I became the mother of the main character living with the adulterer. - Chapter 20

Theodore was stunned.

“J-Jane?”

“How could you do this to me?”

“Wh-what?”

Tears streamed down Jane’s face as she threw a torn piece of paper at Theodore and shouted.

“When have I ever asked you for money? There were a few times, but the rest was just you giving it to me! You said you loved me! How could you go and accuse my father of a crime?”

Accuse?

Theodore didn’t understand what she was saying, but he was getting angry. He was frustrated with Jane for slapping him without explaining anything.

And giving money just like that? She had previously acted hurt and ignored him when he didn’t give it!

“Hey, Jane.”

“Don’t call my name! You said the banquet was safe! I told you I didn’t want to go! You forced me, and now look at what you’ve done! How could you never come to see me after all this time?”

“When did I say I didn’t want to go? You just refused out of politeness! And ‘what you did’—you were the one who took off my pants first!”

“I don’t care, I don’t care! Get away from me! I was a fool to fall in love with someone like you!”

Bam!

After saying her piece, Jane didn’t look back and slammed the door shut.

“Jane! Open the door! Jane!”

He knocked on the door again and again. Neighbors yelled at him for making noise in the middle of the night, but Jane didn’t show her face.

“Ha. What is going on here?”

In disbelief, Theodore sighed and ran his hand through his wet hair. A torn piece of paper caught his eye on the ground.

“How dare she throw this trash at me?”

Angry, he picked up the paper, but something strange caught his attention.

[…Accuse…]

“Accuse? What’s this about an accusation?”

Could Jane be accusing someone because of what happened at the banquet? That would mean he might be accused too.

A chill ran down his spine.

Theodore quickly picked up all the torn pieces of paper. He sat by the window with the light on and began to piece them together.

The ink was smeared from the water, and some pieces were missing, but he could read most of it.

“The knife… is going to prison for stealing the Elosa family’s assets?”

What was this about?

The knife didn’t steal anything from the family. He had checked the books recently after getting beaten by Berengela. The one who had embezzled the Elosa family’s assets was clearly Theodore himself.

If the knife had any crime, it was simply carrying out Theodore’s orders.

But if the knife was going to prison because of this, Theodore would have to go too.

“What the hell is going on? Who did this…”

Theodore was one of the few who knew about the embezzlement of the Elosa family’s assets: himself, the knife, Rachel, Berengela, and Jane.

Jane wasn’t the one behind this. She loved her father dearly and would never frame him.

Berengela had been locked up in the townhouse, and the knife couldn’t have accused him.

There was only one person left.

A shiver ran through his spine.

“Rachel!”

Rachel had framed the knife for his own crime!

His hands trembled with excitement.

“She knew I was having an affair, but still blamed the knife for my crime? To cover up my sin? Hah.”

He had thought of her as a fool, just blindly trying to cover her own tracks.

His heart pounded wildly.

He recalled Jane, who had splashed him with water and slapped him.

“She took all the money, and now she’s angry that her father got caught? The audacity!”

Honestly, the knife wasn’t completely innocent. He had helped embezzle money and evade taxes, after all!

Moreover, it was Jane who had taken the money. Since Jane and the knife were family, it wasn’t far from the truth that the knife had stolen the Elosa family’s assets.

Compared to that, Rachel didn’t throw water or slap him. She was elegant and composed. She didn’t nag or accuse him of his wrongdoings.

Instead, she quietly covered for her husband!

“Was Rachel really this amazing? As Mother said, Rachel was the perfect wife. Tomorrow, as soon as the sun rises, I’ll go see Rachel. She’s waiting for me.”

This was the part Theodore hadn’t expected. Filled with romance, he might find himself liking Rachel even more because of her actions.

He gathered up the torn pieces of paper, put them in his pocket, and smiled to himself as he thought of Rachel.

Graham, who had been in the garden early in the morning, was feeling very good.

“I’m so excited to learn swordsmanship and be able to protect Mom for real!”

“Me too, sweetheart. I can’t wait!”

Rachel and Graham shared a laugh as they looked at each other.

When Rachel asked Sian to train Graham in swordsmanship, he quickly agreed and said he would visit the mansion soon.

Though divorce and leaving the house loomed on the horizon, it didn’t matter. If they got divorced, Graham could simply train elsewhere.

They were chatting happily while waiting for Sian when someone suddenly came rushing toward them.

“Your Grace, you’ve arrived earlier than expect—”

“Rachel!”

It wasn’t Sian. It was Theodore.

Rachel and Graham’s faces stiffened immediately, their excitement gone.

Theodore opened his arms wide, attempting to embrace Rachel.

Rachel recoiled in disgust and stepped aside, while Graham stepped between them, holding out the wooden sword he had brought, blocking Theodore from reaching Rachel.

“Dad, don’t bother Mom.”

Theodore’s outstretched arms flailed awkwardly in the air. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat.

“Ahem, Graham, this isn’t bothering. It’s showing affection.”

Affection?

Rachel scoffed in disbelief, while Graham shook his head with a serious expression.

“Mom doesn’t like it. If Mom doesn’t like it, it’s bothering her.”

“Alright, alright, put the stick down. What do you think you’re doing to your father?”

