Even the Devil Regrets it - Chapter 88

After speaking with David for quite some time, Braeden finally exited the audience chamber.
He had wanted to leave sooner, but the situation had made it difficult.

David had been so persistent that Braeden ended up promising to send financial support from the North.
The way David looked at him with such overwhelming gratitude was almost too much to bear.

Braeden clicked his tongue and frowned.
There had never been any true brotherly affection between them, so moments like these only made him feel uncomfortable.

Whenever something bothered him, Juliana came to mind without fail.
Burying his face in the curve of her neck and taking in her scent always calmed his restless nerves.

He moved without thinking, heading straight toward the Empress’s residence to find her.

The corridor leading there was crowded with nobles. Among them were Count Barnett and Tristan.

When Count Barnett spotted Braeden, his eyes lit up. He quickly nudged Tristan forward.

“Go on. Talk to him. Even if the Grand Duke has no heart and no tears, we’re still family. If he hears our situation, he will help.”

Tristan groaned and frowned in frustration.

“No. Why should I? If anyone’s going to ask for help, it should be you.”

Tristan truly despised the Grand Duke.
Not just dislike, he could not even stand the sight of him.
The very thought of lowering his head to someone like that was unbearable.

The idea of Juliana and the Grand Duke standing together, acting so perfect, made him feel like going bankrupt would be the better option.

“You useless brat. Is there anything you can do right?”
Count Barnett finally exploded in anger.

Frustration, fear, irritation, and resentment.
Since most of their wealth had been lost to the sea, those were the only emotions left between them.

“I’m useless? Then the great and mighty father should do it himself!”
Tristan snapped back without hesitation.

The two of them shouting drew the attention of nearby nobles.
Count Barnett took a deep breath, trying to calm the rage rising inside him.

They might need to turn to other noble families for help to make up for their financial loss.
Damaging the family’s reputation any further was the last thing they needed.

He shot a glare at Tristan that could have cut glass, then turned and walked toward Braeden.

“Your Grace, Grand Duke.”

He lowered his posture and forced a smile, as if the argument moments before had never happened.

“We meet here,” Braeden said in a flat tone, clearly not pleased.

Count Barnett felt his temper rise again.
What a self-important man. Just because he was a Grand Duke, did he think that gave him the right to act like this?
And wasn’t he also a son-in-law? A son-in-law should at least show some respect.

He gritted his teeth behind his smile, cursing Braeden silently.
Thankfully, he was not foolish enough to let his real thoughts show on his face.

“I assume you just finished your audience with His Majesty.”

“I did,” Braeden replied shortly.

He had no interest in continuing the conversation.
If he could, he would have pushed the man aside and kept walking, but too many people were watching.

“You’ve heard the news, I’m sure. The trade ship headed for the Western Continent has sunk. Many noble families have suffered enormous losses. Our Barnett family was among them.”

But Count Barnett, completely oblivious to Braeden’s mood, kept talking and standing in his way.

Braeden could only think about getting Juliana out of the Empress’s quarters as soon as possible.

“That is unfortunate,” he replied, again out of formality.

This time, even Count Barnett could not hide the twitch of irritation that appeared on his face.

Naturally, if he came forward to say he had suffered major losses, the next step should have been asking how much and whether any help was needed. Count Barnett was offended by the lack of that response but managed to keep his expression steady.

“His Majesty will present a solution to this matter at a later time.”

After saying this, Braeden took a step forward as if he had no more business there.

He is really just going to leave like this?
Count Barnett, caught off guard, instinctively moved to block his path.

“What is the matter?”

A sharp gleam appeared in Braeden’s red eyes, and Count Barnett flinched, his shoulders stiffening under the weight of that cold energy.

“Still, it has been a while since we met. Perhaps we could speak a little longer…”

“I am busy, so not now. Goodbye.”

Braeden did not even offer the courtesy of saying they could meet again later.
Unless he was meeting someone to crush their throat, he saw no reason to schedule another conversation.

Braeden walked past Count Barnett without a hint of hesitation.
The count stood frozen, his shoulders trembling in humiliation, unable to stop the Grand Duke.

