Chapter 44…………………………………………………
I forced myself to hold onto my slipping composure and spoke to the woman standing before me.
“Riena, watch your words. We’re not close enough to speak to each other so casually.”
In that instant, I caught the expression that flickered across her face—
A startled look, like someone whose hidden shame had been exposed.
Riena quickly returned to the “Riena Cassius” I knew.
As though putting on a mask, the anger vanished, replaced by childish sulking.
“…I lost my temper and made a mistake. But Sister-in-law, you were too harsh.”
“Are you blaming me?”
“It’s true you said something cruel. I was really hurt.”
“Hah. Fine, let’s say that’s true. Then what about what you said earlier?”
“That this is all for me.”
“What did you mean by that?”
“I meant exactly what I said. I don’t want you to suffer, Sister-in-law. Life is much easier and safer under Cassius’s protection.”
It wasn’t illogical…
But it sounded like an excuse.
Earlier, it hadn’t felt like she meant it in that way at all.
Perhaps sensing my probing gaze, Riena began edging away.
“Oh! Look at the time already. Father and my brothers are waiting, so I should go. See you later, Sister-in-law!”
“Wait—”
“I realized your wounds run deeper than I thought. But it’s okay. Once you come back, we can heal you.”
“I’m not coming back. I’ll win the trial.”
“…Hmm. Will you, really?”
That awkward smile was almost certainly born from amusement.
“We’ll see. You never know until it’s over.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
After Riena left, Vineta asked quietly,
“Should we have stopped her?”
“It’s fine. If we’d laid a hand on the duke’s daughter, it would only have made things worse for us.”
And even if we had stopped her, we wouldn’t have gotten the answers we wanted.
Riena wasn’t foolish enough to spill secrets just because she lost her temper.
‘Even showing that strange attitude earlier was already unlike her.’
What was that?
No matter how many times I replayed it, it didn’t feel like the Riena I knew.
In the story, she’d gotten angry a few times—
But this was different.
“…Wait.”
Unlike the Riena I knew?
How well did I really know Riena at all?
A question I’d never seriously considered struck me.
I had read After Regressing, I’ll Only Walk the Flower Path countless times.
But did that really mean I understood Riena Cassius completely?
When I thought about it…
The answer was no.
I had already learned the hidden circumstances of the head butler and his son.
I had begun questioning the righteousness of House Cassius.
And I had witnessed dark sides of them the novel never showed.
‘Until now, I thought it was simply because the people around Riena loved her too much.’
But now…
I was starting to doubt Riena herself.
Instinctively, I knew it.
What I had seen earlier was another face of hers.
Who was Riena Cassius, really?
And in the parts of her life the novel never touched…
What kind of expression did she wear?
* * *
Riena steadied her emotions as she walked down the corridor.
Getting worked up over something so trivial…
It wasn’t like her.
Divorce was impossible anyway.
There was no reason for her to feel anxious.
“I’m back.”
The moment she entered the waiting room, Leandro asked,
“How did it go?”
When Riena shook her head with a gloomy expression, he let out a deep sigh.
Beside him, Duke Cassius spoke in a voice thick with anger.
“Riena, you don’t need to waste your heart on someone that ungrateful.”
“Ah, don’t say it like that. We did treat Sister-in-law poorly.”
“Mistreat? What mistreat? She’s whining just because she didn’t get enough attention. She’s not a child.”
“Father…”
“And you—why are you making such a fuss about not wanting a divorce that my daughter has to hear such things?”
The duke’s fury suddenly turned toward Leandro.
Riena hurriedly tried to calm him.
“No, it’s not like that. I stepped in because I wanted Sister-in-law to come back too.”
“You’re too kind for your own good.”
Trying to brighten the tense atmosphere, Riena spoke cheerfully.
“It’s fine. We’ll obviously win this trial. Let’s only talk about good things. After it’s over… should we all go out to eat together as a family?”
“……”
“……”
“……”
But the reaction was strange.
The three men’s faces stiffened.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
The one who answered was her second brother, Leheim.
“Little rabbit, you went to talk to Sister-in-law as soon as you arrived, so you didn’t hear. Things are getting… weird.”
“Read this.”
“A newspaper?”
“A servant just brought it in. It’s an extra edition.”
“Extra? Did something big happen?”
