Wishing My Husband Dead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
“Where do you get off raising your voice like that? How utterly uncultured. Then again, what could one expect from someone raised in that household?”
“Why do you, Madam, have a letter addressed to me?”
“Is that really what matters right now? There’s been a thief in the house! Hah—I finally understand why Archduke Vasquez sent you here as an Abrams.”
Arnold chimed in with a sneer, backing Helena’s words.
Baron Lancaster was the only one present who remained silent. Caught off guard by the sudden shift in atmosphere, he gave a low cough and cautiously assessed the situation.
Cordelia struggled to steady her ragged breathing before speaking.
“A thief? You must be mistaken. I had no such intention whatsoever.”
“No? Then how do you explain this letter? It clearly states here that you demanded one hundred thousand ringkits be sent to Vasquez!”
“We must expel her from the castle at once! Who knows what else she might do, Mother?”
Helena waved the letter and shouted. Lily seized the moment, insisting Cordelia be thrown out immediately.
The relentless stream of insults ignited Cordelia’s fury. She wanted nothing more than to leap up and shout at them to stop spouting nonsense.
She had bitten her lip so hard she could taste blood. Her clenched fists left deep nail marks in her palms. Even her throat burned with a stinging sensation.
“Madam, please calm yourself. Let us at least hear what the Countess has to say.”
“Oh, Baron Lancaster—I’d nearly forgotten you were here.”
The Baron, who had remained quietly reserved until now, spoke gently. Helena only then seemed to notice his presence, reacting with exaggerated fluster.
“Ahem! To think such an unpleasant incident would occur during a meal shared with the Baron after so long.”
“It must surely be her doing—manipulating Craig behind the scenes to believe those absurd rumors about Mother.”
“Now that this letter has been discovered, there’s no room left for excuses.”
“Excuses? Hmph. She should count herself lucky she wasn’t thrown out naked on the spot. Oh, my head—how did we ever let someone like this into our household?”
Helena spat venomously, then suddenly pressed the back of her hand dramatically to her forehead. Arnold clicked his tongue and shook his head. A blatant smirk curled Lily’s lips.
Under this torrent of humiliation, Cordelia reflexively repeated to herself, “Patience, patience,” clinging to restraint.
Then suddenly, a thought struck her.
“Why should I even have to endure this?”
The moment she realized it, the boiling rage in her head and chest instantly cooled.
“May I take a look at that letter?”
“Oh, certainly! Baron, you should examine it too. Once you read it, you’ll see just how shameless this mother and daughter truly are.”
“Hmm. I’m not so sure. It’s difficult to hastily suspect the Countess based on just this one letter. It’s merely a request—hardly proof that any money was actually sent, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Good heavens! Where could there possibly be clearer evidence than this? The way she so casually demands money suggests she’s done this very thing multiple times before!”
Baron Lancaster handed the letter back to Helena. Lily, brimming with excitement, snapped at him.
Yet the Baron remained composed throughout.
“Let us at least hear the Countess’s side of the story.”
“It’s obvious what she’ll say! Isn’t that right, Mother?”
“Rather than arguing, let’s summon the castle’s financial officer immediately to verify. If Lily is correct and this is the first time I’ve caught her, who knows how many times she’s stolen before?”
At that moment, a bolt of lightning struck Cordelia’s mind. Every mystery unraveled in an instant.
‘Helena is afraid of me.’
Normally, Helena wouldn’t give Cordelia a second thought—but her unusually sharp hostility, and the deliberate invitation of Baron Lancaster, whose influence in the family was considerable, made the motive crystal clear.
She was desperately trying to rebalance the scales of power, which had begun slipping from her grasp.
Cordelia found the situation utterly delightful—so much so that a laugh nearly escaped her lips.
She realized at last that she no longer needed to cower, bow low, or beg for their mercy.
“That’s an excellent idea, Madam.”
All eyes turned sharply to Cordelia.
She drew the razor-sharp blade she’d spent years honing.
“What did you just say?”
“Let us summon the castle’s financial officer at once.”
“Oh? Planning to confess, are you?”
