HOFRS 11

Chapter 11

“……”

Vendia stared blankly at the perfectly repaired wall in the second-floor hallway.

Contrary to what she expected, Ron turned out to be a reasonable man.

She had planned to nag him relentlessly until he got it fixed, but as soon as the sun rose, he called in a repairman and had it patched up neatly.

Only the exact spot he had broken.

He had repaired it so flawlessly there wasn’t even a crack left to nitpick. Honestly, it was hard to tell where the damage had been.

And the pile of intruders that had been stacked like a mountain the night before—gone without a trace.

Vendia knew who they were.

Even with their faces swollen from the beating, their ugly mugs weren’t disguised well enough. It wasn’t hard to recall them from the café that day.

She had thought Chris would take care of them—but surprise!

It was Ron, who had only ever taken hits, that took down all those thugs by himself.

She hadn’t seen it herself, but maybe, just like Chris had said, Ron really had avoided hitting them in fatal spots on purpose.

So it was Ron, not Chris, who had been hiding his strength all along?

‘He really is suspicious.’

Naturally, Vendia didn’t bother asking how Ron had dealt with them. Knowing such things would only bring trouble.

“Hmph. I thought I might finally get to lord it over someone for once…”

“I can hear you.”

Vendia jolted upright in shock.

When she turned around, Ron was leaning casually against the doorframe with his arms crossed, having snuck out of the house without a sound.

“Oh my. You really did a spotless job.”

Without missing a beat, she raised her voice half a tone and gave him a cheerful thumbs up.

“I knew you’d do that. No wonder you were so eager to fix it quickly.”

He lifted his chin and smirked smugly. It was incredibly annoying.

“If you mention bones and dust one more time, I swear—just go.”

He waved her away arrogantly, telling her to get lost.

Vendia grumbled internally as she reluctantly stood.

She hoped more intruders would come. A whole bunch, even.

“It’d be nice if they broke the outer wall too.”

“Keep dreaming.”

“Ugh.”

“Yaaaawn…”

With the wide yawn of a wild beast and a satisfying stretch, Vendia shuffled over to the window.

Shwaa!

As she pulled the curtains aside, a flood of sunlight poured in.

Squinting against the sudden brightness, Vendia slowly basked in the morning light.

It had been nearly two weeks since she moved down south, and she was fully settled into life at the mansion.

A new tenant would be moving into the third floor soon, and although slow, the fence replacement was steadily progressing.

Her life wasn’t luxurious, but everything was running smoothly.

Even with Chris, she was getting along just fine.

There hadn’t been another intruder since that night, but Vendia had no doubt something would happen eventually that would reveal Chris’s true side.

“So peaceful.”

The stormy days of talking about divorce, actually getting divorced, and escaping her family felt like a distant memory now.

It was hard to believe it had even happened.

With the most serene expression, she picked up the newspaper from the bedside table.

Sasha, remembering her joking remark about wanting to read financial papers, now kindly brought her a newspaper every day.

There was only one reason Vendia checked the news.

To see if there were any updates about the Rose Count’s family. The earlier she knew, the better she could prepare in case of trouble.

She settled onto the sofa and unfolded the paper.

[Duke Kalbermer Declares Official Involvement in the Shadow Crisis]

Yesterday at 5 PM in the Royal Great Hall, Duke Denros Kalbermer announced his intention to take the lead in uncovering the truth behind the shadow phenomenon that has only appeared in provincial territories since it first emerged two years ago on St. Island in the North…

…

…Meanwhile, following his divorce, the duke made his first public appearance, sparking a wave of admiration from women. Speculation about the Duke’s potential remarriage is on the rise.

Thud!

Vendia scowled and folded the newspaper shut.

“What the hell is this.”

Describe your feelings upon seeing your ex-husband in a front-page article first thing in the morning. Was that the theme today?

Ugh, that damn perfect man. Making headlines on the front page of the Empire’s newspaper.

How did she ever end up marrying a man like that?

Even though it had been a marriage of convenience with no love, he had still been the most eligible man in the Empire after the crown prince.

Even if it hadn’t been her, there were plenty of women from suitable families he could’ve married.

“Well, whatever. We’re divorced now.”

He had nothing to do with her anymore.

