The Blackened Second Male Lead’s Wife - Chapter 47

That wasn’t even a good attack.

The women around me stepped up before I could refute anything.

“Lady Erica. Lord Kardien is a very elegant man. If you talk to him, you’ll never feel like he’s from a lower class.”

“And what if he’s from the lower classes. That’s why Lord Kardien is respected even more. He’s gotten to where he is now with his skills alone.”

Erica wrinkled her eyebrows after I launched my first attack.

‘How’s that?’

I continued my attack.

“Since you mentioned it, that means that Lady Erica must have a very good relationship with her fiance. Lord Garthian, the lady’s fiance, is from a historically prestigious family.”

“Of course, nobles are best understood by nobles.”

Erica replied as if to remind me of her point.

She has recently been engaged to the highly ranked Marquis Garthian, which was also why she became so bold.

She’s gratified by the fact that she’s engaged to such a great man, but how much longer can she smile about it?

I said with a big smile.

“I see. Then you’ll understand with a big heart why Marquis Garthian enjoyed a secret meeting with his maid not too long ago. Nobles are best understood by nobles.”

Marquis Garthian was a man from a commendable family, but he was also a well-known flirt.

He’ll meet with another woman even if he has a fiancee.

In other words, he’s just useless eye candy.

Erica’s face turned pale.

But she had no intention of backing down. She tried to keep a smile on her face and attacked me.

“Come to think of it, Lady Pernia’s outfits have been very luxurious. I heard Lord Kardien bought everything for you. To spend your fiance’s money so freely when you’re not married yet….It’s unthinkable.”

She wants to accuse me of being a spendthrift with my man’s money.

But she misunderstood everything.

“Oh, you’re mistaken. I didn’t spend his money, Lucian spent his money on his own accord. If I had told him to buy as much as he wanted, there wouldn’t be any dresses and jewelry left on this street.”

I lowered my eyebrows and laughed.

“Because of that, I’ve been thinking of bringing some items to this charity bazaar. I have a lot of jewelry boxes and dresses that I haven’t even used. People who need it can buy them at a cheap price, I can reduce my luggage, and I can use the proceeds for the poor, so I’ll be killing three birds with one stone.”

The women around me clapped their hands.

“That’s a great idea.”

They couldn’t help but rejoice after hearing that they’ll have an opportunity to buy high-quality products at a good price.

Erica clenched her teeth.

Now, what else does she have to say? I’ll take anything she got.

Erica looked at me with a determined look and said.

“Lord Kardien is famous for his beautiful looks. As Lady Pernia is his fiancee, you know about Lord Kardien’s beauty, right?”

“Of course!”

I nodded my head without hesitation at her words. Ever since we started dating, being able to proudly appreciate his face has been one of my biggest joys in life.

“No matter how pretty or cool someone is, if I see them every day, I’ll eventually get used to their beauty and my appreciation for them will become dull. But Lucian’s not like that at all. Even though I see him every day, he manages to surprise me every time. He’s that handsome.”

Erica had a rotten look on her face as if she heard something she didn’t want to hear, but soon regained her composure and said.

“I see…. But it was harsh of you to describe Pew, the most famous actor in the Empire, as just a human being.”

Huh? Weren’t we just talking about Lucian? Why was she mentioning Pew all of a sudden?

I gave Erica a confused look. Erica spoke in the most obnoxious voice in the world.

“Not long ago, the lady watched Pew’s performance with Lord Kardien, right? At that time, several people heard the lady say that about Pew to Lord Kardien. Everyone there was a big fan of Pew, so they were all very upset.”

Just as Erica said, I did say that at that time. I think my voice got a bit loud because I was too excited.

‘I stopped myself from saying anything else though, because people around us were staring at me with scary expressions.’

So I thought that incident would just fly by.

But Erica didn’t seem to want that.

‘Where on earth did she hear that? And why mention that now?’

In conclusion, her attack was successful. The faces of the women surrounding me turned cold in an instant.

