The Stand-In Villainess's Contract Marriage: I Was Divorced After a Year, But For Some Reason, My Ex-Husband Seems to Be Looking for Me - Chapter 23

Liana expressed her gratitude and promptly opened the envelope.

In the letter from Amalia, it mentioned her visit to check on her sister. It stated that her sister had significantly recovered and was now able to go out on days when she felt good. It also mentioned that the payment for her medication had been made, allowing for the continuation of her treatment.

(…That’s good.)

Reading that, Liana let out a sigh of relief.

If the treatment continued like this, her sister would likely make a full recovery.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Liana hugged the letter, and the Director gently patted her back.

After talking with the Director for a bit and playing with the children, Liana promised to return and then headed to the town tailor.

The tailor, who had always accepted her work, was pleased to see Liana.

She learned that requests for embroidery work were pouring in, but it seemed that the required skills were quite advanced. They were struggling to find craftsmen who met the necessary standards.

When Liana expressed her eagerness to take on the work, the tailor entrusted her with a large amount of it.

Now, on days when she didn’t need to attend parties, she could keep herself busy with work throughout the day.

Liana loaded the tools for her accepted work into the carriage and tried to return to the Kirina Duke’s residence.

However, the carriage stopped quite a distance from the mansion.

“Is something wrong?”

When she leaned out of the window to ask the coachman, it seemed they had coincided with Kararize’s return.

“Understood. Let’s wait a little longer,” she replied.

Not wanting to show her face as the rumored villainess, Liana waited a long time in the carriage for Kararize to return home.

After a while, she finally entered the mansion and took her work tools back to the guest room.

She had been able to hear about her sister’s current condition and had taken on plenty of embroidery work.

It seemed she could focus on her work until the next party.

While checking her work schedule, Liana realized it had become quite late at night.

It appeared that her dinner had been completely forgotten, likely due to them being busy.

She had only eaten a little soup in the morning and didn’t have much of an appetite, so she decided to go to sleep.

From then on, there were days when her meals were occasionally forgotten, but she never requested them herself.

Originally, it was Liana who had asked for her meals to be reduced in quantity and frequency.

Days spent in her room, working on her embroidery.

She planned to save that wage for the day she would leave this place.

Sometimes she caught glimpses of Kararize outside the window, but he always had a dark look in his eyes.

Every time she saw him like that, it felt as if her own heart ached as well.

It had become a habit for Liana to pray for her parents’ peace and her sister’s recovery before bed, but before long, she found herself praying for Kararize as well.

May his pain ease even a little, and may the day come when he finds happiness.

Life in the Kirina Duke’s residence passed quietly like this.

Before long, the seasons changed, and summer arrived.

The flowers visible from the garden had also been replaced, now blooming in a riot of summer colors.

As usual, Liana placed a chair near the window and was embroidering while gazing at the garden flowers.

The embroidery work had continued uninterrupted.

Due to the complexity of the designs, the compensation was quite good, and she had slowly begun to save up for her future living expenses.

She had attended several parties since then.

Dressed in extravagant dresses and flashy makeup, Liana became known as a villainess who was frolicking around despite having married into the Duke’s family.

If Liana had attended with her husband, Kararize, such rumors might not have spread. Socializing was an important duty for nobles.

But Liana lacked education, constantly approached men, and squandered money on new dresses for parties.

Even though she owed a debt of gratitude to Count Tweed, some wondered if marrying a woman who had been his mistress was a mistake.

It was rumored that he would soon reach his limit and seek a divorce.

While overhearing such gossip in a corner of the party, Liana felt relieved that her plan was working.

If a divorce were to happen, sympathy would surely be directed toward Kararize.

However, she also felt guilty for tarnishing the name of Count Tweed’s precious daughter further.

She felt a certain regret toward her sister, who had originally been called Lana.

When her sister had been known as “the villainess Lana,” it was merely the public’s bad reputation, and her sister had simply been there to comfort the lonely Count Tweed.

Liana was the only one acting in a manner deserving of the title “villainess.”

She had heard that her sister had recovered significantly and was busy preparing for the wedding scheduled for next spring.

Was she eating properly?

Worrying that her sister might forget to take her medicine due to her busy schedule, Liana found herself unable to visit.

She was too scared that the rumors of “the villainess Larna” spreading through society might reach her sister, and thus she couldn’t even send a letter.

One day.

As usual, at a party alone, Liana learned that Kararize’s former fiancée, Valentina, had become engaged again.

It seemed that after Kararize’s half-brother was sued and exiled by him, she had hoped for a renewed engagement with Kararize.