The scolding tone in his voice held a trace of amusement.

What the hell is wrong with this lunatic? Has he completely lost his mind?

Regardless, Rachel thought it might as well be a good time to deal with him since they needed to talk eventually.

“Graham, I need to talk to your father alone for a moment. Could you go back into the mansion? I’ll call you when His Grace arrives.”

“But, Mom…”

“Please, sweetheart. I need to talk to him alone.”

“…Alright.”

Graham drooped his shoulders and hesitated before finally nodding.

“…If Dad bothers you, promise you’ll tell me. I’ll protect you.”

“I will. If he bothers me, I’ll shout for you to come save me, okay?”

“Okay, it’s a promise!”

After hooking pinkies with his mother, Graham headed inside.

The moment Graham disappeared, Theodore stepped toward Rachel as if he’d been waiting for this chance.

“Rachel, I’ve missed you.”

“Ugh, why are you being so gross? You said you were hiding out—how did you find your way here?”

“It was you, wasn’t it? The one who framed Cal for tax evasion.”

“That’s right.”

“Ha. I knew it. It was you, Rachel.”

Theodore looked genuinely touched.

“Thank you. You really are the only one for me. Leaving you and running around was the biggest mistake of my life. I admit it—I was a fool. But I’ll fix everything. I’m going to end things with that woman. I want to try again with you.”

…What did this idiot just say?

Rachel laughed out loud, unable to believe what she was hearing.

“I don’t want to try again with you.”

“A-ah, my bad. Of course, we’re already married! Haha, silly me! Alright, let’s keep living like this and make it work!”

“Enough nonsense. Are you brainless?”

“…Brainless?”

“I’m not interested in making things work with you. In fact, I was planning to talk to you about this anyway, but since you’re here, let’s do it now.”

“Talk about what?”

“Divorce.”

Theodore’s mouth snapped shut, his nonsensical rambling coming to an abrupt halt.

Rachel called a passing servant and instructed them to fetch the divorce papers she had prepared in advance. After verifying that every detail was properly filled in, she tossed the papers at Theodore.

“Here. Take it.”

“R-Rachel, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden? You love me, don’t you?”

“Love? When did that ever happen? What a delusion.”

“But you gave me cufflinks! And you pinned the blame on Cal for me!”

Theodore blinked in confusion before shaking his head.

“No, no, you’re not in your right mind right now. Let’s talk about this later. Divorce? How can we get divorced?”

“What are you talking about? Go cling to Jane’s skirts, the one you love so much. Don’t loiter around here—it’s filthy.”

“Rachel!”

It seemed Theodore had misunderstood, thinking Rachel had framed Cal for tax evasion out of love for him.

This turn of events was unexpected.

After carrying on an affair for so long, he now claimed he’d “clean things up” with “that woman” and wanted to “live happily together” as if nothing had happened?

Sian had been right. People’s feelings were truly unpredictable. Thank goodness she’d already applied for an annulment, just as he had advised.

Rachel removed the wedding ring from her left hand and tossed it at Theodore. Clink! The ring hit Theodore’s body before falling onto the grass.

“If you don’t want to sign the papers, don’t. We’re already over. I’ve filed for an annulment with the Noble Council and the temple.”

“What? Annul our marriage? That’s ridiculous! There’s no law that allows that!”

“Oh, there is. And here it is. You’ll also need to calculate the restitution for the inheritance you stole from my parents, the dowry I brought to the marriage, alimony, and child support.”

“An annulment? That’s absurd! The Noble Council and the temple wouldn’t annul a perfectly fine marriage!”

“They already did.”

A calm voice interrupted from behind. It was Sian.

Rachel nearly ran to him out of relief but restrained herself.

Sian was walking toward them, dressed impeccably in a knight’s training uniform.

Theodore’s jaw fell open.

“Y-Your Grace! What brings you here?”

“Must I explain my every move to you?”

Sian’s cold reply was accompanied by a graceful bow as he greeted Rachel.

“Lady Rachel. It’s been a while.”

Lady Rachel!

This confirmed that the annulment had been approved!

Rachel’s face lit up with joy, while Theodore’s turned pale with shock.

“Your Grace! Why are you addressing my wife as ‘Lady’? If you continue to insult me and my wife, I’ll report you to the Noble Council!”

Sian chuckled lightly.

Reporting someone like him, who practically embodied the Noble Council itself, was laughable.

“Unfortunately, you can’t do that.”

“Noble law states that any issue within noble society can be judged by the Noble Council! Your Grace is not exempt from this!”

“Indeed, ‘any noble’ can report me to the Council. But you, Theodore, cannot. You are no longer a noble.”

“W-what are you saying…?”

Sian shot Rachel a brief smile before turning toward Theodore.

In a swift, fluid motion, Sian drew his sword, its blade slicing through the air before grazing Theodore’s waist.

“Y-Your Grace…”

A small, flat object fell to the ground with a dull thud, and Theodore collapsed.

Sian calmly sheathed his sword, gazing down at Theodore with an indifferent expression.

“Theodore. As of this moment, you are no longer a noble.”

The noble badge that Sian’s blade had cut off rolled in the dirt at Theodore’s feet.