Chapter 186

Chapter 186

At the quiet dining table, no one spoke. Angelina glanced at Cornelius, then at Elizabeth, smiling sweetly. "I'm afraid Beth can't answer that question easily."

Ethan said coolly, "What's so hard to answer? Wasn't she the one who brought up divorce in the first place? She must be dying to break free from this marriage."

Angelina covered her mouth with a laugh, chiding playfully, "That's not necessarily true. The Habsburg family isn't some wolf's den."

"The way she was clamoring for divorce before, I thought Ms. Whitaker saw this place as a prison and couldn't wait to escape." Ethan propped his face on one hand, his eyes cold. "Cornelius, this won't do. If you can't keep your wife's heart, that's your problem."

The two of them took turns, practically roasting Elizabeth over an open flame.

Isaac spoke up. "Since you're so unwilling to stay with the Habsburg family, divorce is fine. Better than the two of you becoming a resentful couple."

Elizabeth sneered inwardly.

Everyone—every single person sitting here—wanted her to get out of the Habsburg family immediately.

And over the past few years, she'd faced this kind of malice constantly.

And her husband?

She looked at Cornelius. "Don't you have anything to say?"

Cornelius responded flatly, "Say what? You were the one who proposed divorce."

Elizabeth's lips curved. "I also signed the divorce papers. Did you sign?"

The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

No one else spoke. Cornelius stared at Elizabeth for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Do you want me to sign?"

"If I tell you to sign, you'll sign?"

"Of course..." Cornelius paused before continuing, "...not."

Elizabeth had known all along he wouldn't agree so easily. It had nothing to do with love. He just didn't want to let her go. How could he bear to see her live freely?

"Then why even ask me?" Elizabeth finished speaking and lowered her head to eat.

But Cornelius gripped her hand. Ignoring everyone else's gazes, he leaned close to her ear and said in a low voice, "Eat more. Keep your health up. After all, you'll be staying in this prison for many more years."

Like a curse.

Elizabeth glared at him fiercely, likewise lowering her voice to retort, "Don't worry. No one's willing to sink in a prison forever."

Just because she couldn't leave now didn't mean she couldn't in the future.

Cornelius smiled, his expression as if watching her throw a tantrum. He picked up his knife and fork and removed the ginger slices she'd unconsciously speared onto her plate.

Elizabeth froze. She was allergic to ginger.

She said mockingly in a low voice, "Don't worry. Even if I have an allergic reaction, I won't blame it on you people."

Perhaps shocked by how the two of them were interacting, the dinner table remained surprisingly peaceful after that. No one brought up divorce again.

After dinner, Cornelius went out to take a call. Isaac looked at Elizabeth sitting on the sofa, frowning in disapproval. "Are you just going to stand there?"

"Should I leave then?" Elizabeth stood up. She didn't want to stay any longer anyway.

Isaac said sternly, "Aren't you going to clear the dishes?"

Elizabeth used to do this kind of work—not because she willingly debased herself serving others, but because she'd always carried guilt and self-blame in her heart.

Besides, in situations like this at the Habsburg family, she wasn't comfortable. She liked to find things to keep herself busy.

But the more she did it, the more everyone seemed to assume she naturally enjoyed this kind of work, that she was naturally supposed to do it.

But now, Elizabeth didn't want to anymore. "There are servants and housekeepers here. This kind of work shouldn't fall to me no matter what."

"Didn't you used to do it all the time?"

Elizabeth sat back down, remaining still, showing no intention of getting up to clean. "Uncle Isaac said it himself—that was before."

Isaac felt a breath catch in his chest. He was used to ordering Elizabeth around. This was the first time he'd found her impossible to command.

"Don't forget—you're a criminal right now. The only reason you can sit here peacefully is because Cornelius is protecting you. Otherwise, if it were up to me, I'd have thrown you out on the street long ago."

His gaze at Elizabeth was full of disgust. He'd never liked her—from the very first day she married into this family, he hadn't liked her.

Elizabeth used to try to salvage his impression of her, always thinking there must be some misunderstanding. But she'd long since given up. "I've recently understood something."

Isaac didn't speak, just stared at her.

Elizabeth said word by word, "People can be pretty cheap. If you treat someone too well, they take it for granted. They won't be grateful. Then one day when you stop treating them well, they suddenly can't get used to it."

Isaac narrowed his eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Nothing much. Just that I have quite a few people like that around me."

Was she mocking him?

Isaac slammed the table with a loud bang. A maid mopping nearby jumped in fright. Seeing the situation, she didn't dare make a sound, clutching her mop and shrinking into a corner.

Since Cody's death, with Cornelius rarely returning to the Habsburg Manor, Isaac held absolute authority in this house. Everyone feared him.

"You dare! I'm your elder! How dare you speak to me this way! I see you've been living too comfortably lately, thinking you'd still be somebody if you left the Habsburg family. Let me tell you—the only reason you're doing well out there is because Cornelius protects you. Without the Habsburg family, you're nothing!"

"Then I really should say thank you." Elizabeth's response was neither cold nor warm.

Isaac immediately felt a breath lodge in his chest—couldn't go up, couldn't go down. Truly uncomfortable. "If you've really got the guts, get out of the Habsburg family right now! Do business out there without using the Habsburg family name. From now on, you're not allowed to say you're the Habsburg family's daughter-in-law! Even if you die out there, it has nothing to do with our Habsburg family!"

Elizabeth stood up, her expression stern.

Isaac thought she was going to say something harsh—probably that she could make it even without the Habsburg family, or righteously declare she'd never relied on the Habsburg family.

However, Elizabeth smiled sweetly and said, "Uncle Isaac is absolutely right. The fact that I'm doing so well out there—the Habsburg family does deserve credit. Your words have reminded me. I really should rely more on the Habsburg family's power and influence. I'm still the Habsburg family's daughter-in-law right now. It would be such a waste not to take advantage of this status."

Isaac's hands trembled with anger.

But Elizabeth felt a rush of satisfaction. She seemed to have found the way to disgust these people. Going head-to-head wouldn't make them see her differently—it would only make them look down on her more. They'd think she was just being stubborn, and she wouldn't gain anything from these confrontations.

Having figured it out, she relaxed completely. Sitting on the sofa, she patted the armrest. "No wonder Uncle Isaac stays at the Habsburg Manor all day and refuses to leave. This place really is wonderful. Even the sofas are comfortable to sit on."

Isaac's face turned livid. "Say that again!"

Elizabeth caught sight of someone entering through the doorway from the corner of her eye. Just from the clothes, she knew who it was, so she became even more unbridled. "I never understood before—Uncle Isaac, you clearly have your own home. Even though your wife is gone, you shouldn't always be staying here. Now I understand it's because this villa is too comfortable to live in. If it were me, I wouldn't want to leave either."

"You insolent—!"

Isaac shook with rage, suddenly raising his hand to slap Elizabeth across the face!