Riena tilted her head.
Was there really an incident serious enough to warrant a special issue at this point?
Even as she sifted through memories from her past life, nothing came to mind.
‘If I don’t remember it, then it must not be important.’
That was what she thought as she unfolded the small paper—
And her grip tightened.
The newsprint crumpled with a harsh rustle.
“…This is…”
What caught her eye was the massive front-page headline.
‘The Leoc Ambassador’s Daughter, Missing for Over Twenty Years, Returns!
Was the Reunion Made Possible by the Notorious Wife of Young Duke Cassius?’
Leheim explained further.
“The carriage that brought Sister-in-law here belonged to the Leoc embassy. We came in first so we didn’t know, but outside, it was chaos.”
“No way…”
“I’m stunned too. For Sister-in-law to find the ambassador’s lost daughter at a time like this… unbelievable.”
No.
This wasn’t something that could be brushed off as mere coincidence.
Leandro spoke next, scowling.
“Damn it. Fine, she reunited them and became their benefactor. But why is she meddling in someone else’s family affairs?”
Riena’s eyes flew over the article.
There were many troubling parts, but she quickly found what Leandro meant.
It was an interview with Diana herself.
“I suffered for a long time because of my violent husband. Every day, I prayed to sever our bond as spouses. But it was impossible. The law was not on my side.”
Diana went on to say she was now preparing for a formal divorce trial—
And expressed hope for a society that would not sacrifice individuals under the excuse of “family peace.”
Though framed as her own story…
In truth, it was also support for Idel’s divorce.
But since she never explicitly mentioned Idel, Cassius had no grounds to protest.
And even if they did—
How could they?
Diana had vividly testified to her tragic past.
‘A victim, in every way. Overflowing with sympathy.’
If Cassius said the wrong thing, they would instantly be painted as villains pressuring a victim.
That could not happen.
Cassius needed a very specific image:
Not pure evil—
But charming antagonists.
Rebels who fought greater evils, protected the weak, and upheld at least a minimum of morality.
How hard had Riena worked to improve the family’s reputation?
They couldn’t let it collapse now.
After analyzing the situation coldly, Riena told her family,
“Don’t respond to this separately. Public opinion may tilt slightly toward her side, but it’s within expectations. There’s nothing here that could make us lose.”
She gave Leandro a reassuring look.
“Don’t worry. It’s only an external factor. In divorce, what matters most is what happens between husband and wife.”
“…Yes. You’re right.”
“And what Brother did wrong was only that he was too busy to spend time with her, and that he was a little careless, right?”
“…Uh. Yes.”
“That’s not enough. Even if she gains some sympathy, it won’t be enough to persuade the judge.”
Lost in thought, Riena didn’t notice how strangely hesitant Leandro’s answer had been.
“And judging by how she took her maid from the Cassius estate, I can guess what kind of argument she’ll make. Admirable effort…”
“But our lawyers aren’t so easy.”
Leheim suddenly chimed in as if remembering something.
“Oh, and isn’t it infuriating too?”
“That she sold the jewels Brother gave her and used the money however she wanted?”
According to the head maid’s report, after Idel visited, all valuables in her room had vanished.
It made sense.
With no support from her birth family, and having lived idly as a duchess…
How else could Idel possibly afford a proper legal team?
“And my friend Lady Delacent said she saw the Princess of Verdure at a jeweler a few days ago.”
The Princess of Verdure was the emerald ring Leandro had won at auction and gifted his wife.
If it was no longer with Idel, the meaning was obvious.
“Sister-in-law really is ruthless. Selling her husband’s gift to fund her divorce. I heard her lawyer even moved offices recently.”
“She probably acted in the heat of emotion. By now, she must regret it…”
Even with Riena’s defense, Leheim and the duke’s furrowed brows did not relax.
Leandro remained silent, his expression dark.
But the most unsettled person in the room was, without question, Riena.
She hadn’t been able to focus at all.
A single question had completely overtaken her mind.
‘How did she find the ambassador’s daughter?’
At this point in time, it should have been impossible.
In her previous life, the ambassador’s daughter had never found her parents.
She had died at her husband’s hands.
And yet now…
She had appeared safely.
And of all things, with Idel’s help.
How?
Why?
For what reason?
Riena’s teeth ground together.
