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Chapter 37

Chloe spoke as she leaned her body forward.

“This is between me and my husband. This is not for you to worry about, mother.”

“Chloe!”

The duchess shouted with an outraged look on her face.

“Where did you learn this bad behaviour of interrupting the middle of a conversation? It seems you have forgotten all your manners while living elsewhere. That is very uncultured of you. How are you so rude?”

Chloe hastily took in a breath. She felt her embarrassment surge as she herself realised that she did wrong.

But that did not mean that she was going to sit still and listen obediently to whatever her mother was going to say.

Because they were going to get divorced anyway.

“It is also not manners for you to intrude into this problem between me and my husband. There is no issue in our marriage life. Only it does not mean that we are not going to divorce.”

“So, are you saying that you are preparing to split?”

The duchess lost her patience and sprang up.

“My Goodness! This is absurd! That cannot happen!”

She shook her finger at Chloe, her face red.

“That there be a divorced woman from the House of Rolphe? And a divorce with the likes of a marquess, of all people? Chloe! Are you out of your mind!”

The duchess sputtered out phrases like ‘the likes of’, and ‘of all people’ as she belittled Eric as if she had forgotten that she was right in front of him.

But Eric was unscathed even after hearing such abusive language. There was no reason for him to be offended now after having been brushed off so frequently by the duchess so far.

However, he was now starting to think that he had to step in. For the duchess’ words were starting to become harsher.

“How can it be that there is not one thing that you can do right! You’re absolutely determined to block your brother’s way, aren’t you! You foolish and ugly child! I shouldn’t have given birth to something like you!”

“Madam.”

Eric got up and held the duchess’ shoulders.

“You are very worked up. Please calm down.”

“Lord Eric. Is this something to calm down about? My daughter is declaring to me that she is going to get divorced! How can she make such a decision without consulting her mother once! No, no. She did that because she knew that I would most definitely object if she were to consult me! Wicked girl! Going to run off by herself after splitting up, and without a single word to me!”

The duchess grit her teeth and shouted as if she was going to fly at Chloe any moment. She seemed to have lost all reason.

Eric let out a low sigh and diverted the duchess’ attention.

“I will let you know, that I have not agreed to the divorce.”

“Dear?”

Eric heard but ignored Chloe’s surprised voice. He decided that first and foremost, he had to calm the duchess in front of him down.

“The divorce that Chloe mentioned is no more than a complaint. It is merely because I have been negligent towards Chloe these days. A divorce is ridiculous. The gossip that is floating around is not true as well.”

“Is, is that so?”

As she listened to Eric, it appeared as if the duchess was suddenly embarrassed at the fact that she had exploded with anger and had thrown such a huge fit. She fanned herself to cool her red face. She attempted to bring down the heat but it did not go her way. A sense of shame surged forth.

The duchess immediately found someone to blame for her own embarrassment. This was all Chloe’s fault. Chloe’s nonsense led to all this!

The duchess glared at Chloe fiercely. Chloe rolled up her shoulder and pulled her chin in.

Why did her husband say that they were not going to divorce?

He had plainly agreed to it before, and yet why suddenly now?

She questioned, and they were answered shortly afterwards.

Upon having a moment to think, she decided that the reason her husband acted so was to calm her mother down.

He was lying to soothe down her mother’s anger first, hence she thought she too should go along with it.

“Chloe! You say it. Is Lord Eric correct?”

The duchess pressed. Chloe heaved out a sigh as if having no other choice and nodded her head.

“Yes. There have been talks but nothing is for sure yet. It will be ensured there will not be anything for you to worry about.”

“Really?”

The duchess’ eyes narrowed. She looked at Chloe as if she was searching her. It seemed as if she was searching for whether Chloe was lying or not. So Chloe plastered on her usual smile on purpose and looked back at the duchess.

The duchess became satisfied only upon seeming to have found nothing. She spoke towards Eric.

“It seems I have not shown a good appearance of myself. Please do understand. It is difficult to control my emotions as I grow older.”

“Of course. And divorce is of a serious matter, so it was inevitable that you get worked up.”

“Lord Eric reads me so well.”

The duchess stroked Eric’s arm once and looked at Chloe.

“Then I would like to talk to my daughter, could we be excused?”

“As you would like.”

Eric spoke as he pointed towards the second floor.

“Andrea will show you the way to your room. It is not much but rest assured that you will be well taken care of during your stay.”

“I look forward to it.”

The duchess smacked Chloe after answering him. It meant to follow her.

Though Chloe did not want to get up, as it would also be awkward to refuse her here as well, she was obligated to heave herself up and took heavy steps.

All the while she turned her head to glance at Eric. He was talking to Daniel as if it did not matter to him whether she followed the duchess or not, and she felt rather disappointed at that.

Though his attitude actually was due to the fact that he knew absolutely nothing at all.

What would happen if, perhaps, Eric knows about my relationship with my mother?

Would it be any different from now?

‘..Well.’

Chloe mockingly laughed at herself.

Even if anything were to change, it did not matter. Whatever it was, she was never going to reveal to him about her relationship with her mother.

Till the day she dies.

Smack!

The sound of a thin cane lashing out on bare skin rang in the air.

Chloe stifled in a groan as she bit down hard on her lip. The next pain soon found its way even before the initial one had subsided. Slap! Chloe shut her eyes tight.

“Did I not tell you clearly? That you are not to thoughtlessly talk back to your mother!”

Slash! One more time. The duchess wielded the cane without pause. Chloe’s white calves were coloured red. It had even started to drip blood. However, Chloe endured the pain without a single sound. The duchess’ face glowered as if this maddened her even further.

“Spiteful girl.”

The duchess flung the cane away and pressed her forehead. Only then did Chloe bring down the dress that she was holding up. It ached to a point that it was difficult to even move yet she stood upright instead of revealing it.

The duchess glared at this whole process with contempt.

She opened the bottle of Cognac that she had ordered from Andrea without hesitation. She then poured it in a glass and drank it in one go.

She was just that. A person who could not live without alcohol. A person who would walk all over and flourish violence upon her daughter.

And of course no one knew of this side of the duchess other than Chloe and Joseph. Because she always wore a mask outside. A mask that made her a noble duchess.

Was that why?

Was that why she all the more despised Chloe who never lost her refinement?

Was that why she tormented her as she was ever so upright even after being beaten up?

Chloe did not know the duchess’ inner thoughts and the reason behind it.

The duchess fiercely yelled at Chloe.

“Why are you watching me with those eyes!”

Chloe reflexively dropped her gaze.

“You’ve been like that since a long time ago. Always having that condescending look on your face and watching me as if I was nothing. Impudent girl!”

Crash! The broken splinters of the glass narrowly grazed Chloe’s face as it flew past her.

Chloe assumed that the duchess was drunk again and quietly clasped her hands. It was natural, the same as it had always been.

“Divorce? Ha! You spoke of divorce? Do you think that makes sense? If you were in your right mind you would not do that. Of course! You are not in your right mind! You are utterly mad!”

Usually Chloe would not have said anything to the duchess when she was drunk. Because when drunk, she spoke more roughly and acted more violently.

However, Chloe now was not the same as before. Facing death, she was a little changed and was now a woman who had come to a determination, and therefore she had enough courage to push back against her mother who had control over her whole life.

“Mother.”

Chloe said.

“You do not even ask why I decided on the divorce.”

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