Episode 3. The Wife Is Too Slow to Notice
My father was against my marriage with Henderson until the very end.
He disliked Henderson’s background and his handsome face—such a ridiculous reason.
Father even warned me that because of Henderson’s looks, women would cause problems later.
“Maybe Father was right after all.”
In the end, Father gave in and let us marry.
But almost like revenge, he often sent Henderson abroad.
For years, Henderson wasn’t taking care of his lands or working in the empire—he was sent away for small diplomatic errands.
Did that unfair treatment make him angry? Is that why he started to neglect me?
Is that why he turned to another woman?
I couldn’t openly blame him for cheating, because deep inside, I felt some of it might be my fault.
I pushed those thoughts aside and looked straight at Helena.
Her alluring eyes didn’t show the slightest hint of guilt.
Unbelievably, Helena had asked me for a “comforting tea time,” as if to console me.
I dismissed all the servants.
I wanted to face her directly, to ask if she could really look me in the eyes without shame.
Tension filled the sitting room, though I couldn’t explain why.
“Lady Riley. You dismissed everyone… do you have something to tell me?”
I had no reason to be nervous, yet my palms were damp with sweat. I clutched my dress tightly.
“I’ll be direct.”
Helena nodded slightly.
“I saw you entering Henderson’s room last night. May I ask why?”
Thankfully my voice didn’t shake, though my hand trembled badly.
Helena, however, remained calm.
Even though I had caught her in something that could ruin her reputation and future marriage, she showed no fear.
I hated myself for shaking while she was so composed.
Then her lips parted at last.
“Oh. So you finally noticed?”
Her answer was so unexpected that I foolishly repeated,
“…What?”
“Your husband’s wife has no sense at all. I was starting to wonder if I should make it more obvious.”
“…”
“Pretending to be nice for a whole year… it was exhausting.”
She smiled faintly—almost pleased that I had finally discovered their affair.
Suddenly, I remembered every kind gesture she had shown me over the past year.
“Lady Riley, good morning!”
“I found some pretty flowers on the way here, so I brought them for you.”
Were all those moments fake?
Realizing I had been fooled by her acting made my whole body shiver.
“You really didn’t know? That your husband and I were… involved?”
“Lady Helena…”
“All the kindness I showed you was because I felt sorry.”
“…”
“You know how unfaithful husbands sometimes act extra sweet to their wives out of guilt? That was me.”
She stuck her tongue out lightly and muttered, “Oops.”
“Though honestly, the one who should’ve been kind to you was the Duke, not me. Right?”
I bit my lip hard, staying silent.
Even though she admitted everything, I still couldn’t accept it.
Yes, Henderson and I were distant, but he never seemed like the type to cheat.
No one knew him as well as I did.
For one thing, he wasn’t even interested in women.
People even used to whisper that he might prefer men, before our marriage.
And yet… Helena’s steady, bold gaze looked too truthful to ignore.
And yesterday, I had overheard them promising each other a future.
Maybe I had to accept it now—they truly were lovers.
Maybe I had been arrogant, thinking I knew Henderson best.
A storm of emotions swirled inside me—anger, betrayal, regret, despair.
Unable to hold it back, I threw my teacup at Helena, splashing tea across her face.
“How could you?”
She calmly wiped her cheek with her sleeve, as if she had expected it.
Her eyes grew colder, harsher—her friendly mask was gone.
She seemed like a completely different person.
I nearly cried, but I swallowed it down.
I refused to cry in front of the woman proudly declaring herself my husband’s mistress.
“Love doesn’t always follow reason, you know.”
I couldn’t immediately argue back.
Because in some ways, I agreed.
Just like how I had loved Henderson even when Father warned me not to.
“Since I’m confessing… Henderson has always liked me more than you.”
“….”
“He only married you because of Eddie. With Eddie, his path to power was secure. He had no choice.”
It was true—marrying me had made Henderson more respected, even if Father sent him abroad.
Her words stabbed deep into my chest. I could hardly breathe.
“But now… Eddie, who tied him down, is gone.”
The moment she spoke my child’s name, my lips parted sharply.
Even if I could forgive many things, I could not forgive her using Eddie’s name carelessly.
“Miss Helena, close your mouth. Say my child’s name again, and next time, it won’t just be tea.”
“Yes, Madam. I’ll keep quiet.”
She gave a faint smile and stood.
“You must hate the sight of me, so I’ll leave. When Henderson returns, feel free to ask him about us yourself. I hope you recover well in the meantime…”
Her footsteps faded away.
I wanted to call her back, slap her face, scream at her.
But the tears spilled over, and I couldn’t.
My head dropped, and a tear splashed onto the floor.
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
Why had Henderson’s heart changed?
And Helena—could she have killed Eddie to remove an obstacle?
So many terrible thoughts spun in my mind.
I tossed and turned, only falling asleep at dawn.
In my dream, I saw Eddie again, my precious child.
He sat on my lap, looking up at me with his round lips moving softly.
“Mom, I want to become a flower.”
I asked why.
“Because when you look at flowers, you smile happily. I want you to look at me with that same smile… Is that a strange wish?”
“No, my dear. Not strange at all.”
I hugged him tightly, my voice trembling.
I loved my child deeply.
If someone had asked me to die in his place, I would have.
But still… sometimes it hurt to look at him, because he resembled Henderson so much.
The more distant Henderson became, the harder it was to look at Eddie’s face.
His black hair, his silver eyes—every time I saw them, I thought of Henderson.
“Forgive me, Eddie. I love you more than any flower in the world.”
I patted his back over and over.
Tears fell on his head as I held him close.
That was where the dream ended.
“…Haa.”
It had been a real conversation I once had with Eddie.
After that day, I had removed all the flowerpots from his room.
He was sad about it, so he often went down to the garden to see flowers instead.
I wanted to stop him, but I couldn’t take away something he loved.
All I could do was promise myself to smile happily whenever I looked at him.
But before I could keep that promise… he died.
The child who wished to be a flower was buried cold beneath the soil.
I opened my eyes, and more tears fell heavily.
Since the day Eddie died, my tears had never stopped.
I wiped them away with my sleeve.
That was when I suddenly felt an unfamiliar presence nearby.
