I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

“Are you referring to ‘Nightingale in the Deep of the Night’?”

The lady with curly hair and glasses smiled brightly, mentioning specific scenes accurately.

“Exactly. The knight willingly crosses the line to knock on her window to rescue the heroine, who has been shunned by her family.”

Like recognizes like.

Freesia casually dropped a hint.

“Have you also read ‘The Runaway Duchess’?”

“Of course. Absolutely. I found the latest work quite intriguing as well.”

She couldn’t believe there was someone besides her sister with whom she could discuss such stories.

“In the scene where the duchess’s husband sheds tears as he goes to fetch her, how satisfying was that!”

“He clung to her dress, begging her not to leave. That scene was the most exhilarating.”

The lady as knowledgeable about Alster’s collection as Freesia herself was Lydia.

Freesia, the same age as her, explained that her father made a fortune in trade, bought a title, and became a new-money noble, a Lavani Viscount.

“It’s been over 10 years since Alster debuted. I even have a first edition of ‘Lady Margaret.'”

Alster’s debut work, “Lady Margaret,” was so controversial that it underwent significant editing from the second edition onwards due to its explicit content.

While the shock of the initial release was immense, a copy kept in the Academy was stolen long ago, becoming a mythical manuscript even Freesia herself hadn’t read.

“Have you not read it yet, Freesia?”

“That’s because it’s from a long time ago.”

Freesia developed a hobby for reading after realizing the importance of real-world knowledge. However, she couldn’t afford a premium first edition amidst Devlanc’s tight finances. The edited version was too bland. She just wanted to see the shocking and terrifying first edition.

Seeing her overt reaction, Hyacinth asked, “Is the book really that interesting?”

“Yes, of course. While there are many good books and authors, if I had to choose the best in my life, it would undoubtedly be Alster.”

Since it had come to this, might as well make it a business.

Back in the day, using the skills she honed in my prime, she started to engage in business, and everyone began to show interest.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if the next gathering was held at Crowford?”

At that moment, Freesia rolled her eyes momentarily at the sudden suggestion from the princess.

Not wanting to readily agree without knowing what the catch was, Freesia elegantly smiled and gave a vague response, neither confirming nor denying.

“When the time is right, then.”

The timing depended solely on Freesia’s discretion.

Just because she aimed to exploit any openings didn’t mean she’d willingly fall into one.

“Actually, I’m currently reorganizing the library’s catalog at the palace. I would love to formally invite you to the palace library when the opportunity arises.”

The palace library. The palace library!

It felt like she had heard of it somewhere before. It seemed like something very important was there.

“Oh!”

The palace library. Finally, it clicked. There must be a magical device that could provide invaluable insight into her future.

“I really want to visit.”

Freesia tightly grasped the princess’s hand and nodded repeatedly.

* * *

Back when Wilfred Crowford wasn’t even considered a candidate for a noble title, he displayed extraordinary talent and obtained numerous patents through various inventions.

Using his personal name rather than the title of Duke, Wilfred amassed an immense fortune. He eagerly invested his profits in promising industries, recording staggering profits once again.

“I’m Albert Mustrang.”

Among them, publishing brought him the greatest profit.

From novels with exclusive authors like Alster to textbooks, Mustrang Publishing Group now holds 80% of total sales.

Considering that the remaining shares are mostly the Bible, it’s practically a monopoly. Even the share of the Bible was donated by Mustrang, making the situation quite ironic.

“It’s been a while.”

Even though Albert was already in his sixties, he bowed respectfully before the Duke, who was like a son to him.

While monopolizing the market, Mustrang Publishing Group had various publishers within it, and Mustrang fostered fierce competition among them to innovate and lower book prices.

“Books are still selling well, especially Alster’s new releases. They sell like hotcakes, with everyone clamoring for two copies as soon as they’re available.”

Of course, this was possible due to the widespread availability of printing presses.

As the existence of books became widespread, the era of universal knowledge began.

Information that was once shared among a few powerful individuals became available to the masses, and knowledge became a powerful weapon capable of bridging even social gaps.

“By the way, I heard you took quite a few new releases this time.”

“Is that a problem?”

Smirking blatantly in front of the Duke’s obvious discomfort, Mustrang chuckled.

When they first met, he was just a lowly copyist.

After hearing that it took him about two weeks to a month to transcribe a single book, the young son of the viscount, who was an aspiring writer, enlisted the help of the family’s magicians and servants and invented a revolutionary machine in just about ten days.