This wasn’t some regret-filled drama. She had met Chris, the real male lead.

Still, Vendia unfolded the newspaper again.

Her blue eyes locked on the photo of Denros just below the article.

His expressionless face hadn’t changed a bit.

“Photos don’t do him justice.”

The picture captured only a fraction of how handsome he really was.

“Hmph. Not my problem.”

Grumbling, she finally set the paper aside for good and stood up.

“Well then, let’s start the day.”

Shaking off her idle thoughts, Vendia whistled cheerfully as she left her room.

“I said, don’t touch it!”

“I—I was just trying to supplement the lack of materials. You’re the one interfering with our work!”

“Interfering?! Interfering?! Who was about to chop down an innocent tree?! Lady Dia said not to touch it!”

Sasha snapped, her face scrunching up as she raised her voice.

“Y-You’re the one being a nuisance! S-Stop hovering and annoying us!”

Even the usually composed and shy Chris retorted without backing down.

“…Is this for real?”

Vendia muttered blankly as she watched the two.

Sasha and Chris were barking and yapping at each other like dogs and cats.

These days, they were constantly at each other’s throats.

Sasha could be blunt, but she wasn’t the type to dislike someone without reason, and Chris wasn’t the kind to raise his voice at anyone.

But for some reason, the two of them clashed constantly. Maybe their personalities just didn’t mesh.

“Lady Dia, how’s the food today?”

“M-My Lady, if you liked it, would you like some more from mine?”

“Don’t eat leftovers—have mine instead!”

“W-What are you doing, trying to serve Lady food with your spit all over it?!”

“Excuse me?! Just because you speak doesn’t mean it makes sense!”

Even yesterday, they had argued at the dinner table until Vendia had to grab them both by the scruff of the neck to stop it.

Normally, they barely acknowledged each other’s presence, but when they did interact—it always escalated until she intervened.

And somehow, she was always the center of their fights.

Was she their mother or something…?

It felt less like she had a male lead and more like she was raising two kids.

“You two, cut it out.”

Sensing a second round brewing, Vendia stepped in just in time.

“And Chris. Leave that tree alone.”

“See? Lady Dia said not to touch it!”

Sasha smugly clung to Vendia’s side.

“B-But my lady, if we use this, we could probably replace the whole fence in the yard…”

Chris looked at her with pitiful eyes, annoyed by Sasha’s gloating.

“You’re right. But we’re not cutting that tree. Thank you for thinking of it, though.”

As Chris said, using the tree would save both time and money.

They didn’t have the funds to buy all the materials, so they were replacing the fence with the bare minimum.

Still, they couldn’t cut down the pagoda tree. Even if it took longer, it was right to buy materials and do it properly.

“I’m sorry… I—I shouldn’t have overstepped. I’ll leave it.”

Chris slumped as his suggestion was rejected, his voice barely a whisper.

He looked like a puppy with its tail tucked between its legs, and Vendia wanted to comfort him—

But Sasha tugged at her before she could.

“Lady Dia! If you stay in the sun too long, your skin will burn! Let’s go over there.”

“Sasha, why do you dislike Chris so much? Didn’t you say you liked him because he was handsome?”

“Nope? I never said he was handsome, and I definitely never said I liked him.”

Really? Thinking about it… maybe she hadn’t.

“Anyway. Try to get along, okay? We have to live together, after all.”

“….”

Sasha averted her gaze with a sulky look, clearly unwilling to say she understood.

Vendia couldn’t force them to get along, so she just let out a heavy sigh.

“I really like it here. I’m glad I followed you, Lady Dia.”

“Me too.”

Vendia knew Sasha was changing the subject to move away from Chris, but she agreed sincerely.

This was the place she had come to escape her unfeeling husband and the oppressive family that treated her like a tool.

There was no one left in this mansion who looked down on her.

A new life. Her building, her house, her home.

Vendia was starting to grow attached to the mansion.

“But um, I think someone’s been watching us for a while?”

“Who?”

Vendia, who had been admiring the mansion with fresh eyes, turned her head at Sasha’s words—

“Ugh…!”

And immediately heard a pained groan.

Startled, she turned to check on Chris—only to find him clutching his hand, blood pouring from his fingers.