I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - Chapter 55

Richard, who had been kicked out of the room, stood in front of the door and apologized, saying, “I’m sorry.”

Even though Elisa didn’t open the door, Richard left with a farewell, saying he hoped she would have a good conversation.

Only then did Elisa regain her composure and sit back in front of the vanity.

Seeing that the makeup she had painstakingly applied was ruined by tears, she felt a pang of frustration. Even though there was no real reason to cry, tears came easily, likely due to pregnancy hormones.

Anne and the other maidservants, who had stepped back during the conversation between the Duke and Duchess, approached Elisa cautiously.

While combing Elisa’s hair and observing her reflection in the mirror, Anne tried to lighten her mood by chattering away.

“I don’t understand why His Excellency doesn’t see it. You’re so beautiful, why would he say it doesn’t suit you?”

“Exactly! Even if it didn’t suit you, he should have said it did.”

“It’s clear that His Excellency doesn’t know much about the latest fashion trends. So don’t take his words too much to heart, madam.”

As Anne started speaking, the other maidservants joined in, chiding Richard as well.

Elisa felt better seeing the maidservants’ efforts to lift her spirits.

At the same time, she felt awkward for having cried and gotten angry at Richard over something so trivial.

‘He just honestly said it didn’t suit me. Did I overreact like a child?’

She felt somewhat sorry for having made the maidservants criticize Richard over such a minor reason.

‘But what can I do if I can’t control my emotions?’

Elisa brushed aside the guilt she felt and justified her actions.

‘Yes, Richard is the one who got me pregnant, after all.’

Though it wasn’t intentional, now that he was a father, it was only right that he had to handle such matters.

He should have avoided making his pregnant wife feel upset in the first place.

“It’s all done now, madam.”

Anne and the maidservants finished the preparations and helped Elisa up.

Elisa left the room with the maidservants. As expected, Richard was not in front of the door.

As Elisa was about to head down the stairs, she glanced briefly in the direction of Richard’s office.

But that was all, and she soon averted her gaze and went down the stairs.

*

A carriage bearing the Count Arden’s crest passed through the iron gates of the Rubellin Duke’s residence and made its way inside.

When the carriage arrived in front of the Duke’s residence, it came to a stop, and Ancel disembarked.

The waiting butler, Grayson, bowed and greeted Ancel.

“It’s been a while, Your Excellency. You seem to have aged well.”

Since Richard had gone off to war, Ancel had visited the Duke’s residence several times while Elisa stayed there, so he was familiar with Grayson.

Ancel responded to his greeting with a smile.

“It’s been a long time, Grayson. It’s been quite a while, but you seem just the same as ever.”

“Now that you’ve become a businessman, it seems you’ve picked up the art of flattery.”

Grayson replied, but he seemed pleased by Ancel’s words, with a smile on his lips.

“Madam is waiting for you. Please follow me this way.”

Grayson guided Ancel through the mansion to the back door. Exiting through the back door, they reached the courtyard where Elisa was to meet him.

Ancel and his aide followed Grayson to the courtyard.

The Duke’s courtyard was, as always, filled with well-maintained flowers in every color.

The scent of flowers carried on the spring breeze thoroughly relaxed Ancel.

As he was enjoying the beautiful scenery and floral fragrance, he suddenly felt a chilling gaze from behind.

Ancel looked up in surprise at the source of the gaze.

‘Duke Rubellin.’

There, Richard stood.

Richard was on the central balcony of the mansion, looking down at Ancel with a cold stare.

His crimson red eyes, visible beneath his pitch-black hair, were unsettling even in broad daylight.

The aura of coldness he radiated only intensified the impression.

The last time Ancel had seen Richard was eight years ago at a banquet held at the Count Arden’s residence.

So, this was the first time he had met Richard since he became an adult.

Ancel gave a slight nod toward Richard.

However, Richard seemed uninterested in acknowledging the greeting, merely staring blankly.

‘He wasn’t a warm person as a child, but he’s become even colder after returning from the battlefield.’

Feeling awkward, Ancel quietly followed Grayson.

‘How is Elisa living with such a man? Could it be that she was forced to return to the Duke’s residence after being restrained from divorcing him?’

Worrying about Elisa’s marriage, Ancel soon arrived at the greenhouse.

Grayson opened the door to the greenhouse and stepped aside.

Ancel entered the greenhouse with his aide.

As they passed through the lush flowering trees and entered deeper inside, a tea table in the center came into view.

