Reincarnated As My Husband's Mistress-Chapter 32: [] Those who have promised the future

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A heavy, oppressive silence fell between them. Roardnes looked at the woman in front of him as if he had been doused with cold water. The unpleasant memory of his slight argument with the Emperor over the Baroness Kuroseda had already faded into the distance. It was as if his mind had flickered on and off, and then the alcohol had wiped his thoughts clean. The woman, her eyes red-rimmed, was also staring at him without blinking.

Once, he had imagined this. In front of Adrien, he would reveal his identity as a man who was tall and strong enough to protect her, just as she had dreamed of in her youth. He would call out to Adrien, not with the boyish voice of his youth but with the deep, resonant voice of a man. He would imagine telling her, "I have become the man you dreamed of, so please be my partner." He didn't know how many times he had practiced those embarrassing words in his head.

"But now it's useless."

When he heard the news of Adrien's death, he had thought that too. He had never imagined a world without Adrien, so perhaps she was still alive somewhere. And if Adrien was alive, this woman would be the closest person to her. Blier Acacia. The miracle he had found in Adrien's grave. And his despair.

"'I am Noébian Trovica's mistress.'"

As those words, which had been embedded in his heart, burst out, his hazy mind cleared up rapidly. No matter how much this woman looked like Adrien, acted like her, and even had the same handwriting...

"She's not Adrien."

Black hair. Ornate clothing. The mole under her eye. Adrien was dead. Everyone had told him so. They said that Adrien, who had suffered from a physical illness, had looked peaceful and beautiful in her final moments. A voice echoed louder and louder in his head, saying that someone had seen the body that he alone had not.

"Damn it..."

He had said things he shouldn't have, drunk and in a strange mood. He had given this woman, who was living as a substitute for Adrien, a great opportunity. Roardnes leaned against the tree he had been leaning on and stumbled to his feet. The woman, who had been sitting like a statue, caught him without permission. Roardnes felt an intense repulsion and slapped her hand away. How dare she. A mere mistress of Noébian.

"Adrien is not your friend. It's best not to call her by her name."

The air between them froze instantly.

"If I were her, I would never have allowed you to call me that."

Roardnes's eyes burned again. For a moment, his heart was shaken, but he regained his composure.

"I misspoke. So did you."

Roardnes admitted his mistake. As soon as he told his father that he didn't want to take on the Baroness Kuroseda's case, he had been met with a fierce rebuke. He had seen Noébian and Adrien together through Blier Acacia, a sight he had tried so hard to avoid for nearly two years. On the verge of an emotional outburst, he couldn't keep his head straight. He wanted to get drunk and lose consciousness. But his feet had led him to the place where he had memories of Adrien. There, he had cried alone. He had brought Cowan, the dog he kept in the palace, and talked to him endlessly.

'Now... even if Adrien is with the Grand Duke, I want to see her.'

'It's better to despair while she's still in this world, than to despair knowing that she's not.'

Even if it meant being with the Grand Duke of Trovica. With his chest feeling empty, he poured alcohol into his mouth and let his words spill out. The dog that had been guarding him barked and hid in the bushes as soon as it heard someone else's footsteps, but as soon as this woman appeared, it couldn't hide its joy and ran out to greet her. That was why he had made such a nonsensical mistake. Because this woman had the same face as Adrien, the same eyes, and appeared before him. Because she petted Cowan, just like Adrien did, looking at him lovingly. When he apologized, the woman didn't answer. After dropping the bombshell that she was Adrien, she said nothing more. Roardnes felt his mouth go dry.

"People sometimes say I'm mad. It seems my madness has gotten worse today. Thank you for humoring my absurd delusion."

"...Delusion, huh?"

"I think we can be good partners."

Despite his icy voice, Roardnes was still panting heavily. His strong chest, clearly visible beneath his clothes, rose and fell roughly. His expression, which had been filled with shock and confusion, was now fixed on empty space. Of course, no one would believe that I was Adrien. If the situation were reversed, I would have despised and ignored the other person as well. Especially if they were pretending to be my first love. I released the dog and slowly stood up. When I moved, Roardnes looked up at me with dark eyes.

