All I Wanted Was the Alimony - Chapter 20

“W-what? You don’t know who I am? And rude? Y-you’re saying I’m picking a fight?”

Seeing Verdi stammer in shock gave Lucienne a refreshing sense of satisfaction.

She was glad she had chosen every single word carefully without wasting any.

“Yes, it’s my first time seeing you, so why should I know who you are?”

At that, a nearby attendant, pale with alarm, quickly interjected, “Please show proper respect. This is Her Highness the Princess.”

“Huh? A princess, you say?”

At Lucienne’s retort, Verdi raised her chin, her expression once again triumphant.

‘Did you expect me to bow down? Sorry, but I’m not going to give you the satisfying cider moment you were hoping for.’

Lucienne openly sneered. “Ah, so because you’re a princess, you think you can pick a fight as rudely as you like, even with a Grand Duchess? Even ruining such a fine day for Her Majesty the Empress Dowager?”

“W-what did you say?”

Verdi looked deeply flustered.

“All I did was state the truth, so what sweet talk are you accusing me of? And why would you spoil the Empress Dowager’s improved mood with your assumptions?”

Now that she said it, she was even more infuriated.

‘Seriously? After all that effort to lift her spirits, why are you trying to kill the mood again?’

Did she dislike seeing the Empress Dowager happy, even for a moment?

“Assumptions? Are you saying I spoke falsely?”

“Yes. You were wrong.”

Verdi furrowed her brow. “Ha, so you’re saying Grand Duke Ronatere is really coming? He’s not that kind of person.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t lie. He never even accompanied you around the estate. There are plenty of eyes watching.”

Excluding the Empress Dowager, the nobles observing nearby began to giggle.

‘They probably mean to humiliate me.’

Lucienne couldn’t help but laugh. Verdi had just made a very convenient slip of the tongue.

“Goodness, and how would you know that? There are no members of the imperial family in the Grand Duke’s castle.”

Feigning disbelief, Lucienne narrowed one eyebrow, then widened her eyes as if realizing something.

“Don’t tell me—you’re the one who sent the spy caught at the Grand Duke’s castle recently?”

“W-what?”

Verdi jumped in alarm as if burned.

Instantly, the mocking atmosphere fell silent.

It was only natural—Lucienne had dropped a bombshell. All eyes turned to Verdi.

“W-what nonsense is that? I’d have no reason to.”

“Why wouldn’t you? You have feelings for Grand Duke Ronatere, don’t you? But you can’t act on them since he’s married.”

Verdi’s face turned scarlet. Lucienne had struck a nerve she hadn’t expected.

‘She couldn’t have guessed the spy would be exposed.’

In truth, the one caught had been a spy sent by the emperor, but Verdi, caught off guard, took Lucienne’s accusation at face value.

Still, Verdi tried her best to remain calm.

After all, that was the only thing that could be revealed. Even the spy didn’t know why they had been sent there.

“That’s such nonsense I don’t even know how to respond.”

“Because it hit the mark, right?”

“No. Why would I place a spy there, or be interested in a married man? There’s only a rumor that the Grand Duke and Duchess are distant.”

Just as planned.

Lucienne smirked inwardly. In front of the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and many others, Verdi had clearly stated she had no interest in Paello.

Having said that, even if the novel’s ending were to unfold the same, it would be much harder for her to approach Paello now.

“So basically, you’re saying you know nothing about my man.”

“Y-your man?”

Lucienne felt satisfied seeing Verdi’s expression twist in distaste at the phrasing. Using my man had been an excellent choice.

“Isn’t that a natural way to refer to one’s husband? I am his wife.”

Lucienne delicately placed her hand over her chest and smiled proudly.

“The very symbol of unity forged by direct negotiations between the late emperor and the Demon King—Paello Ronatere’s wife. Lucienne Ronatere.”

Verdi’s face flushed red and blue in turns.

Lucienne had struck every hidden nerve Verdi had been trying so hard to conceal.

And for the first time, Lucienne was genuinely delighted to be the villainess.

‘Ah, so this is why people enjoy being villains.’

Had she possessed the female lead role or a low status, she wouldn’t have been able to act like this.

The murmuring around them only grew louder.

“Oh my goodness.”

“Unbelievable.”

“How could such a thing happen?”

“Yes, even seeing it with my own eyes, it’s hard to believe. Is this a dream?”

