I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Madame Benoit delivered a lengthy lecture on how to take control of a romantic relationship, standing before Freesia, who had only learned about love from books.

“Make your desires clear. Beating around the bush won’t work, especially not with someone as direct as Wilfred—he’ll never understand.”

‘If I end up losing my head over this, it will turn into a horror story…’ 

But for some reason, Freesia no longer found him as terrifying as she once did. That was progress.

“I just wanted to show off our house,” she said.

“Show off?” Wilfred asked, raising an eyebrow.

“The best revenge is not taking revenge at all. It’s true the princess’s motives are suspicious, but that just makes me want to aggravate her even more.”

Might as well be bold and shameless about it.

Perhaps her excuse, in line with Wilfred’s wicked way of thinking, had worked because his reaction didn’t seem all that bad.

“Aggravate her?” he echoed.

“This is my home ground, so everything is in my favor.”

The bottom line was that she wanted to host the next social club gathering at the mansion.

“I was wondering what was strange about you today. This must be Madame Benoit’s doing,” Wilfred said.

“How did you know?”

“Are you really asking that?”

“You’re just that quick to catch on.”

Freesia, who used to be nothing but scared, had grown bold enough to stand up to him. If it had been anyone else, Wilfred would’ve surely shown his irritation, but instead, he pulled her into an embrace, pressing a kiss to the nape of her neck.

“What’s your real reason for getting close to the princess?” he asked.

“Who said I was getting close to her? I just want to make her envious.”

“Really?”

“And while I’m at it, I’ll boost Luca’s confidence. No matter what anyone says, Luca is our child, and it wouldn’t hurt to raise his self-esteem before introducing him to society.”

“Hmm.”

Every word was sincere, but Wilfred’s indifferent response made her more self-conscious. If this didn’t work, moving on to the next step might be impossible.

Fortunately, he grinned mischievously and lightly nibbled on her earlobe.

“Ow, that hurts!”

“A little transparent flattery now and then isn’t bad. If you want something in the future, approach me like this. It’ll work like a charm.”

“Are you sure it’s okay to say that?”

“Why not?”

His shamelessness was so extreme that it could rival the grandeur of the nine-story wooden pagoda at Hwangnyongsa.

With a deeply satisfied smile, he held Freesia close and casually added a condition.

“Kiss me every morning in front of everyone.”

“What if I oversleep?”

“Change it to when you go home. A kiss on the cheek won’t be too much to ask.”

“Just once a day?”

Facing her innocent smile, Wilfred bit his lip, lost in thought again.

“You really are something…”

“What did I do?”

“Never mind.”

As he turned to leave, Freesia hurried after him.

“Wait, hold on—ah!” she cried, slipping on the floor. But just before she fell, his arm reached out, pulling her back.

“I can never let my guard down with you.”

“You’re the one who left me behind.”

“Yes, it’s all my fault.”

Annoyed by being called a villain yet again, Wilfred half-heartedly grabbed a towel and wiped her dry.

At moments like this, he didn’t seem so inconsiderate after all.

His hidden attentiveness, like finding pieces in a hidden picture puzzle, wasn’t so bad.

“I was just joking. Thanks for saving me.”

“You don’t mean it.”

“I do!”

Not wanting him to leave her behind again, she boldly linked arms with him, and his pace noticeably slowed to match hers.

Leaning on each other’s warmth, they walked together until the door to the bedroom closed behind them.

* * *

“Achoo!”

After visiting Crowford, the Crown Prince was plagued by a nasty cold.

The princess, who had come to check on him, found her brother trembling under layers of blankets.

“The Duchess of Crowford pushed you into the water?” she asked.

“I was trying to help, but it backfired. I didn’t even get a thank you.”

“How strange.”

“Sister!”

Upset that she wasn’t taking his side, the Crown Prince’s frustration only grew.

“She was nothing like what you told me.”

“The Crowford estate sent a message. They’re hosting the next social club gathering.”

Though the Duke of Crowford had warned not to make any rash moves, it seemed Freesia had directly announced her intention to hold the party, leaving everyone puzzled about her true motives.

What sort of sinister plan was she hatching?

What had seemed an impossible suggestion had now become reality, and the princess couldn’t enjoy it. 

If the Duchess of Crowford gained influence over society, the princess’s own standing would be further diminished. Unlike her brother, who had a secure future, if things continued this way, the Imperial family would begin considering Hyacinth’s marriage prospects.

“I was planning to take you with me, but in your condition, that’s impossible.”

