All I Wanted Was the Alimony - Chapter 26

At the same time, Lucienne recalled when Emilion first started appearing in earnest.

Emilion and Verdi had known each other since childhood.

His actual appearance in the story begins before the boating episode.

It all started when the daughter of a duke, who was Verdi’s sworn enemy, had her beloved blue parrot stolen.

With his deep teal hair and orange eyes, Emilion made headlines as the youngest to become a knight commander, but he rarely appeared in public unless absolutely necessary.

It wasn’t because he disliked the limelight like Paello did.

It was because he was buried under a murderous amount of civil complaints aimed at the knights.

When Verdi called him, it was more like he was catching a break from the overload of work.

In any case, this duke’s daughter assumed that the parrot thief was Verdi’s commoner maid and spread rumors everywhere.

But it was a misunderstanding and a false accusation. So Verdi had Emilion investigate the incident.

It was the start of a cathartic showdown against the arrogant and insolent daughter of a duke.

From Verdi’s perspective, the matter was resolved neatly, the real thief was caught, and the misunderstanding was cleared.

However, by the time the parrot was found, its wing bone had already been broken. The parrot would never fly again, and the duke’s daughter suffered from guilt.

This incident marked the beginning of the romantic line between Verdi and Emilion. Meanwhile, the duke’s daughter began to hold a deeper grudge against Verdi.

She felt no remorse for falsely accusing someone else, and she wasn’t even aware that the parrot’s life had been saved.

She simply thought the high-born Princess Verdi had used her status to pressure a poor, unfortunate girl like her.

‘Huh?’

Having remembered up to this point, Lucienne felt something was off.

It was because of what she had overheard during the boating trip yesterday.

“Oh my, how mysterious. Actually, thanks to a dream Her Highness told me about two weeks ago, I stopped a thief from stealing my parrot.”

She definitely said “parrot.”

‘Wasn’t the parrot theft episode supposed to unfold with Verdi giving a cathartic resolution, not her stopping the theft?’

Moreover, the woman who had said it had spoken very favorably of Verdi.

‘No way the duke’s daughter would be like that.’

Though she was overshadowed by Lucienne’s own villainy, the duke’s daughter was still a minor antagonist.

‘Was parrot theft a widespread problem?’

But no matter how hard she wracked her brain, there was no mention of that in the original. The parrot thief was originally the ex-fiancé who wanted the duke’s daughter to suffer.

It was psychological revenge for the broken engagement.

‘Which means the woman babbling yesterday might have been the duke’s daughter?’

Full of questions, Lucienne decided not to care.

There was no need to. All Lucienne needed was the alimony, so it was entirely irrelevant to her.

This time, she overheard mature women whispering.

“Sigh, that demon woman sure is flashy. She’s barely even wearing any jewelry.”

‘Oh, is that a compliment?’

Lucienne perked up, the corners of her lips twitching. She knew she was pretty, but being praised by others gave a different kind of satisfaction.

“I can’t stand the sight of that woman. A demon deserves to be stoned, not praised.”

That turned the mood sour quickly.

“Sigh, if only the Grand Duke of Ronatere wasn’t married.”

“That half-demon woman blocked his future.”

“What a waste. To give such a wonderful man to some demon.”

It wasn’t all that different from what the young noble ladies were saying.

‘Look at these people spewing nonsense with their loose lips.’

Lucienne turned toward the direction of the voices.

A high, wide platform came into view. It was a space prepared for the imperial family.

Below it, several square canopies were set up.

There, women who looked like high-ranking noblewomen were seated gracefully under the canopies, enjoying coffee and tea.

In truth, the noblewomen’s idle chatter wasn’t loud. Lucienne just had abnormally good hearing.

Since they didn’t know Lucienne could hear them, they were freely gossiping, and she even considered storming over and smacking them.

If she caused a scene, Paello might be shocked and disappointed by his violent wife, what a perfect plan.

But Lucienne soon realized she couldn’t go through with that plan.

The Empress Dowager, who was leaning back comfortably on a chair set in a prime viewing spot on the platform, was watching Paello and Lucienne growing close with a gleam in her eyes.

