how to divorce the male lead - chapter 14
"What does it mean?"
Even though Evan knew, he pretended not to know, as if playing coy. Then, he led her through the light emitted by the chandelier. Yuliana squinted her eyes against the dazzling light and emphasized each word as she spoke.
"Hmph. Why are you pretending not to know? You know that I didn't mention Evan because I want to dance with you, right? I just want to end the fun now. Don't misunderstand."
"Hmm..."
The grip of Evan's hand on Yuliana's waist tightened slightly.
But that was it. Yuliana whispered with irritation while looking at Evan's face, which seemed interested, and she raised her voice in a hushed tone.
"Don't, don't smile like that! I'll think you're making fun of me."
"Why did the fun suddenly become bothersome? You used to enjoy being with the crowd that follows you. Is it just a change of heart?"
"You won't know my feelings. I won't teach you."
Yuliana spoke confidently and turned her head with a raised eyebrow.
Her dark red hair cascaded down to her waist once again today. As Yuliana turned her head, her face was partially obscured by her hair.
While holding hands and embracing her waist, Evan stepped a half beat later. Thanks to that, Yuliana's steps also slowed down gradually.
At that moment, she turned her head with a start, and with a look of protest, she asked, "Why are we suddenly dancing slowly?"
Immediately, he withdrew his left hand from her waist and tucked Yuliana's hair behind her ear.
It was a gentle gesture, one that made it hard to believe that he could bring disaster to her life.
“!”
Surprised, Yuliana hunched her shoulders inward. At the same time, Evan, looking at Yuliana O'Ban's fully exposed face, muttered to himself.
"You finally looked at me."
"W-What..."
Yuliana stammered, her ears turning pink. Despite her reaction, he once again whispered softly into her ear, holding her waist nonchalantly.
"You misunderstood."
Evan spoke without looking at her face.
"Even if I deal with all the followers flocking to you, I'll still be around. As you know, I'm one of your followers too."
"I... I didn't know."
Yuliana, standing stiffly, fell silent as her face flushed. Evan grinned brightly, not bothering to look at her.
For him, all of this was just a ploy on her part, a seduction that was blatantly obvious. But he was a fool who couldn't help but fall for it.
As he had declared, he had loved her first. So, even if he had to endlessly dance to the tune of her changing heart, it was not Yuliana O'Ban's fault.
Holding her waist a bit tighter, Evan spoke after his laughter.
"I understand. You don't have to know."
After dancing, Yuliana discreetly moved away from Evan.
She had shown herself attached to him in a public setting to some extent, so her goal of fulfilling her duty was achieved. Therefore, she had no intention of staying close to her husband any longer.
Ignoring Evan's gaze that seemed to cling to her, Yuliana quickly moved towards the terrace.
Perhaps because she moved so freely and suddenly, there were nobles gathered near the terrace.
"Of all places..."
Yuliana awkwardly unfolded her fan and covered her face.
In the past, she would have ignored and avoided them, but this time, she couldn't do that. She had to be the "Yuliana O'Ban" who had clearly changed in the eyes of everyone.
So, Yuliana made an effort to smile and approached, greeting them.
"Countess Elcelli, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Countess Elcelli, the hostess of this ball, was at the center, surrounded by noblewomen and their daughters.
All of them openly cleared their throats and glanced at Yuliana.
Yuliana O'Ban, who had no interest in proper party etiquette, was not unaware of Countess Elcelli's invitation. She was probably curious about her recent behavior of wandering around the temple and ignoring her fan clubs.
Even so, she would never have dreamed that Yuliana would actually attend the ball, especially with her husband, who was blatantly ignoring him all time.
Yuliana met Countess Elcelli's gaze, which was staring at her intently, and smiled, making an effort.
'Hurry up and give me an answer. Whether it's running away to another place or whatever, I'll do it...'
Fortunately, it didn't take long for an answer to come from Countess Elcelli.
"Nice to see you, Duchess. It's been a while. I saw you at the royal ball last time, and I'm sure you had a different partner then."
"Oh my, you're talking about the past."
Yuliana fanned herself hastily. She hadn't expected that the Countess would bring up the past like this, but she still seemed to hold a grudge against her.
'It's not the past. Wasn't it three months ago? At that time, everyone knew that the Countess's favor was waning.'
Countess Elcelli spoke coldly. The other nobles surrounding her laughed discreetly. Even the young debutantes, who had just entered society, blushed and giggled.
Before making her debut in society, it would not have been difficult for Yuliana O'Ban to hear about the countless rumors surrounding her. Yuliana inwardly sighed deeply.
'She truly lives up to her reputation as the educator of society.'
Countess Elcelli had shown great interest in her children's education and had been unforgiving in her scrutiny. She was a parent who prioritized raising her children as proper nobles, like an educator.
The reason she had been recently distressed was because of her youngest son, who was relentlessly pursuing Yuliana O'Ban.
"Well, even someone like me wouldn't like having a son who follows married women and sends gifts and love letters every time he sees them."
Yuliana continued to meet the cold gaze of Countess Elcelli without avoiding it and said, "Recently, I've been neglecting my prayers to the gods. That's why I've been coming here more often."
"You should pray to the gods regularly. But it's fortunate that you've started coming again. You've helped put an end to the intentions of some impure individuals who were following the Countess."
'Oh, I didn't expect it to go this far.'
Yuliana frowned as she heard the laughter of those around her.
In the end, she had to gather her courage and respond.
"They are impure anyway , When you say impure individuals, are you perhaps referring to Countess's son, Rick Youngsik?"
"W-What did you say?"
As expected, Countess Elcelli was flustered.
Yuliana swallowed her nervousness and tried to speak casually, looking at the bewildered Countess.
"As you know, Countess, there were some people who followed me around. But that doesn't mean I remember them all. I must have been somewhat popular. Well... Anyway, I shouldn't have come here. How painful it must have been for your son to follow the Countess for no clear reason."
"W-What! Countess Yuliana, your words are excessive."
"If you knew what kind of person I was when you called me, wouldn't you have thought I wouldn't say something excessive? Don't expect me to tolerate insults. Especially not in front of someone who looks down on me."
Yuliana opened her eyes wide.
It was true that she had intended to adjust her attitude after realizing her past life, but that didn't mean she would tolerate disrespect, especially from someone who showed disdain towards her.
Countess Elcelli's eye twitched slightly. The onlookers who were witnessing the tension between the two began to slowly back away.
It was like a mud pit. Countess Elcelli looked around as if expecting the cowardly ones to flee before the mud started splattering.
"Wh-Where are you all going?"
"I suggest that your son put himself together before the party's reputation deteriorates further. I was actually planning to clean up the people around me recently."
As Yuliana gained the upper hand, she became more spirited and clenched her fists. Meanwhile, her stern gaze as she observed the nobles fleeing in all directions was truly intimidating.
Countess Elcelli, as if unwilling to yield, straightened her back and raised her voice, although it didn't suit her demeanor.