I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 64

Chapter 64

“The situation’s getting tricky.”

Before she knew it, the knot at the back of her dress began to come undone. Warm breath brushed against the nape of her neck, making her squeeze her eyes shut.

This was definitely not ideal, and her heart pounded wildly, ignoring her attempts to calm it.

As she swallowed and reached out her hand—

“Sister!!!” 

Lily’s loud shout echoed from outside the door.

“See? I told you it’s not a good time!”

And so, the inevitable happened.

Feeling the need to hide him somehow, she quickly shoved him into the corner of the terrace. Her half-undone dress was in complete disarray, but fortunately, Fieldram, standing guard at the door, had begun to buy her some time.

“Lady Freesia is sleeping! What’s all this commotion?” 

“I can’t sleep without my sister!”

“Well, aren’t you a spoiled brat?”

“What did you just say?!”

It seemed Fieldram’s victim wouldn’t be limited to just her parents.

Lily, whose mind was filled with the desire to monopolize her sister’s attention during her visit, shouted for him to move aside, but Fieldram continued his unchanging, maddening responses, like a broken record.

“Wow, I’m impressed. My sister usually outdoes anyone, but she’s met her match.”

“When it comes to dealing with stubborn fools, no one beats that guy.”

In terms of pure combat ability, Rashita was far superior when dealing with humans. But when it came to non-humans, Fieldram held the upper hand.

“Still going on about ‘Sister, Sister’? You’re not embarrassed saying that at your age?”

“Whether I’m a kid or an adult is none of your business!”

“My sister is mine, and I’m going to sleep with her! Sister~ Sister! Lily can’t sleep without her sister~ Boo-hoo~”

“You little…!”

Despite Lily’s angry outburst, Fieldram kept teasing her relentlessly, getting under her skin.

“That constant ‘sister’ chant has to stop sometime.”

“So, you’re getting cocky just because you’re pretending to be her husband?”

“Who said I enjoyed doing that?”

As the childish argument dragged on, Wilfred slipped back into the room and began to retrieve the knot of Freesia’s dress that he had undone himself.

Holding up her long, flowing hair with both hands, Freesia waited nervously for this moment to pass.

“Playing husband? What does that mean?”

“It’s nothing, just a small misunderstanding…”

“A small misunderstanding?”

“I wasn’t trying to hide it on purpose, but… my parents don’t know that I married you.”

Her parents had always been a sensitive subject for Freesia. For her, and indeed for her entire family, the Devlanc family, they were a source of shame.

Too humiliating to ever mention openly, but at the same time impossible to completely disown, they were a thorn in her side.

“They might not believe it even if they knew. But in the end, it was my decision to marry you, no matter what my parents think!”

“Well, that’s fine. You don’t need to force yourself to explain it.”

The issue of her parents was a deeply painful weakness for Freesia, one she never wanted to expose in front of him. His considerate decision not to press the matter filled her with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

“But I do have one question—why Fieldram?”

“Well, because he’s very capable, of course.”

His abilities were beyond extraordinary, enough to make him arguably the most troublesome person in the country.

Fieldram had an unparalleled talent for twisting words and dragging even the most logical opponent into absurd situations. Finding someone with such a knack for causing chaos would be nearly impossible.

“I forgot how strange your taste is.”

“What do you mean, strange? What are you trying to say?”

Still displeased, he kept quiet, but held her hand tightly, standing beside her.

“Let’s make one thing clear.”

“What?”

“No kissing. And no holding hands.”

“What are you talking about!”

“What’s going on?”

“Sister, are you alright?”

The door rattled violently, and in a hurry, Freesia shoved him out onto the balcony. If she didn’t get rid of him before the door broke down, there’d be trouble.

As he reluctantly began to leave, he asked Freesia, “So, when are you coming back?”

“Depends on how you behave.”

“Without you and Madame Benoit, the mansion feels too quiet. It was so quiet it felt eerie.”

“Madame Benoit went out while I was away?”

It was rare for Madame Benoit, who hardly ever left the house, to go out unless it was something related to Freesia.

Emphasizing the absence of a hostess, he kissed the back of Freesia’s hand.

“…If I just take you back with me now, will you be mad?”

“I would. I’m considering separate rooms for a year.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

If she allowed her self-indulgent husband too much freedom, he’d surely take advantage of it.

After finally sending the duke away, Freesia opened the door and asked calmly.

“What’s all this commotion about?”

“Sister!!!”

“…Who was here?”

Her sense for catching onto things was sharp as a bloodhound.

Knowing that if she found out about the duke’s visit, there would be another uproar, Freesia decided to act as though she knew nothing.

“With you two being this loud, how is anyone supposed to get any sleep?”

“Sister, that mean old man was bothering me!”

