I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Even if it’s not towards the Devlanc younger sister, there are countless suitable matches for the duke. Jade can’t understand why the duke would be so infatuated with something so mundane.
“Make sure you prepare properly so you don’t forget anything.”
“Of course.”
Regardless of personal sentiments, Jade intends to follow the owner’s orders properly.
Jade carefully reviewed the preparation list once again.
“… That’s what you said.”
“Follow the orders.”
The lady-in-waiting also fully agreed with the duke’s opinion and stepped forward.
Although the wedding ceremony was suddenly arranged, the experienced maids moved busily to fulfill the long-awaited birth of their mistress.
“How does it look to you, Ada?”
Compared to the strong-willed sisters who are daughters of a viscount, the second daughter, who is conspicuously inconspicuous, is undoubtedly lacking as a duchess. However, contrary to Jade’s concerns, the lady-in-waiting came to a conclusion with a bright smile.
“It seems worth serving.”
Even from the rarely praising lady-in-waiting, quite a generous evaluation came out.
“Complaining is easy, but giving accurate instructions is difficult. In that sense, since she clearly expressed her wishes, the maids are following them well, lessening their worries.”
“Is that so?”
“I’ve heard that she’s taken over the housekeeping duties early on to help her sister, who has become the sole breadwinner.”
The lady-in-waiting marked the dress list with a satisfied face, a development Jade never imagined, considering the trouble she had put in.
“Indeed, our duke seems to have an accurate eye for choosing a spouse.”
“But even so, her appearance is so ordinary…”
The lady-in-waiting looked at him with a pitiful gaze, still doubtful whether it wouldn’t be better to choose the younger sister.
“It sounds like you don’t trust our abilities?”
Making the protagonist of the wedding stand out is the lady-in-waiting’s biggest duty.
Moreover, the maids of Crawford take great pride in their work.
To preserve their pride, Lady Devlanc made only a few specific requests and did not interfere further.
“That’s… that’s not what I meant by that!”
“Wait and see.”
Jade’s reckless reaction ignited the lady-in-waiting’s pride.
“This time, the Duke’s aunt will oversee everything.”
Upon hearing the news that the perfectionist aunt would personally take charge, Jade unknowingly swallowed hard.
* * *
The woman commonly referred to as Aunt was Vino’s wife, the younger sister of the late Duke of Crawford. After her husband’s death, she practically sided with the new head of the family, Wilfred, and became an influential lady.
“There’s a five-year age difference.”
Learning about the family tree of the Crawford Duke’s family before the wedding, Freesia was convinced of her theory.
The late Duke’s younger sister passed away last year at the age of forty due to illness.
The problematically younger aunt, now thirty, is only five years older than the duke and, according to the family tree, is just a mere five years older than the duke’s nephew.
If we really want to analyze it, it might provide a good pretext for a breakup if one were to discover the intimate details of their relationship, which, compared to her original husband, has a smaller age difference with the duke.
She had certainly harbored such hopes…
“You said you wanted to see me?”
This year’s thirty-year-old aunt seemed quite different from what Freesia had imagined.
With a tight athletic body and sharp eyes, she seemed to tower almost 2 meters high, higher than the Crawford Duke.
“How can you be so cute like this? it’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Wil’s aunt.”
Only after sitting down on a chair due to the serious height difference could they finally meet eye to eye and have a conversation.
Freesia swallowed hard, looking at the veins bulging beneath the rolled-up sleeves.
“W-Well, Madam Crawford.”
“Madam? Throw away such stiff titles and just call me aunt. Since I’m older, you can be informal, right?”
“Y-Yes, of course.”
Unable to say otherwise, Freesia nodded repeatedly.
With a laugh more hearty than most men, the aunt grabbed Freesia’s hand and shook it several times.
“To think that stubborn Wil would consider getting married. I really feel like thanking him multiple times!”
“Stubborn?”
How many people could use such words for the renowned Crawford Duke? Facing an aunt completely different from her imagination, Freesia shook her head as much as she could.
‘This isn’t right.’
The fact that the family relationship of the Crawford Duke was not mentioned in the original was a flaw. The imaginative scenario of encountering an aunt who could be called the world’s best and throwing it into chaos was immediately discarded.
“Regardless of what anyone says, I’ll be watching over our little one. If there’s anyone you don’t like, just tell me.”
She said she would kill anyone she could lay her hands on. The unabashedly bold words sounded strangely familiar.
While fervently hoping that it would never happen, Freesia cautiously asked her.
“By the way, I heard there’s someone in Crawford who collects axes.”
“Oh my, how did you find out about my hobby? It’s quite commendable.”
“Then, your name…”
“Rashita Crawford. You can also call me Aunt Rashita since I’m your little one’s aunt.”
