BTWAM 02

Chapter 2 …

“This mansion is absolutely gorgeous! It’s been my dream to live in a place like this!”

Jane looked around the mansion excitedly, and Theodore gazed at her with affectionate eyes. If Rachel weren’t standing right there, the two would probably be embracing and kissing already.

“Unbelievable. Does he really want to act like this in front of his wife?”

It was so blatantly obvious—how did the original Rachel not notice?

Even though she already knew about Theodore’s affair and had no feelings left for him, a wave of irritation washed over her. It was unpleasant and infuriating.

But Rachel didn’t let any of that show on her face. If she revealed that she knew about the affair now, all of her future plans would be ruined.

So Rachel greeted Jane with the exact same line she had in the original story.

“Since you’re here, why don’t you stay for dinner?”

“Oh my, may I? I’d love to!”

Theodore nodded in satisfaction.

“I know you must’ve been surprised when I suddenly brought a guest, but thank you. Rachel, you’re such a kind person. I’ll go upstairs to change my clothes, so you ladies can chat for a while.”

Chat? More like a nightmare.

As Theodore climbed the stairs that led from the hall to the second floor, he gave Jane a meaningful look.

“Don’t get lonely without me.”
“I’ll be sad, but I’ll wait patiently.”

It was almost as if Rachel could hear their wordless exchange loud and clear.

Once Theodore disappeared, Jane finally made eye contact with Rachel.

Rachel smiled sweetly.

“Well then, Jane, shall we wait in the drawing room?”

In the original story, Rachel had led Jane to the largest and most beautiful drawing room in the mansion. It was a special place reserved only for important guests.

Wanting to earn Theodore’s love, Rachel had treated his guest with utmost hospitality, even if that guest was a young woman who made her jealous.

But this time was different. Rachel took Jane to a small parlor located closest to the hall. Theodore would probably throw a fit later, asking why she brought his guest to such a modest place, but she didn’t care.

Jane lived in a nice house for a commoner, but she wasn’t familiar with noble estates. So when she saw the room Rachel had brought her to, she merely asked, “Is this the drawing room?”—a bit disappointed.

As soon as they sat down, Jane leaned forward and whispered.

“Um, Countess, there’s something I’ve been meaning to say for a while now. May I?”

Rachel had a good idea what Jane wanted to say and was sorely tempted to respond, “Don’t.” But she held it in.

“Of course. What is it?”

“Ever since I first saw you in the hall, I’ve been dying to say this…”

“Yes?”

“Countess, have you considered taking better care of your skin? There’s a new general store in town that sells perfumed oils that make your skin silky smooth. If you’d like, I’ll bring you some as a gift next time I visit!”

The foolish, original Rachel had been delighted by this comment. She’d even bragged to Theodore afterward, calling Jane such a kind girl for offering a gift upon their first meeting.

She hadn’t even realized Jane was subtly looking down on her.

Jane was nine years younger than Theodore and five years younger than Rachel. Rachel had been Jane’s current age when she’d prepared to marry Theodore—a bright, sparkling age when everything she did was beautiful. But she’d ended up marrying Theodore without even experiencing a proper romance.

Rachel herself hadn’t realized it, but she was beautiful. Her pale pink hair and sky-blue eyes, her gentle features and slender figure exuded a mature charm that Jane, still a girl, couldn’t match.

Unfortunately, Rachel had never been loved. She believed she wasn’t attractive. So she’d followed Jane’s advice—using skin oils, wearing seductive lingerie, and forcing herself to act cute—just to catch the attention of a husband who’d never once looked her way. She had prettied herself up solely for that reason.

How ridiculous.

Rachel hardened her expression.

“You want to give me perfume oil as a gift? How can you say something so rude?”

Jane’s voice faltered at Rachel’s unexpected reaction.

“Wh–what? R–rude? I was just…”

“If you have the time to worry about my skin when we’ve just met, you should worry about your own. I’m not the kind of woman who needs skincare tips from someone like you.”

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d dislike it so much… It’s just that the Count really likes the scent, so I thought you would too…”

“Theo likes the scent?”

It was popular to bathe and apply perfumed oil afterward.

If Theodore liked the scent of those oils… that meant they had bathed, undressed, and smelled each other’s skin.

She might as well have confessed, “I sleep with Theodore.”

Even if Jane had been flustered, this was an unbelievable slip of the tongue.

Realizing her mistake at last, Jane’s face flushed bright red.

“I… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that the Count and I have slept together or anything like that…”

SLAP!

Rachel’s palm landed on Jane’s cheek with a sharp crack.

“Slept together? First you talk about my husband’s favorite scent, and now you bring up sleeping together? Why? Did you actually sleep with him?”

“H–how could you slap me? I’m Count Theodore’s g–guest!”

