I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 52

Chapter 52

The last time Lily came by, it was definitely Viscountess Blado who acted as an intermediary. If Sohee, who has some understanding of the situation, decides to make an issue out of this, things could become troublesome.

“What will you do?”

“I’ll meet with the Viscountess myself.”

“Pardon?”

“The excuse will be that I need to choose a birthday gift for my sister-in-law. That should be enough.”

The Duke’s preferred methods had never been this peaceful.

With his arms crossed, the Duke stood up and looked calmly at the bustling Crowford manor lobby.

“If she really is a relative, it wouldn’t be bad to hand the kid over to her.”

“You’re not planning to dispose of them?”

They had already been told too much to just be left alone, so they needed to be silenced to prevent any leaks. But the Duke’s lips curved into a faint smile as he replied.

“I will tell them to live a good life.”

Jade briefly doubted his ears.

“What did you just say?”

“When Fieldram returns, there’s no need to make the kid do anything dangerous.”

Wilfred casually suggested that this might be a good opportunity to increase donations to the orphanage, as part of his unexpected “good deed.”

With Crowford’s overflowing budget, such charity could easily be afforded, but it was puzzling how focused the Duke was on matters concerning children.

“If that is your will, Your Grace, I will prepare everything.”

Loyal Jade, without a hint of doubt, quietly obeyed his master’s orders. While he was gone to organize the donations, the Duke looked out the window, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

“It would have been better to do this from the start. My mistake.”

If this was the plan, he should have been honest about the child’s origins from the beginning.

She had always liked children, so if Viscountess Blado were to take Luca away, she would likely feel lonely. It was better to create a place for her to attach herself to in advance.

“A child…”

He still had doubts about whether they even needed a child between them.

The previous Duke had sought the most exceptional offspring, fathering many children with countless women. His mother, treated as nothing more than a disposable tool, had died early of puerperal fever after giving birth to Wilfred.

“Your mother truly loved you.”

He couldn’t even remember her face, not having been nursed properly by her. If his youngest uncle, Vino, hadn’t taken him in, Wilfred would have long ago been food for the beasts.

Until he met Rashita later in life, his uncle’s heart had always held the vague memory of Wilfred’s mother, a woman of true kindness and beauty.

Because she had borne his brother’s child, Vino could never fully express his feelings, but he raised young Wilfred as his own.

“They say you finally consummated the marriage last night.”

While Jade was away, Rashita came by.

The only reason she stood by Wilfred was because of her husband’s last will.

Though she had longed for a child, her husband had ultimately sacrificed his life for his nephew, leaving her alone in the world.

“Freesia has always been afraid of me.”

“Since when have you been so considerate?”

“We will take care of that ourselves.”

“Don’t assume time is on your side.”

Rashita’s words had a sharp edge.

Rashita, who once believed no one could defeat her, lived every day in bitter regret, standing before the cold corpse of her husband.

“No one will harm her.”

“It would be nice if everything went your way.”

“Rashita.”

“Freesia is a good child. She’s too good for someone like you, who thinks only of himself.”

There was sincere emotion behind each of her cold words.

Just because people are bound by the same fate doesn’t mean they’re on the same side. Rashita was no exception.

If his uncle were still alive, she would have likely cut down anyone in her way and forced her husband into the headship.

“What are you trying to say?”

“The princess said that the Duke of Crowford’s overprotectiveness is so extreme that it’s a shame the Duchess can’t spread her wings properly.”

If the princess had been a typical villain, it would have been easier. But in the end, she was just another puppet.

All she wanted was to become friends with the Duchess of Crowford, and her only request was to host the next social club gathering to suit the Duchess’s schedule. But Rashita, following the Duke’s instructions, firmly rejected the offer and returned.

“Whether you like it or not, it’s too late. The world won’t leave her alone.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“There are only two ways to keep a bird from leaving the nest: break its wings or make it lay eggs.”

Rashita’s cruel words reflected the Duke’s own dark thoughts, which he couldn’t bring himself to voice.

Despite having many excellent bodyguards like Fieldram and Rashita, he had specifically ordered a child to be found because he knew exactly where her weaknesses lay.

“She loves me.”

“What if her sister is taken hostage? What if her sister’s life is in danger? Can you still be sure she’ll choose you?”

“Rashita.”

“He loved me too!”

