Rudbeckia’s anger surged to its peak. This woman should have been too ashamed to show her face, yet she stood there confidently. It was so absurd that words failed her.
However, her face did not flush. She did not get excited. Instead, her green eyes grew colder, sharper.
“Did you think I would give up just because you showed me that? What were you thinking, making me even angrier?”
Rudbeckia let out a hollow laugh. Her voice was low and chilling. She took a deep breath, but her chest pounded as if it would burst. Even if she wasn’t agitated, it was hard to hide her emotions.
Clack.
Francia quietly set down her teacup.
The pure white steam brushed past her fingertips.
“I only spoke the truth.”
Her crimson eyes slowly pierced through Rudbeckia.
“Before you returned to this time, you were forcibly married to Yohan. The Count of Friché pressured the Viscount of Harssen, using wealth and resources to buy Yohan.”
Francia smiled faintly.
“Doesn’t that sound like a transactional marriage? If anything, I saved Yohan from being sold to you.”
“….”
A transactional marriage.
A marriage where personal will and emotions were disregarded.
Yohan and Rudbeckia’s marriage was no different.
Of course, like political marriages, transactional marriages were common in this era. But that did not make them justifiable. In the end, they were nothing more than one-sided sacrifices and oppression.
Yohan never had a choice.
With the Count’s family openly pressuring him, how could a viscount’s house with no real power refuse? Yohan must have had no choice but to accept the marriage under the guise of diplomacy.
“I hope you think deeply about this whether, under the name of love, you were the one who oppressed Yohan and forced him to sacrifice himself.”
The white steam rising from the teacup carried a calming fragrance. Francia closed her eyes, focusing on the scent.
She appeared composed, as if she held no emotion. But in truth, she was not at ease. Her heart pounded wildly, and tension stiffened her body.
And how could it not?
The former wife of the man she loved, someone she never thought she would see again, had appeared before her.
And not just appeared she, too, had defied causality and crossed time.
But Francia suppressed it.
She had to stand strong.
Hadn’t she been prepared for this from the moment she decided to take another woman’s man?
Hadn’t she accepted that she might become the villain one day?
If she was going to be a wicked woman, she had to be wicked to the very end.
“I…”
Rudbeckia’s voice trembled as it spilled out. She clenched at the empty air, her body shaking violently. Murderous intent surged within her. She was holding back the urge to kill Francia right then and there.
“…I loved Yohan.”
Without realizing it, Rudbeckia bit her lip.
A searing emotion welled up inside her. A sharp pain spread from deep within her chest. Her throat tightened.
“Even if Yohan never loved me, I sincerely loved him. Even if, at first, I was drawn to his looks, I later came to love his heart. I loved everything about him.”
Rudbeckia had loved Yohan.
That was an unchanging truth.
“So I proposed to Yohan. I begged my father to arrange a marriage with the Viscount of Harssen.”
Her words were disorganized, like a traveler who had lost their destination, wandering aimlessly. Overwhelmed by emotions, her feelings had overtaken her reason.
“I didn’t want to be with Yohan this way either. But what was I supposed to do? He never looked at me. And while that was happening, other noblewomen kept targeting him…!”
Rudbeckia bit her lip briefly, then exhaled deeply, regaining some composure before continuing.
“But I was the one who married Yohan. I was happy. Even if he didn’t love me, I was fine with that. Just looking at him made me happy. I didn’t know when, but I believed he would come to love me, and I even loved seeing him try.”
Rudbeckia’s voice trailed off as she glared at Francia with wide eyes. Her green irises flickered, on the verge of tears, but the fury and murderous intent in them were unmistakable.
“But you ruined everything.”
Her gaze locked directly onto Francia.
“I loved Yohan. So just because he didn’t love me back, does that mean you had the right to take him? You even turned back time to steal the man I loved what gives you the right?”
Her voice rose, thick with rage. She couldn’t hold back the emotions crashing over her. Her chest tightened, making it hard to breathe, and even forming coherent sentences felt like a struggle.
“You crazy bitch. You have no sense of morality whatsoever. Stealing Yohan away from me wasn’t enough? Now you stand here, acting shamelessly?”
Bang!
Overcome with fury, Rudbeckia slammed the table once more.
“…But I loved him too. What was I supposed to do?”
Yet, Francia remained unfazed. If anything, her crimson eyes burned even brighter.
“If Yohan had been happy in his marriage with you, if he had truly loved you, I would have stepped back. But your love was one-sided. It never reached him.”
Her blood-red eyes bore into Rudbeckia.
“Was I supposed to just stand by and watch the man I love be sold off into a marriage he didn’t want? Should I have let him suffer just to keep my conscience clean?”
Francia knew she was being selfish. But so what?
She loved Yohan. She loved him so much it drove her mad. And she wanted that love to be returned. That was all.
Perhaps, deep down, she had tried reasoning with Rudbeckia not just to convince her, but to justify her own actions.