And sitting in front of it was a face that was both unfamiliar yet familiar.

Although Ancel had seen Elisa whenever she came down to the estate, he hadn’t met her since Albert fell ill and Elisa began taking on the role of the lord three years ago.

In the meantime, Elisa had matured beyond her youthful appearance.

She now truly looked the part of a ‘Duchess’ rather than just a ‘Duke’s wife.’

A smile spread across Ancel’s face as he faced Elisa, and Elisa also smiled at him.

“Hello, Ancel.”

“It’s been a while, Elisa.”

The two sat across from each other at the table.

Soon, Anne arrived with the tea, placed it on the table, and then withdrew.

Elisa skillfully poured the tea and set it in front of Ancel.

“Did you arrive in the Duchy yesterday?”

“Yes. I left immediately after receiving your letter.”

Although he simply stated the facts, Elisa, who had been the cause of his efforts, felt uncomfortable.

“I’m really sorry, Ancel, for only sending a piece of paper and disappearing after you went through all this trouble for me.”

“Well, it’s a repayment for the favor you showed me. Whether you accept it or not is up to you. I’m fine with it, so don’t worry about it.”

Elisa had often shown kindness to Ancel even after saving him from Christian eight years ago.

Whenever she met him in the Duchy, she would help and advise him on managing the upper echelons of business.

Ancel alleviated Elisa’s guilt by saying it was a repayment for her kindness.

With those words, Elisa’s expression eased.

Ancel, holding the now-cooled tea cup, added.

“Still, the villa will be arranged, so if you change your mind, just let me know.”

“Thank you. It’s reassuring to have a place to go.”

Elisa smiled and tilted her tea cup.

As Ancel also took a sip, he recalled the sight of Richard in the courtyard earlier and asked Elisa.

“So, are you happy? With this marriage.”

Ancel’s voice felt somewhat heavier than before with this unexpected question.

Elisa, momentarily pondering, opened her mouth with a faint smile.

“To be honest, I’m not sure what happiness really is. But there’s one thing I’m certain of.”

“………”

“I don’t feel unhappy living in this Duchy.”

Just as Richard, who had once detested Hannes in the original story, now fulfills his duties as a father, as long as she can avoid the fate of the original story.

“I think that even though Richard and I aren’t passionate lovers, we can live well together like long-time friends. We’ve managed so far.”

A faint smile appeared on Ancel’s face as he quietly listened to Elisa.

“…He must be a good person then.”

“Yes. He may look expressionless, but if you get to know him, he’s quite gentle.”

Ancel couldn’t believe his ears at Elisa’s words.

‘Gentle……… What? Where do you see that?’

How could a man with such a dangerous aura, capable of killing with his gaze, be described as gentle?

Though Ancel couldn’t understand, he accepted it since it was Elisa’s assessment.

More importantly, Ancel’s real purpose for visiting wasn’t to discuss Richard but to talk about ‘Elisa.’

Before starting the conversation, Ancel looked for something to counter the bitter taste of the tea, but there were no snacks on the table.

‘Elisa wouldn’t have forgotten the cookies.’

Ancel suddenly remembered that he hadn’t yet given the gift he had prepared for Elisa.

He gestured to his aide, who had been waiting at a distance, to come closer.

The aide placed a small box, which he had been carrying since getting out of the carriage, in front of Elisa.

Elisa looked at the box with curiosity.

“What’s this?”

“A gift. I remembered that you used to like chocolate cookies.”

“Ah…..”

Contrary to Ancel’s expectation that Elisa would immediately start eating the cookies, she displayed a look of discomfort.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll just accept your kind thoughts this time.”

“Why?”

“Well, I was planning to talk about it once things settled down.”

Elisa paused for a moment before speaking.

“Actually, I’m pregnant.”

Ancel’s eyes widened in surprise at Elisa’s unexpected news. It was completely unforeseen.

At the same time, it made sense why Elisa might have suddenly changed her mind about the marriage.

Quickly regaining his composure, Ancel forced a smile and offered his congratulations.

“Congratulations, Elisa.”

“Thank you. But what was the urgent matter you wanted to discuss?”

“Oh, that…”

Ancel, who had been trailing off, eventually shook his head as if to dismiss the issue.

“No, it’s nothing important. Everything has been resolved. I just came to see your face today.”

He couldn’t bring himself to tell Elisa about what he had seen at the Soranetti villa, especially when she needed to maintain stability during this time.