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His expression of Peidan also twisted.
Leticia bringing Idris was a development different from his expectations.
While Peidan was frozen in an unexpected situation.
Leticia, escorted by Idris, stepped out of the carriage and greeted him naturally.
"It's been a while since we've faced each other properly, Peidan."
"What are you doing now? Why the Grand Duke―"
"Ah, this one was worried and didn't want to send me alone. So I had no choice but to come together."
Leticia hooked her arm around Idris's arm as if to show off and smiled.
"It may be small compared to the Grand Duke's family, but you still have enough teacups to serve two guests, right?"
Peidan, who was looking at the two, had an expression as if he was about to collapse grabbing his neck.
Unaware that he now resembled Leticia when he once brought Elise to the mansion.
Peidan and the servants were frozen in an atmosphere of imminent crisis, but Idris broke the silence.
"The Duke's expression looks troubled. Could it be that the Duke's family doesn't have teacups for guests?"
Cold sweat ran down the backs of the servants watching the situation.
'Surely, His Excellency won't bump into the Grand Duke...'
The opponent is none other than the Grand Duke.
And also a war hero.
It means that he cannot be matched in terms of power or force.
But sometimes, people rush in with a fit of emotion even when they know they are going to lose.
Fortunately, however, Peidan did not reveal that emotion.
"...Come inside."
He gnashed his teeth, though.
Peidan arrived at the reception room with the two.
As they sat in the prepared seats, Idris's hand, fiddling with Leticia's hand, caught his eye.
Peidan's face crumpled unmistakably at the sight.
'Has he forgotten that I'm still Leticia's husband?'
Otherwise, how could he be so brazen in his display of affection in front of him?
While desperately suppressing his twisting stomach, Idris, noticing the gaze, exclaimed with a sly sigh and opened his mouth.
"Ah, I have some separation anxiety. If I don't hold hands like this, I might freak out again."
"..."
"The Duke would understand, right? I can't blow up the Duke's residence."
Idris acted slyly, mentioning the incident in the Empress's Palace before Deon's mother, the Grand Empress Dowager, died.
In the midst of the sharply conflicting atmosphere between the leisurely Idris and the chilly Peidan.
A maid, who had quietly entered, quickly placed tea in front of the three and left the reception room as if fleeing.
Thanks to that, Peidan, who had barely calmed his seething stomach, turned his gaze away from Idris and Leticia's holding hands and immediately got to the point.
"So, when I asked to meet, you didn't reply even once. What is it that you have to say by coming all the way here?"
"Ah, it's nothing special. It's already over, but I thought it would be better to talk about these things face to face."
Leticia said so and picked up the teacup.
Then, Idris, who was watching from the side, said in a worried voice.
"It looks like it hasn't cooled down enough yet."
"It's okay, this is fine."
Peidan was dumbfounded by the sight of Idris and Leticia acting as if they were the only ones in the room.
To the point where he wondered if they had come simply to annoy him.
Fortunately, Leticia put down the teacup and opened her mouth just before Peidan overturned the table.
"Now that the founding festival is over and everyone knows about our relationship, how about we settle things for sure?"
"...You're bringing your lover right in front of me, who is still your husband, to talk about that?"
"Isn't it a bit funny for you to say that, when you brought your mistress into the house where I, your wife, live?"
"That's...!"
"Well, thanks to you, I met this person, so I'm very grateful now."
Leticia made eye contact with Idris and smiled brightly.
Peidan frowned at that, and Leticia took something out of her bag and placed it in front of Peidan.
"Here, sign."
Divorce settlement documents.
Leticia's name was already signed next to it, and only Peidan's name was blank.
If only Peidan signed, these documents would be delivered to the Emperor, and the divorce would proceed without much trouble.
'Divorce settlement documents...? That Leticia?'
Leticia, who was always on his side, who could never let him go even if he took his eyes off her for a moment, handed him divorce settlement documents.
So, she has truly declared the end of this relationship to him.
Peidan's eyes rolled over as he realized Leticia's sincerity.
His hands trembled as he repeatedly checked the documents.
Then...
"Divorce? Ha! Why would I give you a divorce for anyone's sake?"
With a rough gesture, the scraps of paper were torn off.
"I can't stand the sight of you ruining someone else's family and laughing and joking!"
Peidan, with his eyes red, glared at Leticia as if to kill her.
Leticia watched the scene without any particular surprise, then turned her gaze to the door of the reception room.
The door that the maid had clearly closed was slightly open.
Leticia smirked and said.
"Elise's belly will be full soon, so wouldn't it be bad for the pregnant woman to have a muddy fight?"
"That's none of your business. Worry about your own reputation for sleeping with another man without even clearing up your family register!"
Peidan, who was ranting and pointing his finger, instinctively flinched when he met Idris's cold eyes, and eventually got up from his seat first.
However, as Peidan headed for the reception room door, leaving his guests behind, Leticia's voice was heard.
"Peidan."
Peidan ignored Leticia's call and grabbed the doorknob of the reception room.
Leticia's voice continued behind his back.
"You'll regret it if you go out like this."
"..."
"I clearly gave you a chance to protect your honor."
Leticia's voice was meaningful, but Peidan scoffed.
'Regret? You'll regret it.'
Then, without a moment's hesitation, he left the reception room.
As soon as the carriage left the Duke's residence, Idris asked me.
"So what are you planning to do from now on? You wouldn't have gone there just to scratch that guy's nerves."
"Did you notice my intentions?"
"Only half."
"You matched my act well considering you only noticed half of it."
"It's also a partner's quality to read the intentions by guessing."
I burst into laughter at Idris's proud smile.
'It's so refreshing.'
Thanks to him quickly matching my rhythm, I was able to scratch Peidan's insides very well.
"Anyway, what are your plans for the future?"
The reason I specifically met Peidan and talked about divorce was not to keep the last courtesy as I said.
'If I was going to say that it would be nice if we divorced well, or not... I wouldn't have gone to find him.'
From the beginning, I didn't think he would accept the divorce with that personality.
'My real purpose is...'
I recalled the slightly open reception room door.
And the pink hair that was subtly reflected through the crack in the door.
'She probably couldn't stand being curious about what we were talking about.'
I, who noticed that Elise was eavesdropping through the crack in the door, deliberately mentioned the pregnancy.
To stimulate her.
"Elise's pregnancy is actually a lie."
Idris narrowed his eyebrows at the unexpected story.
"...Did she lie to hold on to the Duke?"
"That's right. But that lie, which secured her position, will now be getting difficult."
If she's pregnant, her belly should get bigger, but Elise's belly won't get bigger.
"She'll have to find a way to deal with it by now so that the lie isn't discovered."
I nodded.
"I have a rough idea of what that measure is. I'm going to follow her and get evidence."
No, in fact, I know exactly, not roughly.
'Before the regression, Elise would have been looking for poison around this time.'
The poison to stage a self-inflicted play that I was trying to poison herself and the baby in her womb.
'In my previous life, that medicine framed me... This life is different.'
This time, that poison would be the evidence to expose Elise's fake pregnancy.
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