“Still not divorced, and already with Winston?”
“I heard she even took her daughter up north?”
“But it’s that Winston. No matter how great the Marquess is, he’s no match.”
“I heard the young lady was frail and stayed indoors. This must be the first time I’m seeing her in public.”
“She really does take after her mother—so beautiful already…”
Voices directed at me came from every direction. Normally, they’d be too distant to make out clearly, but after making a pact with demons, my hearing had improved.
If I can hear them this clearly, the direct descendants must hear them even better.
Yet Veronica and Vincent acted as if they hadn’t heard a thing.
“Dia, you mustn’t leave Mommy’s side, okay?”
“Okay.”
The ballroom was like another world.
An endlessly vast hall, people dressed in extravagant clothes, sparkling chandeliers, drinks and food everywhere.
The ducal estate was no less lavish, but it couldn’t compare to the Imperial Palace.
I admired the surroundings inwardly and tightly held onto Veronica’s hand.
“Lord Vincent, it’s been a while. I’m…”
“I visited before about the XX business deal…”
Nobles quickly gathered around Vincent. It happened in an instant.
Since he managed most of the business in place of the Duke, it seemed all the nobles involved in those affairs came flocking to him.
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen you at a gathering, Lady Marquess—no, I mean, Lady Claudia.”
“Right? You’ve barely been at the tea parties.”
“I’m so happy to see you today.”
On the other hand, noble ladies surrounded Veronica.
Quick on the uptake, they promptly corrected her title. Veronica responded with a faint smile.
“Yes, it’s been a while for all of us. Have you all been well?”
“Of course, we’ve been doing just fine.”
After exchanging warm greetings, the noblewomen’s gazes dropped down—to me, standing right beside Veronica.
I beamed brightly under their gaze.
“My name is Claudia!”
“Oh my, how adorable.”
“Mommy calls me Dia.”
I added my nickname cheerfully, and the noblewomen cooed again with delight. Veronica looked pleased.
“I’ve never brought Dia to a place like this before. I thought today might be a nice change of pace for her.”
“A wonderful idea. It’s best for children to experience these things early on.”
One of the noble ladies laughed behind her fan. In one corner of the ballroom, children had gathered separately.
Would I be sent over there too? But Veronica didn’t seem like she intended to send me off alone.
“Hm?”
Then, I locked eyes with a child.
Without realizing it, I stared closely at the girl.
Oddly enough, she didn’t look away either, just stared right back at me.
What’s this? I’ve never seen this child before… so why does she seem familiar?
Was it because her purple eyes were similar to Claudia’s?
Even from a distance, her delicate features drew attention. She had the look of someone destined to grow up into a great beauty. With those downward-tilted eyes, she seemed like the tragic heroine of a romance novel, bound to suffer from too much male attention…
‘Huh?’
I looked at the girl again.
Soft golden hair like ripe wheat, violet eyes like violets.
She was a bit taller than Claudia—probably around seven or eight.
No way…
No matter how crazy the male lead is, he wouldn’t… right?
I stared at her in shock for a moment.
“Um, Lady Veronica. Do you know who that is, by any chance?”
Just then, one of the noblewomen glanced in a direction and spoke to Veronica.
Veronica turned her head.
“What is it, Madam?”
“Well, the Duke… he…”
“…?”
Until now, no one had dared mention Cedric to Veronica.
But it was clear that all the other women had been holding something back—they all wore dark expressions.
Veronica’s smile gradually faded.
“It’s all right. Please, go on.”
“Well, um… the Duke came in today… with someone else…”
“Oh.”
“And he brought a child with him too…”
The noblewoman fanned herself anxiously, as if she’d just said something scandalous.
“What I mean is—Lady Veronica, I…”
“I know.”
“Pardon?”
“…!”
Veronica answered calmly. She seemed to believe there was no need to hide anything now that she had already decided on divorce.
The ones truly shocked were the noblewoman and those around her.
They were aghast that Veronica openly acknowledged Cedric’s affair without trying to hide it.
“So that’s why—people said he arrived with a stunning beauty, and it turns out it was his mistress.”
“But wasn’t the child older? That means their relationship began long ago…”
“Oh my, how scandalous.”
The noblewomen whispered in horror.
Veronica had acknowledged it so frankly that she had nothing to hide, and they didn’t need to restrain themselves either.
Though they glanced at me occasionally as if uncertain whether to speak freely in front of a child.
But I didn’t mind—go ahead and say whatever you want.
That bastard Cedric already had a terrible reputation in high society—let’s bury him for good.
I smiled innocently as if I didn’t understand a thing.
And really, what five-year-old would understand this conversation?
Reassured by my demeanor, the noblewomen vented their anger freely.
“How could he do that to Lady Veronica? Honestly, would he have even had all this wealth and power if not for their marriage?”
“Exactly. With his origins… even as a Marquess, he wouldn’t have earned such recognition.”
“This is exactly what it means to be ungrateful.”
“And to shamelessly bring a woman and child to a place like this…”
I was surprised too, honestly.
In the original story, Cedric didn’t introduce the female lead and child to high society until a later incident.
I didn’t expect him to bring them this early.
Maybe the Crown Prince’s early return changed the timeline again.
I nodded, deep in thought.
[Master, he’s coming!]
‘Who’s coming?’
[That wicked Swordmaster!]
‘…!’
What?
Desmond had different nicknames for each of the three Swordmasters.
Duke Winston was “Duke Swordmaster,” the Crown Prince was “Scary Swordmaster,”
And Cedric—he called “Wicked Swordmaster.”
That meant Cedric was approaching us now. Probably with the female lead.
“Mom…”
I reached out and clutched Veronica’s arm. She looked down at me with a puzzled expression.
“Dia?”
“Madam.”
“…!”
A low, calm voice rang in our ears.
Veronica slowly turned her head.
“…”
“…”
They stared at each other in silence.
Cedric’s violet eyes scanned Veronica from head to toe.
I wanted to block his view of her immediately, but with this small child’s body, I couldn’t.
So I glared fiercely at him from behind Veronica.
Even if he was the male lead, he still looked irritatingly handsome.
“Cedric…”
Then, a soft voice cut between them.
I turned my gaze to the woman beside Cedric.
Gloria. The female lead of the original novel.
So this is how I finally meet her.
Originally, Veronica first met Gloria at the Marquess’ mansion—
I never expected them to run into each other at a palace banquet.
Veronica also looked at Gloria standing beside Cedric and said in a flat tone:
“So she’s the one you plan to take as your concubine. You two look good together.”
“…”
Her words were gentle, but her smile deepened.
In the original, Veronica nearly had a breakdown the moment she saw Gloria.
She wept when she saw the child Gloria brought—Marianne.
Veronica had just lost Claudia back then, and she was barely sane.
But things were different now.
Since I possessed Claudia’s body, she hadn’t died.
Veronica had also lost all affection for Cedric and was ready for divorce.
So she had no reason to hate Gloria enough to want her dead.
“Madam, please… come home now.”
“…?”
The problem was the male lead.
What did this jerk just say?
Not only me, but even Veronica looked at Cedric with baffled eyes.
Cedric calmly continued:
“You are the lady of House Lionel. Please return to your rightful place.”
“…”
What the hell are you saying, you bastard?