Lily sneered and took a sip of the wine beside her.
“Confess? That’s not a bad idea. Why don’t you go first, Lily? If you confess, I might spare you from being banished.”
“What? What on earth would I confess to? Are you mad?”
“Oh, you have plenty to confess. Don’t you remember? Before your wedding, you secretly looted the Abrams storehouse without Count Dain’s knowledge and took a hefty share for yourself.”
“You… What nonsense are you spouting?”
Lily’s face turned ashen, then instantly returned to normal.
It was worth memorizing Leonard’s report word for word.
“Shall I list what you stole from the Abrams vault? You secretly took five paintings by Dechamp and twelve sculptures by Le Midi and sold them to a fence. Shall we call the financial officer to jog your memory?”
“Don’t lie! Do you even have proof? Do you?”
“When accused like that, the proper response is ‘I know nothing of this,’ Lily.”
“I—! I—!”
Lily’s face flushed crimson, and she shot up from her seat, unable to contain her anger. In her hand was the wine goblet, still half-full.
Her threatening gesture—ready to pour it over Cordelia’s head—was abruptly stopped by an unexpected figure.
“You seemed unsteady. Are you quite all right?”
“…Let go of me, Baron Lancaster.”
The Baron murmured, “My apologies,” and released her arm. Lily glared at him fiercely.
Beneath the table, Cordelia scratched the back of her hand. In truth, not just her hand—her whole body itched unbearably. Her throat had been stinging as if bitten by ants since earlier, but she suppressed it stubbornly.
“Seems you’ve picked up another wild rumor from somewhere.”
“Ah, yes—you’re here too, Viscount Dylan. Of course, I’ll give you a chance to confess your sins as well.”
“What? Have you lost your—”
“You raped and beat two married female villagers under your domain and drove them out.”
Cordelia recited the crimes with a calm expression. Yet beneath that composed facade, her insides churned as if bitten by a snake.
She knew something felt wrong—but she couldn’t afford to falter here. She had to bring this to a decisive end.
“You’ve been spouting nothing but strange nonsense since you arrived. What’s wrong with your head?”
“One had red hair and a slightly upturned nose; the other had black hair, dark eyes, and a mole on her neck.”
“…!”
Arnold Dylan gasped sharply at the excruciating detail.
“Oh, what were their names again? Daisy and…?”
“Shut your mouth!”
Arnold barked desperately, unable to mask his agitation.
His reaction confirmed that Emily had gathered accurate information. A relaxed smile formed on Cordelia’s lips.
As the situation grew increasingly precarious, Helena bit her lip hard and breathed heavily through flared nostrils. Baron Lancaster watched Cordelia with keen, intrigued interest.
“Don’t distract from the main issue. We’re discussing the theft you committed.”
“Exactly, Madam. We were indeed talking about theft.”
Cordelia beamed brightly as she agreed with Helena.
“Craig may have let it slide that day, but your theft isn’t so easily overlooked. You received the Manhou mansion in exchange for handing Renald Asu the right to collect taxes.”
“Hmph. This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Is that so? It seems all three of you are suffering rather severe lapses in memory today.”
Cordelia pinched the back of her hand hard under the table. Her body itched so intensely she had no choice.
Ignoring the maddening sting in her throat, she recalled the contents of the report.
“What should I say to refresh your memory? Ah—shall I summon the mistresses you’ve hidden in that mansion as witnesses?”
“You… you…!”
Helena’s eyes widened to their absolute limit. Cordelia drove the nail in deeper.
“By the way, your taste remains remarkably consistent, Madam. Blondes with blue eyes—just like all the mistresses you’ve brought into the estate before, no?”
“How fascinating, Countess.”
At that moment, Baron Lancaster, who had been observing the scene, finally spoke.
“I assume, of course, that you have credible evidence for all these claims?”
“Naturally, Baron. Otherwise, how could I possibly bring these three before a court of law?”
At the word “trial,” everyone in the room held their breath.
For nobles, being subjected to a trial—no matter the reason—was a profound disgrace.
“Justice must be restored to the Abrams name. And of course, Craig deeply desires this as well.”