At least in his life, Wilfred is the second most important person after his wife.

“Other than complaints about Alster’s new work being too slow, there isn’t really any issue.”

“If it’s any later, it’ll be too late. There won’t be any acceleration.”

“It seems like your newlywed life is quite enjoyable?”

With a thud, the Duke put down his pen, not bothering to hide his discomfort.

No one in the capital was unaware of the Duke’s marriage, but he was especially reluctant to mention it when Mustang brought up the subject of his marriage.

“Who spread such rumors?”

“It’s been spread all over the capital. A forbidden love nurtured by visiting the lady’s bed every night. Isn’t it a story we’ve heard many times?”

Even Mustrang, who had been chuckling knowingly, froze in the chilling atmosphere.

Wilfred stared at him coldly, still holding his fountain pen in hand.

“Who said that?”

“It’s been spread all over the capital. If we must trace the source, it’s likely high-ranking nobles.”

Perhaps it was just a figment of his imagination, but it felt like he could hear the princess’s laughter. Despite being packaged as a romantic love story, in the end, it all became a subject of ridicule through gossip, and Freesia was the only one to blame.

Despite his attempts to delicately brush it off, rushing into marriage had inadvertently provided ammunition for misunderstandings.

At the same time, while Freesia was busy promoting Alster, the Duke’s discomfort only grew.

“I’m a bit worried.”

Even after Mustrang left, Jade quickly inquired about Freesia’s well-being.

“There haven’t been any special issues reported.”

“Make sure to thoroughly understand the conversation. Don’t miss any potential issues, especially not one.”

Unlike his innocent wife, the princess’s side would surely be intent on utilizing her presence.

As he pondered heavily in his study, the butler interrupted with news of the host’s return.

“What have you been doing up until this hour?”

Although the club meetings could sometimes run late, it was already past 8 PM, well beyond dinner time. He had been waiting for his wife even for dinner, yet he was still occupied with work.

Approaching the carriage himself, the footmen and maids couldn’t hide their awkwardness.

“What’s the matter?”

“Well, it’s actually… madam…”

Before waiting for the maid’s response, he swung open the closed carriage door.

“Ugh.”

“Well, it’s just that…”

Before they finally dug in, the Empress had downed a glass of the Empowerment Cocktail, and by the time they were on their way back, Freesia was completely drunk.

The maid next to her, whom she called Lily, grabbed her arm and wouldn’t let go.

“Move aside.”

“Yes, your highness.”

As the maid inside stepped back, Freesia began to wander around restlessly with an uncomfortable expression.

“Oh, it’s our Duke.”

Smiling brightly, she looked at him, and the Duke momentarily held his breath.

A dazzling smile that had never been shown before. A smile that he thought would never be allowed, yet it was so common to others, a smile he had never seen before.

“Freesia.”

“Um, I have something to tell you…”

Stretching out both hands and taking a step forward, she soon lost strength in her legs and collapsed forward weakly.

Picking up the completely drunk woman and holding her lightly, the Duke glared coldly at the frightened maids.

“What is your duty?”

“Your Excellency, we are deeply sorry.”

In a small middle-class household, one maid might handle all the household chores, but in Crowford, where there were more than a thousand permanent employees, maids were assigned to different departments to carry out their tasks.

Unlike maids who simply did chores like cleaning or cooking, those who looked after the master’s family, especially the mistress, were the most skilled among the maids.

“Let it be. If the princess herself did it, what power do these girls have to stop her?”

“Madam Benoit.”

If her mother hadn’t intervened with pure blood, their lives might not have been spared by now.

Looking down at her, completely drunk and clinging to his arm, Wilfred still couldn’t hide his displeasure.

“Even if that was poison instead of alcohol, would you say the same?”

“Hmm. To think you’d be scolding me like this. Unexpected.”

Even if she lacked manners due to her humble background, Madam Benoit had no gentle feelings. She had no intention of making friends now, but if the issue involved Freesia, the circumstances changed.

“Madam Benoit?”

When the heavily drunk Freesia saw Benoit, she blushed deeply.

Then, pushing the Duke aside, she cheerfully ran towards her and greeted her with a bright smile.

“Sister, you’re so beautiful.”

Taken aback by the sudden confession, Madame Benoit began to stroke Freesia’s head as if petting a rabbit.

“What should I do with this?”

With a triumphant smile on her face, the Duke clenched his fist in front of her.

“Smile Love”