All I Wanted Was the Alimony - Chapter 19

‘Why did the setting change? Does it have something to do with my transmigration?’

No matter how much she thought about it, there was no way to know.

Lucienne soon arrived in front of the gazebo where the Empress Dowager was resting, so she set her questions aside and offered a polite greeting.

“Greetings to the Empress Dowager. I am Lucienne Ronatere.”

The Empress Dowager, having received the greeting, had a stiff expression. Her gaze toward Lucienne carried a hint of displeasure.

Lucienne wasn’t particularly surprised, since it was likely due to the incident of refusing the dress yesterday.

Rather, because it went as expected, she felt certain.

If Paello were to announce a divorce, the Empress Dowager would wholeheartedly support his decision.

At the same time, the nobles would lose interest in Lucienne.

To them, she had no backing, no power.

And they would forget her.

A life where no one knew her, but she had plenty of money.

It was actually helpful for Lucienne’s future dream.

Feeling like she had taken one step closer to her dream, the corners of Lucienne’s lips lifted naturally.

She straightened her back and waited for the Empress Dowager to speak.

Whether it was something good or bad.

As long as the Empress Dowager said something or made a gesture to dismiss her, the greeting would be over.

If she happened to dislike her, then she’d surely rejoice at the news of divorce, which would be perfect.

While the Empress Dowager was surveying the area around Lucienne, Verdi scribbled something on a note and handed it to her maid.

The maid bowed to Verdi and quickly left her place.

Soon, the Empress Dowager opened her mouth. “You came… alone?”

Her voice grew quieter, tinged with disappointment.

Lucienne was momentarily speechless at the unexpected reaction.

She had planned to cheerfully answer with a loud “Yes!”

But even the dignified Empress Dowager looked so lonely and forlorn in that moment.

‘Wait, what’s with this reaction?’

She looked like a child who had gone to bed full of anticipation on Christmas Eve but woke up to find no presents, or like an old person who had set out a feast expecting their children to come, only to spend the holiday alone.

Lucienne’s mouth opened on its own. “The Grand Duke said he would come too.”

The Empress Dowager’s eyes widened. “What? Is that true?”

“Yes, I told him I wanted to try boating. The North isn’t exactly ideal for that sort of activity.”

The Empress Dowager stared at Lucienne. Reflexively, Lucienne averted her gaze.

“But he seemed really busy, so I came ahead on my own.”

It was a lie, albeit a sugar-coated one. Still, lying to an old woman pricked her conscience.

‘If the Grand Duke hears this, his blood pressure might spike and he might grab his neck and collapse.’

Well, that would bring her closer to a divorce, so it wouldn’t be so bad. But with the Empress Dowager looking like that in front of her, Lucienne couldn’t say there was no chance Paello might come.

Lucienne shrugged her shoulders. “So whether he comes today… honestly, I won’t know until I see.”

“…I see. Is that so?”

There was a slight glimmer in the Empress Dowager’s eyes, but her expression now carried hope.

Having heard what she wanted, she had succumbed to Lucienne’s hopeful bluff.

“I understand the Grand Duke is very busy. Just knowing he thought about coming is enough to make this old woman happy.”

Lucienne smiled brightly and nodded. “Even if he can’t come today, I’m sure we’ll see him at tomorrow’s hunting competition. And if he’s really too busy for that, he’ll definitely greet you at the birthday celebration.”

It seemed better for her to hold on to some hope during the day than to remain gloomy until the last day.

In any case, she’d definitely see him by the end.

The Empress Dowager also slowly nodded. Her expression lightened considerably.

Lucienne gave the Empress Dowager a respectful bow. Now she just had to back away.

The maid who had left Verdi’s side returned and stood in her place.

Seeing her give an “OK” gesture to Verdi with her hand, it seemed the note had been delivered successfully.

Verdi nodded once at the maid, then turned to Lucienne with a gentle smile. “What a lovely atmosphere. And the Grand Duchess is much kinder than the rumors say. But since I’ve seen you up close, I can’t just let it slide.”

“?”

“Is it because you have demon blood? You seem to think the imperial family is easy to mess with. The way you play around with words so casually is quite rude.”