From a distance, the other nobles watching had no idea what had just happened between them.
Assuming something promising, they hurried over to Count Barnett, eager to gain something for themselves.

“What did His Grace say?”
“Surely he promised to help his in-laws, right?”
“Must be nice to have a Grand Duke as a son-in-law.”

They knew nothing, yet continued to speak as if they understood everything.

Count Barnett held onto the last pieces of his pride, which felt as if they might shatter at any moment.
He forced a smile, but the muscles in his face twitched, and his lips trembled slightly.
Watching from a distance, Tristan turned away with a sigh, muttering curses under his breath.

At House Barnett, Aileen’s position as the lady of the house crumbled almost overnight.

She could not believe the wedding had been called off.
The beautiful wedding dress she had once briefly worn and the glittering jewelry had vanished like a dream.
They had canceled the wedding expenses in a desperate attempt to cover urgent debts.

To make matters worse, the Countess of Barnett, who had stayed locked in her room for some time, began to reappear.
Acting as if she had never been downcast, she now strode through the house, picking fights at every turn.

“You should be grateful you have not been thrown out. And stop glaring at people like that.”

She seemed eager to pick a fight whenever she saw Aileen, even going out of her way to appear in places Aileen was likely to pass.

“What is wrong with my eyes? Your son once said my eyes looked like a beautiful lake he could dive into. Clearly, his tastes are very different from yours.”

“What? What did you say?”

As Aileen refused to act submissively, the tension between the two women only grew worse.

“And since I’m pregnant, I need proper sunlight. If something goes wrong because I’m stuck indoors all the time, will you take responsibility?”

Aileen used her pregnancy to defend herself, speaking sharply.
The Countess scoffed in response.

“You can tell everything about a person from just one thing. Judging by your behavior, how can you say for sure that child even belongs to Tristan?”

The Countess narrowed her eyes and scanned Aileen from head to toe.
The look she gave her, as if she were some kinds of street woman, filled Aileen with rage and humiliation.

Before coming to the capital, Aileen had been known in her hometown as the most suitable noble bride.
It had been Tristan who went around chasing women with no shame.
People only see what they want to see, and this was a perfect example.

When her unborn child was insulted as well, Aileen could no longer hold back.

“Do you really not know what your son has been doing outside this house? If you do know and still say things like this, you’re even worse than I thought.”

“What did you just say? You really think you can say whatever you want with that mouth of yours?”

The two women glared at each other as if ready to fight.

Aileen felt a brief pang of regret, wondering if she had gone too far. But she reminded herself that she was pregnant. She believed the countess would not dare lay a hand on her.

Countess Barnett was not the type to do anything that would dirty her hands.
She had no true grace, yet acted like a refined noblewoman with such confidence that it was almost unbelievable.

As Aileen had expected, Countess Barnett could not bring herself to hit her.
Instead, she stood there trembling in anger.
Seeing that made Aileen feel just a little better.

She gave a polite but clearly sarcastic bow, then walked past the countess and returned to her room.

It seemed like the confrontation had ended for the day, but it did not take long before another scene unfolded.

Later that afternoon, Aileen was resting on the sofa, leaning back against a stack of cushions while the maids gently massaged her shoulders.
Suddenly, the door swung open without warning. There was no knock.

“What is going on? Who barges in like this?”

Startled, Aileen sat up straight.
The Barnett family’s maids entered the room all at once, their faces tense and serious.
Behind them stood Countess Barnett.

“Take everything out. Do not leave a single item behind.”

The maids rushed into Aileen’s dressing room and began tearing through it without hesitation.

“What are you doing?”

The young maids who had supported Aileen tried to stop them, nearly in tears, but they were no match for the others.
One of the stronger maids shoved them aside, and both Betty and Laura fell helplessly to the floor.

Aileen clenched her fists and stared directly at Countess Barnett.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

“All of that was bought with my son’s money, was it not? If our family were in better shape, I might have let you keep it out of kindness. But we are not. If you wish to be part of this household, you will have to learn to endure things like this.”

The countess smiled as she spoke, and it made Aileen’s blood boil.
It was the kind of smile that made her want to lash out.

She stared back with cold, furious eyes and thought to herself,

“I will never let this go. I will make her pay for this.”

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