The Regretful Villainess is Happily Divorced

Chapter 2

“That name… How do you—” Oscar began to speak, but then he realized that other people were in the room with us. “Get out! Now!” he barked at the maids.

Startled, they rushed out like the ebbing tide. Before long, we were the only two left in the room. This was a little nerve-racking, but I knew I couldn’t let my nervousness show.

Oscar gritted his teeth. “How do you know that name?” He looked anxious, fitting for a piece of trash who only cared about his reputation. The look on his face was pure shock after hearing me say Serwen’s name. Evidently, he had been very careful to cover his tracks when seeing her. “Have you been following me?” he asked.

“You can think whatever you like,” I said. I knew because I had read the novel. He wouldn’t be able to figure this out, no matter what he did.

It had to be a huge shock, I was sure. He probably thought his secret was perfectly hidden and felt humiliated at being discovered.

My lips quirked into a smile. “I won’t say a word if you ask for a divorce first.”

I had never loved my husband, and his feelings didn’t matter to me. He was just someone who would give me an astronomical amount of alimony. Nothing more, nothing less.

***

Oscar Creedwell looked at Marlena, his face pale. He was sick and tired of how she followed him around, even though he had made it clear that he didn’t like her.

Oscar thought of her as ridiculous and pathetic and wondered how she could be so foolish. She would always grovel for the smallest bit of affection, behavior he found revolting. However, she seemed completely different now, her arms crossed as she slightly looked down at him.

She looked him straight in the eye as if her previous behavior had all been an act. A seductive smile played on her lips. “You make good money, don’t you, Oscar? However, if this scandal gets out, it’ll ruin your reputation. And no amount of money will be able to save that,” she said.

Marlena’s uncharacteristic observation made Oscar dizzy. A scandal… Actually, marrying her had been a risk to his reputation in itself, but that was something he could handle. She was Marquess Loewysome’s daughter. It was not at all strange for him to marry a daughter from a noble house like that, even after she frolicked with all those men and gave up her right to the family inheritance.

Actually, after I married Marlena, my reputation… It improved. When people saw how the marquess’s tomboyish daughter had fallen head over heels for Oscar, her passion seemed to make him even more attractive to others.

After the wedding, he received a letter from Marquess Loewysome without Marlena’s knowledge. The marquess said that Marlena was a hopeless girl, but he hoped that Oscar would take care of her and keep an eye on her so that the family would no longer be the center of gossip.

Luckily, Oscar didn’t have to watch Marlena closely. She was like a sunflower who only looked at Oscar, her sun. All he had to do was put up with her whining and cloyingly sweet gaze. That was why he left Marlena be.

But if Serwen was discovered—that was the worst-case scenario. Suddenly, Oscar’s mind went blank. If people found out that he had been cheating on his adoring wife with a mere servant girl…

No. No, that can’t happen! It wasn’t uncommon for noblemen to have lowly mistresses. However, Oscar had no intention of being like those noblemen. After all, he was related to the royal family. He was on another level than those “lesser folk.”

How many beautiful actresses and dancers had approached him as the lead of a theater company? He had refused all of their advances, solidifying his reputation as loyal and virtuous. This “upright” behavior was what kept his work in show business, which was poorly regarded in the kingdom, from ruining his reputation.

To think that he’d lose everything in one fell swoop… If he lost it all because of the woman he had neglected and ridiculed… He didn’t think his pride would be able to take it.

Oscar’s hands shook. Marlena’s voice was too relaxed as she said, “Do you need more time to think?” Even her tone was a little different from usual. Her usual nasal, lilting voice was nowhere to be found—instead, her voice was slightly huskier. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Oscar didn’t want to be hasty in his response, so Marlena took a step back. “I’ll give you more time, then. But not too long. I want your decision by tomorrow.”

She turned to leave the room. This was the first time she left his room on her own accord. Usually, she wept and wailed, demanding to sleep in the same bed as her husband.

Hang on. Oscar came to his senses. He had panicked when he heard Serwen’s name, but he needed a cool head in this situation. There was no way his wife, who would have died for a modicum of his love, would change overnight like this. Perhaps his first thought was right, that her call for divorce was just a cry for attention. Now that she knew his weakness, this could be a warning for Oscar to be faithful.

In that case… Would it appease Marlena if he fulfilled his marital duties?

“Marlena,” Oscar called to the woman’s retreating back. Then hesitated. It felt strange to feel her name with his own lips.

Marlena froze. She turned, disbelief flashing across her face.

Oscar slowly approached her, a stern look crossing his face. “I’ve neglected you for far too long.”

Marlena’s cat-like eyes widened. Looking at her now, Oscar could see that she was a fairly attractive woman. She wasn’t like Serwen, who was as pure and delicate as a forget-me-not, but her full lips and long eyelashes were captivating in their own right.

Oscar leaned down, and Marlena’s shoulders stiffened. She always begged me for a kiss. I can start with this, and then…

As Oscar was calculating his next move, her voice cut in, frosty. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Their lips were only ten centimeters apart, but Oscar stiffened when he heard Marlena’s voice.

“This is incredibly rude of you, Oscar.”

He stepped back, surprised by Marlena’s words. When their eyes met, he felt more mortified than he’d ever felt before. Her look was contemptuous, the same look that Oscar had always given her. He never thought that he’d be on the receiving end.

Marlena let out a shuddering sigh. She didn’t bother to hide her disgust as she rubbed her arms like she had gotten goosebumps. “I don’t know what led to this misunderstanding…”

“A-a misunderstanding…?” Oscar stood there stunned like he had been hit upside the head.

Marlena furrowed her brow as if confused by his murmurs. “Of course, it’s a misunderstanding.” The kiss never happened, but she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand like it had. “How disgusting.”

With that, Marlena left Oscar’s room without saying another word. He could hear the woman’s footsteps getting faster, as if she wanted to get away from him as soon as possible. Shame blanketed his body.

***

Why did he try to kiss me? The more I thought about it, the more absurd it felt. The man was an absolute lunatic. Only a lunatic would try to kiss a woman who wanted a divorce.

I rubbed my mouth again, even though our lips never met. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I recalled his face coming closer to mine.

Just what did Marlena see in that scumbag? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand it.

I rushed into my room and locked the door in case Oscar came after me. The butler had a master key, but I didn’t think that Oscar would fetch the butler just to force his way into my room.

I inhaled deeply, trying to catch my breath as I leaned against the locked door. I recalled the look on Oscar’s face when I said how disgusted I was. It seemed kind of funny now. I ducked my head and laughed a little.

That man always had an annoying look on his face, trying to seem tough. But now, his facade had broken. I was a little embarrassed at the time, thinking that I had overreacted, but the look on his face was priceless.

You should’ve just asked for a divorce first. I started humming a little, feeling a lot better. The ball was in his court now.

Anyway, this is unexpected. I knew that mentioning Serwen’s name would be a huge blow, but I never thought he would try to appease me.

He said that he neglected me… Did the thought of what divorce would do to his reputation bother him that much? It was ridiculous. If he hated it so much, he should’ve never married me in the first place, or he should have cut off ties with Serwen.

What kind of woman would stand for this treatment? Oh, right. The original Marlena, the woman single-mindedly devoted to Oscar, would and did.

Oh, well. That Marlena didn’t exist anymore. My dear husband, you must have been so surprised that your pushover is gone.

I decided to prepare myself in case Oscar tried to seduce me again. Now that I was breaking away from the original story, he would be more likely to use that card.