I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“When she first regained her memories, she was convinced that this place was an unknown and mysterious world.

‘Could this really be the real world?’

However, as time passed, more and more familiar names echoed in her ears.

The moment she heard the name even in her sleep, doubts arose.

“Yes, Wilfred Crowford. A remarkable person who, at the age of twenty-four, surpassed all competitors and obtained the position of a duke.”

Without Matthew’s explanation, she knew better herself.

She could recite every detail, even those described in just a sentence or two.

Thanks to the memories of her past life, where she hungered for any hint from the original work, she now possessed a substantial amount of information without needing an explanation.

“He’s 185 cm tall, weighs 75 kg. A dazzling blond young man from the Crowford family, descended through generations, with a hobby in hunting.”

“How do you know that?”

As soon as she spoke, Matthew’s gaze became stern.

He usually tried not to show much interest, but suddenly showing curiosity made even Lily suspicious, and she asked with a questioning look.

“Well, you rarely go outside, sister.”

“Lily, you might not care because you’re popular, but the ladies who like Duke Crowford know all about him.”

This is half true and half a lie.

The Duke’s past was briefly mentioned.

He replaced his family, taking the position of a duke, and the prestigious families avoided marriage with the infamous duke.

It was mentioned that he hastily engaged in a political marriage with a woman from an unremarkable family to maintain his status.

Reading up there, it was vague and blurry, and from the perspective of someone pushing the beautiful love story of the villain and the protagonist, there was naturally no interest.

“Do you also like Duke Crowford, by any chance?”

Matthew asked seriously, and she hesitated for a moment.

There was no way they were going to get entangled, but there was no reason to deny it anyway.

“I do like him.”

Since everyone likes him, it feels like watching a celebrity on TV, and Duke Crowford is a decent excuse in its own right.”

Without realizing it, if someone were to bring up marriage proposals, her stable unemployed life would surely come to an end.

Since talks of marriage are annoying, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to firmly put an end to it this time.

“I won’t marry anyone other than Duke Cromford.”

She declared it, thinking it would never happen, but she never dreamed her statement would become a stumbling block.

‘I did have the thought of wanting to see my favorite character in reality, but still, it wasn’t like this.’

The moment she heard the news that Duke Crowford would attend the ball, she felt both excited and a bit frightened.

In the book, he was portrayed as an obsessive, possessive character, but that was just fiction.

It’s all well and good from a distance, but if you get on his bad side, as the so-called <Villain> title would have it…….

‘If I handle it gracefully, it might be assassination, but if I mess up properly, it could be an execution.’

‘Even if we don’t marry or anything, I’m sure Rose will provide for me until I grow old and die.’

‘And if that wasn’t possible, spending my retirement in my younger sister Lily’s house, who could rival a model, while looking after the children wouldn’t be a bad idea.’

‘Having no outstanding abilities means I can quietly slip away.’

She hoped, more than anything, that this life would just quietly slip away.

Quietly praying to herself, she found herself descending the carriage steps that had arrived at the palace.

“Lady Lily.”

As soon as they arrived at the entrance, countless noble escorts lined up to escort the smiling Lily.

“Sister, I’ll go first.”

Lily, who seemed like she could capture even the crown prince if she set her mind to it, displayed a goddess-like beauty even in my eyes.

Deer-like sparkling eyes and a cute nose.

The sister, who possessed a perfect beauty like a walking doll, elegantly walked into the ballroom, choosing the most handsome partner among them.

“Must be nice to be so popular.”

After Lily entered, the many men waiting at the entrance didn’t even glance back and scattered in all directions.

Left alone with the wilted expression, Freesia, who had become a prop, looked at the entrance of the ballroom.

“I might as well just go home.”

“Uh-huh, but you have this brother.”

“Thank you very much for that tearful observation.”

Unlike Lily, who always enjoyed explosive popularity, her dance partner from her debut until today was always her childhood friend Matthew.

‘I’m sure he’s doing this out of pity, but it’s still better than being seen without a partner.’

“So, about what we were talking about earlier.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Duke Cromword. Do you happen to know him?”

“I don’t know him at all, never seen his face.”

She had seen his face on the cover many times, but in reality, she had never met him. It wasn’t a lie.

Perhaps surprised by her bold declaration of not marrying anyone other than Duke Crowford, Matthew questioned her with a rather serious expression.

“But why do you want to get married?”

“Just saying. I’m free to like whoever I want.”

My expression deteriorated infinitely at Matthew’s question, not knowing the circumstances.

“It’s just a one-sided crush. So don’t ask any further.”

It’s true that she has a crush, but that’s only for fictional characters.

