I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 58

Chapter 58

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

Luca, lacking the courage to ask again, simply wished for time to pass uneventfully.

As they safely entered the inner chambers, Lily was the first to recognize the pair.

“Oh, it’s brother-in-law and the little one!”

“And who’s this cute person beside him?”

“He’s the youngest son of the Bailey family, whom my sister and her husband are guardians for.”

“Oh my! Has Luca grown up this much?”

Upon hearing that he was the son of the prestigious Bailey family, a few people acknowledged him.

Luca, unsure of how to react, glanced around nervously, but the Duke of Crowford handed him over to Lily without a second thought.

“Where is Freesia?”

“She stepped out for a moment. It seems she went to prepare a new dress after the princess’s dress got stained.”

“…Excuse me.”

“Um, Your Grace!”

“Come here, little one.”

His sister-in-law, who usually seemed carefree, quickly caught on to his intentions.

“Brother-in-law, I like horses.”

“I’ll prepare a fine steed that suits you.”

“In that case, why don’t you sing a song in front of the ladies here?”

Using Luca as an excuse, Wilfred boldly set out to find Freesia.

The maids waiting at the entrance of the room quickly bowed when their master suddenly appeared.

“Where is my wife?”

“She is inside with Her Highness the Princess. Shall I inform her that…”

“Shh.”

Motioning for silence, Wilfred stood in front of the room.

Something was definitely happening inside. He paused for a moment and listened to the conversation coming from within.

* * *

“What a useless effort.”

The maids had prepared a new dress, but the princess refused to change.

Madame Benoit stepped forward to address the visibly displeased princess.

“It seems Her Highness the Princess is quite upset.”

“You… surely not…”

“The last time, I was dressed as a maid, so it seems you didn’t recognize me.”

“What?”

“It has been 15 years, so it’s understandable. You were too young back then.”

The princess recognized the face but couldn’t recall where she had seen it. Fifteen years ago? She desperately tried to remember, but it was no use.

“Who are you?”

“I am Benoit, the wife of the late Duke of Crowford. Please call me Madame Benoit.”

“How…”

She was shocked by how little Madame Benoit had aged in 15 years.

It was said that the late Duchess of Crowford, having no children, had been stripped of all power by the current duke, and was now just a mere figurehead. But that was just the public’s perception. Everyone believed Madame Benoit had voluntarily chosen seclusion.

“So, it seems your memory has returned?”

She had heard stories about this monster long ago from her father, the emperor.

The most powerful sorceress, born of mixed blood with a fairy, had appointed herself the guardian of the most noble lineage. She had even entered into a sham marriage with the late Duke of Crowford and personally oversaw the selection of the next heir.

“Why are you still in the capital?”

“Why should I leave my own home?”

“That’s…”

The princess had always assumed that someone who had no interest in the affairs of the lowly human world would have left long ago after completing her duties.

Now that Madame Benoit, who had never shown her presence, revealed her identity, the princess struggled to hide her confusion and expressed her frustration.

“Did you personally arrange this marriage as well, Madame Benoit?”

“Of course not. I was opposed to it. The bride lacked the proper background to become the wife of Crowford.”

Of course. A staunch believer in bloodline purity like her wouldn’t have allowed it. But there might still be a way.

Just as a glimmer of hope began to form, Madame Benoit cheerfully crushed the princess’s expectations.

“But what can we do? I found our Freesia so adorable that I couldn’t help but fall for her too.”

“What?”

“Just as I said. It’s been such a joy recently, feeling like I have a real daughter.”

Hearing Madame Benoit laugh about even being called ‘daughter’ the princess felt dizzy.

None of the stories about her passed down in the royal family were ever this soft or sentimental.

“What are you even talking about this right now?”

“I should be the one asking. Why is our charming princess so eager to kick out Freesia?”

“That’s obviously because…”

“The child the royal family backed didn’t become the head of the Crowford family, so your mother must have been very uneasy.”

The princess fell silent, hit directly where it hurt.

The only reason she hadn’t been betrothed at her age was simple.

The royal family had intended to send her to marry the head of the Crowford family, but no one could be sure who would claim that title.

There were ten contenders for the position of family head. Among them, Wilfred, who had been the least noticeable, was not expected by anyone to take the position.

“Who would have thought that a child who had retreated like an old hermit to write books would end up in that position?”

“…Did the duchess already know?”

Even though she had threatened to reveal secrets, it seemed useless if Freesia already knew everything. Her efforts to sway his heart now felt pointless. Why did she feel so foolish?

