Chapter 15

Ezekiel wanted to inflict further shame and contempt on his wife. The man wrapped his arms around the mistress’ waist as he watched his wife still kneeling under him. Herace showed a wounded expression after seeing him openly teasing his mistress. He whispered to the mistress as he stared into her blue eyes drenched with emotions.

“Charlotte, think about your punishment. But as my wife requested, you can’t maim or kill her.”

“But Ezekiel…”

“You with a big heart must understand. My noble wife got down to her knees here. So you must be generous.”

“But if you leave it like that, that girl will be cocky about Miguel being an illegitimate child. Just like now…”

“Charlotte.”

She had to kill that d*mn b*tch this time. That way, that woman would have less authority and fall from power. Charlotte pouted at the sound of her man’s cold voice. However, if she took one more step, she knew that things would go wrong, so she gave up on it.

“Tch! Okay, okay. So first… She has to pay the price for my swollen cheek, so please punish that child with ten slaps on the cheek.”

“As you wish, without going too far.”

A maid slapped Anna on the cheek at Ezekiel’s command. Anna’s cheek, which had been hit ten times in a row, was torn and burst, spilling blood. But Anna didn’t make a sound. Instead, she forced herself to look at her Lady, who couldn’t bear to look at her.

“And…”

Charlotte looked down at Herace, laughing. She looked down at the Duchess, who had become smaller than the mistress, like a slave, and her eyes lit up as she looked at Herace’s left hand.

On the ring finger, where her green eyes touched, a gold ring, which looked precious even at a glance, was radiating its presence. Crushing the hem of Herace’s dress, she dragged her shoes, clung to Ezekiel, and whispered in a charming voice.

“Your wife values her, so I’ll stop punishing her. Instead, I want you to compensate me with something else.”

“Is there anything my wife has that you would want? The gold I gave you would be worth much more.”

“Of course, I’m getting enough of Ezekiel’s love… But I’m greedy and I’m still lacking.”

“That’s interesting.”

“She can only give me one. Unfortunately, it’s something I don’t have…”

“What’s that?”

“I want the ring that your wife is wearing.”

Herace’s face, who was looking at the two with a blank expression, immediately crumbled as if she was about to break. She looked at her left hand and wrapped it with her right hand as if to hide her ring. However, everyone’s eyes were already on Herace’s ring.

“It’s the price for forgiving the child you love, so of course you’ll give it to me, right?”

Her voice was as bright as a bird chirping. Herace stared at Charlotte, unknowingly tightening her eyes. That woman knew. What kind of ring this is. And what it means.

Herace looked at Ezekiel as if to stop him, but he was heartless. He ordered his wife who was being humiliated in front of the mistress.

“Did you hear that? Herace, give the ring to Charlotte.”

She couldn’t believe it. How easily… This ring. This is her symbol as Duchess Serpence, a meaningful object dedicated to her shortly after he freed her from her prison.

[“Live. Just live. I’ll take care of everything else.”]

[T/N: Where did this Ezekiel go? TT]

After saying so, the man proposed to Herace. He had a firm face, saying that she had nothing to worry about now that the marriage was decided with the permission of His Majesty the Emperor. Even when she gave up everything in her life, the look on her man’s face was so trustworthy that Herace had tears in her eyes.

But such a thing…… Herace shook her head fiercely. A shrill voice rang out.

“No, I don’t want to!”

“I can’t give it to you. Ezekiel, you know what this is!”

“Then, shall we punish your maid?”

Ezekiel blocked the way. Herace blinked her eyes. Tears kept falling down. Anna, who was being held by a knight, shouted something from behind but was not heard by Herace.

“After all, you even lost it once. It’s ridiculous how you’re now pretending to care.”

“That’s!”

After he let Charlotte go, he bent angrily towards Herace. He showed his palm right in front of his wife’s face. It was almost a threat to give it up right away.

“Give me your ring, Herace.”

“No, no. I can’t give you this, I can’t. It’s… It- “

“Open your hand.”

Ezekiel grabbed his wife’s hand. She struggled to get away from him. Her blood-red fist was tightly clenched, unwilling to yield. Ezekiel, who was about to force his wife’s fingers to open, suddenly thought of something, and then swept his hair once. Behind the silver hair that slipped down, there were awfully cold eyes.

“… I’ll tell you one more time. Open your hands, Herace, open them and hand the ring over.”

