Chapter 75 [part 2] (1/2)

(2)

Anita’s gaze was cold as she watched the Duchess leave the break room. After going through a lot of heartache, Anita’s atmosphere had changed in the past year. As she lost weight, her cheeks grew hollow, her impression became stronger and her temperament hardened.

A large amount of funds was suddenly pulled out from her company without notice. She didn’t have time to find why and had run all over the place trying to settle it. Although she has managed to avoid bankruptcy, most of the shares in her company went into other people’s hands. The only thing  left was a superficial shell. The attack of funds that tore down the foundation of her family business was only the beginning. The aide of the Duke of Taran came and gave a cruel finish.

[You did something you shouldn’t have done. If you don’t have the ability to  handle investigating someone else, don’t do it. My lord was very offended. If this is done again in the future, be prepared to pay the price. This is just a very light warning(1). My lord has no forgiveness for those that ignore his warning.]

Fabian already didn’t like the Countess of Falcon and had contemptuously relayed his master’s warning. After Fabian left, Anita fainted out of humiliation and was ill for a few days. When Anita woke up, her eyes were filled with venom.

‘So you have been communicating with that female novelist.’

Anita thought that Princess Vivian found out about her through the female novelist. Then went on to tattle to the Duke of Taran.

The Duke was a man of great pride. Even if it was an affectionless marriage, he would be unhappy if someone went after his person. However, the punishment he gave her was too much. There was no reason for the Duke to go that far.

‘How badly did she speak of me?’

Princess Vivian must have gone above and beyond in her tales to the Duke and acted as if she was bullied or something. It was indeed the case of a frog getting killed by an accidentally thrown stone. Princess Vivian threw a stone without any aim and she was hit by that stone.

‘Do you think I will fall like this? Even if I die, I won’t die alone.’

Anita was born the youngest daughter of a fallen aristocrat and thanks to her appearance, she got married to a wealthy man. Within a few months of marriage, her husband died of a sudden cardiac arrest. Anita became rich in an instant. Since she had money, she also wanted to have status. She got a baron who had fallen for her to divorce and then married him. In just half a year, her second husband fell off a horse and died.

Her third husband was Count Falcon, whom she met while she was doing business. Anita was greedy for status and the Count needed money. They got married to fulfill each other’s needs. After a year of marriage, the count went to another country on tea business and died of a fever. Anita did not have any children with her dead husband, nor did he designate a successor to inherit his title. Unless she remarried, according to the law, she was the Countess until death. The youngest daughter of a fallen aristocrat had become a wealthy Countess.

It was not her fault that her husbands died. But people pointed fingers at Anita and said she was cursed. She fought against prejudice and lived clenching her teeth. She was harsh on others as much as she was harsh on herself. Even if people cursed and swore at her from behind, she closed her ears to it. It was because of such venomosity that she was able to get so far. She wanted to become famous in the high society with her wealth and status. But that didn’t go as she wished.

Rather than being famous, Anita was an outsider. The noblewomen were sticklers for class and hated Anita. They used the reason that she was inauspicious but the way Anita saw it, that was only an excuse and the truth was ugly jealousy.

Unlike the pretentious noblewomen who only knew how to gossip about others, Anita could converse with the men. She was able to discuss the economy and talk about business. She also looked attractive. As though showing off, Anita did not refuse the males that were tempted by her and if necessary, she sometimes did the tempting. She didn’t care if they were married or unmarried.

‘You think you are excluding me? I am the one excluding all of you.’

She sneered at the noblewomen and held her head upright. Her business was continuously successful and unlike other women, she didn’t have to cater to her husband every time she spent money. If she had to go to balls, she was adorned in very luxurious dresses and  jewelries. The wealthier she got, the more the women in the high society could not ignore her. There were even some who clung to her, hoping to get crumbs. The world worked in funny ways. Anita took her few followers and played an active role in the social circles.

After doing it for a few years, she realized the high society was nothing special and lost interest. And after that, she did not participate in social activities unless it was absolutely necessary. She wasn’t interested in anything other than increasing her money. She was pouring more of her energy into expanding her business.

Then she met the Duke of Taran. For the first time ever, Anita felt a sense of fulfilment like she had gotten it all. Everything was perfect. It was a solid castle that she had built by giving it her all.

But the castle she had painstakingly built was torn down with one word from a woman who was lucky enough to be born a princess and lucky enough to become a Duchess. Anita had thought it was sturdy but seeing her castle collapse in an instant, she was overcome with shock. When she asked those that had sucked up to her for help, they all turned tail and ran. All the wealth and people suddenly seemed like an illusion.

‘I have to at least see what she looks like.’