“You’re not the only one who loves Yohan! Just because you loved him first, does that mean I have to give up? No. I won’t. You’re no different. So don’t pretend to be noble and righteous.”
If loving Yohan made her a villain, then Francia was willing to be one.
“You crazy—!”
Rudbeckia’s fury finally exploded. She shoved her chair back, springing to her feet. Pointing an accusing finger at Francia, she screamed:
“From the start, your entire way of thinking is screwed up! How does it make sense to fall for a married man? And just because you got a chance, you snatched him away from me? You twisted, rotten bitch!”
Her voice echoed through the coffeehouse. But no one stepped in to stop them.
Most of the other patrons had already left, sensing the storm brewing. And neither the employees nor the owner dared to intervene in a fight between two high-ranking noblewomen.
“This is getting interesting.”
“Is this… a love triangle drama?”
Meanwhile, the owner and staff hid behind the counter, holding their breath as they watched the confrontation unfold.
“Yeah, I am twisted! I am crazy! I don’t have a conscience! But so what? Yohan is mine now. What can you even do about it? Are you going to try to win him back now?”
Francia shouted.
“I was loved by Yohan. But you? You’ve been together for five years and don’t even have a child, right? Just from that alone, isn’t it obvious who suits Yohan better?”
“You little…!”
Clench.
Rudbeckia ground her teeth. Her delicate brows furrowed, and her fists trembled. She had been desperately holding onto her composure, but she was reaching her limit.
“You crazy bitch!”
In the end, Rudbeckia swung her hand.
Slap!
Francia’s head snapped to the side. Her flawless, porcelain-white cheek turned red.
“You just hit me?”
“That’s right, I did!”
Slap!
Francia swung her hand in return. Rudbeckia’s face turned the other way, her cheek burning red as well.
“You think you’re the only one who can hit? I can hit too!”
“You—!”
Just as Rudbeckia was about to explode again, Francia quickly continued.
“You thought I’d apologize and step aside just because you came back? That I’d break up with Yohan? If that was going to happen, I wouldn’t have gotten engaged to him in the first place!”
She hadn’t expected things to escalate like this, but from the moment she spent her first night with him, she had already made up her mind.
“Can you really criticize me with a clear conscience? I may be selfish, but weren’t you just as selfish for ignoring Yohan’s feelings? Am I wrong?”
Her crimson eyes locked onto Francia’s green ones.
“You forced him into marriage in the name of love, oppressed him, and demanded sacrifice. And now you act like you’re his rightful wife? It’s disgusting.”
“…..”
Rudbeckia had no words. Everything Francia said was true. But the rage inside her only burned hotter. How was she supposed to refute this? Her mind went blank.
So, she raised her hand again. This was the only action she could take at the moment. Rudbeckia’s small, delicate hand struck Francia’s cheek.
Slap!
“Is hitting me all you can do? Fine, let’s see this through to the end.”
Francia swung her hand once more.
* * *
The fight between the two only stopped after they had both collapsed from exhaustion.
Francia and Rudbeckia’s cheeks were flushed red, and their fierce physical struggle had turned the surrounding area into a complete mess.
“Haa…”
The purification magic at Francia’s fingertips soothed her swollen cheek. The bright red marks disappeared without a trace.
“Hic…!”
Covered in dust, Rudbeckia lay sprawled on the floor, covering her eyes with her arm. Transparent tears streamed down her cheeks.
“ Hic… I just wanted to be happy with Yohan… Why did it turn out like this… Hic… Yohan… ”
Her voice trembled. Even if her love was unreciprocated, she would have been happy just being by Yohan’s side.
But how had things come to this?
“Ha…”
Francia let out a sigh. She had resolved to be ruthless, but hearing Rudbeckia desperately call out Yohan’s name made her feel a pang of guilt she had tried to suppress.
Even so, she didn’t think she had done anything wrong in taking Yohan away. After all, her investigation had revealed that Yohan had been practically sold off to marry Rudbeckia into the Friche Count family.
Still, that didn’t change the sincerity of Rudbeckia’s feelings. She truly loved Yohan so much that she had become selfish.
Francia hesitated.
Hadn’t she done the same?
Even if Yohan had told her to, wasn’t she also demanding responsibility from him in her own way?
After a long moment of contemplation, Francia spoke in a quiet voice.
“…I have something to tell you.”
“…”
“You won’t lose anything by listening.”
Rudbeckia didn’t respond.
She didn’t want her quivering voice to be heard.
Even though there was no reply, Francia assumed she was listening and continued.
“Yohan is…”
She paused.
Rudbeckia remained silent, her breaths still ragged.
“…polygamous.”
“…What?”
Rudbeckia’s eyes widened as she stared at Francia. Her pupils shook violently.
“So…”
Francia let out a deep sigh before continuing calmly.
“If you want… this might not be over yet.”