brother’s name on the volunteer list and sacrificed him in Smichen’s last war, and even sent her own parents to a labor camp by framing them.

Thus, at the age of seventeen, after selling her parents’ remaining assets to adorn herself beautifully, she is said to have claimed to be Smichen royalty.

This fraud is said to have been associated with Jerome Darius, once a notorious con artist in Smichen’s underworld.

In any case, Balon Cronem said that approaching Duke Klaus must have also been planned.

Now that all the truth has been revealed, what becomes of Klaus’s honor?]

When Riona once spat out a low curse in a rough voice, she had practically shown her tail to Esika.

‘Certainly, it wasn’t a tone befitting royalty.’

Those from the slums still smelled of the slums even when their faces were washed clean.

Esika smiled faintly as she folded the newspaper.

The birthday party she had recently held for Riona was very grand.

So much so that all the nobles who attended were talking about it.

The gamachu was a device Esika had prepared for Riona.

Only the royalty of that place had the experience of cutting gamachu in an arch shape.

So Riona, who wasn’t royalty, couldn’t cut it.

It required skill, and if she had put a knife to it, it would have easily collapsed.

Riona was smart.

So instead of collapsing the cake, she gave a reason that wasn’t even funny, and it must have left quite an impression on the nobles.

Perhaps it was even a somewhat touching scene.

But even that was part of Esika’s plan.

Now that it’s been revealed that she’s not Smichen royalty.

‘Everyone must be shocked.’

About the fact that her blatant lie had continued until just yesterday.

“As you said, I used to eat gamachu in the Smichen palace when I was young. But my homeland is already gone, and the memories tied to gamachu have also… disappeared into memories.”

Everyone heard what Riona said.

“My homeland is no longer Smichen, but Klaus. I’m no longer Smichen royalty, but a noble of Turecian.”

Now everyone must be talking about her.

They will mock her even more dramatically, mentioning what she said yesterday to hide the fact that she wasn’t Smichen royalty.

Moreover, now that her origin has been publicized, the puzzle of Klaus’s recent scandal fits perfectly.

‘They’ll think Riona Klaus was originally a vulgar woman.’

The narrative of this shocking commoner family goes like this.

An incompetent duke who can’t control his own household, and a kind duchess.

A mistress who had an affair with the duke and got pregnant.

And this will be linked to what happened in the Klaus family decades ago.

Riona had driven out the duke’s original wife at that time. It is said that she ran out with her children, pale-faced, and never returned to the duke’s mansion.

The narrative of a vulgar mistress coveting the position of the original wife continues across generations.

This original sin all lies with Riona Klaus.

And if we go a little further…

‘Callian Klaus is not the rightful heir to the Klaus duchy.’

Such scandals eat away at Callian’s roots.

Riona Klaus, a woman whose everything was a lie.

The honor of Callian, the child born to that woman, is also tarnished along with her.

Knock knock knock−

There was a sound of knocking from outside.

Esika stretched and then burned the newspaper with force in her hand.

There would be no need to read it again anyway.

It’s not customary to review a match already won.

“Duchess, the Duke…”

Before the maid could finish speaking, Callian opened the door and entered.

The area under Callian’s eyes was dark, and his face was extremely haggard.

He approached and stood in front of Esika.

“Esika…”

Callian’s dry lips moved.

There was anguish in his eyes as he looked at her.

“Yesterday… I heard I collapsed from drinking too much.”

“Is that so? I remember supporting Your Grace, but I had quite a bit to drink myself, so it’s a bit hazy.”

There was doubt in Callian’s eyes as he looked at Esika.

He had a nightmare about her yesterday.

Her blue eyes were burning as if possessed by a devil.

And she had spewed cruel words at him like a monster.

But that was only for a moment; there was something more important to confirm than that mirage.

“…Today…”

Callian said with a heavy gaze at Esika.

“A false article was published in the newspaper.”

“Ah… I heard about that too. An article about your mother’s birth.”

Esika just stared straight at Callian with a faint smile.

As if she felt no distressing emotions at all.

Callian found her unfamiliar and unpleasant, but he felt like his chest was burning.

Esika… where is the real wife Esika?

The innocent Esika who knew no malice that existed sometime ago.

He felt like grabbing her shoulders and shouting for her to be returned immediately.

“Could it be your doing?”

He thought, no, surely not.

But Callian remembered Riona’s flustered expression when she saw the gamachu cake.

At that time, he had brushed it off with his mother’s words, but if Esika, who had prepared the cake, already knew that his mother wasn’t a Smichen princess.

If that’s why she prepared such a cake.

“Please, Esika, tell me it’s not true.”

Suppressing the urge to grab and shake her shoulders, Callian asked her.

Esika just stared at him blankly.

Callian hoped she would deny it.

“…”

But a cold smile settled on Esika’s lips.

Callian’s heart sank.