Scarlett was going to do some crazy things today, so she couldn’t pay attention to small things like the duke.

‘I don’t have to put up with it.’

The duke finally raised his hand as he looked at Scarlet, who kept talking back to him.

The duchess turned her head, gazing at the scene with her cold, emotionless eyes.

The duke flinched as their eyes met.

‘Oh, come on.’

Scarlett did not flinch and continued speaking without hesitation.

“Father’s son came back drunk yesterday.”

“What?”

“……”

At Scarlett’s words, Izar looked at her strangely.

‘Oh, I thought you’d get angry.’

Somehow, he seemed slightly curious.

“If you’ve been around the capital, I’m sure you would’ve heard of the rumors of his drunk singing.”

Duke Armand was a duke who paid close attention to the latest gossip.

“Aren’t you worried about the prestige of the family?”

“This girl!”

“Stop it,” a cold voice interrupted.

Scarlett turned to see the Duchess of Armand staring at her with dark blue eyes.

‘She finally decided to intervene.’

“What a troublemaker.”

(T/N: The term 천방지축 used for the troublemaker can also mean that they do whatever they want and doesn’t listen to others.)

Scarlett smiled unperturbed. She stared straight at the duchess’s dark blue eyes, which became increasingly violent over time.

‘Wow, I’m scared.’

Scarlett was very anxious because she couldn’t understand the reason for that icy gaze.

‘I know it now.’

‘Actually, I don’t deserve to be hated.’

Scarlett was the daughter of the deceased former duchess and the duke.

‘When the former duchess died, she came in.’

The duke brought in a woman whom he had dated before marriage and a son who was born from her.

The son was older than Scarlet.

They were an illegitimate family.

But if you looked closely, the duchess was a victim.

‘Because the Duke betrayed her.’

The Duke was a scumbag who had promised to marry her when she was young and then abandoned her after having a child.

So, as soon as the former duchess died, he offered the duchess’s position to her as an enemy in a bad situation.

And in the original book, there was a reason why he did so.

Remembering it, Scarlett frowned.

It was because the duke was helpless.

He hated the former duchess and Scarlett so much he accepted the current duchess as his wife.

‘It’s crazy.’

Scarlett genuinely couldn’t understand. She shook her head as she stared at the duchess.

Duchess Milia Armand.

She had endured endless humiliation. Even after getting her son recognized, she still sat in the former duchess’s seat.

‘They were able to find a place to avoid the public eye because the family was prestigious.’

Scarlett didn’t know if the duchess was suicidal because she was very proud of her aristocratic origins.

It would have been too much for the duchess to treat Scarlett, evidence of the duke’s betrayal, nicely.

‘If the Duke hadn’t betrayed her, Izar’s position as successor would not have been behind me.’

So, it made sense in many ways.

“Scarlett.”

Even with such circumstances, it didn’t justify the duchess’s anger toward Scarlett.

The duchess bleakly looked at Scarlett.

She treated Scarlet harshly under the guise of stern discipline.

The duchess would scold Scarlett for her manner and lock in her room, only giving her water for three days.

“As the Duke said…”

“Izar.”

Before the duchess could finish speaking, Scarlett addressed Izar.

“So it turns out you drink alcohol?”

‘Take care of your son, ma’am.’

“He said he was beaten up. Isn’t that the case every day? ”

As Izar’s dark history began to be exposed, the duchess gnawed at her lips. She stared at Scarlett with a deadly gaze.

Scarlett grinned and said, “Don’t worry too much, Missus.”

“Missus?”

“Ah, would you like me to call you…mother?”

Scarlett refused to address the duchess as her mother, and the duchess frowned at her remark.

‘Calm down.’

‘My dress could become a hot topic in this noble society where manners were everything.’

I was hoping for that.

“If you don’t want me to call you mother, then don’t worry about me too much.”

Missus.

“……”

The duchess glared at Scarlett.

‘Along with the rumors saying I was crazy, there were rumors saying I wasn’t dignified, so I wish you would break off the engagement