The name Rashita sounded familiar. Could it be that the infamous axe king, Rashita, who was one of the four heavenly kings serving the Crawford Duke, was actually her aunt?
How would the fans of the secretly existing Rashita x Duke couple react if they knew this fact? It seemed like a scene of endless crying would dominate the real-time topics.
‘But what can I do? I have to push through.’
If Freesia falls out of favor with the formidable Rashita, it’s only a matter of time before this marriage collapses. Glancing at her several times, Freesia cautiously opened her mouth.
“I’m sure you were surprised by the sudden news of the marriage. I also think that this marriage is…”
“Yes?”
It felt like she would be blown away if hit by that fist.
Trying not to make her feel uncomfortable, Freesia carefully chose her words and started to build up excuses.
“No, what I meant was, it seems like you have some reservations about me…”
“How dare any lunatic speak such nonsense about our little one?”
Startled by Rashita’s outburst, the maids nervously bowed their heads.
The moment Freesia saw the crimson axe hanging under the hem of the slightly lifted dress, sirens screamed in her mind.
“Um, yes. It’s just that, with the wedding approaching, I felt a bit uneasy, so I mentioned it.”
After emphasizing multiple times that no one had ever done such a thing, Rashita laughed heartily and patted Freesia on the back.
“Weddings are usually troublesome. I even drank from a drum until the day before my wedding.”
Seeing the radiant axe in her hands once again, Freesia’s mind went blank.
Avoiding the topic of her casual recounting of bloodshed, Freesia cautiously asked about the bracelet Rashita had given her.
“This bracelet is a treasure I obtained by raiding a dragon’s nest.”
“You raided a dragon’s nest?”
“Yeah. Even those who opposed Wil’s ascension to the head of the family became quiet after tasting my axe.”
As the image of the hidden hand axe under her skirt came to mind, Freesia felt her spirit waver.
Even though she wondered how someone could casually talk about the massacre of others, she couldn’t guarantee that the axe wouldn’t come flying at her if she said something wrong.
“A niece’s wedding must be perfect. I won’t let anyone who interferes go unpunished.”
Proudly sharing her tales of valor, Rashita tightly gripped the axe that stood before her like a brave warrior.
Silently chanting prayers to any deity she could think of, Freesia carefully pocketed the bracelet Lashita had gifted her while the glinting axe blade hovered before her.
* * *
Unforgivingly, time passed, and the day of the wedding arrived.
With puffy eyes from days of crying, Lily faced Matthew, who looked shaken.
“Matthew, you look pretty bad.”
“I think you’re more serious.”
“Young lady, there’s no time for this. Hurry up and apply an ice pack.”
While applying an ice pack to Lily’s eyes that resembled swollen potatoes, the governess was continuously busy stealing glances to wipe away her own tears.
Even Rose, whose soul seemed to have left her body, sighed while staring blankly at the dress box sent by the Crawford family.
“Freesia, my heart feels so empty without you.”
“I miss my sister.”
Even though her swollen eyes had yet to fully recover, fresh teardrops filled Lily’s eyes once again.
Even though she had received help from the temple and healed her shoulder wounds, it was nearly impossible to perfectly prepare everything within just two weeks.
But despite the interference with wedding preparations, the Crawford Duke did not even give Freesia a chance to see his face until the wedding day.
Time passed ruthlessly, and guests for the wedding began arriving at the Devlanc Mansion.
Due to some urgent matter, Lord Blado couldn’t attend, so Sohee willingly decided to accompany Lily.
“Lily! Are you still like this?”
“Sohee.”
Lady Blado comforted her tearful younger friend who was still worried about her sister.
“Don’t worry too much. According to my husband, the Duke seems to be very pleased with this marriage.”
“It can’t be true. He must be ignoring and tormenting her!”
Even though Rose had made numerous attempts to contact him, Crawford always sent gifts to the Devlanc Mansion, claiming there was no need for her to do anything for him in return.
Not only the two sisters but even the housemaid and the youngest grandson of the gardener received gifts.
Gifts ranged from gold pins and new clothes to a neighboring mansion, thanks to a plot of land that was purchased, all because of Crawford’s help. The stablekeeper even moved out in a hurry.
“If the wife is beautiful, even the in-laws will bow. It seems that the Duke is very pleased with Miss Freesia, according to my husband.”
“I can’t understand it at all. Even if it’s Rose, how could she deceive me like this?”
After Lily officially debuted in society and became friends with Sohee, Freesia had been busy taking care of her younger sister.
Even though their outings had become less frequent after Sohee became her friend, the fact that her sister had developed such a deep relationship with the Crawford Duke was an unsolvable mystery.
“He fell in love at first sight, he said. The reason for deciding on marriage seems surprisingly simple.”
“Lady Blado. Do you have any idea?”
“Smile Love”