Duchess Efreni was boiling with anger as she crumpled the letter. But she did not burn or rip it into shreds. Rather, she placed all seventeen letters in her secret safe with a scary look on her face. They could be of use someday.

No, they would be used as grounds to divorce her husband right away. A marriage that had formed from rape was invalid. Duchess Efreni put on a bizarre smile. The moment she knew that all the memories that had supported her were fantasy, she could no longer smile with sincerity.

She decided to get a divorce right away. It was how she would get rid of the husband who had tricked her for twenty years, the mistress of her husband she could not stand to look at, and the son as well. Once her decision was firm, the only thing left was the action. She jumped up from her seat, and strode over to the doorway.

When she opened the door, quiet air greeted her. Without hesitation, she walked to the room where she knew her husband would be and opened the door. The Duke of Efreni seemed surprised by her sudden visit, as he had a shocked expression on his face. Duchess Efreni thought that it would be the last expression of his she would see in this house, and smiled coolly. “Let us get a divorce, Duke.”

“Duchess…?”

“The funeral is over, so please leave this house right away.”

“Duchess, what does that…”

“Since you have been deceiving me for twenty years, you cannot dare say, ‘How are you doing this to me’, right?”

“Iz, please explain in a way I can understand…”

“When we first met twenty years ago.” She opened her speech in a cold voice. “You raped me? By feeding me cocktails filled with aphrodisiacs and sleeping pills.”

“Duchess, what are you talking about? Where did you hear something ridiculous like that…”

“Are you truly asking because you do not know?”

Duchess Efreni no longer treated the Duke with the honor of being her husband. The man in front of her eyes was just a rapist, and not her dead son’s father or husband. She suppressed her rage and fired at him.

“After the mourning is complete, get out. Pregnancy from rape cannot be a reason for marriage. Divorce will be unconditionally granted when I submit that evidence, so get out instantly!”

“What in the world are you talking about?!”

“Such a shameless and unscrupulous man! When you are divorced from me, you will no longer be able to use the Efreni name. You will not be the head of our family, either!”

Duchess Efreni seemed to be unable to control her fury. She called for the butler in a loud voice and gave him an order. “Chase out the woman and her son on the second floor out of this house right away. When the crack of dawn comes tomorrow, submit a divorce application. James Newton Lee Headwick is no longer the head of the Efreni family!”

“Yes, Duchess.”

“Duchess, what is this…!”

“Drag out the mother and her son this instant!”

Duchess Efreni no longer paid attention to Duke Efreni’s words. She ordered every servant to watch him so he could not try to do anything, and then glared coldly as January was dragged down from the second floor. January cried out loud as she was held by the servants and asked,

“What is the meaning of this, Elder Sister?!”

“Elder Sister, who is your Elder Sister? I am an only child, the daughter of the previous Marquis Efreni. I have never had a younger sibling like you.” Duchess Efreni let out an empty laugh at the absurdity. “The head of this family is no longer James. I am going to bring in a new head of the family. So you need to get out of this house with that man, too.”

“What do you mean?!”

“Anyway, your child does not have a drop of blood from the Efreni family, right? If I had given birth to the child then perhaps, but otherwise the story would change.”

“Duchess, where are you telling me to go in the middle of the night!”

“That is none of my concern. Throw them out immediately.”

“Duchess, please have mercy…”

“Did you not receive enough mercy for the past four years?”

Duchess Efreni laughed scornfully as she went into her room. January was at the point of madness. What was this sudden thunderbolt from a clear sky!? She sobbed while still embracing her young son. However, the servants had no feelings of pity for January, who had been on a high horse for so long.

There was Jacob’s nanny Iman, who sympathized with Jacob, but that was sympathy for the young child, and not the mother. Anyway, the servants faithfully fulfilled the words of Duchess Efreni. Eventually, January was thrown out along with her son, completely empty-handed.

—–

“You said Madam January was thrown out?” The news quickly entered Petronilla’s ears. The maid who delivered the news nodded. “I saw it on my way back from the butcher’s shop. She was walking down the street with her son, but I think she was kicked out, due to her shabby appearance.”

“Oh dear.” She clicked her tongue, tsking.

The maid added on. “She had a child with her and looked so pitiful, so I threw over a few coins. At first, she shot me a glare, as if she was offended that I was pitying her, but she still picked them up, as she knew she had to eat and survive.

“More than that, it seems something has happened to the Duchy of Epreni. Duke Efreni is not someone who would have let that happen without acting.”

“Indeed. I think something is going on. But I do not know to what extent.”

“I will find out tomorrow. It is not proper to visit at this late time.” After saying that, Petronilla raised her head slightly as if she realized she had forgotten something. “Now that I think about it, tomorrow is the trial.”

“Do you mean Marchioness Ethyller?”

“Yes. It will be held in the afternoon tomorrow.”

“She should be sentenced to death, right?”

“Most likely she will.” Petronilla muttered, “She should not try to scheme up something at this point?”

“Even so, she should not be able to weasel out of it easily? There is still the crime she has committed.”

“That is true.”

The Marchioness was a very calculating woman, so Petronilla could not be relieved until it was all over. She just hoped that the trial tomorrow would conclude uneventfully.