Unable to contain her anger, Rashita slammed her fist into the wall. The force was so strong that the bookshelves collapsed, sending books tumbling down.

Without even glancing at the fallen books, Rashita gritted her teeth and glared at Wilfred.

“And he died protecting you, leaving me forgotten.”

“…Aunt.”

“If he loved me, he shouldn’t have done this. If he was going to leave me alone like this, he shouldn’t have done it!”

Swallowing her surging anger, Rashita forced a trembling smile through her quivering lips. To her, Wilfred was both the one who had taken away someone precious and the sole life that person had fought to protect.

“Don’t let yourself end up like me. Even if you have to cut off her feet, keep her by your side. Understand?”

“I will remember that.”

“She’s kind. So kind, it’s a problem.”

Rashita’s warning was filled with deep resentment.

The sight of her aunt, who could kill anyone for her sake, made Wilfred acutely aware of his own position, standing in the center of a world rife with betrayal and intrigue.

In a life-or-death struggle, mercy has no place. In a fight where it’s either 100 or 0, misguided kindness only becomes a dangerous complacency that threatens your very life.

Therefore…

“Freesia  told me to live kindly.”

“…She can afford to say that. But you cannot.”

“Indeed.”

If she could keep smiling innocently, he was more than willing to dirty his own hands.

The princess seemed eager to strengthen ties with Crowford through Freesia, but they had already gone too far to be swayed by such desires.

After Rashita left, Wilfred picked up the books that had fallen from the shelf. The faded colors of the covers, dulled by time, seemed to match his own feelings.

“I hope she likes this one too.”

Who would have thought that the secret he had tried to bury to repay a debt would connect him to her?

He glanced at the clock on the wall and then looked at the stack of documents on the table.

He wanted to leave work early. He had never had such thoughts before. Relishing the unfamiliar feeling, he refocused on his work.

* * *

They say late learners are the most frightening.

“Now, wait a minute, I don’t know how to do this!”

As her memories returned, she remembered the tribute she had forgotten to ask about—the tribute she had sent to the author Alster. But when her husband grabbed her wrist, she realized that now was not the time to discuss it.

“D-Duke, no, darling?”

“Stop stalling and start unbuttoning.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to… I do, I really do!”

Her husband made no effort to hide his intentions, going so far as to offer his body for her to touch.

Of course, she had no intention of refusing, but it would be a lie to say she wasn’t embarrassed. With trembling hands, Freesia began to undo the buttons on his tightly fastened shirt.

“About that brownie I made for you…”

“Everyone else got one, except me.”

“Well, the thing is…”

After meeting with Viscountess Naphier, she had planned to bake it herself, but that was her downfall.

Still, because he was her husband, she wanted to bake it herself and had only ordered the ingredients. But on her way back that day, she collapsed and lost her memory for a while.

As a result, the Duke of Crowford was the only one in the mansion who hadn’t had the chance to taste the brownie.

“I’ll bake it for you. I’ll bake twice as much this time.”

“It’s too late.”

“I’m sorry!”

At this rate, she couldn’t even bring up the matter of the delivery.

Just then, a large hand slipped under her dress, and Freesia covered her eyes with both hands, feigning ignorance.

“The delivery went through. But the reply might take some time.”

“Why?”

“Because you completely forgot about Alster. It seems the sensitive author was quite shocked by that.”

He added that if anyone was to blame, it should be Mustrang, and Freesia buried her face under the pillow, unable to lift her head.

“I must have lost my mind. With Rose and Alster, I really must have gone mad.”

“But I didn’t forget.”

“That’s—!”

“It made me happy. Truly.”

Seeing Wilfred’s proud expression, Freesia swallowed the words that rose to her throat.

Had things followed the original story, Freesia would have lost her life at the hands of the Duke.

It was fortunate that their twisted marriage had improved, but she still couldn’t feel at ease with Serial being aligned with the imperial family.

“Did that really make you happy?”

“Of course.”

With his endless kisses, she had no reason left to push him away.

Accepting the kisses that started at her fingertips, Freesia clung tightly to his neck, once again succumbing to his overt seduction.

“Fieldram will be back soon. The little one makes me uneasy.”

“Uneasy?”

“You’re my weakness. If something happened to you, I…”

With eyes that seemed on the verge of tears, he hugged freesia, who lay beneath him, as tightly as he could.

“I don’t know what I might do.”