“So what? Am I supposed to sit quietly while a ‘guest’ insults me? You must’ve forgotten because Theodore treats you well, but you’re a commoner and I’m the Countess. The fact that I’m even speaking to you this politely is a courtesy. Know your place.”

Honestly, Rachel hadn’t planned on slapping Jane. She intended to act like her old self—quiet and demure—until her divorce preparations were complete.

But seeing this woman practically announce “We’re having an affair” right to her face made her blood boil.

Jane trembled, not knowing what to do, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Pathetic.

When Theodore appeared, Jane quickly ran to him. She looked ready to throw herself into his arms but held back, conscious of Rachel’s presence.

“Count…!”

“J–Jane?”

Theodore was startled when he saw Jane’s flushed cheek.

“Rachel! What happened? Why is Jane’s cheek…?”

“She did something to deserve it. Isn’t that right, Jane?”

Rachel’s clear, confident voice made Jane tear up again, but she couldn’t say anything to defend herself. She knew that if Theodore heard about her slip-up, he’d scold her too.

Dinner was prepared, and Jane, Theodore, Rachel, and Graham gathered in the dining hall.

Jane, encouraged by the man sitting next to her, regained her spirits and coquettishly chatted with Theodore while sneaking glances at Rachel.

“It’s so amazing to have so many servants attending dinner! Count, is this what your daily life is like? It feels so distant.”

“There’s nothing distant about it. If you visit often, you’ll get used to it.”

Visit often? Over my dead body.

Rachel was about to firmly say she didn’t want Jane coming over again, but Graham beat her to it.

“I don’t like her. Don’t come again.”

“Graham?”

Jane, oblivious to the fact that Graham was a mama’s boy, cluelessly spoke to him.

“Hello, Graham. The Count’s told me a lot about you. You’re so handsome! When you grow up, you’ll be a wonderful man. You look just like your father.”

Though he was still a child, Graham was the future Count of Ellosa. For Jane, a commoner, to address him so casually was a serious breach of etiquette. Even if she was Theodore’s lover, she was overstepping.

What was worse was Theodore. He didn’t correct Jane for speaking informally to his son, the heir.

Graham pouted.

“Are you stupid, lady? I don’t look like Dad. I look like Mom.”

“Oh, no, you do look like your father. Your hair color, your eyes…”

It wasn’t entirely wrong, but Graham looked deeply hurt. His eyes glistened with tears.

“I don’t want to look like Dad. I want to look like Mom.”

He turned to Rachel with pleading eyes.

Rachel quickly nodded.

“Of course you look like Mom. You’re Mom’s son, born from Mom’s tummy. From what I see, you don’t look like Dad at all—you look just like Mom.”

“Right? I knew it! I look like Mom!”

Graham beamed.

Theodore cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Graham, do you like Mom that much?”

“Yes! Mom is the prettiest and the best in the whole world.”

“What about Dad? Dad’s kind of handsome too.”

“Dad’s not handsome.”

He said it in a tone that implied, “Why would you even ask that?”

Theodore scratched his head, embarrassed.

“Is it because Dad’s a man that you don’t want to say he’s pretty? Then what about Jane? Jane’s pretty, right?”

Graham looked at Jane, sitting across from him, then drooped his shoulders dramatically.

“Mom, this is serious.”

“Hm? What is it all of a sudden?”

“Dad must be getting old—he can’t see anymore.”

His earnest tone almost made Rachel burst out laughing.

“Do you think Dad’s eyesight is going bad?”

“Marsha told me that people’s eyesight gets worse when they get old. Dad thinks he’s handsome, and he says that ugly lady is pretty. But he doesn’t say Mom—the prettiest in the whole world—is pretty. It’s because he can’t see, right?”

How can he be this adorable?

And to top it off, he’d cleverly roasted both Theodore and Jane. Truly, even as a child, he was the male lead.

Theodore and Jane’s expressions—unsure how to scold a child for his blunt honesty—were absolutely priceless.

Rachel could barely contain her joy. She wanted to hug Graham tightly and rub their cheeks together.

But she had to keep up appearances and act dignified.

If only I could get divorced quickly and live with Graham alone!

After the meal, Jane fled the mansion as if running for her life. She looked like she’d burst into tears at any moment, even though nothing particularly terrible had happened.

Considering what was yet to come, Rachel wondered how Jane would survive.

Theodore growled sternly.

“Don’t go to bed yet, Rachel. We need to talk.”

“Alright.”

He was probably going to scold her for humiliating Jane at dinner.

Whatever.

Theodore escorted Jane home and returned late at night. He approached Rachel with long, heavy strides, exuding menace.

“Rachel. Are you out of your mind?”

No, you are.

Rachel sneered inwardly.