I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 49

Chapter 49

“How rude of you to enter so recklessly and eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation.”

In front of Rose, who openly expressed her displeasure, the man bowed his head, as if he had willingly committed a grave sin.

“I understand you are unsettled due to the matter concerning the Viscountess of Naphier. However, wouldn’t it be generous of you to show a little leniency in light of the good news that Lady Crowford has recovered?”

Not even the fact that Freesia had collapsed had leaked to the outside world. Let alone the incident with the Viscountess of Naphier, which had been kept under strict secrecy. How could that man know about it?

“He is a close associate of Princess Hyacinth,” Matthew informed them of the man’s identity.

“My presence here has nothing to do with Her Highness the Princess, though.”

“What is your business here?”

“Would you first consider lowering your sword?”

The gleaming blade was precisely aimed at his vital point.

While it’s true that a generational shift among the young nobility, led by the Duke of Crowford, has occurred, there are very few who can truly match Rose, a former knight, in sheer physical strength.

The intentions of this unfamiliar man, who seemed to know too much, not only about the Viscount of Gondair but also about his sister, did not bode well.

When Rose sheathed her sword, the man smiled slightly at Matthew, who stood beside him, with a look of interest.

“You still have the nerve to show your face in Devlanc. You must be quite shameless.”

“…Did you come here to pick a fight with me?”

“Of course not. I merely came to deliver the joyous news that the Duke and Duchess of Crowford have consummated their marriage.”

“What?”

How could they have only just consummated their marriage after all this time?

Leaving the bewildered Rose behind, Matthew grabbed the man by the collar.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing, showing up like this?”

“Thanks to Rashita storming into the palace, our princess will find it difficult to move for the time being.”

From the imperial family’s perspective, which intended to control Crowford by marrying him to Princess Hyacinth, Freesia was an eyesore unlike any other.

“Since things have turned out this way, Countess Devlanc is the only one we can rely on.”

“Are you suggesting I declare the marriage void?”

“Correct. It’s refreshing to speak to someone who understands so well.”

As noble marriages are contracts between families, it was not uncommon for a marriage to be annulled if the head of the family decided so.

Especially if the man had a hidden child or used violence, it was often considered commendable for the woman’s father to step forward and break the marriage.

“With the Duke of Crowford’s infamy, there should be more than enough grounds for annulment.”

At the man’s sneering words, Rose let out a small laugh.

After seeing how she was treated by the Viscount of Gondair, it seems even a man like this now thinks he can look down on her.

“It seems you have no intention of leaving this place alive.”

In response to such insolence, the only proper course of action is to use force.

Sensing Rose’s intention to chant a spell, she swiftly grabbed the paper knife from the table.

“Y-You…”

Before he could utter a word, Rose had already restrained his hands, adorned with magical stones, and pressed a cold blade to his throat, preventing him from making a sound. The movement was so quick that Matthew, watching from the sidelines, could hardly comprehend what had just happened.

“There’s a limit to underestimating someone.”

The man quickly backed down as if nothing had happened.

“You are indeed as formidable as the rumors say.”

“Relay this to your master clearly: if he makes any foolish moves involving my sister, I will hunt him down to the ends of the earth and kill him.”

“Even if it’s the will of the imperial family, would you still respond that way?”

“That would mean going to war. I may not like my sister’s husband, but I doubt he would take kindly to what you people are up to.”

“This is quite unexpected.”

Even if she didn’t like him, he was the man her sister chose. No matter how powerful the imperial family might be, meddling in another’s family affairs in this way was utterly out of line.

“Shall I go to the imperial palace right now? I wonder what Princess Hyacinth would say if I mentioned your name.”

If this were to be brought to public attention, the imperial family would no doubt deny any involvement.

Seeing Rose’s menacing demeanor, the man raised both hands in surrender.

“That would be problematic. The princess genuinely has no knowledge of this.”

A drop of blood trickled down from the small cut on his neck. Matthew, pale with shock, tried to restrain Rose, who grudgingly let the man go.

“You are indeed as impressive as I’ve heard. I might just end up falling for you at this rate.”

“You bastard…!”

“Please, stop it already, Serial!”

Every time the man opened his mouth, Rose felt a surge of irritation.

Even as he wiped the blood from his neck, the fact that he showed no sign of discomfort made Rose even more uneasy.

“If you continue like this, I’ll have no choice but to visit the princess myself.”

“I’ll take my leave, so please, spare me that.”

After saying more than he needed to, Serial approached the window and quickly leaped out.

“It’s the third floor!”

Matthew, startled, leaned out the window, but the man had already disappeared.

Sending such an annoying wizard to deliberately unsettle them—it made Rose grit her teeth in anger as she turned her fury on Matthew, who was standing there dumbfounded.

“What’s your relationship with that guy?”

“He’s the one who told my mother about Freesia and suggested breaking up the marriage.”