Besides, the evidence was more than sufficient.
Cordelia had already instructed servants, based on Leonard’s report, to gather more detailed proof.
She’d always believed that day would come—though she hadn’t expected it so soon.
“It’s I who will bring you to trial! With fabricated evidence like this, you think—?”
“Give me the letter.”
Cordelia held out her hand toward Helena, who trembled uncontrollably, unable to believe what was happening.
“Or shall we proceed with the trial? I don’t mind either way.”
Helena’s lips quivered. The tide had clearly turned. Everyone in the room knew it—even Arnold fell silent.
‘Itchy, itchy, itchy.’
Cordelia gritted her teeth. If she showed even the slightest sign of weakness now, Helena would pounce on her like a rabid dog.
The reason for her unbearable itching was obvious.
Peanuts.
She suffered from a severe allergy to all nuts—but especially peanuts.
As a child, she’d nearly died after eating one thoughtlessly, and had avoided them ever since.
Everyone in the castle, servants included, knew this—but the reason she’d ingested peanuts now was equally clear.
Just then, the dining room door burst open.
“Craig!”
Helena’s expression instantly brightened. She waved at him as if he were her savior.
“Come quickly! I was just about to tell you—this one has been secretly siphoning money from us behind our backs…”
“Why does your face look like that?”
Leonard didn’t even glance at Helena. He strode straight to Cordelia’s side.
“The letter.”
“What?”
“Madam has my letter.”
Cordelia felt as if her entire body were being devoured by ants. Yet her eyes never left Helena.
Under that searing gaze, Helena flinched—then handed the letter to Leonard instead.
“Y-yes! Craig, you must read this letter at once!”
“What’s so special about this letter?”
Leonard took the letter Helena offered, skimmed its contents, then carelessly tossed it onto the dining table.
“Send it.”
“What?”
“I said send it. Surely the Abrams coffers don’t lack a mere hundred thousand ringkits?”
“Are you insane…? Are you even sane? Why would we send money to Vasquez?”
“Craig, why are you acting this way? Why take her side?”
Stunned by his unexpected reply, Helena and Lily shrieked in outrage. Leonard, meanwhile, leaned back arrogantly and replied,
“What’s a paltry sum like that?”
“Paltry? Craig, you clearly don’t understand—hundred thousand ringkits is no small amount.”
“So what? Do you not have the money or do you?”
Leonard cast a leisurely glance around the room.
His demeanor was so irritating that even those on his side found him grating.
“Hah… Craig.”
Helena clenched her teeth and forced a smile by lifting the corners of her mouth.
“It’s not that we don’t have it—it’s that the money is needed for something important.”
“Important? Perfect. Your brother-in-law needs funds to attend the academy—surely that’s an important matter.”
“Craig!”
“Urgh…”
This was truly her limit. Her mental strength could no longer hold out. As her body visibly wobbled, Leonard quickly gripped her shoulder.
“What’s wrong? Seriously, are you ill?”
“Leave me be. But Craig—about sending money to Vasquez… No matter how I think about it…”
Helena frowned and rambled on self-importantly.
“Ghk…”
Cordelia took a deep breath—but no air seemed to enter her lungs.
In desperation, she grabbed Leonard’s sleeve. He visibly panicked and shouted to the nearby servants,
“What’s happening…? What are you standing around for! Stop dawdling and call the physician at once!”
“Pea…”
“What?”
She mustered all her strength to pull him closer and whispered into his ear,
“Pea… pea… nuts.”
“Peanuts? What about them?”
“Oh dear! Look at this mess. She must have carelessly eaten peanuts somewhere. That’s exactly why I told her to be more careful!”
Helena clicked her tongue, arms crossed, as she stared down at Cordelia.
Cordelia could feel Leonard roughly shaking her. He was shouting—but not a single word reached her ears.
Sadly, her memory ended right there.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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Fun chapter. The relationship between all of them is heartwarming.
Laughed out loud reading this, Lord Leonard is very jealous of the closeness of his own student and friend 😭
They are so cute together I can’t take it anymore <3 love the dynamic