“No, I can’t. You promised. If I do what I had to do… “

If it was taken away, she felt like she had to give up her place. Then what about her son? What’s going to happen to Erzen? Ezekiel’s mistress would certainly not leave her son alone. Besides, this ring…

Herace was uncharacteristically stubborn, as she continued to recall when she had received the ring from Ezekiel.

“Haha… So this is how you’re going to be.”

“Ezekiel, please… This is what you gave me…”

Slap!

An unbelievable sight unfolded. Everyone’s eyes widened. Except for one man, the man who slapped his wife’s cheek.

“My wife is arrogant to the end. Everything is arbitrary.”

The force that struck Herace on the cheek was not strong. It was just a bit of strength, as if to lightly make her come to her senses. Nevertheless, it belonged to a man. The hand of a man who fought in the war.

The skin turned red right away. Herace groaned without straightening her head when her face turned at the slap. The shock was greater than the tingling cheek.

“Oh… “

It was the first time she was hit in the face. She was the daughter of a criminal but had never been slapped in the face even when she was taken to prison.

But by her husband, in front of his mistress. To be hit in the face while trying not to lose the Duchess’ symbol… In an instant, time and space disappeared, and the sense of reality became distant. Her body began to tremble as she barely held on to her dizzying mind.

“I can’t forgive you for ignoring me, the owner of this castle and the head of the Serpence family, even though you are the Duchess.”

At Ezekiel’s words, as if the scuffle up until now was funny, Herace’s hand lost power. As if waiting for her to open her fists, Ezekiel took the ring from her hand and slapped her hand away then lifted her body up.

As she stood up, tears welled up in Herace’s blue eyes and ran down her cheeks. The twinkling tears contrasted with her red cheek.

“Give me your hand.”

Charlotte, who smirked at the dazed Herace, jumped up as if she was happy. She showed Ezekiel her hand with rings. Among the splendid rings, the gold ring came in at once. How beautiful the gold ring was! Charlotte, who was presumptuous, looked happy.

“Oh! It fits perfectly.”

“That’s great.”

“It seems like something that had been mine from the beginning. How could it look so good…”

The mistress’ prattling continued for a while. Annoyance was soon revealed in his eyes. Ezekiel looked down at his wife. She was still on her knees.

Herace’s appearance was horrendous. Her dress that had been dragged all over was filthy and her hair was also a mess. In addition, her pale face and puffy cheeks were so prominent that the area that had been hit was clear.

Ezekiel, who saw tears flowing down her red cheek, crumpled his face and clenched his fist as if displeased. He took his eyes off his wife and quickly turned away. He looked like he was running away.

“…Miguel is going to get cold. Let’s go in.”

“I can stay longer…”

[T/N: Oh my gosh this girl, you haven’t had enough? You still want more?]

“You should go in and have your cheek looked at. It is not good to leave the area swollen for a long time.”

“What are you thinking? We’re in front of your wife, but Ezekiel is so… Come on. Let’s go back.”

As Charlotte turned her body in a wide manner, the fluttering hem of her dress slapped Herace on the cheek once more. It didn’t hurt because it was a soft cloth, but Herace wiped her cheek with a st*pid face. There was hardly any heat, but it was strangely painful. She was sick and in pain and wanted to die. She bit her parched lips until they bled.

“Hic…”

A suppressed moan was mixed with the cry. Anna almost crawled over as she knelt down in front of Herace and put her forehead on the ground.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Lady. I… Because of me…”

Herace stopped Anna from trying to take the blame. She stroked Anna’s crying face and said in a breaking voice, “Anna, we’re just……”

“… Me, you and Erzen, the three of us will continue to be treated like this…..”

“…… “

“Would you like to leave?”

**********

Rumors quickly spread that the owner of the ring had changed. When the symbol of the Duchess was taken away, the number of people sympathizing with Herace decreased noticeably. Instead, a group of people gossiping about her and flattering Charlotte rose like weeds after the rain.

It was Ezekiel who made a significant contribution to the attitude of such people. He did not go to his wife’s room after taking the ring from Herace. Instead, he often stayed in the room where Charlotte, or more precisely, Miguel, was staying. In addition to the ring, Charlotte wore the ring and wandered through the castle when he, who had been looking for his wife for a while, had stopped visiting the Duchess’ room.

With her goal in front of her, she had nothing to fear. She wanted to take it away. Everything she has! Position, wealth, and fame they’re all hers. And…

‘…..That man too.’

Charlotte’s gaze reached the noble man. The man with disheveled silver hair and dressed in a loose shirt, sat comfortably in a chair, under a fluttering candle, looking at his son in the cradle.