Like it was a rule to not forgive anyone who insulted the idol they like.

Even if it’s someone you wanted to look good to.

At this moment, I became the enemy of every woman in the banquet hall.

The Empress Dowager, who was sitting far away, was staring at me with especially scary eyes. This stare was different from the one I saw at the birthday banquet of the Crown Prince.

Because she was a big fan of Pew.

Rumor had it that she was the head of Pew’s secret fan club.

My hands were sweating.

How to get through this situation…?

‘Should I deny that I ever say that?’

No, if I deny it, everyone who was there will speak up, and I’ll be labelled as a liar.

‘Or should I say that it was a mistake? That I was just trying to compliment Lucian? And yell out loud that Sir Pew is the most handsome guy in the world?’

That was the easiest solution, but the words won’t come out.

…Because it’s not true.

My Lucian was the most handsome man in the world!

Compared to Lucian, Pew was just a human being with some pretty features.

Erica noticed my resolve and pushed me.

“I guess you meant it since you didn’t say anything.”

Ah, whatever.

I’m sticking to my belief even if they start bullying me for it!

I did not deny what Erica said. Erica let out a smile of victory at my reaction.

“Ha, no matter how handsome Lord Kardien is, you shouldn’t have….…”

Erica’s eyes widened and she stopped talking.

Not only her, but all the women who were looking at me with threatening glares also widened their eyes and mouths.

‘What’s going on?’

I turned my head to where they were looking.

Soon I had no choice but to do the same as them.

Because Lucian was there.

Under the bright sunlight, Lucian stood holding a small dark green olive tree.

Seeing Lucian with a small tree in his hand was like watching a scene from a fairy tale.

But he wasn’t heading towards me, he was heading towards the Empress Dowager.

Lucian, who stood in front of the stiff Empress whose mouth hung open, greeted her with grace.

“Lucian Kardien, greets the noble Crown Prince’s grandmother. How have you been?”

His clear voice echoed in the still silence. The Empress Dowager, who was not fully conscious, stuttered and asked.

“W-what brings you here?”

Today’s banquet was a gathering of the royal family and noblewomen.

Sometimes, a man would come.

And that man would either be a husband who didn’t want to be separated from his wife or a father who was unusually worried about his daughter.

Of course, they would be chewed out for interrupting women’s gossip.

The Empress frowned as she recalled something.

“Is it because of your fiancee? You think I’m going to harass her again?”

Soon, the Empress Dowager’s face was filled with anger.

Of course she would be angry. She was scolded for harassing me at the Crown Prince’s birthday party because Lucian went to the Emperor and pressured him to do so.

The Empress had yet to forget the humiliation from that.

‘Try picking on my fiancee again while I’m on her side. I won’t let it slide.’

She felt his firm resolution.

But what Lucian said was far from what she expected.

“No, I’m here to see the Empress Dowager.”

“….Me?”

The unexpected answer made the Empress Dowager blink. Lucian smiled and nodded.

“Yes, I heard that you were very hurt by what happened the other day. I did it because I care about my fiancee, so please extend your generosity towards us.”

If you think carefully about Lucian’s words, he wasn’t reflecting on what happened that day. He wasn’t even sorry.

He was basically telling the Empress Dowager to get herself together.

Those words could have made the Empress Dowager more displeased. But the Empress Dowager did not get angry.

Because Lucian held out an olive tree and smiled a smile so beautiful it couldn’t have existed.

Olive represents peace.

Like its name, he smiled a smile that seemed to purify all the anger and sorrow in the world.

The Empress Dowager silently looked at Lucian.

After a while, the Empress Dowager reached out and accepted the plant that Lucian had held out.

She didn’t ask a maid to do it for her

“Since you requested it. I’ll try. There’s nothing good about causing a rift with Lord Kardien.”

Instead of saying something cold-hearted, the Empress Dowager’s ears turned red. Her sharp eyes also relaxed.

I knew when she made that face.

People looked like that the moment they became a fan. You know, the face people make when they see someone they would sell their soul to.