Chapter 1

Erin de Brichia was a villain.

She never intentionally harassed people or killed them. She never did evil to someone intentionally and did not harass her husband's mistress because of jealousy, did not look like a villainess familiar to us, was not extravagant and arrogant.

On the contrary, Erin wore modest dresses without jewelry all year round.

However, what she got in, in the end, the stigma of a villain.

She dared to take the place of the Duchess, the daughter of a fallen family, and become the First Lady of the Empire. Harassing the Duke's poor sweetheart. And this same ugly woman dares to have affairs, hiding behind the mask of a faithful wife.

That was the opinion of most of the nobles who keep an eye on Erin all the time.

And now, her husband, the Duke of Les-Weisberg, has agreed with public opinion.

– I'm divorcing you.

The Duke gave Erin a look full of contempt. A stack of papers fell on the table. They were divorce papers.

The girl looked at her husband Raymond.

Blond hair, seemingly woven from silver, immediately attracts the eye and sharp facial features inherent only to the Imperials, and gray-blue eyes, which are now squinted. Nose and chin line, even lips that cause an unconscious smile. He was immaculately handsome.

The sight of a man sitting in a dark blue military uniform showed dignity and greatness.

However, those beautiful eyes looked at Erin with anger and disgust.

The girl calmly read a brief description of the last nine years of her life on one piece of paper.

... thus, the marriage of Raymond von Les-Wensberg and Erin de Brichia is annulled by agreement of both parties. From now on, the two aforementioned…

Among all that was written, a name caught her attention.

Erin de Brichia.

She has never used it since the wedding. It's never been a real name before. Erin was the only daughter of the Marquis of Bricia.

The family of the Marquises of Bricia had a long history, but now only memories remain of its greatness due to the waste of the last two generations. Only a huge debt remained.

The only property her father inherited was an old mansion. But he couldn't sell it because it was collateral for a debt.

Although they were nobles, they lived without servants and were even worse than rich commoners.

Erin became a Duchess because of her grandfather, whom she had never even met.

When the girl reached adulthood, an envoy from the Imperial Palace came and said:

–His Majesty wants Erin de Brichia to become the bride of the Duke of Les Weisberg.

It was such a grandiose statement that it seemed he was mistaken.

Duke Les-Weisberg was the son of the deceased Prince, the first grandson of the current Emperor, and heir to the strongest Empire.

The young Duke was known for his intelligence and competence. His swordsmanship was excellent, and his appearance was impeccable. He was beautiful as if he had stepped out of a painting.

It was an incredible stroke of luck.

–Why is His Majesty asking us to do this?..

The messenger explained the reason for the offer:

– On the last anniversary of the victory, His Majesty saw Erin, and they say he had a good opinion of her.

On Victory Day, the whole nobility gathers for a banquet.

Erin was so poor that she could not attend social events as often as other aristocrats.

That day, the girl went to this important event for everyone. Erin met His Majesty the Emperor for the first time that day as the Marquise of Brisia.

–His Imperial Majesty heard that the Marquis was ill, and he remembered the loyalty of the Marquis' predecessor and was very sorry.

The "predecessor Marquis" the servant mentioned was Erin's grandfather. They say he was an assistant who earned the trust of the current Emperor.

However, after the death of this man, his eldest son and cousin inherited the title of Marquis, squandered the family property, and died in debt.

After that, Erin's father, the second son, took on the burden of the head of the family in debt.

- And also... in fact, there is currently no person in the Empire who could be a rival of the Duke. There are no young men of suitable age in the main aristocratic families, and all the other young men belong to the lower nobles. the servant added as if revealing a secret.

Erin's parents could not attend social events of the nobility because they were struggling with debts. Naturally, the rumors that circulated among the nobility overshadowed the three main families. So the girl believed the servant's words. In addition, a "cute" message was attached at the end of the sentence.

– Also, if you agree, His Majesty offers financial support to the Marquis.

Her father was conflicted, but Erin wasn't worried.

– We accept the offer.

–Won't you regret it?" - the parents asked several times with puzzled faces.

– I won't regret it.

This marriage will save the family and allow the parents to live comfortably.

I thought I couldn't regret it.

Since then, Erin has been going to the Imperial Palace day and night, studying to become the future Empress. She was taught etiquette and dancing, to the point of calluses on her feet.

It was difficult, but the girl withstood this heavy burden.

The effort was not in vain.

That day, when she entered the garden of the Imperial Palace in an elaborate dress prepared by the servants of the palace, the girl was very careful not to damage such expensive clothes.

The silver-haired Duke took Erin's hand and politely kissed the back of her palm.

