Wicked Husband-Chapter 110 - 109

In the sunlit reception room, Ornella sat with a dignified posture, having left the tea and snacks untouched.

Upon seeing Ornella, Eileen couldn’t help but admire her beauty. With her elegantly flowing platinum blonde hair, Ornella embodied the epitome of high nobility. Her upright stance exuded an air of pride and confidence, showcasing many qualities Eileen herself did not possess.

’The lily of Traon...’

Recalling Ornella’s nickname, Eileen approached slowly. Ornella stood up to greet her with a radiant smile.

"Thank you for welcoming my unexpected visit so graciously," Ornella said. "I appreciate it, Eileen."

Ornella subtly gestured toward Sonio, who stood behind Eileen, and made a natural request.

"Could we speak privately?"

Sonio’s face shifted to one of barely contained frustration, as if he wanted to summon Cesare immediately. Eileen gave him a reassuring nod.

Once they were alone in the reception room, a palpable silence filled the space. Despite being the first to arrive, Ornella remained silent. She sat with her arms crossed and her legs elegantly crossed, her gaze fixed intently on Eileen.

"..."

Eileen met her stare, swallowing nervously. She refused to look away as Ornella slowly blinked and parted her lips.

"So, how is it? Being the Grand Duchess? Is it enjoyable?"

Eileen was momentarily taken aback, not immediately grasping the question. Unsure of how to respond, she hesitated. Ornella’s lips curled into a smirk as she continued.

"To me, it seems you’re quite pleased. Enough that the Grand Duke of Erzet showed up at Farbellini’s residence in the middle of the night with soldiers."

Ornella leaned back in her armchair, her tone light and almost mocking.

"It must be disappointing that the Grand Duke didn’t scold me, as you might have hoped."

Eileen was bewildered, struggling to process Ornella’s words.

’Cesare visited the Duke’s residence? With soldiers?’

The revelation was entirely new to Eileen and made her head spin. Though she had no prior knowledge of the incident, Ornella seemed to be implying it was somehow linked to Eileen’s influence. Ornella regarded her with a look of disdain.

"I don’t understand what you’re talking about..."

"Eileen."

Ornella cut Eileen off sharply, her blue eyes piercing with intensity.

"I don’t like you."

The bluntness of the statement left Eileen momentarily stunned. She found herself blurting out a response.

"I—I don’t like you either."

Ornella let out a sharp, mocking laugh in response to Eileen’s timid rebuttal. The icy sound, as piercing as frost, caused Eileen’s hard-won courage to shrink even further.

With a blank expression, Ornella stared at Eileen. After a moment, her lips twisted into an unmistakable sneer.

"Do you know why I dislike you? It’s because your mind is so pure, Eileen. You occupy a position everyone envies, yet as the Grand Duchess, you don’t even work yourself to the bone."

She leaned slightly forward, locking eyes with Eileen as she continued.

"You act as if you can have everything you want. It’s disgusting, Eileen."

Ornella had always made her disdain clear, yet she had hidden it behind the mask of the "kind and elegant Lady of House Farbellini." Until now, she had only ever mocked Eileen with a smile—never had she unleashed such direct insults.

Eileen suspected that part of Ornella’s anger stemmed from a recent newspaper article. Following the public revelations of Lucio’s crimes, it became known that Eileen had studied pharmacology and botany at university. La Verità praised the Grand Duchess’s intelligence and hinted that she was preparing to release a new pharmaceutical product.

Ornella’s words held a kernel of truth. Wanting recognition both as the Grand Duchess and as a pharmacist was indeed ambitious. Achieving both was nearly impossible without the help and sacrifices of others, and even with their support, the odds of succeeding at both were slim.

Ornella must have been furious, believing Eileen was neglecting her responsibilities as the Grand Duchess.

’On top of that, I’ve heard Cesare even went to the Farbellini estate with soldiers for some unknown reason...’

Eileen could understand why Ornella was so upset. After a moment of consideration, she carefully opened her mouth to respond.

"The reason His Grace visited the estate wasn’t because of me."

She chose to swallow the fact that this was the first she’d heard of it; appearing unaware of something concerning the Grand Duchess would do her no favors.

"And I know that pursuing the development of medicine is ambitious. But as both the Grand Duchess and a citizen of Traon, I want to contribute to the empire."

"Get real, Eileen."

Ornella interrupted, letting out a sharp, sarcastic laugh. Her eyes narrowed with irritation, and even her pupils seemed to shrink in her pale green gaze.

"Do you think you’re the only person in the world who knows how to make medicine? There are countless pharmacists and scientists. They could easily replace you..."

"No."

Eileen flinched at her own response but pressed on.

"No one can replace me in my current research."

Researching Morpheus was incredibly challenging due to the empire’s strict prohibition on drug production. Perhaps in a decade things might change, but for now, there was no one else willing to take on the risks of studying Morpheus besides Eileen.

"But waiting indefinitely for someone else to come along isn’t an option either. The sooner a new drug is developed, the sooner it can help save even one more person."

The war may have ended, but the suffering of those injured by it had not. Eileen wanted to provide some comfort to the soldiers who had fought for Cesare’s victory.

"I know it sounds idealistic, but His Grace has promised me his support, and I—"

As Eileen spoke to Ornella, she began to realize something about her own motivations. She had thought her research on Morpheus was solely to earn Cesare’s approval, to become someone useful to him.

That desire was still important, but it wasn’t everything. Eileen genuinely wanted to create medicine. She wanted to use the knowledge she had accumulated as a pharmacist to make a positive impact on the world.

I’ve always been on the receiving end of help.