Being from the imperial family, the Viscountess of Naphier believed his words without question, convinced it was only a matter of time before Freesia would be cast out.

“If that was their intention, they shouldn’t have approved the marriage in the first place!”

“But if they hadn’t, the Duke of Crowford wouldn’t have stayed quiet.”

Even the imperial family didn’t dare to oppose the Duke of Crowford directly, so they resorted to such underhanded tactics. As Rose ground her teeth in frustration, someone knocked on the door to her office.

“What is it?”

“A messenger has arrived from the Duke of Crowford.”

“Perfect timing. I have something to say as well.”

“Rose, wait!”

“You’re coming with me. It’s better to have a reliable witness than to handle this alone.”

After confirming the letter that Freesia had regained her memories, Rose, dragging along a reluctant Matthew, boarded the carriage.

* * *

To organize her chaotic memories, Freesia picked up a pen and began to write down everything she could remember.

After recalling as much as possible from her previous life, she confirmed that this world was indeed the one in the novel, and most of the characters matched those from the original work, <Leveling Up Because of the Antagonist>.

And the book <Lady Margaret> written by Alster seemed to coincide almost perfectly with <Leveling Up Because of the Antagonist>, as if it were a side story.

“Could it be that Alster is actually our author?”

Although the writing style and narrative techniques were remarkably similar, Freesia quickly shook her head.

Even though the content was grim, it wasn’t unusual for genres to overlap.

Considering only the content that appeared in the original work, it seemed more likely that <Lady Margaret> was a fanfiction written by someone who had read the original novel.

“In that case, it makes sense.”

Since it was essentially fanfiction, the discrepancies with reality were understandable. But this only made Freesia more curious about Alster’s true identity.

“If they’re altering the story like me after reading the original…”

It would explain why Luca was here instead of the main character, why her relationship with her husband had improved, and why the villain might actually get a happy ending instead of a bad one.

Although the ending of <Lady Margaret> was tragic, the latest works showed that the male protagonist’s despicable traits were almost entirely absent.

“If things stay just as they are now, I think I could close my eyes and live with him.”

Recalling the moment when Wilfred whispered that he loved her, Freesia couldn’t help but smile.

When she remembered how he ran his hand through his hair, gasping for breath, she couldn’t stop herself from touching her cheeks and stifling a giggle.

“I must really be a pervert.”

Even though it was depicted rather plainly, the level of detail in <Lady Margaret> made it strikingly similar to the original Duke of Crowford.

No matter how strong the temptation, he never succumbed. The mad gleam in his eyes whenever he swore revenge was a perfect reflection of his intense obsession and love for the wife who was the cause of his vengeance.

“Hehe, hehehe…”

“Seeing our lady smile like this makes yesterday’s trip to the palace worthwhile.”

Dressed once again in a frilly dress, Rashita spoke with a bright smile.

“Some delicious apples came in, you see. I wanted our lady to try them, so I brought them myself.”

As usual, Rashita pulled out a hand axe from beneath the hem of her dress and sat beside Freesia, expertly peeling the apple.

The rabbit-shaped slices, full of juice, were indeed tasty, but the conversation with Princess Hyacinth from the day before still weighed on Freesia’s mind.

“Come to think of it, what did you talk about with the princess yesterday?”

“We didn’t really talk much.”

The sharp blade of the axe she held gleamed menacingly, reflecting her actions rather than her words.

“You eat like a rabbit.”

Facing Rashita’s hearty laughter, Freesia silently munched on the apple.

Rashita, with her axe, was known to mercilessly cut down anyone—man, woman, elderly, or child—if ordered by the Duke.

‘If I had tried to disgrace the Duke to break this marriage…’

The outcome would have been something she didn’t even want to imagine.

“So, when is Lord Fieldram coming back?”

“He’s already caught the dragon. But he’s been struggling to catch a wyvern to use as a mount.”

The Duke had four close aides. She had confirmed Fieldram and Rashita, but she hadn’t yet met the other two.

“Now that I think about it, everyone’s been staying in the capital. Is it alright for them not to visit the estate?”

“Kiel’s there, so it’s fine. Besides, we’ll have to go down to the estate next month, so you’ll meet him soon.”

In the days when the ancient Han Dynasty’s emperor Yubang was engaged in a fierce battle with the Cho Dynasty founded by his adversary, Hangwu, it was thanks to Soha, a competent prime minister, who was able to not loot the people.

Similarly, even though the Duke of Crowford wasted a lot of money trying to kill the protagonist, the foundation of his family remained unshaken, all thanks to the prowess of one of the Duke’s subordinates, Ezekiel, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

“In that case…”

The problem was the last person.

The worst of the Duke’s subordinates, who always lurked in the shadows and even secretly enjoyed the Duke’s violent outbursts.

The black magician, Serial Hyperion.

Just as she was about to inquire about his whereabouts,

“My lady, Lady Rose has arrived.”

Ada announced the arrival of her sister.