Despite not being of a young age herself, Harriet still thought of Rebecca as a young woman. Rebecca was beautiful, and she has a good personality. It was also a time when the boundaries of status were gradually fading, though only for the lower aristocracy. And so it wasn’t outrageous to think that she could quickly become the wife of a rich man if she changed her mind.

“Your children will need a father to rely on as he grows up. And financially, too.”

“Oh, my dear. Look how much time has passed already.”

Rowena was troubled by the continuous persuasion, so she suddenly interrupted.

“Oh yeah, I’ll go now.”

“Eh, okay.”

Rowena felt as if she was sitting on a cushion of thorns every time Harriet brought this matter up. Eventually, Hariett raised the white flag and got up from her seat to leave. As she was about to put away her teacup, the morning paper that was on the edge of the table fell to the ground.

“I’ll pick it up.”

Rowena lowered her head first and picked up the fallen newspaper. The first thing that caught her eyes was a familiar name.

[The Duke of Rockford, Lord Devonshire, returned to Ethelwood earlier today, ending his marriage. The reason for the breakup, according to his aides, is Chloe Everdeen’s infertility, the biggest …….]

Rowena, who had been reading the front-page article, wrinkled the paper as if she had seen a ghost.

“Rebecca?”

“…… Oh.”

“What’s going on? All of a sudden, your face…….”

“No… nothing”

Rowena stood up quickly, hiding her trembling hands behind her back.

“I think I’m late. I’ll be on my way.”

“Yeah, don’t push yourself too hard.….”

Rowena, who quickly turned away before Harriet could finish her sentence, left the house at a quick pace.

‘No, No way, It has nothing…. nothing to do with me. I’m not with him anymore……..’

Rowena repeated the words in her mind like a spell as she walked out of Harriet’s house. As she walked, her face was so pale that people around her kept glancing in her direction

As if a murderer was chasing her, she walked in a panic and went up the stairs of an old villa. As soon as the door closed with a creak, her legs gave out.

“Still, just in case…….”

Rowena sat up, leaning against the wall, and crawled to the bed. After sticking her hands under the bed for a while, she got a hold of a suitcase and grabbed it. Rowena opened the bag in a rush and pulled out an old pouch.

The ring that the man had put on her hand one day was tucked securely away in a double-layer pouch.

Although she had left everything else behind, she had only brought this one item because it was small and she thought it would yield a lot of money. If the worst were to happen, she would need to sell the ring and run somewhere else.

Rowena grabbed the ring tightly and thought about the best place to run away.

The village in the valley where she had lived as a child came to mind, but she couldn’t do that because her uncle was there. If he were to find him, her uncle might be in danger.

“Let’s start packing first.”

Putting the ring back in the pouch, Rowena stood up quickly. She opened the closet door. The only clothes she had were two cotton dresses and a thin coat that she could wear all year round. As she was putting the clothes into her bag, she heard a knock on her door.

“Rebecca?”

****