Reincarnated As My Husband's Mistress-Chapter 23: [] I prefer new things

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Noebian slumped onto the sofa, feeling an overwhelming fatigue. He hadn't been able to eat a thing during dinner, as Adrien's face kept appearing in his mind, superimposed over his plate. He felt a parched throat and hastily filled a crystal glass with ice and alcohol. Adrien was dead, and it was time for him to take Blier Acacia.

"Your Highness."

"?"

Noebian sipped his drink and pressed his temples as the butler, Gaspal, drew the curtains and entered.

"Is it over already?"

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"It's just beginning."

Noebian sighed, rubbing his temples.

"If that's what it takes to appease her, then so be it."

"..."

"Go and check."

Gaspal stared at Noebian before bowing and leaving. As soon as the butler was gone, the blue eyes turned dark. Noebian hadn't taken another sip of his drink since the first.

"...It's strangely quiet."

Blier had changed significantly in just a few days. After Adrien's death, she had become unstable. He had expected her to be overjoyed when he invited her to the funeral to see Adrien's body, but she hadn't been. Such casual behavior was something he despised the most, but lately, Blier had been different. When he heard that she had been unable to breathe at Adrien's memorial, even though she was the kind of person who would overlook a maid's rudeness, he had been skeptical. Even though she acted so freely, sometimes to the point of being vulgar, she had always been like his tongue in his mouth.

'In a conversation between women... it's improper for a man to interfere, Your Highness?'

Blier Acacia, who would usually tattle, had said those words to him herself. What was this unsettling feeling?

***

He knew very well that Blier Acacia was no ordinary woman, but there had always been a vulgar side to her. It wasn't just her clothing or her behavior; he had often seen her lose her temper, shouting and throwing things. But what was this? She had never called him names like that before. With cold eyes, as if she held a long-standing grudge, she had looked down at the maid without hesitation, calling her insignificant. Her words were too direct for a noble, but her gestures and expressions were anything but common. Having worked in many noble households as a footman in his youth, it was a familiar sight. Familiar? Nothing could be more alien than Blier, a noblewoman acting like this.

As he climbed one flight of the grand staircase, he heard a muffled sobbing.

"!"

Instead of slapping her as he had expected, Blier simply stood there, looking down at the maid. Annie was kneeling on the floor, her forehead pressed against the ground, mumbling over and over, too distraught to do anything else. The floor was already wet with her tears.

"I can't hear you."

When Blier spoke calmly, Annie looked up, bit her lip, and shook her head. She seemed to be at a loss, not knowing who to blame.

One of the maids standing near Annie slapped her. It didn't look painful, but the humiliation of being hit by a fellow maid was evident.

"What the..."

Annie cried out in despair and anger, not knowing who to blame. Her cheeks were red and swollen from being slapped multiple times. It seemed like this wasn't the first time. Gaspal watched Blier, who was looking at the scene without any change in expression. When Blier's gaze met his, he felt a shiver down his spine. As she smiled at him, he imagined hearing a distant bell ringing. He felt himself inexplicably aroused by her sensual appearance. However, he didn't realize that Blier's gaze wasn't one of affection or satisfaction with the situation.

***

'Next is you, Gaspal.'

I looked at the butler who was watching me from a distance and thought that. I turned back to Annie. She was still sobbing, hoping that someone would come to her rescue. But it seemed she had realized that was a waste of energy. Her eyes were swollen, and her cheeks were red and puffy from being slapped several times, but it didn't seem so pitiful to me. Instead, I noticed her plump cheeks and hands, and her clean, freshly ironed maid's uniform. It twisted my heart to see her so well-fed while her mistress was wasting away. At the same time, I suddenly felt a strange sense of detachment as I watched myself inflicting this punishment.

"'It's because she's Blier. The real Blier wouldn't have stopped there. So it's fine.'"

I had never been cruel to anyone before, but I forced myself to think that as I steadied my trembling hands and heart. I looked at Annie, who was still dazed from the shock, and quietly rang the bell beside me. Gaspal, breathing heavily as if he had just run a race, approached me with his usual greasy eyes.

"Take her away."

"Yes, Madam."

"Oh, and you, help her."

I pointed to the maid who had slapped Annie several times. I smiled sweetly, acting as if I had no regrets. But the maid I had pointed to was none other than Marie, the one who had first recognized me at the memorial and gathered the other maids. In other words, Marie was the one who should have been punished for her actions. With a pale face, the maid nodded, her body trembling. When Annie grabbed the arm that was offering to help her, Marie turned ashen. I watched them with a warm smile. Annie would surely inflict enough punishment on Marie and the other maids.

***

Noebian returned, smelling faintly of alcohol, but he said nothing to me. He rarely spent time at home, so he probably didn't care much about the servants.

'So he wouldn't have known if I hadn't told him.'

He was such a careless master. I chuckled as I followed him. Somehow, I felt like I was seeing the dressing room for the first time, even though I had been there countless times. It was a huge, elegant space, just like I remembered. A glass display case in the center of the dressing room was filled with various jewels, and the surrounding walls were lined with dresses for every season. They were all high-quality items, clearly reflecting Adrien's taste: classic, elegant, and the like.

'I wonder if my mother's necklace is here...'

I was drawn to the jewelry display case and frantically searched for the necklace. I heard Noebian chuckle softly. To my surprise, the sound was unpleasant. And then...

'Ah.'

I took a sharp breath as I saw his reflection in the glass of the display case. There, around his neck, was clearly my mother's necklace. It was strange to see him wearing something like that, especially since he never wore any accessories.

'Did he find it after the maid stole it, or did he have it all along?'

I felt my blood racing as I turned around quietly. I must have had a startled expression on my face. Noebian must have interpreted it differently.

"Is there anything you want? I wanted you to receive a personal apology, but since this happened in my mansion, I'd like to give you something as a gift."

Just like that. Of course, these were all things that were too high-class for someone like Blier. Besides, Adrien wouldn't have had any occasion to wear such expensive jewelry. So, in a way... it was as good as new. But unlike Noebian's intentions, my eyes were drawn to the gold chain around his neck. If I followed the chain down and opened the pendant, I would see a portrait of my mother. The thought of the man who had taken my mother's life wearing something that belonged to her made me want to rip the necklace off his neck. I hid my trembling hands behind my back and smiled like Blier.

"That necklace around your neck..."

As I took a step closer, he took a step back as if startled.

"It's my wife's."

He replied stiffly.

"Everything in here is hers."

"Your Highness."

"?"

A faint ripple appeared in his calm eyes, which then gradually turned icy. I was taken aback.

"Call me Your Highness."

I stopped approaching Noebian. How much more cruelly was he going to treat Adrien? To ask for a mistress and then refer to his wife as 'her' was too much. Noebian buttoned up his shirt and pursed his lips. He was hiding the necklace from me. And then, looking down at me, he sighed.

"You can't have this. But you can take anything else in here."

A cold tension filled the air between us. Why was he so insistent on keeping Adrien's necklace? What did it mean to him? In any case, from Blier's perspective, it would be better to have everything in this dressing room than a few select items.

"No."

I cut him off. I had no interest in things I had already owned once. Even when I was Adrien, I had wanted this man more than any of these shiny objects.

"...You don't want to?"

And as Blier, I would definitely say...

"I like new things, Your Highness."

I looked up at Noebian with a confident expression.

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