Or, more precisely, something to do with a fictional character. Here’s how it goes.

“I don’t know about that.”

Since she only danced a few times with Matthew and went home every time, she didn’t enjoy attending the ball. She came all the way here mainly because of her younger sister Lily, who stood out the most at the ball.

“Our Lily is really beautiful.”

Lily, with smooth skin like pearls and eyes that seemed to be embroidered with amethyst, was an extra who had appeared once in the world’s most beautiful woman, Lily Devlanc.

It was only mentioned in passing that there was such a person, but when she became a member of the family, her life became very difficult indeed.

When she debuted for the first time, she didn’t only endure torment, but as a tough girl, she managed to overcome it. Although there were criticisms in the world that she was arrogant, no one could deny the fact that her younger sister was the cutest in the world.

“Um, Lord Matthew.”

While they were talking, a lady approached Matthew and asked him for a dance.

Although she was a familiar face and had become somewhat commonplace, Matthew was the heir to the prestigious Naphier Viscount family.

Since Lily’s debut, Matthew had been the subject of gossip for a while, suffering from the resentment of the young ladies who admired him. Rose, the lady of the house, was afraid to confront him, and ordinary Freesia was completely ignored.

Even if the parties involved didn’t think so, once the ugly feathers were attached, they were not easily shaken off.

Therefore, even in such situations, she had to show a restrained attitude to ease the tension.

“Go ahead.”

“But…”

And today, there was another purpose, so she pushed him, telling him to dance well.

Lily seemed to have developed some skills, as she cheerfully roamed around the ballroom with her fifth partner, and there was no need to worry since Matthew would step in if necessary.

‘Now is the only time to move.’

Waving goodbye with a pleasantly surprised expression, she slipped out of the ballroom.

She had tried to avoid it, but since the name Duke Crowford came up earlier, she had been concerned.

‘Indeed, I want to see him in person.’

The bluish eyes that seemed to be made of carved ice and the blonde hair that seemed to have been poured with honey…

The desire to see the person in real life, whom she had only seen on the cover, didn’t seem to be too much.

She decides to sneak off to the inner palace, pretend to be lost, and try to find him, since the noble meeting is over and he’ll probably just go home.

‘I’ll use the excuse that I’m here to see Sister Rose, and that will be enough.’

Asking for directions from the maids who wandered around, she cautiously stepped into the inner palace.

***

“Where on earth am I?”

The clock tower had chimed 11 times, indicating that it had been an hour since she left the ballroom. It was clear that she had lost my way.

‘I’m doomed.’

She had one fatal weakness: she was not just bad with directions; she was a seriously severe directional inept.

Receiving a penalty of being a notorious bad navigator instead of receiving a clear talent was a source of great discontent.

She had hoped she could find her way easily, but after turning around a few pillars multiple times, She found herself back at the starting point.

“What’s wrong with this path?”

Since she couldn’t see a single person passing by, it might be time to seriously consider how to escape this maze.

While trying to find some other person’s trace, she heard a woman’s voice from somewhere.

‘A person!’

‘Finally, I can get out of here.’

Excitedly, she take a step forward, only to be pulled back behind the pillar.

‘Could it be?’

All formal events had a dress code, especially royal-hosted events, where there were strict rules.

Even small decorations were thoroughly distinguished based on status. So, the petite tiara on the woman’s head was undoubtedly…

‘Could it be the Princess?’

Every royal-hosted event had basic rules. Even the smallest details were strictly categorized based on one’s status. In that sense, the cute tiara on the woman’s head was undoubtedly…

‘The Princess.’

The Emperor had three daughters, and among them, the eldest was said to be around the same age as Lily. So, there was a high possibility that the woman was the Princess.

“I heard you’re getting married soon.”

Although she knew she was the Princess, she had no idea who the other person in the conversation was.

‘I should have listened to her conversation with someone.’

While contemplating ways to escape, she heard the Princess speak again.

“Have you considered what Empress Mother said?”

It seemed that the atmosphere was not quite right.

Even though she knew it was the Princess, she had no way of knowing who the man was. Despite leaning against the wall and straining her ears, she couldn’t catch a glimpse of the man’s identity.

“I would have rejected it long ago if it were like that.”

A deep, resonant voice spread like ripples in a cave.

Charismatic and attractive, she peeked my head out to determine the man’s identity.

‘Who is he?’

From this angle, she could only see his fluttering cloak, and nothing else. But leaning in further might expose her eavesdropping, and she was scared of being caught.

“I know your secret.”

Unfortunately, the princess herself caused the commotion.

“Smile Love”