The Art of Reforming Villainous Men - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Translator: Yonnee
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* * *
‘You’ve finally noticed me.’
Adeline gazed at Jack from a distance as he locked eyes with her.
In truth, she had been watching him ever since he first set foot in the garden.
Unlike Jack, who had just arrived at the charity event, Adeline had been present in the garden for quite some time.
Naturally, the reason was to meet Jack.
To be more precise.
‘To resolve the most urgent problem.’
The biggest threat to the Zeller Duchy wasn’t Millein, Jack, or Carlisle.
It was, without a doubt—
‘The Zeller Duchy’s debt.’
No matter how much those three had worked together to bring the household down, everything had ultimately begun with the debt.
‘In my past life, I married Julian to stop the mansion from being seized by the bank.’
It had been a desperate marriage to put out an immediate fire.
But now that she knew how it would end, she had no intention of making the same mistake again.
Recalling Julian’s verbal abuse, Adeline’s shoulders trembled involuntarily.
—Did you think I spent all that money just to end up with a marriage like this? If you’re such a distinguished Duchess, learn to serve your husband properly! What? Didn’t your fancy tutor teach you that?
—If you give birth to my child, will that child become the next Duke? Looks like noble blood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!
Throughout their marriage, Julian constantly mocked Adeline about pregnancy.
He blamed her for not becoming pregnant and for his dissatisfaction in bed, as if everything were her fault.
Even when he was openly having an affair with another woman, he found a way to make her the scapegoat.
—Hey, little miss Duke. It’s because you have no charm as a woman. If you’d been a little more playful and seductive, do you think I’d have sought out another woman?
Everything Julian did somehow became Adeline’s fault.
Of course, enduring such things had become second nature.
—I had already thrown away my pride and dignity.
The insults hurled at her had become something she could tolerate without much trouble.
But when Julian began to tarnish the Zeller family’s honor, it became a different story.
In the social circles of the Crawford Empire, it wasn’t uncommon for married nobles to have lovers, so infidelity itself wasn’t particularly shocking.
But Julian had taken things too far.
‘I heard he was fooling around with his mistress openly, without regard for anyone watching.’
Julian’s mistress was an employee he had met at the social club he frequented. After making her his mistress, he flaunted her wherever he went.
He didn’t care who was watching as he shamelessly kissed her and teased her in public, engaging in scandalous displays of affection that drew frowns from onlookers.
—Duke, your husband is having an affair with a woman who isn’t even a noble.
Adeline couldn’t count how many times she had heard that.
His low-class mistress and public displays of affection had pushed things beyond acceptable limits, even for Crawford’s otherwise tolerant high society.
If left unchecked, not only the Zeller family’s honor but also Adeline’s personal reputation would have been destroyed.
In the end, Adeline tracked down Julian, who had run off with his mistress, and finalized their divorce.
But during the two weeks she had been away from the capital to handle the divorce, the Zeller Duchy had fallen to ruin.
In some ways, her marriage to Julian had only accelerated the family’s downfall.
‘So, resolving the debt through marriage is not an option.’
She needed a way to resolve the urgent debt without relying on marriage.
To find that solution, Adeline had come to this garden today.
‘Lady Tilleman’s charity event.’
She already knew that Jack would be attending this annual event on this very day.
In her past life, Adeline had overheard Victoria talking about Jack.
—Don’t even mention that in front of me! If I had invested in Monahan back then, I’d be…
The year the train station had been built in the Monahan Viscounty.
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