What’s Wrong With My Marriage? I Was Bought as a Wife, Yet My Husband Is Madly in Love With Me! - Chapter 37

“That is why, you see, I simply don’t want Count Barth to end up miserable.”

Klaus was desperately enduring the nonsense that had been repeated for some time now. However, his patience was nearing its limit.

When he had entered the restaurant with Count Feinen, two women were waiting inside. One was the man’s wife, Countess Feinen. And the other was…

“I am Cassandra Orlov. Truly, when I think of how my sister has lied and caused you so much trouble, I feel simply terrible about it.”

It was Cassandra, dressed as flashily as ever.

And so, the accusations against Luce continued in a repetitive loop.

Klaus wanted to stand up and walk out right then, but he hesitated for a moment. After all, the restaurant they had ushered him into was one he had been eyeing for some time because of its reputed chef. The conversation wasn’t worth listening to, but he was curious about the flavor of the food.

While Klaus’s stomach often struggled with rich, high-end cuisine, his palate was remarkably refined. Usually, he would visit such places with several subordinates and rent a private room. He would take a single bite of each dish, then leave the rest to his staff, who knew the situation and would finish the meal.

However, since he was alone today, it would be poor manners to leave food behind, so he made sure to eat it all. It wasn’t that he had a small appetite; as long as he ignored the inevitable stomachache the next day, eating it was no problem.

The taste was exactly as he had imagined—excellent. The atmosphere of the shop wasn’t bad either.

If only Luce had been the one here with him, how wonderful it would have been.

“And then, that girl she participated in the church volunteer work quite against her will. No matter how much we spoke to her, she did nothing but slack off. It was truly a headache for us.”

Looking at Cassandra as she spoke with downcast brows, she appeared to be nothing more than a sister worried about a troubled sibling. But Klaus knew exactly what kind of woman Cassandra was.

She had indeed held the role of distributing soup at the church, but only at the very beginning and the very end. In between, she was busy chatting with young men and never helped with the cleanup. Whenever she saw the poor, her brow would furrow in visible disgust, and she would cover her nose as if to say they reeked.

Klaus had once gone from the relief shelter to the church specifically to catch a glimpse of Luce. However, he had happened to be spotted by Cassandra near the entrance, and she had showered him with insults, calling him “filthy.”

(She likely has no idea that the man from back then and the man before her now are the same person.)

“I believe I’ve heard enough.”

Having finished his meal significantly faster than the others, Klaus stood up.

Startled by the abruptness, both the Feinen couple and Cassandra blinked in surprise.

“O-oh, um…”

“Wait, Klaus! We’re only thinking of your best interests…”

Klaus glared at Count Feinen, who was trying to restrain him.

“If you truly thought of my interests, you would not have brought such a person near me.”

“W-what? How rude!”

Klaus turned a cold gaze toward Cassandra as she attempted to protest.

“Cassandra Orlov. You may not know me, but I certainly know you.”

“Eh?!”

For a split second, he saw Cassandra’s expression shift into one of expectation.

Internally, Klaus was appalled at whatever misunderstanding she was forming. Without bothering to hide his disdain, he mentioned the events at the church.

“I know that you did nothing but flirt with young men, only to distribute the soup your sister and the other laborers made as if it were your own achievement.”

“Ha?!”

“Furthermore, you were only there for the start and the finish. In the middle, you went back to chatting with those boys and shirked your duties, didn’t you?”

“W-what are you talking about?! I… I was simply being hospitable to the visitors…”

“You were simply busy surrounding yourself with the young men from the shops near the church.”

As was the case with Klaus’s friend Chad, Cassandra had a habit of meddling with the local youths. While some were certainly taken by her charms, many others simply couldn’t refuse her advances because she was a noble lady.

A troublesome woman. That was the honest opinion of the residents near the church.

“…And you.”

Klaus addressed Countess Feinen.

“Rather than worrying about others, you would do well to worry about yourself.”

“W-what did you say…?”

“It is a piece of advice: you should be more discerning about the company you keep.”

“I don’t need someone like you to tell me—ah.”

The Countess cut herself off. She seemed to realize that Klaus was describing exactly what she was doing at that very moment.

She stared at Klaus, speechless. He felt no obligation to return the gaze. Ignoring Count Feinen’s calls to wait, Klaus stepped out of the restaurant.

The company had been the worst, and the food had been a slight letdown, though he admitted the mousse at the end was exquisite.

As he walked, planning to bring a subordinate next time to taste-test, he heard a loud voice screaming “Wait!” from behind him.

He had already left the premises, but he turned around, exasperated by the persistence.

“Do you intend to humiliate me?!”

Cassandra’s face was twisted with resentment.

Humiliate her? She was the one who had forced this interaction upon him.

(…I see. She is always the victim in her own mind.)

Luce had lamented that no matter what she said, she could never get through to them. Klaus finally understood why.

Their fundamental premises were different.

In their world, Luce was the villain, and they were the victims. That reality was unshakable to them.

(What a selfish way to think.)

It was like looking at his younger self—the boy who thought his mother was pathetic and hated her for it. Back then, he too had a victim complex, resenting the fact that he was born as her son.

How arrogant and foolish.

Klaus ignored the shouting Cassandra and simply walked away.

“The only reason you can act like that is because you have money! Once that’s gone, you’re nothing but a talentless illegitimate brat!!”