Chapter 14
“What?”
“In the marriage contract between me and Damien, the first clause was that neither party would keep a mistress.”
Briseis said dryly as she stepped inside the door. Then she looked at her mother-in-law, who was half a span shorter than her, and continued,
“And it was Damien who violated that clause.”
“Hah! Do you know how divorced women live? They shave their heads and go live in a widow’s village!”
“That’s already an outdated custom, Mother.”
Although it had recently been abolished, in the past, widowed or divorced commoner women were forced to shave their heads and go live in the mountains. Otherwise, they had to go to widow settlements and live miserable lives.
But such things no longer existed.
Even the Emperor himself was free to remarry and keep mistresses.
“Hah! You think you’re any different? Our Demi just temporarily lowered his standards and married someone like you. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t even have caught his eye!”
“That’s something I should be saying. I must have lost my mind for a moment to marry Damien.”
Even as Briseis said that, her voice trembled with bitterness.
Before her marriage, there had been no man as perfect as Damien. He was a kind man who always prioritized and understood her in every way.
She had never even imagined, not even in dreams, that he would meet another woman besides her.
He had truly been perfect.
That was why, in a way, she had understood why, in the original story, Delilah had appeared. She had understood why it was Damien, the Grand Duke, rather than Crown Prince Calisten, who was chosen by the female lead.
She had thought it was only natural.
“I like that Brise is wise.”
He had been someone who respected her, saying such things.
However, Damien had changed after returning from earning military merit. In contrast, it had been Briseis who had loved him, persuaded her family, repaid debts, and even used her dowry to clear the Grand Duchy’s debts.
“Are you done talking now?”
“Do I look like I’m done? I still have plenty to say.”
Smack!
At that moment, the elder madam slapped Briseis across the cheek. Perhaps because Briseis was already covered in bruises, she had less strength than usual.
Smack! Thud!
Barely enduring one blow, Briseis collapsed to the floor under the repeated strikes.
“How dare you speak so disrespectfully to your mother-in-law!”
Smack!
“Stop it!”
Startled by the noise, Ella rushed in and wrapped her arms around Briseis. In doing so, Ella took the blow instead.
“Move aside! How dare a mere maid—”
At that moment, Briseis regained her senses and stood up.
Smack!
“You insane woman!”
Briseis slapped Madam Maze across the face and glared at her.
“Isn’t it you who’s insane, Mother? How dare you hit someone like that?”
“You—!”
At that moment, Briseis’s red hair was grabbed by the elder madam’s rough hand and shaken violently.
“Don’t do this! Let go! Please stop this, Madam!”
Ella cried out, trying to pull the elder madam away.
“Eek!”
But the elder madam shook Briseis so violently that when she shoved her, both Briseis and Ella fell to the ground together.
Ella hugged Briseis tightly, preventing the elder madam from striking her further. Soon after, the elder madam raised her hand again, breathing heavily.
“How dare you lay a hand on my face?”
“Shall I go for your feet instead?”
The voice came from the doorway.
“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
“What exactly am I looking at?”
“Your Highness! This is because our daughter-in-law was rude to me—!”
“So being rude means you’re allowed to raise your hand?”
Calisten was smiling. But Briseis knew it wasn’t a genuine smile.
“Then how should I repay the offense of looking directly at my face? Should I gouge out your eyes? Or cut off your arms? Who gave you the right to look directly at a member of the royal family?”
“S-Sincere apologies!”
The elder madam hurriedly lowered her head. Calisten clenched his fist and said,
“Disappear from my sight immediately. If not, I will snap your neck.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Though she seemed to have more to say, the elder madam judged the situation unfavorable and fled the room as if escaping.
“Sob… Your Highness…”
Ella called out tearfully to Calisten. Still worried, she didn’t loosen her hold on Briseis.
“You should have called sooner. I almost went straight to the palace.”
Calisten had returned after receiving an urgent report from his aide while on his way to where Briseis was.
“I-I called as quickly as I could…! As soon as I heard you were coming today, I sent a letter to the palace!”
From Ella and Calisten’s conversation, Briseis realized that his arrival was thanks to Ella.
“Move aside for a moment. Let me check her condition.”
At his words, Ella slowly let go of Briseis. Briseis felt somewhat embarrassed.
