how to divorce the male lead - chapter 1
"I messed up."
Last night, Yuliana Oben, who had remembered her past life through a dream, murmured. She stared blankly at the sparrow perched on the windowsill, tidying its feathers and flapping its wings, then said,
"What should I do?"
The sparrow, which appeared to have taken on the role of listening to the concerns of Yuliana Oben, or rather, 'Ishian,' who had remembered her past life, merely chirped without any meaningful response. In Yuliana's eyes, even the sparrow seemed to mock her, as if saying, "Why, is your current life a mess?"
"Yes, it seems like my current life is a mess again."
Yuliana mumbled again, shaking her head as if responding to the indifferent sparrow.
It had been just yesterday when she heard the news that her husband, who had gone to the battlefield to fight barbarians, was returning. Despite it being a reunion after a whole year, Yuliana, who had completely forgotten her husband's existence, felt no excitement.
On that day, Yuliana had been irritated by the bright sun, scolding the servants around her for being too harsh. After driving away the messengers who brought her the news, she spent her time alone, relaxing, eating delicious food, and going to bed early. It was all just last night.
If only she had slept deeply, would she not have remembered her past life? Unfortunately, Yuliana Oben had only slept lightly and had a vivid dream.
A dream of her past life.
In her past life, Ishian had been an orphan.
She had left the orphanage and worked hard every day as an adult. And in the words of the humans who had lived with hope...
"She was completely shattered by a car."
Yuliana, now remembering the terrible pain of her past life, shivered.
It was still vivid.
It was a day when she finished her part-time job at a convenience store and was heading home in the morning when everyone else was going to work. Crossing the pedestrian crossing, she was hit by a car and died instantly. She might have died instantly, but the pain of her body being crushed by the massive vehicle was unavoidable.
Checking the traffic light and crossing the road, she realized she was not at fault. It was clear that the hit-and-run driver was to blame, as the vague memory of the car swerving and coming towards her was vivid in her mind. It was definitely a case of drunk driving.
"You jerk... Why drink in the morning..."
She muttered, her eyes slightly swollen. Remembering her tragic past life sent shivers down her spine.
Fortunately, she had been reborn with another chance at life, a stroke of luck amidst her misfortune. She had been born as a noblewoman. Compared to her past life, Yuliana, now a noble lady, had become someone who was beyond compare.
"I am Yuliana Oben. I am the illegitimate daughter of the Oben Marquis family, and I am a fire mage... Even though my physical strength is lacking, I was born quite well, considering."
She looked at the sparrow still perched on the windowsill. The chubby sparrow was sipping rainwater collected on the windowsill, its throat bobbing as it swallowed. Seeing the peaceful scene, Yuliana covered her mouth.
But why did she have to be reborn into a romance fantasy?
"And not just any romance fantasy... Why did I have to be reborn into a spoiled one!"
Yuliana sobbed as if seeking advice from the sparrow.
The sparrow, sipping its throat contentedly, flew away, as if mocking her, saying, "That's your destiny."
"Argh!"
She cried out now, freshly awakened with swollen eyes. She buried her face in the pillow, sobbing, but at the same time, she felt pathetic for thinking, 'I should have eaten dessert yesterday...'
It felt like just yesterday that she had cursed and scolded the romance fantasy novel <Fate's Threads> for spoiling her.
a romantic fantasy that I often watched while working part-time. Although she had read only half of it after being spoiled in the comments and hadn't finished it, it seemed certain that she had been reborn as the detestable villainess, 'Yuliana Oben.'
Although she had read only half of it after being spoiled in the comments and hadn't finished it, it seemed certain that she had been reborn as the detestable villainess, 'Yuliana Oben.'
Yuliana Oben was a selfish villainess who only cherished herself, looking down on the illegitimate son of the aristocratic family she married into and trampling on his self-esteem. Her daily routine was nothing more than badmouthing her husband, badmouthing the people around her, and cursing her father for marrying her off to a stepson.
Of course, from Yuliana Oben's perspective in the novel, there was also a sense of injustice. Originally, Yuliana was not the illegitimate daughter of the Oben Marquis family, but rather, she was engaged to Keltan, the eldest son and heir of the Marquis, from an early age.
Yuliana had thought that even though Keltan couldn't follow her noble lineage, he was still acceptable as the eldest son and heir of the prestigious Hillchen family. Even from a young age, Yuliana, who had a strong self-esteem, had often visited the Hillchen family to exchange greetings.
Until then, she had been completely unaware that the Hillchen Marquis family had an illegitimate son who was considered the most outstanding in the empire, even though he was the second son. However, Keltan died in his first battle against the barbarians, and the Oben Marquis family and Yuliana decided to withdraw from their relationship with the Hillchen Marquis family in order to find a new political partner and marriage prospect.
