Married Couple’s Qualifications

There was only a hushed silence in the room.

She didn’t know what to say, so she just stared at Bake, who stood in front of her with his hand on his forehead.

His head was down, and his shirt had a trace of light pink lipstick on it, a color she knew well.

It was the lipstick she had given to Margaret as a gift last week.

The more she remembered the fact, the more horrible she felt.

Who would have thought that the gift she had hand-picked to comfort her friend, who seemed depressed by her sudden pregnancy, would be put to such a use.

“….I knew you had a woman.” (Riv)

Her voice trembled with the emotions she struggled to suppress.

She pressed her eyes with her hands and slowly released them.

The scene she had just witnessed burned into her brain and wouldn’t go away.

The entangled man and woman, heated skin, hot breaths, and……………

She touched her forehead nervously.

“But I held back. I knew everything, but I decided to pretend I didn’t know. That doesn’t change the fact that you’re Mariel’s father.” (Riv)

“Only if you didn’t use your daughter to do such dirty things.” (Riv)

‘Will Bake know with what heart I endured?’

She clenched her fists tightly in anger. Bake backed away, startled by the look he encountered, and quickly knelt down in front of Rivianna.

“I’m sorry!!! I’m sorry for everything!” (Bake)

“…”

“I didn’t mean to do that…” (Bake)

“No need to make excuses. It’s not what I want to hear.” (Riv)

There were many things she wanted to say, but she couldn’t bring them all up. It was because she knew that the longer the conversation, the more composure she would lose.

“Rivianna.”

“I won’t talk long. You just have to make a choice. I don’t think I can believe anything you say anymore anyway.”(Riv)

Rivianna put more and more pressure on her hands.

There was pain in the nails that were digging into her skin, but she rather liked it.

“What’s your choice?” (Riv)

“Do you want to divorce?” (Riv)

“Divorce, what are you talking about!” (Bake)

Bake was startled and grabbed Rivianna’s skirt.

Before she knew it, the corners of his eyes were filled with tears.

Rivianna looked at her despicable husband and slowly continued with her next words.

“Or do you want to end it with Margaret?” (Riv)

“Yes, I will end it!” (Bake)

“Are you serious?” (Riv)

She wondered how great the affection was that he would even use her daughter to be with Margaret, but this was the extent of it at best.

Rivianna couldn’t help but laugh derisively at Bake as he answered without a trace of hesitation.

But despite her mockery, Bake only clung to her.

“I don’t……! No no! I’ve never loved that woman! I was just drunk and made a mistake! I can’t help it but to meet her afterwards because she threatened to tell you.”  (Bake)

“No need for excuses. I don’t want to know.” (Riv)

“Rivianna.”

Instead of replying, Rivianna held out a piece of paper and a pen to Bake.

Bake’s eyes fluttered as he alternately stared at what she had given him and at her.

“What is this?”( Nake)

“This is the last chance I’m going to give you.”(Riv)

“What is it?” (Bake)

“If you don’t want to divorce, write a memorandum.”  (Riv)

“Even so, this is…” (Bake)

“You don’t like it?” (Riv)

She stared at Bake, straining her eyes.

Bake, who was shaking uncontrollably, hung his head for a while.

“‘If you don’t want me to write a memorandum, go ahead and prepare for a divorce. It’s going to be a very long battle.” (Riv)

“You can’t be serious.” (Bake)

“You know best that the situation is different from before.” (Riv)

“..because Duke Pierre has returned?” (Bake)

“Well, I don’t know. What do you think?” (Riv)

Rivianna lifted her chin arrogantly.

He couldn’t know that she was talking big, even though she had no intention of getting a divorce.

She chose to remain silent with her arms crossed, and Bake finally couldn’t stand it and grabbed her.

“It’s all my fault! So please, don’t leave me! You know how much I love you!” (Bake)

“I don’t believe your words anymore. If you want me to believe you, then prove it.” (Riv)

“…”

“You don’t like it?” (Riv)

“No, of course not! I’ll write it down! I will do whatever you want!” (Bake)

“You will?” (Riv)

“If you don’t divorce me, anything will do.” (Bake)

The tears that flowed from Bake’s eyes wet Rivianna’s skirt. 

She frowned as she looked into her husband’s reddened eyes. Even through it all, her husband’s eyes were the same. It was the man she was fawning over.

That fact made her feel sick and drove her crazy.

“Grab your pen and write exactly as I say. Number one, sort Margaret out and never see her again.”

“…”

“Second, any child that Margaret bears will relinquish all duties and rights as a father and will inherit nothing of Clayton.”

“…”

“And third and final, if the previous clause is broken, or something similar is repeated, Mariel will inherit all Clayton’s wealth, and you’ll get a divorce.”

“Rivianna, this is…………” (Bake)

Bake’s hand, which he’d been using so well, stopped.

She looked at the written sentence and her lips twisted involuntarily.

“Why? Don’t you have confidence to keep your promise?” (Riv)

“No, it’s not that…” (Bake)

“If you don’t break it, nothing will happen to you.” (Riv)

“….”

“If you don’t like it, you can go back to Margaret now.” (Riv)

“No! I’ll write! I was just about to write it!”

Bake wrote the memorandum, waited for the seal to be stamped before receiving it.

There was no room for discomfort at the thought of the Marquis of Clayton’s seal being used in such a place.

Her emotions were fleeting, but this would protect Mariel’s rights for the rest of her life.

She was just trying to do the best she could for her child as a mother.

