Evelina didn’t even pause as she left the place, seemingly unbothered by whatever Ace was up to.
Ace’s jaw tightened. He had given another woman the keys to his house, and his wife had reacted as if he had rely comnted on the weather.
The situation that should have gotten on Evelina’s nerves, irked him to no limits.
...
Soon, it was the ti for a provincial Gala.
The Provincial Gala was ant to be Isabella’s final victory. It was the first major social event since the drought had receded, and the hall was filled with the elite of the North.
Isabella glided through the room in a gown of midnight blue, laughing with the Barons and discussing troop movents with the Counts. She stood at Ace’s side, looking like the perfect Duchess that everyone had expected him to marry.
To the elite of the province, Isabella was the definition of what a true Duchess of Alvarez should be; regal, formidable, and deeply intertwined with the Duke’s world.
When Evelina finally walked into the periphery of their circle, wearing a simply tailored gown of dark erald, Isabella she offered a warm smile.
"Ah, Evelina, you’ve finally joined us," Isabella’s voice was extrely smooth. The way she spoke, it was almost like she was the real mistress of the place.
She gestured gracefully to the gathered ministers, "We were just discussing the reallocation of winter supply lines. With the upcoming frost... Ah, I’m sorry. I suppose we shouldn’t bore you with the gritty details of military governance. After all, you’ve barely moved past your farming and village accounts. You wouldn’t understand it well."
Although the words were spoken gently, it had a very subtle implication hidden in it that people didn’t miss. Evelina was simply not capable enough to stand by Ace’s side.
Isabella glanced at Ace, expecting so reaction from him but the man was absent-minded. He was leaning slightly towards Isabella but his eyes were completely locked onto his wife.
Isabella frowned and placed her hand on his forearm. When Ace remained still, she let out a small smile.
Ace didn’t much. In fact, he deliberately allowed Isabella’s hand to linger on his forearm. He wanted to see a flash of anger in those erald eyes that showed no interest in him.
Despite knowing that the situations and Evelina had changed, Ace wanted her to snap, to defend her territory, to show even a sliver of jealousy that a wife should feel with other won around.
But Evelina didn’t even blink, let alone show so reaction.
In fact, she wasn’t listening at all. Her erald eyes were completely unfocused, staring blankly at so point roughly two inches past him. It gave him deja vu, reminding him of their wedding night where she had looked the sa.
On the other hand, Evelina was busy with sothing else.
In her direct field of vision, a translucent screen was flashing rapidly.
A tiny, pixelated silver fox was sprinting across an obstacle course, jumping over spiked hurdles and collecting glowing golden coins in perfect synch with the upbeat music playing inside her head.
[System Mini-Ga: Speed Farr!]
[Current Combo: x87]
[Points accumulated: 4,350 / 5,000]
Evelina had felt so bored in the Gala that she had ntioned it to the System. Much to her surprise, the System said it could help with boredom.
But who knew she would be scamd by the System again?
[Warning: Missing a beat will result in a 50% point penalty. Keep your focus, Host!]
Evelina’s fingers twitched against the fabric of her fan. Left, tap, double jump, hold. She simply wanted to cease her boredom but now she was engaged in a mini task that risked her existing points, huh!
In a situation that risked her points, Evelina could barely pay attention to anything else.
Isabella’s voice sounded like a distant buzzing fly that was interrupting her tracking speed.
"Evelina?" Isabella’s smile strained slightly at the lack of response. The total silence from the Duchess was making the interaction awkward, but not in the way Isabella had intended, "Are you quite alright? Or, did I overwhelm you?"
Tap, slide, perfect score.
"My apologies, Lady Isabella," Evelina finally spoke, her voice dropping like a refreshing drop of water into the tense silence.
Evelina blinked then and switched to her professional communication style as she stated, "I was simply calculating the depreciation value of the Northern cavalry horses based on the current dampness of the marshes you ntioned. It seems... significantly high. But please, do continue. Your passion these things is truly admirable."
Before Isabella could even decode the polite insult hidden beneath those calm words, Evelina gave a curt nod, turned on her heel, and walked toward the quiet terrace doors.
Ace’s chest tightened.
The sight of her walking away, completely unbothered and detached, snapped the fragile thread of his patience.
The petty ga he was playing with Isabella instantly felt futile and disgusting, getting on his own nerves.
"Ace? Where are you going? The Minister of Finance was just about to—" Isabella called out, her voice faltering in genuine surprise.
But Ace didn’t hear her. He broke away mid-sentence, leaving Isabella alone in front of the entire Northern elite as his long strides cut through the crowded ballroom to pursue his wife.
"It looks life the rumors weren’t untrue."
"The Iron Duke is whipped with his wife..."
"Hah, I find that it’s entertaining to see this. A man who looks like he has been crafted from ice, fumbles about the mont his woman moves out of his sight..."
Isabella heard all those hushed discussions and her face changed a little.
Ace stepped out onto the moonlit terrace. As the cold night air hit his face, he lamd the heavy glass doors shut behind him.
Evelina was standing by the stone railing, her back to him as she stared out at the distance.
"Evelina!" Ace barked, his voice coming out stronger than he had intended.
He closed the distance between them, grabbing her by the shoulder and yanking her around such that she was looking straight into his eyes, "What is wrong with you? Do you have no pride left? You stood there and let her mock your work in front of my council! You let her act as if she owns this estate, as if she owns , and then you simply walk away?! Did you forget that you are my wife?"
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