Home/I Am Trying to End This Wrong Marriage/ch 6

Episode 6

On the day of the Duchess of Devonshire's funeral, Angela headed to the funeral hall with Marquess Kruger and Ralph.

The three days she had spent as Penelope had passed in a blur.

Her body had recovered quickly—a day of rest would have sufficed—but Angela had spent those three days confined to her bedroom, citing the need for both physical and mental recovery.

It was easier that way, as she still hadn't adjusted to being someone else.

Afraid of making a mistake, Angela remained on edge even inside the carriage. Marquess Kruger asked her,

"Are you still not feeling well?"

"Pardon?"

"I should have left you at the mansion to rest through today as well."

At the Marquess's worried words, Angela shook her head with an awkward smile.

"No, I'm fine..."

Ralph looked at her with a puzzled expression, sensing something different about his sister—even her way of speaking had changed.

'It's still difficult to face the Marquess family members.'

Angela deliberately avoided his gaze.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the temple where the funeral was being held.

They were guided inside by a servant of the Devonshire household.

'From the entrance, everyone is one of his people.'

Angela's face hardened as she slowly looked around.

She didn't know all the servants of the Devonshire ducal house, but there were several familiar faces.

There was no way she could feel welcome in a place that reminded her of the prison-like ducal residence.

Even more so, she would have to face her former husband here as well.

'Still, I had to come.'

She felt that she needed to truly confront her own death at her own funeral in order to feel at peace.

Even if Edward was there, she had become Penelope now, so there was no chance of being dragged back to him again.

And there was another reason she had to come here...

"Thank you for coming, Marquess."

Howard, Angela's older brother, stood at the entrance of the temple's central hall and greeted them.

Seeing his somber face, Angela's heart grew heavy.

"Not at all. It's only proper."

Ralph answered first. Peering inside the hall, he said to Howard,

"I don't see the Duke of Devonshire."

"He stepped away for a moment at his adjutant's request."

"I don't know how to console someone who has lost such a beloved daughter."

The Marquess said this, looking at the Dowager Viscountess Panning standing beside Howard. Angela's mother, unable to hold back her tears, dabbed at her eyes again with her handkerchief.

"How could such a thing happen..."

Watching her mother, unable to finish her sentence, Angela's eyes reddened.

These were the family members she hadn't been able to see all this time, due to Edward's control.

How much had she longed to see them while living under her husband's shadow?

"Lord Panning came by earlier—what did he say that left you with such a face?"

Not long after she had begun living in the ducal residence, Angela had still been able to meet her family.

When Edward asked why she was so troubled after her brother's visit, Angela answered.

"What should I do? My brother's mining investment failed."

Howard had poured a large sum of money into a mineral that had been hailed as a revolutionary product surpassing even magic stones.

But the mineral they had painstakingly extracted turned out to be useless for any purpose. He had been fed false information from the start.

"An investment? I recall his last business venture failed as well."

It hadn't been long since the business he had confidently pursued—following Edward's remark that more nobles were building wealth through commerce—had gone under.

Because he had expanded the scale of investment to recover from that loss, Howard's damages were even greater.

"My brother said he might have to sell the estate to recover his losses. The place where he grew up his whole life..."

"Oh dear. To have to sell a place filled with your memories."

Edward replied sympathetically. After a moment of thought, chin in hand, he asked,

"Angela. Do you want me to help?"

As he asked, Edward wore a faint smile on his face. Even then, Angela had thought it was an oddly calm demeanor for such a serious situation.

Her brother, unable to bring himself to ask for money, weighed on her mind, and Angela looked at Edward with a faint hope. Edward smiled softly and gave his reason:

"I can't let that cozy, lovely place where you were born and raised be sold off to others."

That was back when she still trusted her husband.

To extinguish the immediate crisis, Angela agreed to her husband's terms—which came with conditions—and the price was separation from her family.

"I'll continue to look after the Viscount Panning household. But in return, I'd like you to keep some distance from your family from now on."

At the time, she had just left the stifling palace and was able to meet her family freely, so she thought she could simply reduce the frequency to some degree.

But as time passed, the demand became pressure.

Even as she was misunderstood for being ashamed of her unremarkable family, Angela couldn't defend herself.

She couldn't even reply to letters, and Edward turned away any visits—so her family must have been frustrated, not knowing what was going on.

'I should have told them it wasn't my will.'

Three years was both short and long.

In that time, the Emperor had passed away and Edward's brother had become the new Emperor. Angela's brother had also become a viscount and had a son.

She had only heard about her nephew through news; she had never even seen the child's face.

'Now that I'm free...'

Perhaps she could reveal the truth to her family.

Angela thought silently.

She had only felt the relief of becoming Penelope; she hadn't yet decided what to do.

She thought about letting her grieving family know that she was actually alive—that she was, in fact, Angela.

'If I tell them it's our secret and let them know I'm alive...'

At that moment, Marquess Kruger murmured.

"The Duke of Devonshire has arrived."

Following the Marquess's gaze, Angela turned her head and saw Edward walking down the corridor.

The moment she spotted him, her heart began to race with anxiety.

'It's all right... He will never recognize me.'

Angela calmed her uneasy heart and subtly hid herself behind Ralph. As he approached, Marquess Kruger spoke to him with sympathy.

"You must be deeply grieved, Your Grace."

"...It still doesn't feel real that she's gone."

Edward answered with a bitter expression. His beautiful face bore a haggard air.

"If I had known it would turn out this way, I would never have taken her to the villa..."

Edward looked like a man consumed by grief over losing his wife to anyone who saw him.

"I only wanted to give my wife whatever she wished for. I never imagined that choice would become so regrettable."

Angela, watching Edward obliquely from behind Ralph, narrowed her eyes.

"I have no face to show the Dowager Viscountess or Viscount Panning either. If I had known, I should have tried harder to let my wife reunite with her family..."

'Lies.'

"How could you do this? How could you never even show me the letters...!"

The day she learned that Edward had been intercepting letters from her family and handling them himself without passing them on.

Angela had expressed her hurt feelings directly.

But Edward had said, as if he didn't understand,

"I told you, no letters. You couldn't reply anyway—reading them would only upset you."

"You could have at least shown them to me."

When Angela didn't back down, Edward paused and stared at her silently. Sensing not apology but annoyance in his gaze, Angela faltered—and then he spoke.

"Angela. I tried to save your family for your sake. You wanted that too. Yet you can't even comply with my request?"

Even though his tone had turned cold before, Angela still couldn't get used to it. His usual gentleness made the contrast all the more jarring.

"I could still erase their debts—more than what I've already given them."

"......!"

The words that followed were little better than a threat. Seeing Angela freeze in shock, Edward smiled gently.

"If you don't want to disturb everyone's peace, follow my words. I will continue to do my best for you."

"Angela was truly a wonderful wife."

But seeing Edward now, anyone would be fooled.

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