– It is a great honor for me to have such a beautiful and worthy young lady as my wife.

Erin was happy. The Duke at a personal meeting turned out to be much kinder and nicer than she imagined.

After a few meetings, the girl realized that she had fallen in love with a lonely Duke.

I think if you're like that, then we can live happily ever after.

People said it was a fairy tale.

A story with a happy ending about a girl who was born into a fallen family, who, overcoming poverty and hard life, marries a Prince and becomes happy.

So it seemed to Erin herself.

But the reality is not a fairy tale at all.

The fabulous happiness ended on the wedding day. The day of fulfilled hopes and dreams turned into a nightmare.

The Duke, kind and friendly, changed his expression as soon as they entered the newlyweds' bedroom.

– As you probably know, this marriage is just fiction. I'm not going to build a married couple relationship with you.

The Duke spat out these words with a chill in his voice and went outside, leaving Erin sitting on the bed with shock on her face.

The girl found out the truth only after marriage. It is said that her husband, the Duke, has a mistress from the lower aristocrats, who has been hiding since her teenage years.

Rumors spread among the high-ranking nobles that the Duke had sworn to make her Empress.

The emperor, who was worried about rumors, chose Erin as the daughter of a Marquis from the highest aristocracy shortly before bankruptcy and forced the Duke to marry.

But by the time the girl realized this, she had already become a Duchess and was left alone in the newlyweds' bedroom.

Rejecting old memories, Erin put down the papers and looked at her husband.

In front of her, Raymond, who hadn't changed much since that night, was still looking in her direction with cold indifference.

The man sighed, as if stunned.

- Hmm. When I got married, I thought I would be a gentle and wise woman.

Erin looked at the man and tried to figure out if he could even imagine how much effort she had put into becoming a gentle and wise wife.

She maintained the position of a Duchess for nine years with an indifferent husband but received only contempt and indifference towards herself.

And this is an absurd accusation of an affair with a childhood friend.

The man who did not listen, no matter how she declared her innocence, only straightened his hair.

- This is the limit for marriage. No matter how much you cry and beg His Majesty, I can't take it anymore.

- Yes. I got it Where do I need to sign?

–Even if you pretend to be a poor and pathetic Duchess like last time, it's not... what?"

The Duke stopped in surprise.

Anyway, Erin took a pen and wrote her name on the sheet.

Erin von Les-Wensberg.

Today is the last day when I sign with this name.

The moment she grabbed the pen, this thought flew through her head.

Previously, the girl thought that her world would collapse if she lost this name.

That's because I don't have anything else left.

Erin thought that now the only thing she would have left was her life. So she wanted to delay this moment.

However, when the last letter was written and the pen was lowered, the only feeling that stirred her heart was the feeling of freedom.

Erin casually shook the divorce papers.

– I'm done. Can I leave? Well, if I marry my lover now, I'll have to renovate my house. So I sold everything in it.

- Wait….old? The Duke asked with a ridiculous expression on his face.

- Yes. When your mistress enters the palace, she will throw away all the furniture and everything related to me, so this morning I sold it to a thrift store.

Disposing of the property of the Imperial Palace without permission was a great sin, but not in this case.

The wedding day. To be precise, the Duke permitted this on their wedding night.

–I don't care about that, so do whatever you want.

After that, he didn't even go into Erin's room. She alone managed the palace and took care of the house. The girl saved every penny, that she that not be accused of extravagance.

She lived so hard, but since she didn't get a penny, she decided to sell everything she could to get money. Anyway, it's all hers.

The Duke seemed shocked, but Erin was sure.

– Why are you surprised? You told me to do whatever I wanted, right? I just did what you told me to do.

The girl got up from her seat and spoke to the Duke with surprise.

- That's right. I don't need to talk about alimony, because the marriage is dissolved by agreement of both parties, but you will return my dowry?

- ... What are you going to do with this money?

For the first time, her husband, who had ignored everything Erin had done for the past nine years, asked her a question.

Quite a bit of money.

This small sum was the girl's entire estate and the last remaining property of the Brisia family.

There were little cream cheese cupcakes and blueberry pie on the table. The cream and fruit exuded a sweet fragrance.

One day Erin discovered cute desserts. A fresh white cream that melts from a single bite. Pie with fragrant jam and cream cheese.

I was so close, why didn't I notice them before?

She couldn't take her eyes off her plate. It was an old dream of Erin herself.

An old dream that she buried deep in her heart after spending nine years in the palace for eternity.

Erin had lost everything, but she still had one last dream.

The girl smiled confidently, for the first time in nine years, and answered:

– I'll open a cafe.

It's time to realize this dream.