Though Verdi and the Empress were beside her, the Empress Dowager’s attention was clearly elsewhere.

‘Ah, that old lady really is the problem.’

The boat even sank yesterday, and the Empress Dowager was said to be a bit startled.

It was only described as ‘a bit’ by the Empress, but Lucienne suspected it was more than that.

After all, the nobles who witnessed the boat sinking were clearly flustered.

‘It must have been a big shock.’

If Lucienne caused a scene here, the Empress Dowager might collapse.

Of course, if that happened, Paello would certainly want to divorce her.

But as someone who was Korean to the bone, Lucienne couldn’t use that method.

That old woman had high status, but by Lucienne’s standards, she was elderly.

‘Even a villainess can’t attack the elderly or children.’

After a moment of thought, Lucienne made up her mind.

‘If they’re going to be hostile anyway, might as well use that to my advantage.’

While the men are away hunting, she would quietly make those spiteful women cry and torment them so rumors would spread.

So that Paello would be appalled upon hearing them.

Just then, the noblewomen spoke primly one after another.

“I wish the Grand Duke of Ronatere would get divorced and find a new wife.”

“Is there no chance that woman will return to the Demon Kingdom?”

“Return? The Demon Kingdom is terribly barren. I’ve heard demons who’ve been to the Holy Empire don’t want to go back and hide deep in the forest instead.”

“Ha, honestly, if the Grand Duke were single again, I’d do anything.”

Lucienne’s ears perked up. Listening again, their intentions aligned with hers.

‘Then they’re allies, aren’t they?’

Her resentment toward them melted away as if it were a lie.

‘Maybe I don’t need to bother making them cry. Should I try another way instead? If I use the original plot, maybe it’ll work?’

Lucienne recalled what would happen today in the original story.

In the afternoon, a gray bear would attack this place.

The male lead, Emilion, would rush back to defeat it and protect Verdi and the women, thereby strengthening the romance line.

Lucienne decided she would subdue the bear before Emilion returned.

Getting hit by a front paw would tear the skin, so she didn’t have the courage to face it directly. But she thought if she threw a rock from over there at the bear, it might work.

She wasn’t planning to hit the bear properly anyway. Bear hunting would be left to Emilion.

The noble ladies, having witnessed only Lucienne’s monstrous strength, would be terrified and shun her even more.

If bad rumors about the Grand Duchess spread throughout the Empire, Paello would be forced to take notice.

‘If I give him a decisive excuse in that situation, it’ll be easier for him to hand me the divorce papers.’

Different method, same result.

‘Perfect!’

Lucienne clenched her fist. Today, she would sit quietly in her assigned seat and wait for Paello to return from the hunt.

When Paello and Lucienne reached the platform, the ceremonial officer shouted loudly.

“Long live the Holy Empire of Wibroton. Eternal blessings of the gods to His Majesty the Emperor.”

The nobles all stood and greeted Emperor Sidell as he stepped onto the platform.

Sidell finished his brief congratulatory address and sat beside the Empress Dowager.

Soon, a young man with dark teal hair ascended the stage.

“Wow, I can tell at a glance. Emilion. He’s definitely handsome,” Lucienne murmured to herself.

Unlike with Verdi, whom she fought with too often to admire her looks, the male lead was different.

“To think I’d see him this close.”

“Honored guests of the Holy Empire of Wibroton. I am Emilion Haffender, Commander of the Imperial Knights.”

He announced he would personally oversee the distribution of weapons for today’s event.

“Then I will explain the rules of the hunting competition. Of the items you brought, only your hunting dogs may be used. If you need a horse, one will be provided.”

“Wow, even his voice is nice.”

Murmuring as if watching a celebrity, Lucienne stared at Emilion in awe.

Honestly, when else would she get to admire the male lead to her heart’s content?

“Do you know the knight commander?”

“Of course. He’s super famous.”

“I heard he only recently became commander… Is he that well-known?”

“Yes. I bet he’ll win the hunting competition too.”

“You seem to know quite a bit about the commander.”

“That’s right. He’s strong, handsome, charming, and romantic.”

“Hm… more than me?”

“…Huh?”

Only then did Lucienne realize she had casually answered someone.