***

“As you can see, it’s a memorandum in Bake’s handwriting, with the seal of the Marquis of Clayton.”

“Rivianna!”

Margaret hurriedly reached out to Rivianna. 

But instead of holding Margaret’s hand, I threw the memorandum in her direction.

The memorandum blew away quickly and fell in front of Margaret.

Margaret stared blankly at the memorandum and suddenly looked up.

Tears were dripping down from her eyes.

Rivianna looked Margaret firmly in the eyes.

“I’m not going to ask anything. Who is the real father of the child in your stomach, what happened between you two, everything.” (Riv)

“…Why?” (Margaret) 

“It’s all over.” (Riv)

“over?” (Margaret)

Rivianna pointed to the memorandum.

Margaret bit her lip and quickly crumpled the memorandum.

“Crumple it all you want, it’s a copy anyway.”

“Rivianna.”

“Don’t call me by my name. I’m the Marchioness of Clayton now, not your friend.” (Riv)

“Have you ever thought of me as a friend?” (Margaret)

Margaret’s body trembled as sneered sarcastically, but Rivianna opened her mouth indifferently.

“If you weren’t my friend, I would have killed you long ago. It’s not hard to break your thin neck.” (Riv)

“…”

“Nevertheless, I won’t do anything. I’ll live as if nothing had happened, and I won’t care what you do in the future.” (Riv)

“‘Do you think you can turn an blind eye? If this child is a boy….” (Margaret)

“You’ll have to talk to Duke Pierre about that.” (Riv)

“What?” (Margaret)

“You said it yourself.Duke Pierre is the child’s biological father.” (Riv)

“That’s….” (Margaret)

“I understand. It must have been to provoke me.” (Riv)

Rivianna tilted her head at an angle.

There was no need to hear her reply.

Just seeing Margaret’s pale face was enough of an answer.

“The way you deliberately dropped your earrings, the way you whispered in my ear to make me uneasy, and the way you entangled me with Duke Pierre, all of it.” (Riv)

“….”

It was a number that seemed all too common.

Still, the reason she didn’t doubt it was because she believed in it.

If she had known that the result of that trust would be so cruel, she wouldn’t have believed it in the first place.

“By the way, do you know that no matter how much you do, I’m not getting a divorce.” (Riv)

“….”

“I will be the Marchioness of Clayton for the rest of my life until the day I die, and the next heir to Clayton will be Mariel.” (Riv)

“….”

“Isn’t that right, Bake?” (Riv)

Rivianna turned her head and looked far behind her.

Margaret had no idea, but Bake was hiding behind the partition.

“Bake, why are you here………!” (Margaret)

Margaret was perplexed and called out for Bake.

But instead of answering, Bake only looked at Rivianna.

It was the moment when the joy and sorrow between Rivianna and Margaret were sharply divided.

Rivianna lifted one side of her mouth without averting her gaze from Margaret.

“I told Bake to choose between you and me.” (Riv)

“…”

“As you can see, Bake chose me.” (Riv)

It wasn’t a happy choice but she didn’t show it.

In the first place, her purpose was to thoroughly crush Margaret’s hopes.

 “You started it, so you’ll have to finish it yourself. Right in front of me. Perfectly.” (Riv)

“Bake!” (Margaret)

“…”

“You can do it, can’t you?” (Riv)

“Of course! I told you! I’d do anything for you!”  (Bake)

The hesitation was only for a moment, and Bake eventually turned to Margaret. He was more in a hurry to please Rivianna than to protect his mistress.

She glared at Margaret, placed her hand on the back of Bake’s hand.

“I don’t share anything of Clayton’s. And only Mariel has the rights to everything.” (Riv)

If anyone wanted that position, she would crush it thoroughly, no matter who it was. Rivianna clenched her teeth, her nerves on edge. 

As of today, she lost all her friends and her husband. All she had left now was Mariel.

She was ready to do anything to protect that one.

*** 

“Mother, when is Aunt Margaret coming? I have to make a bookmark with my aunt.”

“Aunt Margaret can’t come anymore.”

“Why not?”

“She has something to do.”

“What could be busier than playing with Mariel?”

Mariel’s cheeks puffed out.

Rivianna tapped the round child’s nose mischievously and smiled.

“Adults have adult things to do, you know.”

“Hmmph.”

“Instead, mother will make the bookmark with you. Let’s make it together.”

“Really?”

Mariel’s eyes glittered.

Rivianna affectionately smoothed Mariel’s hair.

The child’s hair was as soft as cotton wool.

Of course! How would you like me to make it for you?”

“Make it pretty! A lot!”

Mariel spread her arms as wide as possible.

Before long, the child’s face was full of hope and the disappointment disappeared.

“A lot?”

“I’m going to make a lot of them and give it to everyone I like!”

“That’s a great idea.”

“Right?”

Mariel put her hands on her hips and thrust out her chest.

Rivianna chuckled and opened the book.

Inside the book were the flowers that Mariel had collected and dried.

“You did a good job of selecting only the most beautiful flowers.”

“Yes, I did! I think so too!”

The child’s smile was lovely.

Rivianna caressed Mariel’s cheek and carefully removed the flowers. The flowers were dried, so if she didn’t take them off, they would be ruined quickly. By the time she took off about three or four of them, she could feel a presence.

“What’s going on?”

“I’ve got a letter from the Imperial Palace.”

Snap.

The dried petals she was removing were torn apart.

She slowly raised her head, holding the torn flower.

The envelope in the butler’s hand had a large golden lion seal, symbolizing the imperial family, engraved on it.