However, the quick-witted Marquis Hillchen, in reality, publicly announced that he had a legitimate son and begged for permission to pursue marriage with Yuliana. The Oben Marquis also thought it would be a waste to sever their ties with the Hillchen Marquis family and chose to accept the hidden existence of the legitimate son, pushing forward with the engagement to Yuliana. Initially, Yuliana, who was naturally weak and couldn't socialize much, didn't even suspect the existence of the legitimate son, who couldn't be publicly acknowledged.
But...
"He's a illegitimate child!"
Yuliana, with her face buried in her pillow, couldn't contain her anger and pounded her fists. Then she raised her face suddenly and stared into empty space with fiery eyes.
"He wouldn't have deceived me if he weren't a illegitimate child! These rotten people..."
As mentioned earlier, Yuliana Oben had been confident from a young age. To put it positively, her self-assurance was remarkable, but negatively, she lived in her own narcissistic world. However, she had enough noble etiquette to accept a marriage arranged by families.
But hiding the fact that 'Evan Hillchen,' revealed during the marriage negotiations, was not actually the weak legitimate son but an unknown illegitimate child, was something she could not tolerate.
In addition, it is acceptable that my father, the Marquis of Auburn, who fell under the influence of the Hiltzen family, tried to comfort his daughter by muttering nonsense such as, 'Nowadays, illegitimate sons are often admitted into the family, and the Duke of Hiltzen is quite acceptable...
' but I couldn't do it.'
Furthermore, the marriage arrangements with the faceless illegitimate child continued steadily.
Thus, Yuliana Oben, who had been fearless since birth, someone who had no reason to be afraid, struck her husband's cheek with her hand on the day of the wedding ceremony...
"Ugh!"
Now, Yuliana Oben, who had remembered her past life, Ishian, let out a tortured scream. Why? Why? Why did she only remember now? After committing all those wrongdoings! After venting all sorts of nonsense to the male lead!
"Uuhh..."
Meanwhile, the maids who didn't understand gathered outside the door of the Marquis's wife, where they heard her wailing.
And time continued to pass.
Today was the day when Ishian, now remembered as Yuliana Oben, relived the story. It was the day her husband returned after a year on the battlefield, and that day had arrived.
---
The Marquis's servants had been cleaning and decorating the mansion since morning to celebrate the Marquis's return.
Usually, on such occasions, the Marquis's wife would exert her influence, but this time, the Marquis's wife was not an ordinary person. So, just like usual, the butler recalled past cases and tried to figure out how to prepare for the welcome ceremony, ordering the servants accordingly.
And time passed until it was morning. During all this time, the Marquis's wife's door had not been opened, and all the mansion's staff had just been clucking their tongues, as the Marquis's wife's laziness was a common occurrence. They were used to not expressing their dissatisfaction.
So, under the direction of the butler, they polished even the doorknob until it shone brightly. When they were doing this, they were surprised to see the Marquis's wife coming down the stairs as if they had seen a ghost.
"L-Lady Marquis?"
"Isn't it the day the Marquis is coming? Shouldn't I prepare some tea? We should celebrate his return."
The Marquis's wife was not as extravagantly dressed as usual. She didn't even seem to be in the best of health. Her dark red hair and bronze-colored irises, which changed shades with the light, were still beautiful, but her cheeks were slightly sunken, and her eyes were a bit swollen. Even that seemed to have some hidden story, so the servants quickly prepared the tea while feeling a bit puzzled.
"...Tea? Has the Marquis's wife ever given anything to the Marquis directly?"
One of the servants, who muttered under his breath while stirring the tea leaves carefully in the teapot, hadn't finished his sentence before they all looked at each other with surprise.
"Maybe she's feeling sorry for all the lovers who have been coming and going in the mansion all this time?"
"No. Is the Marquis's wife capable of such feelings? Even if her reputation spreads throughout the country, she won't even bat an eye."
"That's true. But still, it's a bit too much. The Marquis has been working so hard to flip the blood of the barbarians and bring honor and wealth to the Hillchen family for a whole year..."
"But the Marquis's wife has no intention of marrying into the Hillchen Marquisate, does she? She always has so much to say, isn't it famous? Don't you know about that incident? As soon as it was revealed that the Marquis was a legitimate child, the illustrious Marquis's wife, from their first meeting, raised her hand and..."
One of them, who had been laughing secretly, checked the time and quickly spoke.
"Oh, no, the Marquis's wife must be waiting. Let's go up quickly."
So, after swallowing their backtalk for fear of what the Marquis's wife might do, saying they were afraid that she might try to stab them, then they went to the reception room with a set of tea cups.