Chapter 6
The words that reached Aveline’s ears as she was about to apologize were completely different from what she expected.
“He says his ugly conscience, which is too old, vulgar, dirty, and ugly, is screaming, and he wants to pretend this engagement never happened. The phrase ‘too old, vulgar, dirty, and ugly’ appears five times in this short letter. He starts every subject with it. He seems more objective than I’ve heard.”
“Viscount Berta wrote and sent that?”
When Aveline asked in disbelief, Count Herolds nodded, showing her the part where the words were written.
“Yes. It’s written right here. He says that he, being too old, vulgar, dirty, and ugly, will now retire to a countryside monastery to explore his inner beauty.”
“…A monastery?”
Suddenly?
A man who loved alcohol so much was going to enter a monastery where abstinence was the norm?
‘Could it be… Duke Ribes’ doing?’
Otherwise, Viscount Berta wouldn’t have crawled into a monastery on his own.
Looking to the side, she saw Ares wearing a strange expression, as if he had similar thoughts.
“Anyway, with my son saying this much, Duke Nor doesn’t seem to have much to say either. We’ve agreed to pretend the engagement never happened.”
At Count Herolds’ words, Aveline felt her legs weaken, even though she was already sitting down. As she was quietly rejoicing, unable to express her joy loudly, a palm approached from the side.
It was from Ares. Recognizing the meaning, Aveline slapped her palm against Ares’ in a high-five.
Although the issue had been resolved unexpectedly, it felt like she had achieved something as a team with her brother for the first time.
* * *
Returning to her room with a refreshed mind, Aveline lay in bed as soon as she washed up and continued her fangirling session.
“Since I was stressed today, I’m going to re-read the part where the ex-husband regrets and begs our sister.”
It was her favorite scene from the regret story she was currently into.
It was the best scene that provided immense catharsis to readers, where the ex-husband, who had been cold to the female lead in their political marriage, regrets and begs after she demands a divorce.
Although there were quite a few reactions hoping for the ex-husband to be forgiven because he begged so desperately, Aveline felt no sympathy for him due to his spectacular trash behavior.
“You should have treated our sister well when you had the chance. Now suffer the consequences you’ve built up. Our sister is off to find a new male lead.”
Fortunately, the female lead in the novel started a new life meeting a younger and more handsome male lead, as if compensating for her past wounds.
“Yawn… Sister, may you only walk on flowery paths…”
Aveline tried to keep her eyes open to finish reading her desired scene, but unable to resist the overwhelming drowsiness, she closed her eyes.
* * *
“My lady, please reconsider one more time.”
‘What’s this voice?’
Startled by the sudden unfamiliar voice, Aveline looked around. The place where Aveline opened her eyes was not her room, but an unfamiliar place.
Moreover, at Aveline’s feet, a handsome man was kneeling and pleading.
‘What’s going on here? I was definitely in my room, but where is this and who is this person?’
No matter how many times she looked around, this wasn’t Aveline’s room.
Unlike Aveline’s simply decorated room, this room was filled with all kinds of luxurious furniture.
“My lady, please…”
The most incomprehensible thing was the presence of the handsome man kneeling at Aveline’s feet.
“I’m sorry, but… who are you?”
It was a sincere, pure question from Aveline.
But the other party seemed shocked by Aveline’s words, his golden eyes trembling uncontrollably.
‘Damn. Why does my voice sound like this?’
Aveline’s eyes were trembling just as much. This wasn’t her voice.
How should she put it? It was a much more mature and calm voice than usual. It would be more accurate to say it sounded more adult than the current Aveline.
Moreover, she was confused about how to interpret this situation of being in an unfamiliar place with a strange handsome man at her feet.
“You’re pretending not to know me because you hate me.”
The handsome man’s voice, with his deep ash-gray hair and splendid golden eyes, lowered.
“Eve, no matter how you act, I have no intention of divorcing you.”
A rather ominous voice flowed from the handsome man’s lips. For a moment, his golden eyes seemed to flash dangerously.
‘Wait. Divorce? Eve?’
Aveline suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu at the familiar name. On a hunch, she called out the man’s name.
“Sisyphus…?”
“Yes, my lady.”
An immediate answer came, confirming the man’s name. Realizing the situation, Aveline felt the blood in her entire body run cold.