“Good heavens, this has never happened before, right?”

Hearing the murmuring, Lucienne deliberately twisted one corner of her lips upward.

Judging by the reactions, everyone had noticed the clash with Verdi and were shocked by her villainous behavior.

‘Well, I’m just stacking up reasons for divorce anyway.’

Honestly, she didn’t know how to handle the aftermath of her arrogant conduct, but Paello would take care of that.

If she kept pushing forward like this, the accident she caused would only spiral out of control.

And the final outcome of that would be divorce.

“Yes. My man. That’s what my man said.”

It was a bluff, but if she insisted strongly enough, it would sound like Paello had actually said it.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Who would believe the words of a half-demon? Isn’t that right, Your Majesty the Empress?”

Verdi had already lost in the verbal exchange with Lucienne. To overturn it, it would be better to get help from an ally.

As if waiting for that cue, a middle-aged woman shot up from her seat. Since the emperor was Verdi’s brother, the empress was effectively her sister-in-law.

“As the Princess says, how arrogant of a vulgar half-demon. What gives you the audacity to yap like that?”

‘Ha, how cowardly of the heroine.’

Lucienne was dumbfounded, and Verdi’s lips twitched.

“Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, wouldn’t you agree?”

But when Verdi looked toward the Empress Dowager, her eyes widened.

The Empress Dowager’s pupils were trembling. Her gaze, narrowing and widening repeatedly, was not directed at Lucienne or Verdi.

It was aimed in an entirely different direction. Following her gaze, Verdi turned her head and squinted.

However, as if she had discovered something, her eyes opened wide and began to shake.

‘What is she looking at? Could it be His Majesty the Emperor? Ugh, if the emperor shows up too, this’ll be annoying. Are we going to lose the boat trip altogether at this rate?’

Just as Lucienne turned her head in the direction of the Empress Dowager’s gaze, the voice of the chief attendant rang out loudly.

“His Grace, Grand Duke Paello Ronatere of the northern Ronatere estate, has arrived!”

The surroundings, which had gone silent in an instant, erupted in a loud commotion.

Dressed neatly in a formal suit tinged with blue and his black hair slicked back, the man had an extraordinary physique.

Even from afar, no matter how one looked, it was unmistakably Paello.

‘What? Why is the Grand Duke here?’

Paello walked straight toward Lucienne. Making brief eye contact with her, he then politely greeted the Empress Dowager.

“Thank you for the invitation. Paello of House Ronatere greets the Empress Dowager.”

“G-Grand Duke… how are you here…?”

The Empress Dowager’s fingertips trembled slightly. Her expression clearly showed she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Paello glanced at Lucienne and faintly lifted the corner of his lips.

Paello… smiled? At me?

For a split second, Lucienne’s thoughts came to a halt.

In the meantime, he gave a brief nod to Verdi and the other members of the imperial family with an impassive face, then stood firmly next to the stiffened Lucienne and answered the Empress Dowager’s question.

“My wife said she wanted to experience a boat ride.”

‘Huh?’

Only then did Lucienne snap out of it.

‘That was true, but I only said it so they wouldn’t stop me from leaving.’

But Paello, as if it were the absolute truth, continued in a calm tone, “The Ronatere estate has a harsh climate, so we don’t usually enjoy boat rides. I’m grateful that Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is hosting this boat party.”

Lucienne grew even more bewildered.

‘What is this? Is this that R=VD thing?[1] If you dream it vividly, it becomes reality?’

No, she hadn’t even dreamed of it happening like this.

Lucienne had only tormented the Empress Dowager with hopeful words and responded fiercely to Verdi’s aggression, since Verdi wasn’t acting like her original self.

But then Paello really showed up and made her bluff seem like the truth—as if they had coordinated.

Which made it all the more absurd.

“Thank you for accepting the invitation. I’m glad you came, Grand Duke Ronatere.”

At the Empress Dowager’s joyful words, Lucienne, who had been stunned, finally came to her senses.

The Empress Dowager and Lucienne locked eyes.

Gone was the cold look she had shown before. Now her gaze was brimming with affection as she looked at Lucienne lovingly.

“The princess was immature and caused many offenses.”

[1] R = V D stands for Reality = Vivid Dream, a phrase commonly used online (especially in Korean internet culture) to jokingly suggest that if you imagine something vividly enough, it might come true.