For a moment, Lucienne couldn’t believe her ears.

She already knew well that the female lead, Verdi, didn’t like her.

After all, in the original work, Verdi had quietly plotted to remove her and claim a married man.

But her manner of speaking was different from what she knew. In the original story, Verdi always spoke with double meanings.

When Hanana openly expressed her affection for Paello, saying she didn’t care that he was married, it had been Verdi who tried to stop her.

“Hanana, isn’t it a bit dangerous to seduce a married man? Maybe if he were widowed.”

At the time, Hanana thought Verdi was chastising her for being immoral.

“If it’s just to see his face, I think that’s fine.”

“Come to think of it, I heard the Ronatere estate is looking to hire an administrative secretary. That should allow you to see his face.”

Hanana had been sincerely grateful for the information Verdi had let slip. She also thought Verdi was a woman of restraint.

Even if she said so, being content with just seeing his face?

That could only be possible because Verdi was warm and pure like spring sunlight. Hanana herself was not like that.

Hanana didn’t believe Lucienne would die. She also couldn’t give up on Paello.

So the only remaining path was an affair.

She didn’t care if she became a mistress. Hanana was so out of her mind that she thought she wouldn’t mind being criticized if it meant she could share a bed with Paello.

Later, Verdi had stood in front of Hanana’s grave and offered her thanks, saying:

“Poor Hanana, didn’t I tell you you’d be killed by that half-demon woman if you tried to seduce a married man? If you wanted to be with Grand Duke Ronatere, you should’ve used someone as a sacrifice and gotten rid of that villainess first. Just like I did.”

The true meaning of her words always came after everything was over.

That was the kind of person Verdi was.

But now, for some reason, Verdi’s way of speaking had changed. She was picking a fight so blatantly, in a way that was easy to understand.

“No matter if you are the Grand Duchess, you’ve crossed the line too far. Just who do you think you are, sugarcoating your words like that?”

Her voice, filled with scorn as she spoke to Lucienne, carried the confidence of someone certain she would win no matter what.

At the same time, gazes from those sitting nearby in the gazebo gathered toward them.

Verdi, clearly intending to make a scene, stood up from her seat and sweetly hugged the Empress Dowager from behind, planting a kiss on her cheek. From a distance, it would look like a lovely granddaughter showing affection to her grandmother.

“Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, I told you, didn’t I?”

Her soft-spoken words to the Empress Dowager were heard clearly by Lucienne and the surrounding people.

“There are people who, because of Your Majesty’s age, will try to blind you with falsehoods.”

“The Grand Duchess is… lying to me?”

“Yes. Think about it. She’s rude and a demon besides. She even dared to ignore the gift you thoughtfully sent yesterday.”

“Oh…”

The Empress Dowager’s expression turned sullen again, then darkened.

“Also, has Grand Duke Ronatere ever made a public appearance with his wife before? Not once, right?”

“Well… that is true.”

The look in the Empress Dowager’s eyes as she looked at Lucienne turned cold. Her gaze was filled with disappointment and resentment.

Lucienne was utterly dumbfounded.

‘What is wrong with the female lead? What is she relying on to come at me like this? Did she regress or something?’

Not that that was likely.

Lucienne briefly debated whether to endure it since the other person was the original heroine and a princess, but soon realized it was a pointless consideration.

‘In the end, I’m the villainess, right?’

If Verdi, who always spoke with hidden meanings, decided to charge forward directly, then Lucienne just had to push back or deny it outright.

Wasn’t that exactly the kind of thing a villainess would do?

Even if it turned into a fight, Lucienne had no problem with that.

Fighting with a princess would only add more grounds for divorce.

Once divorced, Lucienne planned to live in the capital. She would wash her identity clean and stay far from the imperial palace and its events, so there would be no reason to cross paths with Verdi.

So Lucienne straightened her back and lifted her chin.

Since they were going to fight anyway, she might as well strike hard.

“And who are you, to be so rude and pick a fight with me on our first meeting?”

Verdi and the Empress Dowager’s eyes widened in shock, and those around them dropped their jaws. Soon, murmurs spread throughout the surroundings.