“No, sister!”

Blaming all of this on her foolish brother, Princess Hyacinth went to see their mother, the Empress.

“So, any progress?” 

Even a glance at her disinterested expression showed the Empress was already aware of her daughter’s failure.

Since the engagement to the Duke of Crowford had fallen through, the princess couldn’t lift her head, but she couldn’t give up just yet.

“Of course. The next social club gathering will be held at Crowford.”

Creating an excuse was easy enough.

“Do what you can. At least then you won’t have any regrets.”

“Mother, I…”

“Don’t drag your brother into this.”

“Drag him into this? What do you mean by that?”

“A child destined to bear the future of the nation, bedridden with a fever. And all because he stepped in for you.”

“I never asked him to!”

Even though she never asked for help, her brother’s injury naturally became her fault. She was sick of the blatant favoritism, but arguing wouldn’t change anything.

“Is that my fault too?”

“If you’d done things right from the start, there wouldn’t have been any issue.”

Hyacinth bit her trembling lip, glaring at her mother.

The push to marry the Duke of Crowford, whom she didn’t love, and the forced pretense of friendship with the Duchess of Crowford—all of it had been at her mother’s command.

Yet now that things weren’t going according to plan, all the blame fell on her.

“Let’s let it slide this time, Your Majesty. The princess surely regrets her actions,” a smooth male voice interjected, causing a faint smile to appear on the Empress’s previously irritated face.

“Serial, when did you arrive?”

Everything had gone wrong ever since that man appeared.

The shady magician, who had been hovering around the royal palace for some time, offered the Empress a bouquet with an overly familiar manner.

“This is a gift from His Majesty the Emperor. He was deeply concerned about the Crown Prince’s illness and asked me to deliver this on his behalf.”

“Oh, how thoughtful of him.”

Despite his obvious manipulations, the Empress couldn’t seem to see through them.

The same Empress who always showed displeasure toward Hyacinth never failed to smile in Serial’s presence. He had somehow insinuated himself into the family, monopolizing their mother’s attention and affection.

“I’m sure the princess has her reasons. Let’s cheer her on with high hopes.”

“There’s nothing to cheer about if she can’t do anything properly.”

“Mother!”

“Be quiet. Hearing your voice gives me a headache.”

Her mother’s harsh words left Hyacinth unable to say another word.

Ever since that sly magician arrived, Hyacinth’s position in the royal family had only worsened. Though he pretended to take her side, Serial always twisted everything to make it seem like her failures were her fault, making her look like a fool.

“The Duchess of Crowford may have sent Rashita with a formal complaint, but you should be lenient, given how hard the princess worked,” Serial said with feigned sympathy.

“The fact that a woman went so far as to come to the palace in person speaks volumes.”

“Still, the princess’s efforts were what made this possible.”

“If she had any decency, would she really boast about that?”

“Excuse me, I’ll be taking my leave.”

“That insolent brat!”

Leaving her obstinate mother behind, Hyacinth hurried out of the palace.

Clenching her fists, she bit her lip in frustration. Who in this palace was truly on her side?

As she paused in her stride, an irritating voice crept up behind her, further provoking her already wounded pride.

“The Empress is simply upset. Please try to understand, Princess.”

“How dare you!” she snapped, slapping him across the face, the sting of the impact burning her palm.

Though it was an impulsive act of anger, she immediately regretted it. The red mark on his cheek was severe.

‘Mother will surely reprimand me again when she sees this.’

Serial gently placed his hand on the mark and, with a cryptic smile, continued to unnerve her.

“Princess, you must truly hate me.”

“Shut up!”

“If only you had won over the Duke of Crowford’s heart, you wouldn’t be treated this way.”

His mock sympathy only enraged her further.

The nerve of him.

“You haven’t forgotten who it was who came out of nowhere and snatched your position, have you?”

“Do you think you have the right to say that?” she spat.

“It would be a shame if you forgot who you should really be blaming, Your Highness,” Serial said, gripping her wrist tightly as she moved to slap him again.

“If only the Duchess of Crowford were out of the picture, everything would go back to the way it was.”

“Nonsense. You think the Duke will just give up on her?”

“If he can’t let her go, then we’ll make it impossible for him to hold on to her.”

Her fingernails dug into his skin, drawing a drop of blood.

Like a knight swearing loyalty, Serial knelt and kissed the blood from her hand.

“Everything will happen just as you desire.”

“…You sly fox.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he replied with a sly grin, unbothered by her open disdain.