“You’ll regret marrying me, Brise.”
“I won’t regret it.”
“The Grand Duke doesn’t love you. He only needs the Philia Marquis family’s money.”
“But I still believe in Damien.”
She remembered the words she had spoken before her marriage, words she had confidently declared without shame to Calisten.
Even though her cheeks were swollen and painful, her chest hurt more—likely from humiliation.
“What should I do? I’m so angry.”
Seeing Briseis’s swollen cheeks, Calisten trembled with rage, smiling as if he were truly furious.
“This isn’t your problem.”
“You’re so calm in this situation. I can’t be like that.”
Even as she said that, Briseis tightly grabbed the sleeve of Calisten’s clothing.
“This is strange. If she had just hit me instead, I don’t think I’d be this angry.”
“Don’t lie. You’d be angry no matter who got hit.”
Though she couldn’t calm down, Briseis forced herself to say that. She was still embarrassed, but she couldn’t let go of his hand.
“Sob… huuuh…!”
As if sensing that she was pretending to be fine, Ella began to cry.
“I’m not okay! Our young lady was hit…!”
She had once been required to call her “madam,” but having followed her since childhood and always calling her “young lady,” she unconsciously reverted to that address when overcome with emotion.
“Haa.”
Calisten took a small breath, then took Briseis’s hand and helped her stand.
“Let’s go to your room. May I carry you?”
“I’ll walk.”
“Please carry our young lady!”
Ella shouted while holding back her tears.
“Alright, that seems best.”
“No! I’m not five years old—ah!”
As Briseis resisted, Calisten hoisted her onto his back and carried her away.
“Was your room on the third floor?”
“Yes!”
“Put me down! What are you doing!”
“Patient transport.”
As Briseis struggled, Calisten tightened his grip and continued toward her room. He didn’t seem burdened at all as he carried her.
Upon entering the room, he quickly scanned it as if familiar with it, then brought out a first aid kit.
“Ella, go get some ice wrapped in cloth.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Soon, only the two of them remained in the room.
“I’m married. A married woman being alone in a room with you like this isn’t good for you. What kind of rumors might spread… ouch!”
Apparently annoyed by her words, Calisten pressed on Briseis’s cheek.
“Are your ears okay? No ringing?”
“…Yes.”
Only then did his expression soften slightly, as if calming down. With his naturally red eyes, even the whites seemed flushed, showing an expression she had never seen before.
“Why did you just take that beating?”
“I didn’t just take it. I fought back, but I lost in physical strength.”
Briseis replied honestly. The elder madam had clearly had a strong build. Though a bit shorter than Briseis, she was much more robust.
“You wrote to the Zeronis law office.”
“How do you know that?”
“I know everything about you.”
Briseis quickly regained her composure. The man in front of her—who pretended to be a docile animal but became a conqueror the moment he got what he wanted—was not someone she could rely on.
“You’re planning to divorce, aren’t you?”
She didn’t answer and lowered her gaze.
“If you’re planning to divorce, I’ll help you.”
“You didn’t say anything unnecessary to my brother Michael, did you?”
“I didn’t.”
Briseis reminded herself that she had no one in the Philia Marquis family on her side. And those people of the Philia family were very fond of Calisten.
If Calisten truly declared his intention to become emperor, they might abandon their neutrality and fully align themselves with the Crown Prince.
“If my brothers find out, they won’t help me. Staying in the Grand Duchy will be more helpful to you…”
“I don’t need the Grand Duke’s help. It would be difficult for me not to wipe out the Grand Duchy before I become Emperor.”
He growled lowly, staring straight at Briseis.
But Briseis knew that his sadness wasn’t because she was his childhood friend—it was because something he wanted had been damaged by someone else.
That was the kind of person Calisten was.
“Why did you break all my toys?”
“So you would play with me.”
She remembered their childhood conversation and forced herself to stay rational.
“Just treat my wounds.”
Regaining her composure, she spoke calmly.
He sighed and said to her,
“You’ve got bite marks on the inside of your cheek.”
Briseis suddenly tasted blood inside her mouth.
“Hmm?”
He pressed her chin, opening her mouth as if to inspect the inside.
“Open wider. That way I can see how badly the inside is swollen.”