"...What was your relationship?"

Even though I had stood up, I had to look up at him from this distance. With trembling hands, I clutched the hem of my skirt. I was fully prepared to be insulted for being presumptuous. The dog whined and rubbed its face against my skirt, but I ignored everything except Roardnes's voice. Roardnes looked down at me for a long time from under the shade of the tree.

"We promised each other a future," he replied abruptly.

"!"

"No, I thought so."

He answered far too easily. If a stranger had heard him, they would have thought, "So the Grand Duke of Trovica and the Grand Duchess really were first loves." It sounded so natural. No matter how much I pondered it, I couldn't think of anyone else I had such a relationship with. His words that I was his first love couldn't be a lie. The look of genuine anger in his eyes whenever someone spoke ill of me was certainly not fake. And so, strangely, I found myself wanting it. If I was already dead, I wanted to be remembered as the thoughtful, wise, and courageous Adrien he described, rather than the weak Adrien who foolishly didn't know about her husband's infidelity. Perhaps he was the only one who remembered me that way. The only person who truly grieved for my death and still missed me. If he saw me and inevitably thought of Adrien so strongly, I wanted him to have only good memories.

"I'll help you confirm the Grand Duchess's body."

For the first time since my reincarnation, I smiled genuinely, not as Blier, but as myself.

"I wish I had met you first, instead of Noébian."

A ridiculous thought filled my heart and tears welled up in my eyes. The image of Noébian, who was so jealous that he couldn't hide it, shattered my heart. And surprisingly, seeing this man crying for Adrien was comforting.

"I should be more helpful to him."

I would help him confirm the body and help him let go of Adrien, just as I had done when I confirmed my own body. Once he realized that he could never see her again, he wouldn't need to cling to someone like Blier, whom he despised.

"I have a plan."

"..."

Roardnes stared at my smiling face without answering. But as I continued to speak calmly, he seemed to regain his cold and arrogant demeanor. I kept my head clear, even though my heart was filled with tears.

"The Grand Duke of Trovica is more jealous than I thought. So, I was thinking..."

"..."

"Would it be okay if I acted like I was in a romantic relationship with you?"

"A romantic relationship?"

His cold gaze scanned me. I explained the plan I had been thinking about since I came to the party.

"Seeing that he can't stand seeing us together, I thought I could get into the Grand Duke's residence more quickly if I provoked him a little. If I could stay in the Grand Duke's residence for a while, it would be easier to find the body."

"And what would you get in return for helping me with that play?"

"You would be able to confirm the body."

"No, asking you to help me confirm the body was my initial request. If I play along with your absurd play, what would I gain?"

"I will be your substitute for the Grand Duchess."

"!"

Adrien was dead. As Blier, this was the only way for me to survive. To gain power, Blier needed a reliable ally. And I needed this man, who was still under Noébian's influence. And in return for his help, I had to help him as well. As a commoner with nothing, I couldn't repay him with money or honor.

"Don't you want to be free from the Grand Duchess? Think of me as a substitute for her and forget about her. You can use me until you find the body."

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"..."

Roardnes's hardened face turned red and then returned to its usual state. What was this woman's intention? If he accepted her offer, he wouldn't have to worry about what this woman was, what her intentions were, or what her goals were. He could observe and monitor her naturally while they were in a romantic relationship. Roardnes smiled coldly, as if he were placing his head in a wolf's mouth.

'She said she doesn't want to be free from Adrien?'

If he had learned anything from Adrien's death, it was that he couldn't let go of her, whether she was alive or dead. The woman's suggestion was ridiculous to him. But...

'What if Adrien didn't die a natural death? What if I could confirm the body sooner by accepting this woman's offer? What if this mistress of Noébian was somehow involved in Adrien's death?'

The cold expression on Roardnes's face suddenly turned into that of a complete playboy. It was the same hazy, yet captivating look he had when he first visited Adrien's grave. Slowly, Roardnes put on the white gloves he had taken off and took the woman's hand, placing his lips on it.

"As you wish."

Even if he found out that no one was involved in Adrien's death, he would be satisfied. That way, he would have no regrets about leaving this world without Adrien.

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