Revenge Costs Interest [EN]: Chapter 65

Retribution Bears Interest 65. The Evils of High Society (65/200)

The Evils of High Society

October 4, 2023

Leah was furious, utterly disgusted by the women who could speak so casually about such appalling things.

‘I need to see who they are.’

Without a second thought, Leah entered the lounge. She had to witness for herself if they would dare utter the same words to her face.

“Oh my! Aren’t you Lady Grace Vizak?”

The moment she stepped into the lounge, two ladies seated on a sofa immediately rose to their feet.

They were young, beautiful, and dressed to the nines. Yet, something about them felt…off.

‘They came here with an agenda.’

Both were dressed in a manner that flaunted an excessive amount of cleavage, enough to make even another woman raise an eyebrow.

“Hello, I’m Grace Vizak, fiancée of the Courtois Duke.”

She saw no need to descend to their childish level, but she felt compelled to make her presence known.

“I’m Emily, and this is my friend Lois.”

Leah scrutinized the woman who introduced herself as Emily.

Her heavy makeup and ostentatious jewelry only detracted from her features. And then it clicked – ‘Emily’ was the woman who had sent Terrence the love letter.

‘That voice…’

It was the same voice she had overheard earlier, and Emily subtly betrayed her unease upon seeing Leah.

‘You’re definitely not Terrence’s type.’

Knowing his preferences better than anyone, Leah was certain. Terrence had a strong aversion to anything artificial or exaggerated.

“Please, sit down. Don’t let me disturb you.”

Leah addressed Emily and Lois in a gentle tone, though their eyes continued to rake her up and down.

‘I highly doubt I’m disturbing them.’

Leah settled onto a sofa to the side and took a sip of her tea.

She had been deeply unsettled by overhearing Theresa’s words, followed by Emily and Lois’s conversation. However, seeing the two in person brought a sense of relief.

Not because she looked down on them, but because they seemed incapable of uttering a word in her presence.

‘If this kind of behavior were confidently displayed and tacitly accepted in high society, they wouldn’t be so tight-lipped.’

‘Still, I’m curious about what they wrote.’

Not out of distrust for Terrence, but more as a study to understand the intricacies of high society.

Even so, she couldn’t help but imagine it: Terrence keeping another woman as his mistress and showering her with affection.

‘No!’

Leah shook her head violently.

The mere thought sent a heavy weight to her chest, as if a stone were pressing down on it.

Leah tried to regain her composure. Emily and Lois were still glancing at her, acutely aware of her presence.

Just then, a woman burst into the lounge. She was an ordinary-looking woman with dark hair and simple clothes.

She quickly scanned the room and shouted at Emily.

“You! I’ve been looking all over for you, Emily Lant!”

The woman screamed and charged towards Emily, grabbing her hair.

“Ah! What do you think you’re doing?”

Emily shrieked and struggled. Lois desperately tried to intervene, but it was futile.

The woman was consumed by rage, engaging in behavior utterly unbecoming of a noble lady.

‘She’s completely lost it.’

In an instant, the lounge was filled with the women’s screams and the sounds of furniture crashing and breaking.

Leah was stunned by the unbelievable scene unfolding before her eyes.

“You vulgar thing! You’re nothing but a home-wrecking bitch who goes after married men!”

Leah clutched her teacup, dumbfounded by the farce playing out in front of her.

“Madam Armand! Please, control yourself! What do you think you’re doing?”

“What am I doing? You’ve been making advances on my husband because I can’t give him children!”

“Please, refrain from such crude language! I never made advances on him. The Count made the first move.”

“Ha! That’s ridiculous. Is your ultimate goal to steal another woman’s husband and become a mistress? Even then, you’ll only be a dirty little secret. And any children you have will be bastards!”

Madam Armand’s voice, filled with resentment, was laced with a sense of injustice.

The situation was rapidly deteriorating, spiraling out of control like a raging fire. Lois tried to restrain Madam Armand once more.

“It’s customary in aristocratic society to accept a husband having a mistress. Don’t you have any pride? This isn’t something to get upset about and resort to hair-pulling.”

Lois chided Madam Armand.

“Yes, I have no pride. And I refuse to tolerate my husband having a mistress!”

But because Lois intervened, the tables turned. Madam Armand was thrown onto the sofa.

“Emily Lant, your meddling has destroyed our family.”

Madam Armand lay on the sofa, sobbing and lamenting her fate.

She recounted how she and her husband had been happily married for five years, until their inability to conceive drove them apart. Then Emily appeared, exploiting that vulnerability and seducing him – a story as old as time.