“Who are you calling an old man!?”

“Lily, it’s time to start acting like an adult.”

Freesia’s openly critical tone made Lily, as if she had never been upset, offer an innocent smile and extend her hand in reconciliation.

“Sir Fieldram, let’s put our old grudges behind us and get along from now on.”

“Really?”

“Ahem.”

It was time to put an end to this childish bickering.

With a glance at Freesia’s pointed cough, Fieldram reluctantly took Lily’s hand, sealing the uneasy truce.

* * *

Hearing that Freesia had arrived, Sohee hurried over to the Devlanc household.

“You haven’t been able to come out all this time, have you?”

“I got stuck with a little fish, but in the end, I succeeded.”

A nervous man, not at all suited to the usually calm and cozy Devlanc household, paced around, his irritation radiating from him.

“That’s Sir Fieldram, isn’t it?”

“What? You got a problem with that?”

Even Sohee could immediately recognize him, as his patience was clearly worn thin, and he was now demanding to leave.

“It seems Lily is still sleeping.”

“She was up all night talking.”

With a cautious tone, the princess remarked on the sharp demeanor of Freesia’s sister, who had boldly thrown her hat into the ring for the position of crown princess. Though the path wouldn’t be easy, Freesia had promised to help her. At the very least, with a brother-in-law who was the Duke of Crowford, she didn’t need to worry about her family’s name holding her back.

“That child didn’t come with you?”

“Luca is with my husband. Lately, it seems the two of them are having fun, planning things behind my back.”

“They’re leaving you out, Freesia?”

“Yeah, I’m a bit hurt, to be honest.”

Though it was clearly a boast disguised as disappointment.

Freesia was deeply pleased with how close the two had become.

“At first, I was worried that Luca might hate him, but it turns out that was just needless anxiety.”

“I see.”

“After all, he’s from the prestigious Bailey family, and I didn’t know what to make of this at first, but I’m glad I took him on.”

Without a shadow of doubt, Freesia began to pack the things she needed before returning to the duke’s estate.

“It’s been great visiting my family after so long, but knowing he’s probably waiting anxiously, I can’t really relax and enjoy myself.”

“Lily will be sad to see you go.”

“Lily’s reaching the point where she’ll need to graduate from relying on her sister.”

Her younger sister, who used to cling to her in fear of the social circles’ harshness, had now grown accustomed to being at the center of attention. Helping her navigate the parts of life that family couldn’t was none other than Countess Blado, Sohee.

“Thank you so much. Please continue being a good friend to our Lily.”

“Of course. By the way, I heard Alster’s new work has come out?”

“Yes, it’s causing quite a stir again. If you haven’t gotten your hands on it yet, I’ll give you a copy I have set aside.”

It was a perfect excuse for Sohee to visit the Crowford estate and meet Luca.

“In that case, I’ll gratefully accept.”

It was decided that Countess Blado would accompany her on the way back, leaving the one with the most lingering feelings as Rose.

“Why don’t you stay a few more days?”

“I’ll come back again next time.”

Though Rose clearly had a lot of regret, she looked much better than before.

Most importantly, it was a relief that Rose hadn’t found out about the issue with their parents.

Just in case, before leaving, Freesia made sure to give strict instructions to the nurse and everyone else, ensuring that Rose wouldn’t find out. After all, knowing wouldn’t change anything.

Freesia had no intention of always hiding behind her sister’s shadow and acting spoiled just because she was the younger sibling.

“Don’t forget, I’m always on your side.”

“Of course. My Freesia is always my reliable ally.”

She no longer needed to be protected. Freesia had resolved to protect her family in her own way.

“My lady.”

“I’m back.”

And now, she had even more things to protect.

Facing the Crowford estate’s staff, who had been eagerly awaiting her return, Freesia made up her mind.

“Freesia!”

“Luca.”

No matter how things changed or what happened in the future, she now had the courage to stand and fight without running away.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t read the letter properly.”

She hadn’t expected him to see it, but watching Fieldram throw a tantrum had clearly shaken Luca.

“You went somewhere fun with the duke without me?”

“Well, it was a sudden trip. I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“I know. I’m happy to see you two getting along. It’s a good thing.”

Unlike the protagonist who was once hated, Luca seemed to be receiving Wilfred’s unexpected attention and affection. That alone seemed like a good sign.

“I need to find the book and talk to the head maid for a bit. Luca, take care of Countess Blado.”

“But, Freesia…I…”

“What’s wrong?”

At Freesia’s question, Luca hesitated, his lips moving without sound. He would soon need to learn how to deal with people in the social world.

“If there’s something I’m still lacking, please teach me.”

“Of course, I will.”

While Freesia stepped away for a moment, Sohee bit her lip.

It seemed there was a good reason the duke had been so confident.