Madame Benoit, seeing the pride-stricken princess before her, sneered.

“Whether she knows or not, it doesn’t change anything. No matter what, Freesia loves Wilfred, and that’s not going to change.”

“Ridiculous! How dare you treat me like this…”

“See? You shouldn’t have tried to threaten her in the first place.”

Pointing out the contradiction of blaming others until the end, Benoit walked over to the distraught queen.

“If you truly want the throne, wouldn’t it be faster to strangle your brother instead?”

She resented her innocent younger brother, but the thought of doing such a thing was unimaginable.

The crown prince was a good person, just incompetent.

The reason she came to despise him so much was ultimately because of their mother’s severe favoritism.

“I’ve had enough.”

She had always tried so hard to be smart, to be better than others, to be the perfect, exemplary child. But in the end, her parents’ love always went to her brother, who couldn’t do anything right.

No matter how desperately she tried to win their approval, it was all in vain.

At some point, she realized that no matter how hard she tried, she could never meet the impossibly high standards set by her mother.

“If that woman hadn’t appeared, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad!”

“What did Freesia do wrong? You’re just becoming more and more like your parents.”

Standing in front of the enraged princess, she deliberately prodded at her sore spots.

“Are you really sure that everything would have gone your way if Freesia hadn’t been around? What incredible confidence you have. I wonder how you can see a future that even I cannot.”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“If Wilfred hadn’t gained the title of duke, would you, the noble princess, have even glanced at him?”

The blatant hostility made Princess Hyacinth feel a wave of sorrow. She hadn’t done anything wrong.

As she bit her lip in frustration, Madame Benoit whispered in a honeyed voice.

“You should experience it for yourself at least once—how Freesia feels, being hated for no reason.”

Everything was just being returned as it was received.

The princess was so taken aback by Madame Benoit’s open ridicule that she was left speechless.

“I’m sorry for being late. Your Highness, I heard your dress was soiled…”

At that moment, Freesia entered the room.

“Smile. Don’t let it show.”

Madame Benoit whispered softly, so only the princess could hear, and then approached Freesia with a bright smile, taking her hand.

“I accidentally spilled some wine. I apologized, and Her Highness graciously forgave me.”

“What should I do? I’ll find a way to fix the dress…”

“It’s okay. I’m not feeling well today, so I think I’ll leave early.”

With Madame Benoit watching closely, the princess couldn’t show her displeasure. Unaware of the situation, Freesia looked at the stained dress and repeatedly apologized.

“I was too excited today and didn’t take care of things properly. I’ll make it up to you next time.”

“There’s no need to force yourself to make an appearance. With the autumn hunting tournament coming up, the Duchess must have plenty of acquaintances in society by now.”

“Thanks to Your Highness, I’ve made many good friends. I’m truly grateful.”

She had intended to make her suffer, but instead, she was met with gratitude, doubling her wounded pride.

But she was still a princess, so Hyacinth forced herself to suppress her boiling emotions and smiled at Freesia.

“Today was really enjoyable. Since my presence tends to draw attention, I think I’ll quietly take my leave.”

“Shall I escort you to the palace?”

“Wilfred?”

Just then, the Duke arrived, volunteering to escort the princess.

Madame Benoit approached her son with a pleased smile.

“What brings our busy Duke all the way here?”

“Freesia, Luca was looking for you. He’s probably with your sister by now.”

“Oh dear. Your Highness, please excuse me.”

Today of all days, Viscountess Blado wasn’t around to mediate. Hoping Luca would survive being in Lily’s mischievous hands, Freesia hurriedly returned to the study.

“I didn’t expect you to offer to escort me.”

The princess’s words left the slightest bit of hope, but Wilfred coldly replied.

“I might as well send you to the next world.”

“…What?”

“You’d better behave yourself.”

“Enough. You’ll make me cry.”

The princess found Madame Benoit, who was adding fuel to the fire, even more infuriating than the sharp-tongued Duke.

Gritting her teeth, she had no choice but to accept Wilfred’s offer of an escort.

“Let’s go. No need to drag this out.”

“I will never forget today.”

Her fists trembling with anger, the princess ground her teeth, but to Madame Benoit, she was nothing more than a cute little chick.

Even though she had given plenty of signals to stop, if she had no intention of doing so…

Then it would be better to see how far she was willing to go.

“I’d be disappointed if you forgot so easily.”

“Madame Benoit!!”

Gladly leaving the troublesome aftermath to Wilfred, Madame Benoit’s steps grew even lighter.