‘Wow. This is the book I was just reading.’
She felt like her head was spinning. No, her vision was actually spinning.
‘Is this a dream?’
Just in case, she pinched the back of her hand hard.
“Hmm?”
No matter how hard she pinched, she felt no pain. The result was the same even when she alternated between pinching and slapping both hands.
The handsome man’s eyes wavered slightly as he watched Aveline slapping her own hands, causing her to quietly stop what she was doing.
‘It’s a dream.’
It was clearly a dream, given that she felt no pain even though the back of her hand had turned red.
‘This is great.’
A dream about her favorite novel. And such a vivid one at that!
Satisfied, Aveline now properly took in the man before her eyes. Earlier, she had just thought he was handsome, but examining him closely now, he was exactly as described in the book.
‘Why didn’t I recognize him?’
The color of his hair, his eyes, and even the tear mole next to his right eye were exactly as in the novel.
‘Then am I Eve right now?’
Eve was the female protagonist in the novel, described as the most beautiful woman in the empire with jet-black hair like the night sky and mysterious red eyes.
‘I want to see this face for real right away.’
Aveline’s excitement wouldn’t subside at the thought of being able to see Eve’s face, which she had only imagined until now.
“My lady?”
The handsome man at her feet was flustered as Aveline suddenly stood up. But right now, Aveline had something more important than the handsome man.
Having spotted a mirror hanging on the wall, Aveline quickly moved to stand in front of it.
“This is insane, really…”
The face reflected in the mirror was beyond simply being described as beautiful.
Smooth white skin that seemed to have never seen a pimple, contrasting with dark black hair. The mysterious sparkling red eyes combined to give an impression like a rose blooming at night.
Moreover, befitting her setting as the most beautiful woman, the arrangement of her features was so meticulous that it truly looked like a face carefully crafted by gathering all the pretty aspects of the world.
“So beautiful…”
Overwhelmed by the alluring atmosphere she had never possessed before, Aveline couldn’t take her eyes off the mirror as she caressed her face with both hands.
“…What are you doing right now?”
The handsome man’s bewildered voice was heard from behind. To be more precise, he sounded more dumbfounded than bewildered.
‘Well, I guess it would be strange if his wife suddenly stood in front of the mirror praising herself.’
Quickly assessing the situation, Aveline finally tore her eyes away from the mirror and returned to her place.
“Ahem. No, it’s nothing.”
The handsome man had been watching Aveline walk back, still kneeling as he had been from the start.
Sitting back down, Aveline gave the handsome man a look as if to tell him to continue what he had been doing. Understanding the signal, the handsome man furrowed his brow and opened his mouth.
“So, as I was saying, I absolutely cannot give you a divorce. I’ve already ended things with Selena, so please forgive me and…”
The flood of trashy statements snapped Aveline back to attention. Selena was the name of the mistress in the novel. To ask for forgiveness and refuse divorce from his wife while mentioning the mistress’s name.
‘This is still that scene where he hasn’t fully come to his senses, isn’t it?’
As Aveline remembered, this was the moment when the husband was hypocritically asking for forgiveness after learning about the mine that would be inherited by the female protagonist.
He was lying to the female protagonist that he had broken up with his mistress, while secretly meeting her in a hidden rendezvous spot, which would be discovered about ten pages later.
Aveline remembered how shamelessly the husband had acted then. And how much the female protagonist had suffered emotionally.
Aveline knew what she had to do now.
The words that Eve, the kind female protagonist, couldn’t say.
“No.”
The man’s face slowly contorted, as if this was a completely unexpected answer.
“What… did you say?”
The man asked again as if he had misheard.
“I said no. I won’t forgive you.”
Aveline delivered another finishing blow to the man.
“Does it make any sense to beg for forgiveness while mentioning your mistress’s name in front of your wife? And you think kneeling once and apologizing with words is enough? What, are your knees that expensive?”
“W-what…”
“No, actually. Seeing how carelessly you behaved even after marriage, your body probably isn’t that expensive. Ah, it’s so old, dust is flying everywhere.”
After finishing her words, Aveline waved her hand in the air a few times as if there really was dust flying in front of her.
“…”
The man seemed to have received a great shock, freezing in place with a blank expression.