‘There’s nothing more entertaining than watching a good fight. But a 2-on-1 is hardly fair.’

Leah decided to join the fray and strode towards the three women with a determined look.

“Madam Armand, save your tears. They’re worthless.”

Emily looked bewildered by Leah’s words, but Madam Armand stopped crying. Leah offered Madam Armand her handkerchief.

“One should never associate with mistresses.”

“Excuse me? But…”

The woman trembled and wept, as if Leah’s gentle voice had unleashed a torrent of sorrow. On the other hand, Emily grumbled at Leah’s disparaging remarks.

“I’m Grace Vizak.”

“I’m Marie Armand.”

As Madam Armand wiped away her tears and snot with the handkerchief, Leah sighed deeply and said,

“A mistress can never be a man’s first. She will spend her entire life scavenging like a hyena, preying on other women’s men.”

“Lady! Your words are far too harsh!”

Emily, who had been listening intently, bristled and challenged Leah.

“If you find my words harsh, does that mean you admit to only seducing married men?”

“When have I ever done that? It’s not that…”

Emily stammered, her face flushed.

“Still, it’s impolite to speak that way to someone you’ve just met.”

Lois chimed in, criticizing Leah.

Now that the sides were evenly divided at 2-on-2, it was time to prepare for a full-blown battle.

“Politeness is a courtesy reserved for those who deserve it. For those who send love letters to every man they fancy, discussing manners…”

“!?”

“Even a stray mutt… Oops! My mistake, even a dog would laugh.”

“What did you say?”

The two women were taken aback by Leah’s bluntness. They had assumed she was just a pretty face and easy to manipulate, but she possessed a surprisingly sharp tongue.

Leah was determined not to be outdone by the two women. Especially Emily, who had brazenly given Terrence a love letter, was not someone she could view favorably.

At that moment, Armand approached Leah.

“Do you know what those women are up to? They’re nobles, but they missed their chance to marry because they have no dowry. So they’re trying to become mistresses of wealthy nobles. They know full well that it will ruin other people’s families. They’re vile creatures who exploit other people’s vulnerabilities.”

“Countess! I’m going to tell Count Armand everything you just said.”

Emily decided to go for broke and blurted out whatever came to mind.

Leah thought it was time to wrap things up. If she continued, she would only be stooping to their level.

There was no point in prolonging a dirty fight with them. Still, she felt compelled to offer some harsh advice that might benefit those aspiring to be mistresses.

“I’m going to warn you for the first and last time.”

Leah walked right up to Emily and said sternly,

“If you desire another woman’s man, send love letters – a hundred, a thousand. Eventually, you’ll be tormented by unanswered letters and high society gossip, and you’ll realize how foolish you are.”

“You crazy bitch!”

As Emily raised her hand to strike Leah, Madam Armand intervened and blocked her.

* * *

Leah left the lounge and had a long conversation with Madam Armand. After hearing her story, she felt a mix of anger and sympathy.

‘A man who brings his wife and mistress to a party together… And he abandoned his wife and only danced with his mistress?’

But that man is oblivious to the fact that his mistress is sending love letters to other men.

“We’ve been married for five years. We were happy until last year, but we grew apart because we couldn’t have children. Then Emily appeared, and everything fell apart.”

“If you try, you can get back to the way you were.”

“No. It’s impossible. Look at me. Those women are beautiful, but I’m…”

Madam Armand couldn’t finish her sentence and burst into tears.

Leah carefully observed the sadly weeping woman. Unlike the flamboyantly dressed women, she didn’t seem to care much about her appearance.

“You’re beautiful too… You probably think I’m just saying that to be nice, right?”

“Yes? That’s right. I know what I look like.”

“It’s because you don’t prioritize your appearance. Those women only look that way because they wear heavy makeup and dress extravagantly.”

“If I dress like those women, will my husband come back?”

“You don’t have to dress like them. But if you find peace of mind and rediscover your natural beauty, I believe your husband will definitely come back.”

“Is that really possible?”

“If the Count was only attracted to that woman’s appearance, it will be easier to change his mind.”

The real question was whether his heart had also turned away.

Leah told Madam Armand that she was welcome to visit the Courtois Duke’s residence if she needed anything. She would be happy to help in any way she could.

She couldn’t simply ignore her, as she vividly remembered the pain of betrayal from the man she loved.

“Grace!”

Just then, Terrence approached with an excited look on his face.

He must have been searching for her all over the banquet hall. Leah said goodbye to Madam Armand and left the banquet hall with Terrence.