CHAPTER 03
“Leticia, you really…!”
Paydan looked completely stunned, his mouth flapping soundlessly.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to talk back to him.
Watching him like that was oddly thrilling.
Just then, I saw Erin walking out of the dressing room with my luggage.
Since I didn’t have much in the mansion that was truly mine, my belongings were minimal.
“Let’s go, Erin.”
As Erin and I stepped out of the room, Paydan’s voice rang out a beat too late.
“If you leave like this, don’t expect to ever come back!”
I snorted.
He probably thought that saying that would shake me—like it used to.
‘So what, you bastard?’
Without even glancing back, I marched out of the ducal mansion.
The moment I left, I headed straight to the most expensive hotel in the capital.
Since the hotel staff still thought I was the Duchess of Farnese, they naturally provided me with a suite.
Once in the room, I immediately asked for a bath to be prepared.
‘The life on the streets and in prison… it was hellish.’
I never wanted to feel the sensation of rats and bugs crawling over my skin again.
Soaking in warm water, I began to relax—until a knock at the door, and Erin stepped in.
“Milady… no, Miss. I wasn’t sure which wine would be better, so I brought both…”
She held out a bottle of white wine and a bottle of red, given by the hotel manager.
‘I wonder if the more expensive wine tastes better?’
As I thought that, the red wine began to sparkle.
Meanwhile, the white wine darkened with a black glow.
‘So the white one has no value?’
Fascinated by this new power I still hadn’t gotten used to, I pointed to the red.
“I’ll have the red one.”
Erin quickly poured me a glass and handed it to me.
I took a sip—and immediately furrowed my brows.
‘Hmm… pretty dry. Just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it suits my taste.’
Still, I had made my choice, so I took responsibility for it and kept sipping.
I stared idly at the wedding ring, now dull and lifeless again.
‘The ability to perceive value…’
It identifies the most valuable item among many, using a glow:
Gold shimmer means it has value, black means it’s worthless.
And when I no longer need to see that value, the item returns to normal.
It was a convenient and useful ability.
Especially for someone in my position now.
‘I’ve left the mansion. Next is…’
My next goal: “Milking alimony for all it’s worth.”
Of course, my real goal was to take everything Paydan had
and toss him out onto the streets in his underwear.
‘But first, I need to get the alimony and build up my business.’
With this ability, I could pick and choose the most profitable assets for my settlement.
‘But I don’t want to waste any more of my precious life on that bastard.’
I wanted to wrap up this revenge quickly and start enjoying the rest of my life.
‘Hmm. If I had a powerful ally, I could speed things up even more…’
Just as I was lost in thoughts of the future, Erin’s voice snapped me out of it.
“Miss, um… What if His Grace refuses to pay the hotel bill?”
We’d charged our current stay to Paydan.
Having witnessed our argument firsthand, Erin was clearly worried.
I reassured her calmly.
“Don’t worry. He’ll pay it without a word—he has to cover the scandal.”
And if he didn’t, I could always use my new ability to make money myself.
I said it casually, but Erin misunderstood and thought I was holding in my sadness.
She suddenly got more emotional.
“To be honest, how could His Grace do that? It hasn’t even been a year of marriage! The honeymoon phase! And to look at another woman when he has a wife this beautiful?!”
“Erin.”
“No, even before the wedding! He treated you like a fish he’d already caught! He was seeing that woman back then too!”
“I’m okay now.”
“Well I’m not! I won’t let them get away with this!”
“And if you don’t, what are you going to do?”
Erin paused, her expression surprisingly serious.
“Sh-should I kill them…?”
Her nervous but determined face was so endearing that I burst into laughter—
my first real laugh since returning to the past.
But then I remembered what happened to Erin in my last life… and stopped.
She had died mysteriously while defending my innocence.
‘I was thrown out before I could even uncover her cause of death.’
Whether it was revenge or anything else—this time, I wouldn’t let her get hurt.
“But wouldn’t that be a waste of your life? You should fall in love with someone kind and handsome.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Realizing I had a point, Erin clutched my hand and said earnestly,
“Miss, you have to meet someone better. Promise me.”
She probably meant it in passing, but her words sparked something in me.
“Hearing you say that just gave me a great idea.”
“A great idea?”
“I’m going to cheat too.”
“…What?”
I grinned at Erin, who blinked in disbelief.
“You told me to meet someone better, didn’t you?”
And just now, a face had popped into my mind—
A man better than Paydan.
In the moment of inspiration, I even sent him a letter requesting a meeting.
Then, I lay down on the hotel’s soft bed.
Who is he?
Idris Delua.
Once the third prince, now the Grand Duke of Delua after the crown prince ascended the throne.
And most importantly…
‘The villain of the original novel.’
In my previous life, I’d barely interacted with him.
He was the No. 1 person to avoid if you were a reincarnator.
Getting involved with the story’s villain was asking for trouble.
‘But the original story doesn’t matter anymore.’
The male lead cheated on me, so why should the villain always be a villain?
‘Besides, he was Paydan’s political rival…’
There was a good chance our interests would align.
‘Maybe I’m being optimistic—but so what?’
I had cards Idris might find valuable.
And if he refused me, he’d be the one missing out.
‘I’ll wait for about a week. If there’s no reply, I’ll assume it’s a no.’
But whether it was a yes or no, I hoped the reply would come quickly.
Just as I was starting to drift off to sleep—
Erin’s startled voice jolted me awake.
“M-Miss! A reply just arrived!”
…Huh?
The word “reply” snapped away all traces of sleep.
“Already?!”
It had only been about an hour since I sent the letter to House Delua.
Just the round trip alone should’ve taken that long.
‘Must be a flat-out rejection.’
If it were me, I’d be suspicious too if someone from a rival house suddenly requested a meeting.
I half-resigned myself and opened the letter, wondering how I could try again.
But then…
“Then I’ll be waiting tomorrow.”
What… was this reply that sounded like he had been expecting me?
